MANDALAY
Mandalay sounded exotic but the initial impression was a bit underwhelming. Streets half covered with dirt made it look like you reached the end of the town but then if you kept walking you were back in the city center. That's not to say Mandalay doesn’t eventually reveal itself to be a great city it’s that I have no idea how the city could be the inspiration for a glamorous Las Vegas resort and how the idea for a wave pool comes from in such a dry and arid place. What is to say is that I found my travel groove in Mandalay. I began wandering around random areas and was repeatedly rewarded. The restaurant and bar scene is casual and there's a ton of locals out eating and drinking. You just pull up a chair, grab a beer, and go with the flow. For all of the odd attractions, some of which are discussed below, where Myanmar shines is when it's just Myanmar. And it didn't shine any bright than in Mandalay.
I spent the first day in Mandalay covering the sites within walking distance or a short motorcycle ride. The hotel was near Zegyo market so I cut through there before heading along the palace wall and moat. It was quiet in this part of town with little activity and each side street I cut through put out the same quiet vibe. I had an early lunch at Koffee Korner which was more restaurant than coffee shop.
I spent the first day in Mandalay covering the sites within walking distance or a short motorcycle ride. The hotel was near Zegyo market so I cut through there before heading along the palace wall and moat. It was quiet in this part of town with little activity and each side street I cut through put out the same quiet vibe. I had an early lunch at Koffee Korner which was more restaurant than coffee shop.
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I could wander around Mandalay all day. Here are a couple of street scenes:
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Kuthodaw Pagoda and the Royal Palace:
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Tired of walking in the heat I went to a motorcycle taxi stand and rode to the Mandalay Pagoda complex. There were three-four pagodas with stupas and a few that had large “books” inside. The books contain buddhist prayer verses.
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There’s a huge temple complex built into and on Mandalay Hill. It’s possible to take stairs all the way to the top but you need to remove your shoes first - it’s a pretty ridiculous request consider you don’t need to remove shoes at the Mahabodhi complex, Buddhism’s Holiest site until you enter a temple, but I wasn’t about to argue with the local monks. At the top a monk asked me for a photo and I obliged - and there's the barefoot evidence too.
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I had dinner at Mann Restaurant. When I first walked in I was the only Westerner but fifteen minutes later when my food arrived the place was half filled with older, hippy generation tourists. I hadn’t seen Westerners all day, there’s tons of restaurants in the city, yet this place was packed with other tourists? I went back and checked and sure enough the place was recommended by Lonely Planet - from here on out I ate street food and local food stalls. I walked around Zegyo market and even though it was closed there were still things going on. For most the Zegyo market storefront is the front half of a house and as I walked through the market I could see people having dinner, watching TV, and doing other household related activities.
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I hired a motorcycle for the second day and headed south to see some of sites outside of Mandalay proper. The first stop was Amanpurna Monastery which felt like a small college campus - there was a dormitory, cafeteria, places for studying. The main draw is to arrive at the monastery before 10 so you can watch the 1,000 resident monks gather and share in the meal for the day. Before this took place I walked the monastery and saw the monks engaged in pre morning rituals such as showering and shaving one another’s heads. The dining experience involved the monks forming two long lines that then passed food servers. Each monk carried their own dishes and then found a seat in the large dining hall. The meal only lasted for about 15 minutes before the monks were on their way to more pious activities.
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We crossed the Ayerraddy River to the next destination - another temple on a hill - Sagpaing Hill. This hill was a tougher climb but fortunately since the entire hill wasn’t a temple complex I could wear my shoes until we reached the top. The Buddha’s in the Burmese temples have a circle of colorful electronic lights that radiate behind the buddha’s head - the lights represent the buddha’s thoughts in his meditative state. It looked somewhat cheesy but very distinctive.
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We headed back across the river and further along the road to a second river. I left the motorcycle guide behind and took a ferry to the other side were several additional religious sites awaited. Transportation on this side of the river was limited to foot or a horse drawn carriage - given the heat, dust, and general lack of directions I hopped in the carriage and we galloped off. The first stop was an amazing teak monastery - what separated this monastery from others was it’s wood construction, red color, and unique pagoda/peak.
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From the monastery we headed to a few other lesser but just as interesting sites - there was a crumbled temple and a leaning tower. On the way back to the pier there was a monk novication ceremony - the locals were dressed up in their fanciest outfits and loud music blared. The two monks rode on horses at the back of the procession.
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I rode the ferry back across the island and hopped on the motorcycle to the final destination of the day - U-Bein bridge, a teak bridge nearly a mile long. It is odd explaining how a teak bridge can be a tourist spot but the bridge is pretty decent. At sunset monks walk across the bridge and the colors from the setting sun make a great photo opportunity. I arrived late in the afternoon and had a few Myanmar beers while waiting for the sun to get in position. By sunset the place was crawling with other tourists eager to get the perfect photo. I took a few photos then headed back to the motorcycle.
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Instead of dropping me off at the hotel, I had the motorcycle driver drop me off at Beer Star, a bar at a major intersection in Mandalay. I spent the next several hours hopping between bars and sampling street food. Along the way I met friendly locals who were willing to give me a seat at their table and share food. I was offered a ride because someone thought I was lost because I was so deep into local territory. Most of the locals were stunned and smiling to see a Westerner eating street food with them. The food was ok and fortunately my adventurous eating did not take a later toll on my digestive system.
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For additional Mandalay photos see FLICKR ALBUM.