The second-largest Buddhist monastery in Myanmar, Kha Khat Wain Kyaung is home to around a thousand monks ranging from very young novices to elderly abbots who have lived here most of their lives. The complex of wooden halls, dormitories, and meditation rooms is a working institution, not a museum, and moving through its courtyards you are never far from someone studying, chanting, or simply sitting quietly.
The best time to visit is around midday when the monks file out for their meal in a long, orderly procession — saffron robes, lacquered bowls, the shuffle of bare feet on worn stone. The procession moves in near silence through the compound and into the dining hall, and watching it has a quality of timelessness that is hard to find elsewhere in Myanmar. Visitors are welcome to observe from the edges and photography is generally tolerated if done respectfully. Arrive a few minutes early to find a good vantage point.