 | Lady Layard’s Journal Go to a Date Search the Journal |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |
3 February 1906 — Rangoon | |
Saturday. 3rd [February 1906]. We sat quiet in the morning till 11 when we took a carriage & drove to Cooks about our tickets & then after lunch we took a guide with us & went over the Pagoda in detail. The scene beggars description. It is too wonderful. The costumes of the women, the prevailing colour being bright pink, the yellow garments & draperies of the Monks, the booths where flowers & offerings to Buddha are sold, the people singing, praying, chattering—sitting quiet—all happy in their own way. I never saw the like. An old man offered to tell us our fortunes. A woman offered to sell us a tress of black hair & laughed when I pointed to my white hair. She at once offered me a piece of black stuff with which to blacken it—we parted cheerfully & she did not seem to resent our not having bought anything. There were lots of tiny children trotting about without a rag of clothes or held up in their mother’s arms crowing with delight. Nela took many snap shots of such scenes much to their contentment. We saw in one quiet corner of the platform the graves of three British officers who had fallen in the storming of the Pagoda. The good Burmese tend their graves and bear no grudge to them on that account. We lingered long in this wonderful place & were allowed to go where we liked even close up to the shrines of Buddha amongst the praying people. We saw Hindus, Buddhists, Chinamen, English all going in & out of the place happily together. The natives being obliged to remove their shoes. The English alone may keep them on. At last we went off to drive to the great lakes—but could only go to the head of them for the sun had begun to set & we had to turn back. We gathered a lovely bunch of wild flowers at the lake, oleanders, jasmine & crotons– The sun set was lovely a beautiful red flush reflected in the water as we drove back to Allendale. Mr Angelo dined with us & went away early. Nela & I took a short walk in the moonlight before bed– | |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |