Mandalay

The unique U Bein Bridge in Mandalay

I took a direct flight with AirAsia from Bangkok – less than two hours and I arrived in Mandalay. Paid little over 5,000 Thai baht (USD167).

At the airport I took a shared van and they took me to my guesthouse for 4, 000 kyat. Start getting used to not having air-conditioning and old cars!!  If you take a car to the city centre by yourself it will cost you 12,000 kyat (USD13.7).

ET Hotel: About USD25 a night. Buzzing with independent travellers, which I really like. Upon arrival the hotel had given my room to another guest, but a staff took me and my suitcase on a motorbike to Nylon Hotel (the lowest of the one star category). It didn’t charge me for that night, which I thought was nice.

Next day back to ET Hotel for breakfast, an interesting experience as you get seated next to other travellers and make their acquaintance. Breakfast is always the same – coffee from a sachet and hot water, fried eggs or omelette, cold toast with butter that isn’t really butter and coffee that is always very sweet, The reception staff was very sweet and help me with everything, but they also tried to give me two bad rooms. On complaining I finally had a rather nice room (205) with two twin beds.

Don’t book excursions from the hotel, as you can get them for half the price if you bargain with vendors selling similar tours around the hotel.

Sedona Hotel and Mandalay Hill Resort: Top luxury hotels in Myanmar, very nice with swimming pools

3rd November 2012: Arrival in Mandalay

I took a motorbike to go to Shwe Taung Tan, a restaurant on 66th Street between 26th and 27th.  After the flight and checking in to one of the worst hostel rooms in my life, boy did I need a decent meal and a beer! This place was suggested to me by my Madrid home tenants and it was awesome as it is completely local, very big and the spread is amazing. I had a Myanmar beer, which is a huge bottle. The staff took me to the kitchen and I chose chicken and tomatoes, but they came with six small dishes comprising vegetables, rice and other delicacies (pictured left). I paid 4, 500 kyat (USD5) for the feast. This was a good start! A noisy restaurant full of locals – I had arrived in Burma and it feels good!

I then took a rickshaw to visit the Mandalay Palace. It was real hard work for the driver as he really had to peddle hard to ferry me to the Palace. Upon arrival I paid USD10 (you can only pay in dollars) for the card, which allowed me to the numerous sites (although the staff never asked to see the card). The Palace is beautiful, and it has been completely rebuilt after it was destroyed in WW11 but impressive nonetheless. However, visitors cannot enter many parts.  .

After that I went to the night market, which was very interesting, and I ended up buying two longis.  For the first one I paid 3,500 kyat and for the second 3,000 kyat – prices varied as I found out on walking around the market. Longi is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Myanmar by both men and women around the waist running down to the feet, and some have beautiful patterns.

4th November: Beyond Mandalay

Having booked it the day before via my rickshaw driver a man came to pick me up in the most basic, dirty old car you can image, but no complaints as for USD25 I had a driver for the day.

My day’s itinerary:

• Saigaing Temple studded hills (pictured below): A long sweaty walk up the steps, but was rewarded with sight of a charming temple at the hilltop and breath-taking views of the surrounding areas. Amazing to see so many pagodas, temples and stupas scattered over the landscape, apparently there are about 500 of them.

• Amarapura (about 11 kms from Mandalay): Visitors are left on the border river, crossing by boat to the other side where horse carts are waiting to ferry visitors to see four temples, including the Inwa’s beautiful teak monastery. I paid 6,000 kyat for a cart to myself. Most of the drivers go at break neck speed as if they were in a marathon, as they want to carry as many visitors as possible. I had negotiated the price for two hours, so I could stop to take photos. You can also visit places where craftsmen do bronze casting, sculpture works, and silk and textile weaving. I just went to see textile weaving. It was interesting, but I do not believe for one second that what the weavers made is sold, more a show of how textile used to be made. I wouldn’t be surprised some of the silk items sold in the country come from Thailand.

• U Bein Bridge: This is by far the best and most impressive bridge I have seen in my life. Dated back to the 19th century, the long bridge sits on teak wooden stilts and is just lovely to be on it. I walked the entire length of the bridge, and it was quite magical mingling with monks, couples and other tourists who were also taking in the sights like me. I made the return leg by boat with two other travellers, whom I didn’t fancy talking to. I paid a few Euros for the trip, The U Bein Bridge is really unique, and one of the highlights of my trip. I would recommend going in the late afternoon to watch the sunset, the perfect time for some nice photos.

5th November: From Mandalay to Pyin U Lwin

At the guesthouse I booked a shared taxi to Pyin U Lwin, about two hours’ drive from Mandalay, for 6,500 kyat (approx. 6 Euros). I was going local in sharing a taxi with locals, which was nice. The road was very dusty, making the journey just as dusty, but I enjoyed the ride. I stayed in the Daylia Hotel, which again was very basic, and paid USD15 for it. As all the hotels were full, and when faced with the situation of not being able to find a place to stay, believe me even the most basic sounds good.

As soon as I had checked in and had a quick shower I scooted off to town and to the local market, which I always enjoyed exploring. I bought some nice colourful sling bags from a very sweet guy. Following that I had an interesting lunch at a simple restaurant. As usual when you asked for one plate of food, it comes up to six side dishes – again quite a spread again.

After lunch I walked around the town, just getting a feel of the place and ended getting a horse and cart to the famous National Kandawgyi Gardens. There is a beautiful swimming pool with an amazing view of the lake, but the water doesn’t look very clean. It would have been great just to lie in the pool with a drink and enjoy the amazing view. I could not believe how beautiful the area surrounding the gardens is, and the gardens in front of the lake are possibly one of the nicest I have ever seen. I was “happy as Larry”, as my dad used to say.

Following my ecstatic moment at the gardens I took another horse and cart to “FEEL” a restaurant facing the wonderful lake, and which has cocktails on the menu. “Yupi”, so I had my cocktail and then the most delicious peppered beef with peppers and a Myanmar beer – my happiness was soaring to unbelievable heights.

Then it was time to go back to my hotel. It was dark and no way would I walk to the hotel, but when I asked the restaurant for a taxi the staff said “no taxi”. I asked, “What am I to do?” Well, the restaurant’s manager or owner provided me the answer – he drove me to my one star hotel – nice!

6th November: Back to Mandalay from Pyin U Lwin

There was a surprise when I woke up, and saw that breakfast was included with my USD15 room, I was the only foreigner at breakfast and had my usual spread of toast, fried eggs and coffee with loads of sugar, while the local people had their rice breakfast. It was great as I didn’t expect anything, and nice not to have to find a place for brekki.

The shared taxi came to pick me up “easy peasy”, or so I thought. We had only just set off before the taxi driver almost ran into a man on a motorcycle. He looked as if he was on something as he seemed quite mad, but thank God he calmed down. However, he was an absolutely crazy driver. I paid 6,500 kyat for the trip back to Mandalay. I think the prices have doubled recently with the influx of tourists. Doesn’t really mater as I always think the Myanmar people need the tourist dollars to improve their livelihood, as well as help in the country’s development as it is such an underdeveloped and poor country.

In the afternoon I went to the Diamond Plaza shopping mall – nothing really extraordinary about it but I enjoyed myself as I needed a day away from the heat and chaos. I had a manicure and shampoo for 5,500 kyat. What I didn’t expect was a complete head massage, which was great  – a little bit of luxury always goes down well. The highlight of the day was a market below Diamond Plaza where I bought lovely textiles and had a laugh with the ladies – one was trying to speak English saying “oh my God” all the time! She must have recently learnt how to say it.  Lovely people and lovely moments to be lost in a market in the middle of Mandalay, chatting and laughing with these Burmese ladies.

Part 3: Marie finds peace and tranquillity in Lake Inle on the last leg of her Myanmar adventure.