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365--Myanmar: The Buddha wears glasses @ CherieSpotting     Jul 27 2006 - 14:39 PST Cherie writes: Shwedaung, a town about 10-miles south of Pyay, is famous for having the only Buddha in the world with spectacles. The gold-plated lenses were given to Buddha by a townsman back in the Konbaung era. Now pilgrims with eye-ailments travel across the globe pay homage to the Buddha with glasses. By chance, Jean and I saw the Buddha during his eyeglass cleaning. Once a month the monks climb up a ladder with a cloth to make sure the Buddha has a clear view of his worshipers. Myanmar is a country filled with every type of image of Buddha: gold Buddhas, tall Buddhas, reclining Buddhas. The only thing I haven’t seen is a Buddha with a beer! One of the most magnificent Buddhas was the Ten-Story Buddha or the Sehtatgyi Paya. The gold covered zedi glistened in the moonlight and turned even the most devout doubters into faithful believers. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 4907    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Cherie and Jean in front of the Shwemyetman Paya. It's the only Paya in the world where the Buddha wears a pair of gold glasses. A townsman gave the Buddha his first pair of glasses in the Konbaung era. Once a month the Buddha must have his glasses cleaned. You have to make sure the Buddha can see his worshipers. Do you the Buddha might ever get contacts? A family at a local restaurant. Beautiful Myanmar girl. Cherie with local kids. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Lunch time. Another Myanmar beauty. Kids. The immortal frog. Jean with a local family. Expressive eyes. Cherie blending in. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Walking down the street. Kids by our rental car. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Driving down the street. *Photo by Jean Leitner. It's wonderful that kids will always be kids. Washing before praying. Paying homage to the Buddha. Admiring the view. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Making an offering. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Jean plays with some local children. We rented a driver (Sein Lwin) with our rental car. Monks lined up in a row. Cherie and Lynda. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Myanmar man with his baby. The local market in Pyay. The market is alive with vibrant color. Cherie wanders around the market. *Photo by Jean Leitner. The beggar. The lime-seller. Dried pineapple. Jean is the tallest person in Pyay. I'm sorry...you're too young. You Cantelope. (Can't elope.) *smile* Ready for a bike ride? *Photo by Jean Leitner. Storage. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Have compassion. *Photo by Jean Leitner. They definately qualify for car pool. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Are you sure you can't fit one more in that truck? A Burmese tire-swing. *Photo by Jean Leitner. A monk on a motorcycle. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Lynda and Cherie. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Our cottage in Pyay. Cherie and Lynda. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Jean feeds the fish. The sun sets on Pyay, Myanmar. The fish are hungry. That's a lot of mouths to feed. That's a lot of mouths to feed. Cherie and Lynda. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Wild peacocks. I think the peacocks want a ride. Visiting the Shwesandaw Paya (Golden Hair Paya) at night. A couple of the Buddha's hairs bring worshipers to the Shwesandaw Paya from all over the world. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Cherie with the Sehtatgyi Paya (the 10-story Buddha) *Photo by Jean Leitner. The huge Sehtatgyi Paya at night. The reclining Buddha. This is taller than the zedi at Shwedagon. Jean, like the Buddha, was born on a Wednesday. It's fun to make noise. Gong! *Photo by Jean Leitner. Exploring at night. *Photo by Jean Leitner. Young monks. Walking down the street. Tonight they'll be telling stories of the crazy American they met with a camera. Myanmar girl. Time for lunch. Jean enjoys a cheroot with the owner. New friends sharing a smoke. The weaver. The backpacker.