The Kingdom of Taungoo was where the Burmese nation rallied after the fall of the Kingdom of Pagan. It formed the nucleus of the second Burmese Empire.
Many rural Burmese seem to live as they always have, working in their paddy fields with animals supplying most of the non-human power. There didn't seem to be much mechanized agriculture in this part of Myanmar.
In Taungoo itself, the Shwesandaw Paya is the most significant destination for sightseers.
There are statues of the 7 kings of Taungoo (before the capital moved on) in one of the shrines around the stupa.
This is a naga serpent. It appears in a lot of Burmese and Buddhist mythology.
Taungoo appears fairly prosperous. There is the usual construction and bicycle traffic.
Di on the balcony of our room where we took these pictures. Satellite TV is commoner than I would have thought.
There's also a lot of truck traffic. Old trucks hauling, trucks that serve as buses, newer Chinese-made trucks hauling timber and everything else.
There were some very nice houses around the guesthouse.
This was one of the best places we stayed. It's quite new with a Chinese restaurant right next door. This was one of the better pictures I got of Tint and Ko Thet, complete with the minibus.
The rooms were in very good shape. Two doubles for $30 in the off-season.
Page Updated 11/13/02
by Thomas Hodge