Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: Mandalay (Day 1)

June 7-8, 2014 ---- While in Yangon, Nathan and I reserved 2 sleepers in the train to Mandalay leaving at 5 p.m. The ticket cost about US$ 13 each, and we got a 4 bunk-bed room shared with an Irish man. The ride took about 15 hours on the colony-period train track, so we were air-bond most of the way. However, I loved the ride and seeing people in the countryside live their peaceful lives. Most houses are like huts; palm leaf roof and bamboo-mat wall. People are still using cows dragging wooden carts or wagons as the only mean of transportation. Their ways of farming are all by hand, no tractors or any kind of agricultural technology involved. Some parts of the country are really dry and there is no dam or water management system to help the farmers. Aside from all the hard life people might have, the countryside in Myanmar seems very peaceful.

As soon as we arrived in Mandalay, Nathan and I walked straight to our hotel located right across the street from the train station. 79 Living Hotel was nice, clean and convenient, but it's located on "the wrong side of the tracks." We showered, rested a little and went out for an early lunch at a noodle place close by the hotel. Nobody spoke English at the restaurant, so we managed by ordering the same thing as the other table. The noodles were delicious, by the way.

All tourists are required to purchase an archeological-zone ticket (10,000 Kyat or US$10) to visit most sites in Mandalay. Nathan and I planned to explore the city on foot without hiring a taxi or tour, and it was a mistake because we later realized how big the city is and how far away each tourist site is. We spent a lot of time just walking from our hotel (the south side) to the gate of Mandalay Palace, which allows foreigners to enter only through the east-side gate.

Mandalay Palace is majestic! It's surrounded with water canals and also used as a military base. However, the inside wasn't as impressive as I had expected. The buildings are all empty inside, nothing interesting to see or do. The only cool part is to climb up to the top of the tower to see a panoramic view of the palace and Mandalay.

Walking in the heat tired us very soon, so we decided to hop on a taxi to Mandalay Hill. Haggling over the price with a taxi is a required skill in Myanmar. Most taxi drivers will try to sell a whole-day tour or increase the price as you go along with more "offered" stops. It's a good idea to hire a car in Mandalay, but it's best to do it through your hotel if you don't have bargaining skills.

We agreed with a taxi driver to take us to many temples close to the palace and then Mandalay Hill. He asked for more, but we bargained down to 10,000 Kyat (US$10). First we went to Shwenanda Kyaung, where King Mindon's beautiful teak house is located. Then we walked to pay respect to the Buddha statues in Atumashi Kyaungdawgyi and Kuthodaw Paya. After that we just headed up to Mandalay Hill for the view of the entire Mandalay. It was so beautiful on the day we went. The sky was clear and the land was colorful. After we came down from the hill, we continued to visit more temples, Kyauktawgyi Paya and Sandamuni Paya. All these Buddhist temples are elaborately built and well-maintained because of the deep religious belief of Burmese people.

At night we just wandered around the city on the other side of the train track and found a really nice local bar and restaurant. Food was good, beer was great, and we loved Mandalay!