Mandalay, The Last Royal Capital

Day 1 – April 4th 

Thanks to the never ending snoring Monk (who put my mom, dad and sister to shame), we barely got any sleep on our overnight bus ride.  Plus, just as our eyes were about to shut down around 3am, we ended up arriving into Mandalay at 3:45am, which was two hours earlier than expected.  Usually this would be much appreciated but when most hotels don’t let you check in until 2pm, it wasn’t necessarily ideal in our case.  What are we going to do for the next ten hours?  We were walking zombies with half of a brain scrambling to not fall down the stairs while exiting the bus so coming up with a plan was most likely not going to happen.  As we got in a cab and headed towards Triumph Hotel, our home for the next four nights, we figured we would test our luck and see if our room was available (after all, it worked in our favor in Bagan).  If it wasn’t, we were willing to pay for a fifth night.  All we wanted at this point was a shower, a sink to brush our teeth and a bed to sleep on, even if it cost us a pretty penny.  Thank Buddha though because when we showed up at the front desk, eyes half open, bodies struggling with each step, they were so kind to let us check in, at no additional cost.  Absolutely amazing.  Good night, good morning and most likely, good afternoon.

Let me give you a little bit of background about this fourth and final stop.  Established in 1857, Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar (first largest is Yangon). It is located in the upper part of the country, on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River.  Mandalay is where the Royal Palace of the Konbaung Dynasty is located, which was the last monarchy and independent kingdom of Burma. In 1886, present day Myanmar was conquered by British colonial forces. Ratanapunja was the ancient name of the city. It was given the name Mandalay based on the 236-meter high Mandalay Hill, which is currently one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city (we will be visiting this hill so stay tuned for photos.  I know you are hanging on the edge of your seat with excitement but try not to fall off).  Today, Mandalay serves as the cultural center of Myanmar and is home to several Buddhist monasteries. While the city is historically relevant, it has definitely become more developed in the last handful of years.  Many people we’ve met along the way have said we should skip Mandalay if time is limited but since we’ve got nothing but time, we decided to check it out.

Okay, back to me now.  After waking up at 10am, which still only gave us five hours of sleep, we walked to SP Bakery for some much needed coffee and breakfast.  Holy guacamole it’s hot out.  With every step I took, the sweat on my back literally dripped down my body as heavily as rain drops fall down your windshield in Seattle.  I needed wipers to monitor the intense wetness that was happening underneath my clothes.  So gross. I never knew my body was capable of sweating this much until now.  I feel bad for whoever is around me while I go through menopause.

The rest of the day we spent inside the hotel.  I know, how boring of us.  This happened for two reasons.  Well maybe three.  1) It was stupid hot outside – about 110 degrees.  2) We needed a break from pagodas and temples.  When you see and do too much at once, the excitement around it starts to fade.  It’s hard to explain on my end and probably hard to grasp on your end but it’s true.  Sometimes you need to slam on the breaks, turn the engine off and chill out in order to fully appreciate what your experiencing.  3) Thailand was in four days but we hadn’t planned anything yet – no flight, no agenda, no hotels, no activities.  We didn’t know where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, how long we would be there for, etc.  And this for sure caused about seven grey hairs for me.   Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  In a nutshell, we took today to plan our next country and after about six hours of researching, I am proud to say I feel much better now.  That night, we had dinner at our hotel, outside by the pool and watched a traditional Burmese cultural performance that consisted of song and dance.

Day 2 – April 5th

Okay, back to sightseeing and exploration.  Taking one day off was really all we needed to hit the restart button.  I feel charged up now.  Full battery power.  The first stop of the day was Mandalay Hill, which is a 790 foot hill and has been a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists for nearly two centuries. At the top of the hill is the Sutaungpyei (literally wish-fulfilling) Pagoda.

The views of the city were amazing.  We got a panoramic glimpse into all of Mandalay.  However, the views of myself staring back at me a thousand times over again from all the stained glass mirrors was not so amazing.  I’m the definition of a hot mess right now.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most colorful of them all?

Next up was lunch.  It’s always lunch o’clock in our minds.  That’s the beauty of traveling.  We can eat whenever, wherever (well almost) and whatever (well almost again).  Today we chose Ko’s Kitchen, which was Thai food.  This was to get us in the mood for our next country.  I loved the outside, I loved the door handles (red hot chili peppers – the spice not the music band), I loved the toothpick holder (an animated happy little muscle man) but the food was just eh.  Nothing special.  It came out quicker than I could say Pad Thai Noodles which is never really a good thing.

Our third stop of the day was the Shwe In Bin, which is acclaimed as one of the most attractive monasteries in all of Mandalay.  Lonely Planet wrote “if you want a place for quiet meditation, you couldn’t find a better spot than this beautifully carved teak monastery”.  That won Vinny’s heart over quicker than I did five years ago.  So of course, we had to check it out.  Built in 1895 by a pair of wealthy Chinese jade merchants, the main Monastery stands on tree-trunk poles and is home to over thirty monks.  The design and architecture of this establishment was astonishing.  All wood and all from various types of trees.  The minute we arrived we felt at peace.  It was so quiet.

Last on our list was the U Bein Bridge.  Have you been to the U Bein Bridge before?  HA!  I just had to, sorry.  Built in 1850, this is believed to be the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world.  I just think that is so cool when we can visit something that claims it is the X in the world.  Not the city, not the state, not the country but the WORLD.  The bridge stretches across the Taungthaman Lake, leading the way to the former Burmese capital city of Amarapura and is about 1.2 kilometers from one side to the other.  Mayor U Bein is credited for the creation of the bridge, using scavenged teak pilings from the discarded palace of Amarapura when they moved the capital to Mandalay.  During the dry season, the water level drops dramatically, allowing you to meander under the bridge and through small crop fields planted by farmers. During the wet season, the water level can reach the top of the bridge, and in some years has even covered the walkway.

Rush hour traffic…

Locals doing their normal day to day business…

Anyone hungry?

Friendship is universal…

I scream, you scream, we all SCREAM for ice cream!!!!

I mean, she’s pretty cute…

One of Vinny’s many foreign admirers.  He’s got bros in different area codes.

Noodle party for one…

When your baby is bigger than you are…

We read the best time to visit the U Bein Bridge was at sunset and I must agree…

A colorful burst of sweaty emotions happening right here.  My face is as red as a Shirley Temple cherry but the picturesque background makes up for it.

Vinny trying to prove he still has muscles…

That night we had dinner at Cafe City, which was their “A for effort” attempt at recreating an American Gastropub. The menu consisted of burgers, fries, pizzas, BBQ, etc.  The walls were decorated with USA state license plates (including one for the Dodgers!) as well as freedom posters while the music playing in the background was Bob Marley.  One love.

Since our time in Mandalay is quickly running out, our cash is quickly running out too.  Every time we go to the ATM, there is an automatic 5% fee that is incorporated between the local banks as well as our USA bank so we are trying to not spend more than we have to.  That said, we decided to take the forty five minute walk back to our hotel vs. getting a taxi.  Luckily it was only 95 degrees at this point since it was nighttime and the sun wasn’t shining.  What a relief, hahaha.

Day 3 – April 6th

Today we hired a driver for $58 (not cheap but nothing in Myanmar is) to take us an hour and a half away to Pyin Oo Lwin, otherwise known as the “City of Flowers”.  Founded by the British in 1896, the town was designed as a place to escape the Mandalay heat (which is exactly what won us over – sign me up). Following the Indian-raj terminology for such places, it has been known ever since as a ‘hill station’, although in fact it’s fairly flat (just at a raised elevation). After the construction of the railway from Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin became the summer capital for the British colonial administration, a role it held until the end of British rule in 1948. Numerous colonial structures, ranging from impressive mansions to churches, still remain.

Our first stop was the National Kandawgyi Gardens, which is an area of 382.46 acres including natural forest, tiers of lakes and recreational lawns plus alluring landscapes and scenic views.    There are 589 species of local and foreign trees, 75 species of bamboo, 75 species of croton and 300 species of orchids.  Walking around this bright, colorful botanical garden was a wonderful change to the hustle and bustle of the city.  Not to mention, the weather was about 20 degrees cooler over here.  Amen.

Look Mom(s), we found the lake…

A rainbow bright kind of playground…

What they call Pagoda Island…

How to take a proper selfie…

Here is a Black Swan but I couldn’t find Mila Kunis or Natalie Portman…

Girls just want to have fun…

Pre-wedding photos…

Keep in mind it is about 12pm on a Wednesday and these young local boys are already getting their party started…

Inside the botanical gardens, there was an area with just birds…

Next we had lunch at The Club Terrace, which was an adorable little restaurant with great food and can’t beat prices.

Last on our list was the famous Candacraig Hotel, which was originally built in 1904 as a British Country Club.  During the colonial era and hot summer months, the Brits tended to migrate to the cooler hills stations.  The Country Clubs were the center of activities and where people would meet for drinks and party.  However, during the last few decades, the Candacraig Hotel served as a government house.  It is now closed down and currently going through renovations to become a luxury hotel in 2018.  There’s a slightly spooky air to the place as many locals believe it’s haunted.  However, I felt it had a lot of charm to it.

On our way back, our driver randomly stopped to get strawberries from a local farmer since its cheaper than the city and then stopped again for some bread.  Glad we could come along for your errands.

That wraps up our time in Mandalay as well as our 18 days in Myanmar. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience here, although we certainly could have gotten away with about 6 less nights if time was an issue.  Just like Nepal, I fell in love with the people. And since tourism hasn’t fully taken over quite yet, I truly believe we got a good sense of what life is really like.  That’s not to say that tourism doesn’t exist or that you won’t run into any other travelers. But compared to the rest of this region of the world, you could call Myanmar undiscovered. Uncharted territory.  There aren’t any chain establishments like Starbucks or McDonalds. The Internet is basically nonexistent, even when you do connect. The roads are barely paved. Signage is minimal. And nightlife is unheard of (which was totally fine with us).  Sometimes this absence of infrastructure can make travel a bit inconvenient but after embracing Myanmar’s lack of development, we found it to be quite charming, actually.  The entire country just felt real. Truly authentic.

Many of Myanmar’s traditions are unique and specific to this country alone.  Men often have teeth stained crimson from chewing betel nuts (a habit somewhat like chewing tobacco). The faces of women and children are painted yellow with a paste made from the thanaka tree to make themselves beautiful and protect their skin from the sun. And both men and women wear the traditional longyi – a sheet of cloth worn around the waist like a skirt. Myanmar is the only country in Southeast Asia where it’s common to see females who have entered the monastic life as nuns.

When Southeast Asia can sometimes blend together, Myanmar stands out. It may not be the first country people think of when planning a holiday, but I certainly recommend it.  At the very least, put Bagan and Inle Lake at the top of your list.  Two very unique, beautiful, surreal places.  I can only hope that as more tourism and development comes to this country, that the traditions hold strong and the people keep smiling.

From my friends to yours, see you in Thailand…