It's my day off again and so I walk a couple of miles to see two pagodas which are listed in Tripadvisor's top ten sights in Yangon.

The first place to visit is Chauk Htat Gyee pagoda, home of the amazing reclining Buddha constructed in 1907. I spend half an hour sitting cross legged, clearing my headspace to focus on the present time - this Buddha in this pagoda in this city in this country right now.

I am in a 'good place' spiritually and say 'mingalabar' (hello, and greetings) to a monk sitting close to where I am putting my shoes back on. He says 'Mata, Rooney and Ibrahimovic scored for Manchester United at the weekend' and that he likes Ferguson and Mourinho!

Religion and premier league football combining seamlessly here in Asia.

My my next stop is over the road at the Ngar Htat Gyee pagoda which is similar in design and construction. Again, I chat with a monk who tells me about his upcoming trip to the Himalaya. I learn about some of the differences between the south east Asian traditions in Buddhism (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Sri Lanka) and those of countries further north such as Tibet, China, Korea and Japan.

People from all walks of life seem genuinely curious about what an Englishman is doing on his own in their city. Sometimes, I ask myself the same question!