The old, brown-robed monk in a conical peaked cap gently nudged me to the left, two steps, and there it was, in a brilliant white flash: the 4,351 diamonds at the topmost orb of the Shwedagon stupa.

Only a few tourist and locals were at the temple this late. Some places diminish in stature when you take away the crowds, but this site, one of Burma's holiest, becomes even more impressive.

On a prominent hill overlooking Rangoon, the temple complex dominates the city. In the 1400s Queen Shinsawbu donated her weight in gold to the temple. It was beaten into leaf to gild the first stupa, and the layering of gilt continues today - there are now 53 tonnes of gold covering the structure.

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