Monthly Archives: January 2016

Driving to Mandalay

By | Myanmar | No Comments

Arrived in Sagaing and took the bus to get to MandalaySagain_ (2)

Beautiful scenery on the waySagain_ (3)Sagain_ (4)Sagain_ (5)Sagain_ (6)Sagain_ (7)Sagain_ (8)Sagain_ (9)

Third photo with coconut trees 🙂  Love this scene – it seems like they use the trees to put a border on the propertySagain_ (10)Sagain_ (11)

 On the way to Sagaing we witnessed the Shinpyu parade – is the Burmese term for a novitiation ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of 20.

It is deemed the most important duty that parents owe to their son by letting him go forth and embrace the legacy of the Buddha, join the Sangha and become immersed in the teachings of the Buddha, the Dhamma, at least for a short while, perhaps longer if not for the rest of his life. A boy may become a novice on more than one occasion, but by the age of twenty there will be another great occasion, the upasampada ordination, in which the boy becomes a fully ordained bazin. Those who are not blessed with a male child will seek for an orphan boy or a boy from very poor families in order to receive this special dispensation by the Buddha and hence gain great merit by the act. Shinbyu may well be regarded as a rite of passage or coming of age ceremony as in other religions. Allowing a son to spend some time however short it may be, in a Buddhist monastery is regarded by most Buddhists as the best religious gift that his parents can give him and it is believed to have a lasting effect on his life.( Wikipedia)

Sagain_ (12)Sagain_ (13)Sagain_ (1)

So colorful!Sagain SnapseedSagain (23)Sagain (24)Sagain (25)Sagain (26)

We stopped at the most important temple in Sagain just from the outsideSagain (1)There is supposedly a hair relic of Buddha held by the guard statue in the guardhouseSagain (2) Dr. Axel says it is fake though haha!!  Maybe the real one is kept somewhere elseSagain (3)

Close upSagain (4)

Still many temples around
Sagain (5) View of the Sagaing Hills with 800 temples.  Wish we had more time to get a better viewSagain (6)

A bit closerSagain (7)

 U Bein Bridge ( only for pedestrians) is a crossing that spans the Taungthaman Lake near Amarapura in Myanmar. The 1.2-kilometre bridge was built around 1850 and is believed to be the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world. Wikipedia Myanmar is the # 1 exporter of TeakwoodSagain (8)

Love this!
Sagain (9)

New Year 2016 With Dada

By | Celebrations | No Comments

Every year for as long as I can remember we have celebrated the New Year with my Dad and Mom out of Manila. For the first time, we spent it in Manila and were lost since we didn’t know what to do this year without them :-O

It was actually an opportunity for us to spend New Year with the de Jesus side and be with Dada!  new year dinner 2016 a We had a yummy home cooked meal ( my favourite ) and enjoyed! new year dinner 2016 tomato saladnew year dinner 2016 porknew year dinner 2016 d chickennew year dinner 2016 carbonaraMango Sticky rice homemade by Gloria’s cook- Yum!
new year dinner 2016 mango sticky rice gloria diaz Looking forward to a great year ahead  new year dinner 2016 c FaceTime with John and family:-)

new year 2015 facetimenew year 2015 facetimenew year dinner 2016 b

FILTER