MANDALAY
Mandalay is a unique city, unlike anywhere I’ve been before. The adventure begins on the one hour drive from Mandalay international airport to downtown. There are several taxis lined up outside where you can barter for around $3-4,000 kyats, approximately $3-4USD. Road rules do not apply and you soon discover they have a very unique system where horns replace indicators. Passing through fields of sunflowers, woven bamboo homes, countless road-side food stalls along with cows pulling carts and stray dogs, you will soon arrive in Mandalay city.
It is easy to navigate Mandalay’s grid of numbered streets with downtown ranging north to south 1st-49th and east to west 50th-90th. It is illegal for foreigners to hire motorbikes here, which is probably a good thing considering the lack of road rules and there only being maybe 2 sets of traffic lights in the whole city. Downtown is easy to walk and taxis are readily available. People here are very friendly and know a surprising amount of english for a country so new to tourism. Myanmar has very little crime and I felt very safe the entire time.
Sunsets are big here and plenty of people will gather to watch them. At the top of Mandalay Hill you will find a beautiful pagoda where you can watch the sun set over the hills and the Irrawaddy River. You can opt to hike all the way to the top or take a taxi. A roundtrip from the city centre costs approximately 10-16,000 kyats. On arrival they will charge you a camera fee of 1000 kyats (approximately $1USD) for the use of any professional cameras. Many english students and monks will come here to meet foreigners and practice their english. Take advantage of the opportunity to speak to a local about their unique home city.
Ubein Bridge, approximately 40 minutes drive from downtown, was one of my favourite sunsets ever! You can take a taxi from downtown for 15-30,000 kyats depending on the season and how many people. This 1.2km bridge is the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world. About halfway along the bridge you will find stairs that lead down to a muddy field where you can grab a table at the bar or hire a boat to watch the sunset from the water. In my opinion, you get the best pictures and the best view standing on the field behind the boats. Before you leave you may want to visit the markets or grab a bite to eat at one of the food stalls. You can also ask a taxi driver to take you down to the Irrawaddy River to watch the sunset if you’re here for more than 2 nights.
Impossible to miss at the base of Mandalay Hill, surrounded by a moat and inside a walled fort, is the Royal Palace. Built between 1857 and 1859, it was the last Royal Residence in Myanmar used until 1885. It is hard to believe that nearly everything here is a replica as the original was mostly destroyed during WWII bombings. Today it houses members of the military. To enter the Palace it costs 10,000 Kyats for a Mandalay Archaeological Zone Fee Card, which is valid for 5 days gives you access to several cultural zones, temples and pagodas. Before you go be aware that at least one person from your group will need to leave their passport at the entrance. From here it is about a 20 minute walk along a flat road, or you can take one of the many available taxis. Make sure you climb the winding staircase up the tower for a view of the entire Palace grounds.
You can’t go very far in Myanmar without seeing golden shrines, temples or pagodas and this makes it hard to know which one’s to visit. Here are some I personally recommend. At the base of Mandalay Hill, by the north east corner of the Palace you will find Kuthodaw Pagoda, containing the World’s largest book. 729 stone slabs inscribed with buddhist scriptures are individually housed inside of stupas. The rows of white stone make it an excellent place for photos and a very peaceful place to wander around.
Mahauni Buddha Temple is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Myanmar and a must when visiting Mandalay. Legend says that the Gautama Buddha visited the town of Dhanyawadi, accompanied by 500 monks, to spread buddhism. The King at the time was deeply moved by his teachings and requested the Buddha leave his image, and so the Mahauni Buddha was cast. Buddha was so impressed by the statue that he decided to put his own spiritual essence or life inside the Buddha. To pay respect men apply gold leaf to the Buddha image, which over time has resulted in the image becoming distorted. This pagoda is free to enter but will also charge a small camera fee.
At this pagoda you will also find the bronze museum which houses bronze statues that once lived at Angkor Wat in Cambodia as well as a History Museum which tells you the story of Buddha through a series of paintings.
Just outside of Mandalay, situated on Sagaing Hill is 30 Caves Pagoda, also known as Umin Thonse. The name refers to the 30 individual entrances to the pagoda, inside which you will see 45 Buddha images. Make sure you get here early to avoid the crowds and give yourself a chance to get some great photos. While in Sagaing also visit Soon U Ponya Shin Paya. This pagoda houses a giant buddha image as well as a large golden stupa, but it’s the view from the courtyard that’s really worth your visit.At this pagoda you will also find the bronze museum which houses bronze statues that once lived at Angkor Wat in Cambodia as well as a History Museum which tells you the story of Buddha through a series of paintings.
Just outside of Mandalay, situated on Sagaing Hill is 30 Caves Pagoda, also known as Umin Thonse. The name refers to the 30 individual entrances to the pagoda, inside which you will see 45 Buddha images. Make sure you get here early to avoid the crowds and give yourself a chance to get some great photos. While in Sagaing also visit Soon U Ponya Shin Paya. This pagoda houses a giant buddha image as well as a large golden stupa, but it’s the view from the courtyard that’s really worth your visit.
If you are in Sagaing around lunch time make sure you visit Tha Kya Di That Nunnery. Witness the daily lives of the nuns or women monks and watch as they line up to collect their lunch. Stay a while longer and you can hear them chant and sing before they eat. This particular nunnery offers foreigners the opportunity to stay in your own private room for as long as you wish and learn their way of life. In order to do this you must shave your head and follow their rules. If you’re not too attached to your hair this would be an incredible experience.
You don’t have to be in Myanmar for long before you start noticing gold leaf everywhere you look. Inside most temples you will find people selling small squares of gold leaf and locals lined up to rub it onto the Buddha. The main gold leaf manufacturer for Myanmar is King Galon in Mandalay. You can visit their workshop to see the process of how it’s made. Once again I was struck by the trust of this Buddhist nation as I entered the workshop where their step-by-step examples of gold leaf sit unattended on an open table by the busy street. This is a family run business and each person working here is related by either blood or marriage.
Mandalay is a very industrious city, so may I suggest a short visit to the marble district. No, it doesn’t snow here, the thick layer of white coating everything on the street is dust from carving the statues. You can wander down the street and watch people carve, polish and paint buddha statues. These people get paid only $5USD p/day for their labour.
Dining out in Myanmar is ridiculously cheap and serving sizes are generally massive! Do not miss Mingalabar Mayanmar Restaurant in Mandalay. They offer a range of traditional Myanmar food and use local ingredients. I recommend the Irrawaddy prawn curry. It’s local, delicious and to my relief not spicy. All meals come with soup, a range of dips and sauces, as much rice as you want and then desert. It was a ridiculous amount of food for one person…challenge accepted?
Shan Ma Ma is another great local favourite. With its plastic tables and chairs spread out onto the street, this open air restaurant has a great atmosphere about it. It gets quite busy after sunset, probably because of the great food and great prices.
For fellow backpackers I suggest staying at OstelloBello Mandalay Hostel. It is in a great downtown location, walking distance to loads of restaurants and attractions such as the Royal Palace. They offer clean, comfortable rooms with ensuites and air-conditioning. Each bed has individual power sockets, reading lights and lockers. It provides good wifi and includes a free made to order breakfast. The staff here are very friendly, there is a tour desk next to reception, free drinking water, free Myanmar cigars for each guest and an all important roof top bar! Prices range from $15-20AUD p/night.
