Mahumuni Pagoda
The courtyards of pagados are frequented by devotees as a place to not only rest in the heat but to talk. A social gathering to exchange "news". I, of course, a foreigner appeared to some as a source of information. People wanted to talk to me.
One person remarked, "I dont buy or read new books or newspapers, I only turn to the back page obituaries, it is the only column I can trust" and then added "I trust only old books"
Although thanks to monasterial life and the British influenece Mynamar has a very high literacy rate there are few non-fiction books being written. Another person, a writer told me "I can only write love poems, the censors warned me away from writing anything else".
Sitting in the courtyard provided me with an excellent opprounity to take photos, The Mahumuni pagoda houses the revered Mahumuni image. Covered in gold leaf over the years by devout Buddhists, this image was brought from Arakan in 1784