What are we going to do in
Myanmar?
Let’s just book this and
go!
That was me and my buddy as we were planning our
summer trip. We didn’t have plans, as always, so with our burned and numb feet
(Buddhist pagodas prohibit footwear), we explored Mandalay, our last stop for
the Myanmar leg of our two-month summer backpacking trip around Southeast Asia.
First in order was to settle on our home for three days,
the Hotel Amazing Mandalay. After swiftly checking in to our room, we rested during our
first day. Our hotel was strategically located near the Mandalay Palace, so
after a much needed respite, we strolled to this magnificent palace complex
surrounded by moat and finely built walls (check here for discounted tours, transportation and activities in Bagan).
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Mandalay Palace |
We tried getting in but were
discouraged for the tourists’ entrance was on the other side, a kilometer or so
away from where we were. We settled on that side and waited as the huge sun bid
its last farewell for the day.
The next day, we still didn’t have concrete plans on
how to go around town. Biking was not an option for some of the famed landmarks
are far from the town itself. Luckily, we met a cabbie that was so pleasant. We
met him on a little store as we were trying to buy some stuff and he obliged to
be our interpreter to our non-English speaking seller. Upon learning that he’s
a cabbie, we asked if he could tour us around. We agreed on his price of 30,000
Kyats (US$ 28.30) for the whole day stint, now that’s a plan!
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Our lovely cabbie |
He arrived at the hotel on schedule. He asked on our
plans and as always, we couldn’t tell him where we wanna go. We just expressed
that we didn’t have enough Kyats to spend on places where there will be
entrance fees, so he plotted a free
tour that day. The air conditioning from the cab was such a relief from the
burning Mandalay heat.
First stop was the holy Mandalay Hill, home to many
religious sites. Along the stairway of Mandalay Hill, we stopped at Su Taung Pyi Pagoda which was built by
the great King Anawratha in 1052.
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Inscriptions on the walls of Su Taung Pyi Pagoda |
Leaving our footwear before entering the
grounds, we started the climb up to this temple complex perched on the holy
hill. There was supposedly a 1,000 Kyats (US$ 1.06) camera fee for foreigners
but nobody seemed to be on duty at that time so our huge cameras got in for free.
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Sandalwood used for Buddha beads |
There were several food vendors as we ascend on the
first few flights. On the first level of the complex were souvenir shops
(sandalwood, longyi and more) and
restaurants. The topmost level provided a great view of Mandalay City. More
Buddha images, stupas and shrines
were also located there.
We chilled for about an hour on our chosen spot and
enjoyed the cool breeze with some of the devotees and pilgrims.
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Well hello there, Mandalay! |
Our next location is dubbed as the World’s Biggest Book inside the Kuthodaw Pagoda at the foot of Mandalay
Hill. We, again, left our footwear on the lockers outside the temple grounds
and went inside for free.
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World's biggest book |
We were greeted by 729 kyauksa gu or stone-inscription caves upon entering the pagoda
grounds. Each of these white caves contains a marble slab inscribed on both
sides with texts from the Tipitaka –
the Pali Canon (Holy Scriptures) of
Theravada Buddhism.
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Stone-inscription cave |
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Burnt, numb but happy feet |
The sweltering heat made us run like kids as we check out
the white caves. The gates on some of the caves were open so we checked out what’s written on the marble slab – in Burmese language.
The pagoda itself has a stupa on top of the terraces that stands at 188 feet. This pagoda complex seemed empty compared to the other ones.
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Kuthodaw Pagoda |
Next stop was the Shwenandaw
Monastery that's entirely built in teakwood. The carvings from the
outside were intricate. We wanna get inside but then the entrance fee hindered
us to do so. We just observed from the fenced gates.
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Shwenandaw Monastery |
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Souvenirs |
Moving on, we went to one of Myanmar’s holiest
pilgrimage site, the Maha Myat Muni Paya
or Mahamuni Paya. The pagoda houses the
great Maha Muni Buddha image, a 4-meter high Buddha statue that was originally casted
in metal.
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Mahamuni Paya |
The original image was totally unrecognizable compared
to its current state. The lumpy
texture of which is due to the small squares of gold leaf that has been offered
by the devotees. Over the past century, the Buddha was already covered by a six-inch
deep layer of gold leaf. Countless golden amulets and precious gems are also offered
by devotees.
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The "lumpy" Buddha |
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The heavily guarded Maha Muni Buddha image |
The last stop for the day was my only request, the U Bein Bridge located at Amarapura
Township. It was a long drive from Mandalay City and I specifically wanted to visit
this because of the gorgeous sunset images I once saw from Instagram (I do some
of our research here).
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U Bein Bridge |
U Bein Bridge is a 1.2-kilometer bridge that was built
from wood reclaimed from the former royal palace in Inwa. The 1,086 stilts were
built along the Taungthaman Lake. Built around 1850, it is believed to be the
longest and oldest teakwood bridge in the world.
The sun was hiding in the thick clouds as we were
swept away by the strong winds that lasted for minutes. We were about to cross
the bridge but were halted by the powerful winds. Both locals and tourists were
having a hard time crossing it.
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I could hardly move |
And when it stopped, people scattered and enjoyed the wonderful view
from the bridge. We went further and climbed down on one of the makeshift
stopover shelters to check out the scene near the lake.
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My playmate for the day |
There were some eateries that offer Myanmar
beers. We fought the urge to chill and drink so as to explore more, and I’m
glad we did. We remained there for a good 30 minutes and waited for the sun to
show up on the sky.
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Perfect ending |
The stunning sunset along U Bein Bridge was the
perfect end to our 10-day Myanmar jaunt. As we sat on the bridge, we reminisced
on our crazy adventures in Myanmar. We experienced being extinguished with strong water hose, endured a total of 26 hours inside a local train and other surprises which we felt were all part of this trip. No regrets. It was all meant to be.
What an awesome trip! Myanmar really has a lot to offer for tourists. And I would definitely love to visit U Bein Bridge. The view that it can offer is just priceless. You have great shots too.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Jeff! :)
Deleteid love to go to myanmar next time i travel abroad :) thanks for awesome pictures :) and also congratulations on your Bloggys 2015 nomination :)
ReplyDeleteThe Girl with the Muji Hat
Thanks Erica :)
DeleteMa'am, your photographs are amazing! Myanmar is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMyanmar is really beautiful Jose :)
DeleteThank you, ma'am! By the way, it's Ivan. And may I take this opportunity to invite you to drop by at my blog www.theintrovertedweekender.com.
Deleteohhh.. great pics...
ReplyDeletenot sure also of what to do in Myanmar but yes, we're planning to visit it too :)
lovely post ;)
You guys should visit it really soon! :)
Delete