The image is only one of five that were made during his lifetime. Buddha breathed upon one of the the images and it became his exact likeness. At least this is the way the legend goes in Myanmar. At 4 everyday, in a ritual before a large crowd of followers,  a very high ranking monk, assisted by a number of helpers, washes the face of the image and brushes the teeth. Then men, pasting on gold leafs, are made to leave before 4 and the gates are closed. But, it is almost 5. I have waited most of the day. Nothing happens!

I took a taxi to the bus station which turned out to be a very long ride through backstreets and small neighborhoods, lasting over an hour . The bus stations in Yangon are just small hole-in-the-wall places that are very inconveniently located. This is something they will need to change as they try to draw more tourists to their country. But, I am getting to experience Myanmar before it becomes "touristy", which means things are not well planned or convient at times.

I wait in the small waiting area until a bus arrives. It is the "JOYOUS JOURNEY EXPRESS". A strange thing I have noticed in Myanmar is that they drive on the right side of the road, like in America, but the steering wheel is also on the right side of the vehicle. This means the driver is sitting next to the curb side of the road, not next to the center line.

When a bus stops to unload passengers, the door to exit is facing the street, in the line of oncoming traffic! I found out that the reason for all this is that at one time the Burmese drove the cars on the left side of the road. But, somewhere down the line, the dictator in Myanmar changed it to driving on the right side! 

I am traveling on the overnight bus to the city of Mandalay . It is Myanmars second largest city with a population of over a million. and I see a few motorbikes here, but not too many on the streets.

As I walked around the city I saw a lot of the hoodless trucks and there are a lot of pony carts on the streets also. I took some photos just walking around the city near my hotel.

The next day I walked to a large Pagoda that is one of the most important in Myanmar. It is so important that every Buddhist follower is expected to visit it on a pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime!

I can see the temple as I come up the street. It makes an impressive site. Along the streets are the sellers of food and drink. 

Once inside the temple there are also vendors selling souvenirs and food and drink, all over the temple grounds. There is much more to see than just the Buddha Face Image.

This Pagoda is called the Maha Muni Pagoda (built in 1785), and it holds the image of Buddha that is said to be a real likeness of his face, cast in his lifetime . Supposedly, only 5 likenesses of Buddha were made during his lifetime. Two in India, 2 in paradise, and 1 in Myanmar.

Legend says a king made the image, and, when Buddha visited him, he breathed upon the image 7 times and it came to life, and was the exact image of the Buddha himself!

Because of the legend, the devout Buddhists believe the image to be alive. There is a ritualistic washing of the face every day. Washing the FACE takes a lot of time, and is done in great detail, by a high-ranking monk.
 
A very ornate pedestal 5'9" high holds the statue. The image is in a sitting position and is 12 feet 7 inches tall and weights 6 1/2 tons! The Buddha image is surrounded by a small chamber with a Burmese style roof.

Men pay respect to the image (no females) by applying small gold leafs. Over the last century, so many gold leafs have been applied to the image that the image has become distorted . About 6 inches of gold leaf have been applied! There are a few old photos of the image from about 100 years ago. You can see how different the image looks today with all the gold leafs that have been applied through the years.

The image wears a crown set with diamonds, rubies and other precious stones. It is the most highly revered Buddha image in the country.

I have been walking around the temple grounds all day. Besides the Buddha image, there are 6 big bronze images that were taken from Angkor Wat in Cambodia during a war in the 1400's.

People believe you can rub a part of one of the statues bodies and it will cure your ailments. There is a 3-headed elephant, 3 lions and 3 warriors. You need to rub the part of the statue where you are ill (head, stomach, etc.)

I return to the Buddha image around 3 and wait for the washing ritual at 4 . The women sit on the floor in front of the image while the men go up to paste their gold leaf. The guards run the men off about 3:30 and close the gates. At 4 some music starts to play but nothing happens! I have been here all day to see the washing. By 5 nothing has happened . . . so I leave.

Back at the hotel they tell me it is at 4 a.m., not 4 in the afternoon. A little late to find that out, I think! No, I will not go at 4 a.m. to see it.

NEXT: I Walk A Very Long Bridge, but, "THERE IS DANGER AT THE END OF THE BRDIGE!"