Mandalay in a day

As I was saying, we struck a bargain with a fellow Thai backpacker for a daytrip in a taxi, which we started our journey at 12 noon. What sort of taxi you get in Myanmar depends on your luck; at times it could be a new vehicle, and at times it could be a dilapidating one. Regardless of which you ended up in, they do not turn on the air-condition to save fuel, and you'll get charged extra if you requested for it. 

Our first destination for the day would be Mandalay Hill; actually we requested for Mandalay Palace but it seemed that the locals would never encouraged you to visit there. Firstly, the military junta coerced the locals to rebuild it as forced labourers after it was almost flattened during the world war; and only 20% of the original palace site can be visited as the junta converted the rest of palace into an army camp; and finally, you would be paying US$10 to the military junta for visiting it. Hence, we conceded that there was no point visiting the Mandalay Palace.

I was actually relieved that we took a cab to Mandalay Hill instead of walking since it was actually damn far! From the map it looked like it is within a walkable distance, but honestly, I would probably break my leg doing so. Our taxi swerved past the tall palace walls and its complementing moat, until we reached a small junction that seemed to be heading to nowhere.

"It's a shortcut." He sniggered. "No need to pay entrance fees"

The taxi climbed up a winding serpentine dirt path, and within 10 minutes, voila! We were already at the foot of Mandalay Hill's. Climbing up the stairs which lead us to the Myatsawnyinaung Ordination Hall, we crossed it's heavily ornated interior, and gazed at the wonderful view from the top of the hill. Too bad it was very hazy that day, thanks to the severe pollution in Mandalay and the fumes from the nearby forest fire. 

After a few snapshots here and there, we descended from Mandalay Hill back to our taxi, and headed for the other places of interests around Mandalay Hill. Our first stop was the Kyauktawgyi Paya, which is just opposite the Chinthe Entrance of Mandalay Hill. We had our lunch in a small restaurant opposite the temple too. A stone's throw away is another temple; the Kuthodaw Paya and Sandamuni Paya are reknowned to have the world's biggest book -  the Tripitaka, in thousands of text-inscribed marble slabs. Later we took a peek at the Shwenandaw Kyaung, a teak monastery temple, from outside the gates as an entrance fee is required. 

We made a transient stop at the gold-pounder's district but since none of us were interested in it, nor the stone carvers, we proceeded with Myanmar's second most holiest shrine, the Mahamuni Paya. Although it is not as grand nor as lavish as the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon, it is still swarmed by zounds of faithful pilgrims almost everyday. I actually wanted to visit here at 4 a.m. where the temple attendants would brush the teeth of the buddha, but then it was a bit too early for me. 

Then, we visited the Shwe In Bin Kyaung, which was another teak monastery, but it has no entrance fees. Although it looked a bit delapitated, the worn-off carvings still are fascinating. It would definitely be as equally impressive as the Shwenandaw Kyaung that we spied early in the day. 

It was already 4.30pm when we ended the city tour, and it was time for the finale - U Bein's Bridge in Amarapura. The taxi took us there in a 20 minutes drive through the dusty  roads of Mandalay, stacked with cars and buses and trucks, until we could behold the Taungthaman Lake. And in the middle of the lake, lies the beauty that awaited us. The U-Bein Bridge, the world's longest teak footbridge.

We had a snack at a restaurant beside the bridge, since we had plenty of time before the sun sets. So, we just chilled for half an hour and relaxed. When it was almost 5.15pm, we started our slow and easy stroll on the bridge, admiring the beauty. There are always numerous people crossing the bridge from dawn to dusk, whether they are commuters trying to get from one end of the lake to another, peddlars wandering aimlessly on the bridge peddling their goods, or lovebirds holding hands enjoying the company of each other, or just photography fanatics trying to catch a nice snapshot of the picturesque view. We took really lots of photos when the sun set in, and finally agreed to leave after it was late. This truly is one of the best places to visit in Myanmar!

Eventually we arrived in our hotel, exhausted but content as it was a very productive day. We managed to finish a one and a half day's itinerary in just half a day, and thus we could allocate a couple of days to visit somewhere else! And we had just a place in mind - Hsipaw!