Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the Buddha's enlightenment. Measuring 456ft by 371ft, the cave, which can accom-
modate up to 10,000 people, took only 14 months to build. It helped that there were
63,000 labourers. Grand religious ceremonies are still held here.
State Fine Arts School
HISTORIC BUILDING
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(131 Kaba Aya Pagoda Rd, Bahan; 9am-4.30pm)
Built in the early 20th century as
the grand home of shipping and rubber magnate Lim Chin Tsong, this is another crum-
bling but highly evocative slice of Yangon's architectural heritage. On the ground floor,
beneath the pagoda-like tower, is a gallery of student art.
Explore upstairs to find murals painted by Ernest and Dod Proctor, who later in their
careers had their works hung in London's Tate Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.
Kyauk Daw Kyi
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
(Mindhama Hill, Mingalardon; 6am-6pm)
Not far from the airport, this immense
seated Buddha was carved from a single piece of marble found outside Mandalay in
1999. The partially finished statue was painstakingly transported to Yangon by boat and
train (on a specially built track) a year later, events that are depicted in the complex's
modern murals.
After the detailing was finished, the Buddha was positioned in its current home at the
top of a hill and encased in glass.
Hsin Hpyu Daw
ELEPHANT ENCLOSURE
(Mindama Rd, Insein; 8am-5pm)
A small, unmarked park close by the Kyauk Daw
Kyi is home to four white elephants - actually light pink in colour. Found upcountry and
brought to Yangon in 2002, their discovery was regarded, by the military at least, as a
good omen for the country. The elephants, who spend much of the day chained, might
think otherwise.
Myanmar Gems Museum & Gems Market
MUSEUM, MARKET
( 01-665 365; 66 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Mayagone; admission $5; 9.30am-4pm Tue-Sun)
The
glitter has dimmed at this small museum, on the 4th floor of a building that mainly oper-
ates as a shopping plaza for jewelry stalls, since the government carted off the biggest
gems to another repository in Nay Pyi Twa. Still, there's a few eye-catching pieces of
bling and precious stones, including a small bust of General Aung San carved from jade.
