Desiree Koh:
Lunch with Dr. Than Win and family at Coca Suki, a Thai hot pot restaurant. Nothing too exciting, but these fried wontons were really good. We ate them like popcorn.
Desiree Koh:
We're used to DIY hot pot, so it was odd when the servers hovered all around systematically filling two boiling mini cauldrons with heaps of seafood, meats and vegetables.
Desiree Koh:
There were these dishes of boiled pig's intestines...
Desiree Koh:
...boiled beef flank...
Desiree Koh:
...boiled chicken...
Desiree Koh:
After we'd eaten too much of everything in the pot, remnants and body parts were fished out onto little plates.
Desiree Koh:
Rice, an egg and spring onions were then stirred into the sweet broth to make congee! That's pretty smart!
Desiree Koh:
I loved it - it was delicious.
Desiree Koh:
Dessert was flambed bananas, which happened to take place next to my hair.
Desiree Koh:
This must have been how Michael Jackson felt during the filming of that Pepsi commercial. Oh snap.
Desiree Koh:
We spent the evening at Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist site in Burma. Believed to have been built between the sixth and 10th centuries, this should undoubtedly be a UNESCO World Heritage Site - too bad about the politics.
Desiree Koh:
There is more gold in the Shwedagon than in the Bank England - and that's before you add the diamonds, rubies and emeralds. Impoverished as Burma is, and although the pagoda isn't under the heaviest scrutiny, there is zero pilferage and all statues remain
Desiree Koh:
Because Burma is prone to earthquakes, the Shwedagon has been rebuilt many times - the current incarnation dates back to 1769.
Desiree Koh:
A massive ring of lit candles and joss sticks surround the main stupa dome.
Desiree Koh:
Dad, and his birth year.
Desiree Koh:
All Burmese Buddhists dream of visiting the Shwedagon at least once in their lifetimes.
Desiree Koh:
There are little temples surrounding the main stupa, reflecting various styles of worship as they were built by different groups of ethnicities and settlers.
Desiree Koh:
Burmese characters are pretty interesting and funny - perfect curly wurly circles of Indian-inspired script.
Desiree Koh:
King Okkalapa, who according to legend, originally enshrined eight Buddha hairs in the pagoda.
Desiree Koh:
Our Burmese friend Soe Min was so thrilled that we were at the Shwedagon that she bought 100 oil wicks as a gift for us to light for blessings.
Desiree Koh:
Ringing a loud, booming bell for blessings.
