Marilyn's Odyssey: Pyay

Pyay sits on the eastern banks of the Ayeyarwady River and was established by the British Irrawaddy Flotilla Company as a transshipment point between upper and lower Burma in the late 19th century. The city is home to more than 80 guided pagodas. We went to visit the Payagi Pagoda which not as large as the one in Yangon to us was much more appealing. The stupa is covered in gold and the whole pagoda glitters. We were the only tourists visiting and the locals took delight in taking our pictures. Our guides are filling our heads with information regarding the Buddhist way of life which is quite fascinating. From one area of the pagoda one looks directly over at a ten story high sitting Buddha rising hig out of the tree line.

We then went to visit Bawbawgyi Payi which is a cylindrical shaped stupa built of brick and plaster and is the oldest stupa in the area. It still has a gold top where loyal followers make their contributions in gold.

Traveling along the river is fascinating. Right now the river is at its lowest depth and is only six feet deep in many places so navigation is very tricky and impossible for some boats at this time of year. This ship only draws four feet of water making it possible to go up the river under these conditions though there is is often a crew member on each side of the boat measuring the depth with a stick. Very high tech! The river is dotted with huge sandbars which often have small nomadic villages set up on them of fishermen and farmers. Land that is under water in the rainy season is actively farmed at this time of year. The sides of the river are often steep sand banks which indicate how deep the river runs during its high point. In Myanmar the people do most everything by hand and it is fascinating to watch the workings on shore from the boat. Ox carts carrying loads are a frequent sight and a welcome picture opportunity. The river itself is busy with boats large and small. The larger boats and barges are dredging stones from the bottom of the river which are then used in building and are worth a lot of money so this is quite lucrative. A few of the smaller boats are fishing but they mostly seem to be for transportation to get them to their homes and work.

In Myanmar children serve as nuns or monks several times during their lives, sometimes just for a week at a time. Some serve for a lifetime.

Stupa in Paya. We have seen nothing but clear blue skies.

Within he temple complexes there are dozens of Buddha statues for people to worship before. Some have different significant meanings, for example some are believed to contribute to wealth and some to fertility.

Around the stupa are eight points representing the days of the week with two for Wednesday. Buddhists put great significance in the day of the week that they were born and worship at the appropriate shrine pouring water over the Buddha for blessing.

Ten story high Buddha rising out of the trees

The local people drink their water from clay pots. They keep the water cool plus the sediment settles to the bottom so they only drink from the top two thirds.

Oldest stupa in Paya, made of brick but still topped with gold

Gold umbrella at top of stupa where the believers add gold offerings every five years

This gorgeous flowering tree ,the lumbini ,at the site of the stupa is much reveered as it is believed the Buddha was born under one of these rare trees. The flowers have the most beautiful scent.