The Shwezigon Pagoda was built by King Anawrahta and completed in 1089 as the most important reliquary shrine in Bagan. It is the venue of the Shwezigon Pagoda festival, which is one of the nation’s most popular and held during the second week of the Burmese month of Nadaw (November and December).

We spent a good half-morning taking pictures at the walkways to the Shwezigon Pagoda. The row of columns at the side of the walkway cast a repeating pattern of alternating strips of light and shadows on the floor of the walkway in the morning sun, forming a scene which drew the attention of the eye and naturally lent itself to be photographed. Then, there were all those interesting people who would mysteriously make their appearance one after another, making us go WOW. To-date, I still do not know if this was arranged by our local guide for our benefit, but we had no complaints and were pleased with the photo opportunities that presented themselves.