Yangon... An Impressive Journey.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Yangon, Myanmar for the first time. I had always heard stories about Yangon and the beauty of the Shwedagon Pagoda since I was a child and always wondered if I would ever get the chance to visit. Finally, I made it there after finding an affordable flight ticket on trip.com. I decided to invite a friend to join me, and thus, this trip was born. Upon arrival, we headed straight to the Kyauktan Ye Le Pagoda to pay respects to the Buddha Upagupta outside the city. We then returned to the city to visit the Botataung Pagoda, where we paid respects to the Buddha's hair relic and prayed to the Nat spirit for our wishes to come true. As night fell, we visited the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda, located on a hill in the heart of Yangon. The pagoda is visible from afar and is as beautiful as the legends say. Although some parts were under renovation, the golden pagoda illuminated by golden lights was still stunning. After visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda, we checked into the Zealax Hotel and Residence, a 5-star hotel booked through trip.com at a very affordable rate. The hotel was large, newly opened, and located in a safe area. The room was spacious and well-equipped, and the staff were very friendly. We even received an additional discount from trip.com, making it a great value. We had a restful night's sleep. The next day, we traveled outside the city to Bago to visit the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, the tallest pagoda in Myanmar at 100 meters, taller than the Shwedagon Pagoda. This demonstrated the grandeur and faith of the Myanmar people in constructing such large pagodas. We then visited the palace of Queen Suphayalat and paid respects to her statue, which is near the golden Kanbawzathadi Palace, a newly restored wooden palace. In the afternoon, we visited the Kyaikpun Pagoda, which features four Buddha images, before returning to the city to visit the Chaukhtatgyi Buddha, a reclining Buddha with beautiful eyes, and finally the Sule Pagoda, where we prayed to the Nat spirit. The golden pagoda illuminated by golden lights was beautiful from every angle. We then returned to the hotel to rest. The following day, we planned to visit the Bogyoke Aung San Market to buy souvenirs, but it was closed on Mondays. Instead, we went to Junction City Mall and had coffee at Rio Coffee & Brunch, a popular spot on Instagram. After relaxing and taking photos, we returned to the hotel. It rained lightly in the afternoon, so we rested comfortably at the hotel. On the last day, we traveled back to Thailand in the morning, arriving safely. This trip was very impressive, from the affordable flight tickets and 5-star hotel to visiting the places I wanted to see, including the Shwedagon Pagoda. Praying to the Buddha and the Nat spirit brought me great happiness and fulfillment. If my wishes come true, I hope to return to Yangon, Myanmar again. Amen!