Mandalay buying snow

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Mandalay buying snow

After the overcrowded streets of Hoi An where tourists far outnumbered locals, Mandalay was a refreshing change of pace. We came to Mandalay from Vietnam to get off the well worn tourist track and it took just a few hours in this country to validate that we had. Mandalay feels relatively untouched by western influence. Men walk the streets in traditional longyi skirts and women have geometric shapes painted on their face with tanaka , a natural sunblock made from the bark of the tanaka tree. We had two days in Mandalay prior to going to Bagan. As we ate breakfast on our first day, the morning sun illuminated dozens of gold stupas peeking above the soupy green and gray of the city. It was impossible to visit every temple and attraction of Mandalay but we gave it our best shot, cramming the highlights into two days of whirlwind sightseeing. Our first stop: the Jade Market. The Myanmar Jade Market is several square hectares of organized chaos. Here buyers from all over the world, but mostly China and India, come to buy jade in bulk and ship it home to local jewelers. Established shops with clean white interiors showcasing deep green stones of ebony velvet shared walls with rows of mud-splattered polishing wheels. It was all there: raw stone blocks to small chips ready for carving to polished finished items that glowed in the sun. The loud whine of stone cutters harmonized with the rasp of metal files on stone and was joined by the chorus of voices haggling and inspecting quality. We spent just over two hours in the jade market exploring and then buying souvenirs the cost of rings and small charms for souvenirs is about 2, kyat each and soaking in the market. We ended the market in one of the more established shops, learning about the different qualities of jade while looking at small lime elephants. In this industry with no safety regulations, people work incredibly hard and there is still a boom or bust mentality. The next stop was the old Royal Palace. The palace was constructed by King Mindon in the middle of the 19th century and would be the last royal palace of the Burmese monarchy. The grounds of the palace are protected by towering stone walls and an emerald green moat. The current Royal Palace is a replica built in Still, the sight of the brick red buildings crowned by the gold of the main hall tower is a stunning sight. Before leaving the palace, we climbed the viewing tower and were truly able to appreciate the scale of the palace grounds, as well as treated to a beautiful view of the palace itself. We then went to the nearby Shwenandaw Monastery, one of the few temples constructed entirely of teak that survived World War II. Wooden Buddhas dance on the doors of the temple and peacocks strut above on the railing in intricate carvings. Inside the temple light falls through the numerous doorways, breathing life into the old gilded walls. Walking through this year old wooden structure is a journey back in time and is a must see. Where the Shwenandaw Monastery was small and full of charm, the neighboring Ahtumashi temple is towering and grand. The growling dragons protecting the steps are the only original part of the temple, and the rest was rebuilt after being destroyed in World War II. Large on the outside, stepping through the doors of the temple takes you into a cavernous room. A shrine to Buddha on the far side is the only object decorating the otherwise spartan hall. Stairs take you underneath the temple to an open air room with even less decoration than the one above. While an impressive sight, the Ahtumashi temple is not a must-see in Mandalay. Four symmetrical walkways stream out from the main golden stupa. Neat angular rows of white kyauksa gu stone inscription caves spell out concentric squares around the stupa. Each of the white kyauksa gu is home to one page of the 15 books of Buddha. Each page is 1. The gray pages are guarded by iron bars to prevent vandalism and are decorated with lines of the black swirl of Burmese. Our last stop of the day was the top of Mandalay Hill. Columns decorated with a rainbow of mirrors reflected back a fractured image of yourself. However, our gaze was not fixated on the temple but on the horizon where we watched a blood orange sun dip below the layer of smoke and smog blanketing the horizon. As our day began, so too did it end, watching the last light of the sun kiss the gilded stupas goodbye. The next day we met our driver and went about exploring the five ancient cities around Manadalay. Mingun: Mingun is across the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay. From to a series of Buddhist temples and religious structures were built and subsequently damaged in a strong earthquake in When the unfinished temple was damage the bell was moved meters down the road and housed in a nondescript pagoda. The Mya Tein Tan Pagoda is a large structure opened in and was built to resemble the mythological mountain of Buddhism with its many different levels. We spent two hours exploring these monuments and really enjoyed our time here. Sagaing: Sagaing is the administrative seat of the Sagaing Region. Amarapura: Amarapura is one of the ancient capitals of Burma. Constructed in the s, the bridge is currently straining to support the thousand or so tourists who cross it at sunset to take photos. Tips for travelers to Mandalay: There are many travel blogs which debate the value of visiting Mandalay or not. We enjoyed our stay and felt you could see the city and the surrounding area in two action packed days. The attractions in Mandalay are interesting but due to the war damage they lack the ancient authenticity that you will find in Bagan. In my opinion the best part of Mandalay was exploring the city and driving the country roads and seeing Myanmar in its purest form. Much of Myanmar is stuck in the 19th or early 20th century. Dad stared out the window in wonder as we bounced by on primitive roads in our modern air conditioned Toyota van. What to do: If you are there for two days, you have two sunsets. These can be incorporated into two day trips — one exploring Mandalay proper and another the surrounding sites. Touring Mandalay: The city and its tour is divided into the northern and southern halves. In the northern half make sure you see Shwenandaw Monastery and Kuthodaw Pagoda — do these before going up the hill for sunset. The Royal Palace is interesting but it is a replica. In the southern half see the Mahamuni Pagoda and then spend your time going through the local markets and factories stone carving, wood carving, jade market, etc. Outside of Mandalay: If you have the time, then we would recommend seeing the area around Mandalay. We enjoyed Mingun because it was less crowded and Sagaing was worth the 30 minute excursion to get some pictures you drive by it on the way to Mingun. We stayed at the Link 78 across from the train station and would recommend this hotel. What to eat: There is tons of street food as well as local restaurants. A fun summary of your experience! A women selling raw low quality jade out front of the market. This shot, with no tourists, typifies Myanmar. Walking the ancient teak halls of the Shwenandaw Monastery was one of the highlights of Mandalay. Taken together they make up the largest book in the world. Watch the Myanmar sunset from Mandalay Hill here through the mirror faceted pagoda at the top. The Pathoedawgyi Temple was badly damaged by an earthquake in Access is now very limited but its still impressive to walk around. The number of temples doting the hills above Sagaing is impressive and makes for a great photo-op, but it is not a must see if you are pressed for time. The ancient U Bein Bridge at sunset is a major tourist attraction now. It clears out pretty quickly so come early or linger to enjoy its ambience. We took a picture of the brochure provided by the hotel. Written by Jason and Ellis Andrews adventure family adventure travel explore myanmar exploring southeast asia family adventure family travel kid travel life adveture Mandalay Myanmar out there doing that outtheredoingthat teen travel travel travel blog travel blogger travel family travel journal travel life well traveled family well travelled.