Well, I had a mediocre night’s sleep.  Ambien just doesn’t seem to work for me anymore.  I was hoping for a good night’s sleep, because we have a grueling day ahead.  Hours of sightseeing, then a few hours at the airport (our flight leaves at 10 minutes to midnight), then five hours on a plane to Beijing, seven hours on…

Our last morning in Mandalay.  Rough night for my partner, Mark, though.  The very spicy tomato dish we had for dinner last night at Too Too caused heartburn that kept him up half of the night.  A handful of Tums and a couple of Rolaids finally did the trick and he got a few hours of sleep.  We headed upstairs…

Today we got an early start.  We were picked up at our hotel by Marn and our driver, and off we went.  Sixty-five kilometers east of Mandalay, on the western edge of the lush Shan Plateau 1070 meters above sea level, is the town of Pyin Oo Lwin, sitting far above the dust of Central Myanmar. It was established relatively…

After an amazing day, jam-packed day, we went back to the hotel, chilled out a bit, and then grabbed a cab to see the Moustache Brothers.  If you don’t know they’re story, you’re in for a treat.   This is the venue where they perform.  It’s their home, as well as their performance space.  It stays open, and people can wander…

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…