Our second day in Mandalay has been jam-packed. This morning we saw all the different craftspeople in Mandalay – gold leaf makers, woodworkers, bronze workers and marble makers. Then, a stroll down Mandalay Hill, a visit to the world’s biggest book, and a stop at an amazing monastery. All that activity makes one pretty hungry. Time to dine at Shan…
Our first day in Mandalay (yesterday) was spent in the ancient cities of Inwa, Sagaing, and Amarapura located not far from Mandalay. Today, we’re spending time in Mandalay itself. Most people have at least heard of the city of Mandalay. If they know anything at all about Mandalay, it is usually that it is Burma’s second largest city after Rangoon.…
It’s now late in the afternoon and time to cross back over the Ayeyarwaddy river, to head to Lake Taung Thaman where we can walk the world’s longest teak bridge, the U Bein Bridge, for atmospheric sunset photos. The drive through Amarapura to get to the bridge was interesting. Burma is a land of extremes, and on…
We crossed the Ayeyarwaddy and quickly arrived in Sagaing, a low-key city just 25 km south of Mandalay. Sagaing is the capital of the Sagaing Region, which stretches all the way north almost to Tibet. Sagaing has largely devoted itself to spiritual matters. Today, around 6000 monks live in the numerous monasteries dotted around the town. The main reason to come…
It was tough saying goodbye to beautiful Inle Lake, but we were excited about our next stop, Mandalay. The flight to Mandalay was very short. Barely 35 minutes, which was a pleasure. We arrived at the airport and met our tall, slender guide, Marn. He took our bags and led us to the car where we met our driver, Mr.…
After lunch at the Inthar Heritage House (and a good hour spent playing with the cats at the sanctuary), we hit our last site, just a little south of Ywama. It’s the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, and it is the most important religious site in the area. Inside are five small Buddha images at the central shrine. …
It’s not difficult to find Russian blues in Russia, Scottish folds in Scotland, or Turkish vans in Turkey. But try finding a Burmese cat in Burma. It’s not as easy as you think. During the 19th and 20th century, increased development led to a large influx of people (and cats) into Burma, resulting in the rise of other…
We started our last day in Inle Lake with a nice breakfast at the hotel. Love those long pastries. Nyein Nyein picked us up at the hotel and we walked to the jetty. As usual, we passed multiple dogs along the way. I spotted this dog just walking amongst the folks on the street. She had a little grocery bag…
Today we get a good taste – literally – of what Burma is all about, because we’re starting the day with a cooking lesson at the Bamboo Delight Cooking School. I set this up weeks in advance as a surprise for Mark. Cooking is his passion, especially Asian cuisine. He wasn’t expecting this, so he was majorly psyched. First…
This morning we’re heading east, from Bagan to the Inle Lake area. Such chaos at the airport. There are three or four domestic airlines in the airport, each located next to each other, in booths smaller than a Paris hotel room. I‘m crazy paranoid about our luggage, given what happened on day 1, but it all goes smoothly. We land…
The day started out great, with a lovely buffet breakfast at our hotel. Nice selection of food, although as I’ve said before, I just can’t get into real Asian cuisine – noodles, fried rice, etc. – for breakfast. I need my eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Fortunately, they had all that. And a nice view of the river. Our guide…
No rest for the weary. Woke up super early this morning and went to the hotel reception area to meet the bus that was taking us to the balloon ground for our hot air balloon ride over Bagan. Every morning and evening, from October to March (the winter season), Balloons Over Bagan takes people on a magical flight over the…
Vacation is supposed to be a time to relax. Well, not today. We set our alarm for 4:00 a.m., quickly got dressed, and checked out of our hotel in order to meet our driver and zip to the Yangon airport for our flight to Bagan. The domestic terminal at Yangon International Airport is total chaos, but somehow, people seem…
We started with a bang. Our first full day in Burma saw us spending the afternoon at the Shwedagon Pagoda. Nothing prepares you for the Shwedagon Pagoda. This is the most sacred shrine in all of Burma. At 325 feet, the stupa totally dominates Yangon’s skyline. No site is more revered. No site is visited in such numbers. Legend has it that the shrine contains…
After a morning of architectural sightseeing, it was time for lunch. Although there is no shortage of authentic Burmese restaurants in Yangon, Feel Myanmar is probably the city’s best place to sample Burmese food. Food is laid out in a big buffet spread at the back of the restaurant. I asked Myo if we could stop there and eat, and invited…