The giant Buddha

This is an enormous structure, I would assume that it is a large hollow mound of dirt and rubbish with various small inner sanctums. It is a fairly well proportioned figure reclining on it’s right side and draped with a typical off the shoulder white gown, heavily ornamented. It is almost 100 metres long and I would estimate that the side of it’s head and huge left ear would be some 15-20 metres above the surrounding floor. The bare feet are quite impressive – the toe nails, which are about the closest part that you can get to, are huge in proportion. The eyeballs which were apparently vandalised (as was most of the statue) by Japanese troops in WW2 have been replaced by beautifully crafted glass orbs, a gift of the Japanese people to the Burmese people after the war. They are over one metre in diameter!

The whole statue is in the open air, but is covered by a massive steel framed roof, this covering apparently a British gift in Victorian times. A large force of local workers were replacing thousands of 25mm square ceramic tiles in brilliant colours, mostly blue, white and gold that formed the intricate embroidery on the gown fringes and other ornamentation about the huge figure. Truly an impressive structure!

When I returned to the bus stop/car park, there was my sacked taxi and driver (the old owner no longer in sight!) now offering me a free ride back to my hotel. Several days previously he had entreated me to leave a pair of my good quality work shorts and a shirt for him as a bonus and, for me, a guarantee of my safe arrival at the airport for my departure. These now dirty articles were in a paper bag with my luggage back at the hotel. So it was that I negotiated a final figure for the journey to the airport, to be paid on arrival together with the package of clothing. This may all sound quite childish, but I had been well instructed in the procedure that would ensure I would not be stranded at my hotel. The Airport pickup service was highly suspect and prone to many demands for extra money, even though the service was supposed to be included in the air ticket.
I had one more place to visit – the Shwedagon complex to buy some carvings, and so I found myself with the taxi driver haggling down the prices on my behalf. (He probably returned later and collected his commission!). I was then returned to my hotel to pay my bill and check out. But if I thought this was the end, I was sadly mistaken!

The taxi owner suddenly appeared in the front seat, and as time was becoming short I could see that here was the last confrontation that I had been warned of, but smugly thought I had avoided. I then had to endure the owner’s screaming threats as we slowly (too slowly) headed for the airport. By this time I was extremely angry but held my fire till the terminal was in sight, at which point I exploded and abused them both the moment we fetched up at the entrance steps. I bounced out with the agreed fare in my hand, paid the owner and flung the parcel of clothing at the driver and headed into the terminal building. There was a law that forbade traders, including taxi drivers, to enter the terminal building and an armed guard stood by the doors to enforce this rule, and not without cause, as I found myself being physically restrained from entering the doors. Fortunately it only took one movement from the guard to send my friends scuttling back to their vehicle.
Apparently my overall experience was not in the least unusual.