We were at the domestic terminal of the Yangon airport bright and early Friday morning, worried that we would encounter a chaotic scene similar to what we had found in Tana. It turns out there was no need to be concerned as we efficiently checked in at a terminal that looked like a palace and proceeded through security without having to fight for our spot in line. We also never really had to show our passports to anyone, but that’s a separate issue.
Knowing when to board our
flight was a bit more complex. Myanmar
boasts numerous domestic airlines, all going to the same places at the same
time. Seriously, about four flights were
all departing at 8 am. Given there’s
only one “gate,” it can get somewhat confusing.
The electronic screens are never updated and the announcements, although
possibly in English, were unintelligible.
We noticed that the majority of other passengers had stickers on their
shirts indicating which airline they were flying, presumably so that the crew could
herd them onto the correct aircraft. We
had misunderstood the purpose of these stickers and they were back on our
checked luggage, so no one would be herding us anywhere. We paid close attention to the activity at
the boarding gate and were eventually loaded onto an Air KBZ flight, hopefully
bound for Mandalay as planned.
We did not inadvertently board the wrong plane a la Home Alone 2 and arrived in Mandalay more or less on schedule, but only after stopping to drop off half the passengers at a different destination.
We didn’t know much about Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, in advance of our arrival, although we had read a few worrisome articles in the New York Times over the summer about Buddhist-Muslim riots and the resulting citywide curfew. As we sped through mango and banana tree fields, all dotted with sparkling white and gold pagodas, it felt like we were actually on a tour rather than on a simple drive from the airport. The dusty city provided quite a contrast to the scenic green outskirts, but the streets were organized in an easy to navigate grid system and we quickly settled in to explore.
As usual, Steph insisted on lunch before any major city explorations could begin. We were eager to try more Burmese food and settled on a nearby restaurant specializing in curry. When we entered the restaurant full of locals, we followed the crowds to the counter in front. At the counter, we each picked out our curry of choice from the options arrayed before us. There were no signs in either Burmese or English, but the waitresses were happy to help with their limited vocabulary and we muddled through to order some sort of chicken curry and some sort of lamb curry. After completing the ordering process, we took our seats at one of the few empty tables and the waitresses began to deliver various plates and bowls – so many things except for the curries. It turns out, that in addition to the curries, there was soup, rice, chilies, mystery green leaves, mystery pickled vegetables, and a plate of raw lettuce and carrots to be had. As soon as any of the bowls was emptied, a waitress would promptly appear with a new one. All in all, it was quite the meal for only $5!
After we had refueled,
Mandalay’s royal palace was next on our agenda.
We walked a few blocks to the moat surrounding the palace complex, which
is also home to a large military base, and followed the tree-lined path a few
kilometers to the entrance. However,
instead of being greeted by a ticket taker, we encountered a soldier with a
large machine gun, who informed us in no uncertain terms that the palace was
closed. We decided not to argue with the
man with the gun.
We quickly retraced our
steps and settled on an alternate agenda: visiting the city’s numerous
pagodas. We explored a beautiful teak
pagoda that may or may not have been haunted, followed by its next-door
neighbor, a large convent.
Finally, the
blinking electric lights of a third pagoda lured us through its entryway, where
we found what the guidebook touted as the “world’s largest book.” The “book” consists of immense tablets carved
front and back with Buddhist scriptures; each tablet is housed in its own white
stupa. To read the book, you need to
move from stupa to stupa throughout the grounds of the temple.
As we put on our shoes
after the visit, we paused to wonder why there was a red carpet leading to the
entrance, along with an unusually high number of Burmese military officers and
policemen, as well as several non-Burmese (white) secret service agents. Eavesdropping on the backpackers next to us,
we heard them ask when the king would arrive.
When we heard 5 – 10 minutes, we decided we had to wait to see this
mysterious king! It turns out that all
the fuss was being made over the king and queen of Norway, in Myanmar on a
five-day state visit. They too had come
to see the world’s largest book and received the royal treatment, complete with
red carpet and plush chairs (to help take off their shoes). We had been surprised by the
quality of chairs as we had used them not long ago to take off our own
shoes. Oops. Soon enough, the monarchs and their entourage
arrived. We stood to welcome them, and
they headed down the red carpet to visit the temple (barefoot of course, even
the secret service agents).
Following our brief
glimpse of royalty, the day’s final activity was climbing Mandalay Hill for the
best sunset views. (You can also hire a
taxi to take you to the top, but that seemed a bit lazy.) The city was actually named after the
hill.
A series of covered stairways comprise
the pathway to the top, complete with approximately 2,000 steps and various
Buddha-filled pagodas along the way.
What made the climb a bit more adventurous was the requirement that it
be made barefoot. We gingerly made our
way up the countless steps, stopping to admire the views along our route, as
well as the immense Buddha pointing the way back down to Mandalay. The statue is meant to commemorate one of
Buddha’s prophecies – that a great city would be erected in said direction in 2400
years. According to historians, the
timing conveniently coincides with the year the capital was moved to Mandalay
by one of Burma’s kings.
After viewing the sunset
from a strategic location at the top of the hill (and resting our sore feet),
we embarked on the return trip in the twilight.
We had hoped to catch a taxi back down the hill, but the only taxis on
offer were motorcycle taxis, which Steph refused to ride. (It’s one thing to sit on the back of the
bike and clutch Giorgio for dear life, another thing to similarly cling to a
stranger.) So it was back down the steps
(albeit a different set) in the dusk, encountering various other Buddhas that
showed us the way down, as well as several children playing football on the
landings. Two giant chinthes marked the
end of the descent, where we easily located a safer regular car taxi to take us
back to the hotel. 
On Saturday, we set out to explore the region outside of Mandalay. Although we had initially considered renting a motorbike to facilitate a more independent expedition, the roads were more chaotic than in Laos and we hadn’t had much time to organize. So when our friendly taxi driver offered to be our guide for the day, we negotiated the price and took him up on the offer.
Before we exited the city,
we stopped at Mahamuni Paya. Since it
was a Saturday, the monastery was filled with locals, interspersed with a few
tourists. Everyone was there to see a
large gold-covered Buddha. A constant
stream of (predominantly) local visitors (men only) replenishes the statue’s
gold leaf. (Women purchase gold leaf and
ask men to adorn the Buddha with it on their behalf.) Stephanie waited outside while Giorgio went
to see the gilded Buddha first hand.
Unlike many of the statutes we have seen, the Buddha’s body is no
longer smooth, but instead rather lumpy from the constant reapplications of
gold, which is now said to be over six inches thick.
From Mandalay, we
travelled to Amarapura to visit a much larger monastery housing 1,000 or so
Buddhist monks. Even the youngest monks
eat only one meal per day and the monastery has become an unexpected tourist
destination at lunchtime, when camera-toting foreigners line up to take pictures
of the monks lining up for their lunch.
This process is just as intrusive as it sounds and is something we
probably would have skipped if we were on our own, but it was on the taxi
driver’s itinerary so we figured we would go with the flow. If nothing else, it was fascinating to see a
working monastery, particularly such a large one. After taking the requisite one or two
pictures of the monks, Gio was mostly interested in taking pictures of the
incredibly rude (predominately Asian) tourists who photographed the monks and
made noises to have them turn around as if we were in a zoo. The goal was to make them feel as awkward as
the monks might feel, but we failed miserably – they have no shame.
All of the tourists at Mahagandayone
Monastery had been overwhelming to say the least and we were happy to find
ourselves alone at our next destination, Saigan Hill. We climbed hundreds of stairs to the top, an easy climb relative to Mandalay Hill's thousands of steps. As
an added bonus, we got to keep our shoes on until we reached the very top! Along the way, we could see innumerable
pagodas dotting the jungle-clad hills, all glinting in the sun. Once at the top we were treated to another fabulous pagoda together with its multiple giant Buddhas and chinthes.
We spent our afternoon
travelling via a more unusual form of transportation: horse-drawn cart. Our taxi driver dropped us off on the banks
of the Irrawaddy to take a ferry to the small town of Inwa. Outside the town, there are various historic
sites amidst the rice paddies. They are
too far apart to walk comfortably in the afternoon heat, so the local horse-drawn
carts are the only option. The horses
all seemed fairly healthy (in better shape than many NYC carriage horses), so
we had no qualms about this new mode of transport. Plus, it was a unique way to explore the
unusual landscape, although we would note that the carts are not quite as
comfortable as we had imagined.
For our final stop of the
day, we returned to Amarapura for the fabulous sunset views from U-Bein Bridge,
the world’s largest teak footbridge. There
were just as many locals as tourists traversing the bridge on a Saturday
evening, which gave U-Bein a festive air.
We even stopped to chat with a local monk, who informed us that he walks
on the bridge every evening and likes to practice his English with
foreigners. Our guidebook had noted that
many monks approach tourists to practice their English, but this was the first
time it happened to us. The friendly
monk pointed out what he thought was the best spot for sunset pictures. Trusting the advice of someone who walks the
bridge everyday, we walked down a path to admire the sunset – we were not
disappointed. The sunset rivaled Cambodia's for "best sunset yet" so obviously, Gio may have gone overboard with the pictures. As an added bonus, soon after the sunset, the full moon started to rise at the other end of the lake.
To cap off the day, we
swung by the local night market en route back to the hotel. We found all sorts of street food on offer,
although we had no idea what most of the items were.
As we purchased items, we would turn to each
other, usually saying, “I think he said chicken… maybe?” Regardless, we sampled various dumplings,
skewers, and fried mysteries, all of which were delicious (and incredibly
cheap). We have yet to accidentally be
served or eat goat brains, which are apparently a Burmese delicacy.
Before sunrise on Sunday
morning, we were aboard a boat bound down the Irrawaddy to the ancient capital
of Bagan, where further adventures awaited while we explored the area’s hundreds
of temples!
#stephandgio
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