2. Meet, Greet & Orientation in Yangon

Monday December 29. 2014

At a great Chinese Banquet lunch today we met the team - Volunteers. Rotarians and donors.

Dr Eddie Lim and PDG Steve Yoshida

We learnt how the mission got started..Past District Governor, Steve Yoshida who lives in Hilo, Hawaii was Chair of the Rotary Global Peace Forum in 2013. He met Dr Eddie Lim who also lives  in Hawaii - Eddie's sister, Tin May living in Myanmar was able to make arrangements for Aung San Suu Kyi to present at the Peace Forum. The need for assistance to the poorer peoples of the county's North Eastern State, Rakhine was demonstrate.  Following considerable planning and determination the Mission came about and is now in its second year.

In addition to the Medical mission, donations for other projects were given.

Taipei Metro East Rotary Clubs: chairs, desks and whiteboards for a school.

Mr Bob Yeh handing Tin May Rotary District 3480 donation of $10,000.00 for equipment for Rakhine School

WE Rotary Club Hawaii: Kywede School water pipeline and storage tank 

Steve Yoshida presents Tim May the $7,220 donation

To obtain water for drinking, washing and using the toilet, students currently have to carry water from the collecting ponds everyday and haul it to the school, .  This is not only exhausting, but it takes up precious time that they could use for studying. The construction of a water tank and 2,600 foot connecting pipes from the ponds will be of immense benefit.

A group of us then saw some of the sights of Yangon.

Yangon is a mix of older colonial buildings, markets plus new shops and the occasional shopping mall. The streets are clean, the roads mostly well maintained and the drivers are usually courteous and careful (especially compared to most other SE Asian cities)

Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda

A striking reclining Buddha image that measures an impressive 65 metres long and 16 metres high. Sometimes referred to by foreign visitors as the 'Sweet-Eyed Buddha, the statue's porcelain face is punctuated by expressive large eyes (made from special imported Japanese glass), vermillion lips and bright blue eyeshadow.

The Buddha's staggered feet (indicating the living state just before his death, as opposing to parallel feet, denoting his passing away) are decorated with 108 sacred Buddhist symbols. It was built at the turn of the 20th century but after years of neglect was bought to the present site in 1966.

Shwedagon Pagoda

Considered one of the wonders of the religious world, the magnificent Shwedagon rises majestically over Singuttara Hill to the north of central Yangon, casting its golden gleam over the low-lying capital. The site that can take days to fully explore. 

Shwedagon Pagoda or Paya as it is known locally is a 100-metre high bell-shape structure that sits atop an octagonal base. Its complex structure is plated in gold, and the upper dome is studded with more than 5,000 diamonds and precious gems. At the tip of the stupa, a single 76-carat diamond graces this magnificent structure.

This 2,500-year old structure, contains the relics of four Buddhas, is the guardian temple of Yangon and is the most sacred site for the people of Myanmar. 

L to R: Dr Joseph Chu( Hawaii), Jane Little (Alaska), Kathryn Hester (Queensland), Karen Kankkunen(Queensland),
Dr Sheila Hurst ( California), U Toe (Yangon), Dr Josephine Waite (UK), Dr. Vernon Ansdell (UK)