Curse of the Golden Bell

**Curse of the Golden Bell** is the 12th episode of Season 1 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Gates travels to Myanmar to join in the search for the Golden Bell of King Dhammazedi, believed to be sunk at the bottom directly in the centre of the Bago River, the Yangon River and the Pazundaung Creek when Portuguese warlord Filipe de Brito e Nicote's ship was wrecked in 1599 after stealing the massive bell.

## Historical Context

"...this scenario took place in the nation of Myanmar in Southeast Asia when a treasured bell was stolen hundreds of years ago. In the 15th century, King Dhammazedi decided to make a gift for his people, so he melted huge quantities of gold and silver and produced the largest bell in the history of the world. A 300-ton, 18-foot-tall treasure. It was housed in the country's most sacred temple, but many believed it was cursed. Then in 1608, a Portuguese mercenary stole the bell and loaded it onto a raft. But the enormous weight tore the barge to bits, and the bell sank to the bottom of the river."

- Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh's journey starts in Bagon, Myanmar and he goes to Mount Popa where he meets Mr Swe, a historian. They go into the temple to conjure the spirits where they find many mediums who dance to channel the spirits. From there, Josh goes to the city of Yangon, where the bell reportedly sunk at the convergence of the three rivers there. He visits the Shwedagon Pagoda, and meets Chit San Win, an author and government minister, who gives him background on the bell and tells him of an event over of the summer to find the bell, that was inconclusive. He says that over time the river convergence may have been wider, meaning the bell sunk farther north than they originally believed.

Josh goes to a local market and then to the docks where he meets commerce minister U Win Myint. Out on the river, Josh witnesses a local diver goes down and feels debris at the bottom of the river but it's too muddy to see it. Josh then goes to meet Damien Lay, a diver, who is also searching for the bell. He explains that British admiralty charts always said that Pazundaung Creek, one of the three rivers, was only a meter deep so nobody searched there. Except, when Damien's ship went there they found it to be 12 meters deep and they got a sonar hit that looked similar to a ship and a bell. They go down to the docks and Josh meets Damien's colleagues Jeremy and Anjo.

Once at the site, Damien dives first and finds the large object but it's heavily encrusted. His tether gets tangled in a shot line but he's alright. Josh goes down next and he finds something metal but gets pulled far from the ship. Luckily, Damien and Anjo are able to pull him out. Josh is fine and he managed to pull up a metal scrap that they identify to be modern. However, there could still be a ship or bell at the bottom with years of debris piled on top of it.

## Final Words

"For four centuries, people in Myanmar have looked in vain for a sacred relic. It has been costly, both in money and in lives. But Damien and others like him are bringing technology into the equation, which combined with local knowledge and ingenuity, may finally lead to discovery. Like the country of Myanmar itself, the future of the great bell of Dhammazedi is unknown. Both have been caught in political intrigue that has stretched on for too long. I, for one, believe the bell will be found, that it will be returned to glory at the Shwedagon Pagoda. I believe that because I believe in the people of Myanmar. This country is infused with what can only be described as magic. Maybe it's Nat spirits. Maybe it's thousands of years of history. But whatever it is, this is a place of wonders."

- Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* *This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here*

## Quotes

* "Go around. I'm on a ridiculous Chinese scooter."
* "This thing is just screaming at me in Chinese. It's like the Chinese Jar Jar Binks. Yeah, meesa make a big mistake."
* "Oh god, a hill. This is it. This is the end. I'm dying. I'm dying. I'm dead. It's over. The bike's dead.
* "To me, the cacophony of horns and drums sounds like a nightmare version of the Star Wars Cantina Band."
* "I've also made some killer new Facebook friends."
* "Everything hurts. My hips are broken and shattered into pieces."
* "I love this song. Can somebody Shazam this song for me please?"
* "The old Myanmar fishing boat trap door. I'm not falling for that one."
* "God, I would kill for some Cool Ranch Doritos right now."

## Gallery

Photos shown in the slideshow are from Travel Channel's Curse of the Golden Bell slideshow. If you hover over the images, their exact image address will appear.

* Josh prepares to dive in the Yangon RiverGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-008.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580825637.jpeg
* Bagan TemplesGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-002.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580825590.jpeg
* Mount PopaGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-003.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580825599.jpeg
* Shwedagon PagodaGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-005.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580825619.jpeg
* Yangon WharfGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-007.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580825632.jpeg
* Bell at Shwedagon PagodaGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-009.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.822.suffix/1491580825646.jpeg
* Nat Spirits at Mount PopaGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-010.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580825660.jpeg
* Josh at a Myanmar shopGo to https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-004.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.822.suffix/1491580825607.jpeg
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## References

1. ↑ https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2015/03/24/expedition-unknown-112-ss/expedition-unknown-josh-gates-myanmar-001.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491580825577.jpeg