The sun finally set and with this comes the end of my blog posts about Myanmar (… probably đ ). I hope you have enjoyed seeing these photos, and if you ever get a chance, please do go to Myanmar, … Continue reading Sunset over Bagan, Myanmar (part 3)
The sun was dropping behind the horizon, and as we stood at the top of our stupa we could see the spires of the distant stupas in the distance. Â The reds and golds of the sunset glowed against the … Continue reading Sunset over Bagan, Myanmar (part 2)
I think its fitting for the last few posts on our trip to Myanmar to be of our sunset visit to a stupa. Â I confess I don’t know which stupa we were taken to. Â Whichever one it was, had an … Continue reading Sunset over Bagan, Myanmar (part 1)
So we come to the end of our wander around these smaller stupas in Bagan. For me, this was the highlight of our visit to Myanmar and if I ever return to Bagan, I’ll be heading off to explore more of … Continue reading Pagodas and Temples – Bagan, Myanmar (part 4)
These smaller stupas in Bagan, I found particularly charming after visiting the larger temples of Shwezigon Pagoda, Htilominlo Temple and Ananda Temple.  While they were beautiful, there was something special about the smaller ones.  Particularly since we were the only ones around and most … Continue reading Pagodas and Temples – Bagan, Myanmar (part 3)
Escaping from our tour group one afternoon in Bagan, we intrepid explorers wandered across the grassy scrubland to some of the smaller stupas near our hotel. After visiting the larger temples of Shwezigon Pagoda, Htilominlo Temple and Ananda Temple, I was keen to explore some of … Continue reading Pagodas and Temples – Bagan, Myanmar (part 2)
After visiting the larger temples of Shwezigon Pagoda, Htilominlo Temple and Ananda Temple, I was keen to explore some of the smaller stupas scattered around Bagan.  And we literally only had to walk a few paces from our hotel to do so.  We felt … Continue reading Pagodas and Temples – Bagan, Myanmar (part 1)
Shwezigon Pagoda or áá˝ážáąá ááşá¸ááŻáśááŻááŹá¸ as its known in the Myanmar language was the last of the 3 larger temples and pagoda’s we visited in Bagan. Built in 1076 by King Anawrahta, a recent convert to Theravada Buddhism, Shwezigon was built … Continue reading Shwezigon Pagoda – Bagan, Myanmar
ááŽá¸áááŻáááşá¸áááŻááŻááŹá¸ or Htilominlo Temple was another of the larger temples we visited in Bagan.  Built by King Nantaungmya in 1218AD, the temple is known to be the last Myanmar Style temple built in Bagan.  The temple is three stories tall and … Continue reading Htilominlo Temple – Bagan, Myanmar
And finally we reach Bagan, which was one of my bucket list locations.  I wcouldn’t wait to see the thousands of stupas scattered across the landscape.  And while I hate to give away spoilers, it didn’t disappoint! Although I was … Continue reading Ananda Temple – Bagan, Myanmar
Kamakura is a small town and a popular day trip from Tokyo.  One of the cool places we visited on our visit to Kamakura was the Zeniarai Benzaiten Shrine. This is a small shrine but very popular with visitors.  The shrine is … Continue reading Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Jinja Shrine – Kamakura, Japan
On our day trip from Tokyo to Kamakura, one of the Buddhist temples we visited was Hase Kannon Temple, also known as Hasedera. This temple was especially poignant as in the grounds are thousands of little statues called Jizo.  These are … Continue reading Hase Kannon Temple (Hasedera) – Kamakura, Japan
The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) is a huge bronze statue cast in 1252. It originally was housed in a temple, but the building was destroyed by a tsunami in the 1490s, so the bronze Buddha remains now exposed to the elements.  It weights around 100 tons … Continue reading Daibutsu – The Great Buddha – Kamakura, Japan
Our starting point for our day trip to Kamakura was Tsurugaoka HachimangĹŤ the most important Shinto shrine in the area.  The shrine was originally built in 1063 and moved to its current location in 1191. For much of its history, for over … Continue reading Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine – Kamakura, Japan
Our first day in Tokyo we visited the Tokyo suburb of Asakusa. We caught the train following some easy directions from the ticket counter. Try as hard as we could, even with non-existent Japanese we couldn’t get lost. On a couple … Continue reading Visiting Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo, Japan
