Sightseeing in Mandalay

After three chilly nights in Nyaungshwe we were full of colds and ready to move on to Mandalay where the weather wasn't actually that much better.

Our first impression of the city was that it was lacking in charm compared to the grand colonial ruin we'd seen in Yangon, the roads were lined with characterless concrete buildings and the center was dirty and chaotic. 

However, we soon discovered that the real Mandalay was not to be found on the main roads, hotels or tourist sights. The charm was tucked away in the crowed local markets, down narrow alleyways and in the numerous bustling tea shops around the city. 

Most tourists that visit Burma are there on package tours, there is only a small percentage of independent travellers like myself and Ric. This means that while the main tourist sights are really busy, once you wander away from the them you literally don't see any other tourists.

Central Market.

The package tourists were awful, they made me ashamed to be European, ashamed to be western and ashamed of the human race in general. They would turn up at a place in their air-conditioned buses and treat the local Burmese people like dirt. At one point we were stood waiting for a boat at the side of a river where a local lady was taking a bath in the water. A boat full of Italians turned up and suddenly the poor woman had fifteen cameras shoved in her face. Not a single person acknowledged her as a human being, smiled at her, or said hello. They pointed their cameras literally centimeters away from her face as if she were an animal in a zoo rather than a person trying to go about her daily life. It made me sick with rage. Another instance was outside a family home, Ric and I were playing with a little boy, giving him high fives and so on, while his grandmother was watching nearby, chuckling at the three of us. Out of nowhere this middle aged, middle class, English woman starts photographing the Grandma. No hello, no smile, no "may I take your photo, please?". Then she tottered off back to her tour group pleased as pie with photo. It's just so rude!!!

We spent a lot of time walking around Mandalay and drinking in the local tea shops which serve deliciously sweet hot chai, just like in India. On our walks we were greeted with mingalabah (hello) everywhere we went, children wanted to high five us and teenagers gathered round to shake our hands. It was a wonderful way to meet local people, all of whom were wonderfully intrigued about our country. I was surprised by how well the Burmese people spoke English, even outside of the tourist areas.

Yummy tea and even yummier free samosas.

One Day, a random procession of fancy oxen passed us by.

We skipped a lot of the central, government-owned sights in Mandalay because we wanted to avoid paying any money to the military junta. Instead we soaked up the atmosphere in the city and visited some of the less popular sights such as this beautiful teak monastery:

Shwe Inbin.

We didn't go inside the fort to visit Mandalay Palace but it did admire it lit up at night.

I previously bemoaned the segregation of women at religious sights in Burma, such as the mighty Golden Rock (Mt Kyaiktiyo). Well... that was nothing compared to what I saw at Mahamyatmuni Pagoda in Mandalay! The Buddha statue is covered in a six inch layer a knobbly gold leaf that has been lovingly apply over the past 20 years by male worshipers. While men can go right up to the Buddha image, say their prayers, touch it, and cover it with gold leaf, the ladies must sit outside the central alter and pray to the image on a TV screen! 

Women kneel under a TV showing a live feed of the Icon. A glimpse of the statue is visible in the background.

One day we hired a taxi for a tour of the ancient cities around Mandalay. Our driver Kan was brilliant, advising us on how to sneak into places for free (to avoid the government fees), and indulging us when we wanted to stop at tea shops, eat samosas or scope out lakeside bars.

Temple at Inwa.

Unfortunately, Ric chose our busiest day of sightseeing to come down with a severe case of food poisoning, and spent most of the day sampling some of the flithiest toilets in Asia. By lunch time, as green-faced Ric had dashed off again to answer nature's call, Kan took me to one side and expressed his concern, insisting he took Ric to a doctor before returning us a our hotel. 

In spite of Ric's flailing condition, we really enjoyed the tour. We visited Sagaing, where dozens of stupas and temples cover the rolling hills, and Amarapura to see the iconic U Bein bridge.

The bridge holds the record of being the longest and oldest teak bridge in the world. It is 1.2km long and was built in 1850. It certainly is an impressive structure, although it was extremely busy with local families, Buddhist monks and of course, several tour buses of tourists.

U Bein bridge.

The trip to the doctor was an experience in itself. Kan lead us into a poorly lit shop decorated with fading portraits and religious icons. From behind a musty curtain at the back of the shop emerged a tiny man, his back so hunched that he appeared to be bent in two. A tatty pinstriped shirt was tucked tightly into a traditional lungi, pulled up to his armpits. We were surprised when he addressed us in perfect English, with an accent worthy of a 1940's BBC newsreader. He was 76 years old. After examining Ric and declaring that he was in no mortal danger, the wrinkly little doctor picked out a handful of tablets from a collection of old glass jars arranged around his desk. Once the pills were carefully wrapped in paper he sent us on our way. The next day, the colour had returned to Ric's face and we were able to go out for some more historical sight seeing.

A breezy, forty minute boat ride up the Ayarwaddy River took to us the ancient city of Mingun. The city, although it is really more of a village, is known for a monumental pile of bricks that would have been the largest stupa in the world, had it have been finished. According to legend, an astrologer predicted that if the construction of the stupa were completed, the commissioning king would die. The structure has been severely damaged by earthquakes and huge cracks are visible. This being Asia, where no safety laws exist, it is possible to climb on top of the structure and stare down into the cracks.

Mingun Pahtodawgyi stupa, with a regular sized stupa in the foreground for scale.

Me (with umbrella) sitting on the edge of a deep crack on top of the giant unfinished stupa.

Mingun is a small village which felt a little overrun with tourists when we first arrived. Luckily though the heavens opened and all the tourists disappeared, leaving Ric and I to explore in the rain in peace.

We loved Mandalay, though the city isn't as charming as Yangon, the surrounding historical sites more than make up for it. 

We Stayed At...
Hotel Sahara: A brand new hotel, absolutely beautiful. £20/night for a double en suite.