On day one we had booked a tour through the ship called the Noviciation Ceremony. This is a ceremony similar to a Catholic Confirmation of children into the church. However, there are some very striking differences. As Myanmar is 88% Buddhist there are monks all over the place. There are monks as young as 7 that study Buddhist doctrine and try and follow Buddha’s teachings. To become a monk the boys must go through a Noviciation Ceremony, this is very important as many of the poor boys will not have an education except through the monastery. They cannot become or start the process to be a monk without going through this ceremony.
As part of our tour some of the cost went to sponsor poor boys and as a result we were
considered VIPs, our bus was escorted from the ship by a Police Motorcycle
escort with lights and sirens going. Once we arrived at the monastery we were greeted by the head instructor and he explained what was going to happen. As we were considered VIPs we were told we could go anywhere and photograph anything we wanted. The ceremony started with a procession where the group was led by family members followed by the prettiest girls in the village and then the young men being carried in highly decorated chairs. The young men were dressed in elaborate costumes depicting what Buddha originally was - a Prince. They also had lots of makeup on to illustrate he was very vain and materialistic. During the ceremony the boys get the makeup washed off and they get their heads shaved and change from the fancy clothes into the red robes that the monks all wear. This is to signify Buddha’s enlightenment. Part of the ceremony involved the giving of
gifts to the boys and as the ship had made donations a few of the people were asked to give the boys the gifts, Sandra was one of the women selected to give the gifts to one of the boys, she was thrilled. The boy’s parents were extremely proud and after we were invited to join them for tea. All in all it was a very interesting and rewarding experience once again re-enforcing how fortunate we are to be born in Canada with all our benefits.
considered VIPs, our bus was escorted from the ship by a Police Motorcycle
escort with lights and sirens going. Once we arrived at the monastery we were greeted by the head instructor and he explained what was going to happen. As we were considered VIPs we were told we could go anywhere and photograph anything we wanted. The ceremony started with a procession where the group was led by family members followed by the prettiest girls in the village and then the young men being carried in highly decorated chairs. The young men were dressed in elaborate costumes depicting what Buddha originally was - a Prince. They also had lots of makeup on to illustrate he was very vain and materialistic. During the ceremony the boys get the makeup washed off and they get their heads shaved and change from the fancy clothes into the red robes that the monks all wear. This is to signify Buddha’s enlightenment. Part of the ceremony involved the giving of
gifts to the boys and as the ship had made donations a few of the people were asked to give the boys the gifts, Sandra was one of the women selected to give the gifts to one of the boys, she was thrilled. The boy’s parents were extremely proud and after we were invited to join them for tea. All in all it was a very interesting and rewarding experience once again re-enforcing how fortunate we are to be born in Canada with all our benefits.
On day two Sandra had organized a private guided tour, we were met in the early morning by our guide and driver and were taken into the city for a 12 hour tour. We went to numerous temples one of the biggest is a 150 foot temple covered in gold with a 76 karat diamond sitting on the top surround by hundreds of solid gold bells and over 5,000 precious
diamonds and other stones. We ended the day at a dinner show where we saw local dancers and a puppet show. The puppet shows are very popular in Asia. We returned to ship at 9:00PM a very full and interesting day.
diamonds and other stones. We ended the day at a dinner show where we saw local dancers and a puppet show. The puppet shows are very popular in Asia. We returned to ship at 9:00PM a very full and interesting day.
The next day we departed for Cochin, India and will be at sea for three days. We are scheduled to arrive in India on April 13th.
On the sea days there are many activities available but one that we have enjoyed the most
is beginner bridge lessons (watch out Ray and Gaye, we will come home
professional bridge playersJ)
is beginner bridge lessons (watch out Ray and Gaye, we will come home
professional bridge playersJ)
Young monks just after receiving their gifts from the ship's passengers. They were probably wondering who those white women were.
Bob with the budha that represents his birth day which happens to be a Thursday and this means I am a "RAT" the figure in the bottom of the pool. You are suppose to pour a cup of water over the Budha and the animal that represents your birthday. However we didn't have enough time as we are suppose to return to Canada in May 2012 so I did it in multiples of 10 and it still took awhile.
Main temple with the 76 Karat diamond on the top
A floating restaurant near the temple. We had supper here and saw a local cultural show.
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