Shwedagon pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

I woke up at 5am to catch the bus to Yangon. I only have a few hours in Yangon before my flight, unfortunately, and I want to see the Shwedagon pagoda.Yangon deserved more of my time, as there are 2 other large pagoda/temples in the area. At first, I was turned off by the idea of a big city, because I live in Beijing, so I purposefully didn't want to stay in Yangon very long. It ended up being a big mistake. Yangon deserves at least a full day, if not 2 or 3 days. I  hire a taxi for 6 hours to take me there and then to the airport. I got to the pagoda and was approached by a tour guide, whom I refused at first thinking I could find my way around myself. I was totally wrong, and then grateful that the guide had followed me around a little bit and did the tour anyway. He spoke very good English and knew the entire area.  In the pagoda, some of the rooms were absolutely stunning. I was more than impressed by the beauty, it was incredible, covered with mirrors, gold, and gems. There is a certain majesty to the golden spires and white pagoda construction which make it completely enchanting. The temple painted gold glows with an incandescence of green, pink and blue, the dome at the top is actually covered with gold plates, and the umbrella at the top is covered in gems. The temple grounds are crowded with Burmese tourists. It's Sunday, which I later found out from my guide that I was born on Sunday shortly before the new moon. He helps me find the most famous and oldest Buddha's in the complex. There are incredible golden rooms with mirrors everywhere, inlaid with embossed red and colored woods and intricate mosaics.