Myanmar- Popular Sights and even a few hospitals!
Jul 21st, 2015, 06:49 AM
#21
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Kyat are worthless outside of Myanmar. The best you can hope for is that another traveler would be willing to buy it from you.
I'm glad to see you posting again I hope your insurance company will be reasonable about this. (ha! I just used insurance company and reasonable in the same sentence!)
I'm surprised they took you out in the storm. When we were there, they told us ahead of time that if it was stormy they wouldn't go out because it was too dangerous.
Looking forward to hear more about your trip!
I'm glad to see you posting again I hope your insurance company will be reasonable about this. (ha! I just used insurance company and reasonable in the same sentence!)
I'm surprised they took you out in the storm. When we were there, they told us ahead of time that if it was stormy they wouldn't go out because it was too dangerous.
Looking forward to hear more about your trip!
Jul 21st, 2015, 07:26 AM
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Ya, I was worried about that! Bummer- anyone looking, lemme know!!
And yes, I was surprised as well, but it was 3 or so in the afternoon, and I think everyone wanted to get home (guides and drivers) so as I was the first to ever be struck on the lake, it never crossed their minds!
And yes, I was surprised as well, but it was 3 or so in the afternoon, and I think everyone wanted to get home (guides and drivers) so as I was the first to ever be struck on the lake, it never crossed their minds!
Jul 21st, 2015, 10:02 AM
#23
needmorevacation - I am so sorry that you had to go back to hospital and wish you all the luck in the world with your insurance company.
Thank you for your and Kathie's efforts to sell Myanmar to me. With so many wonderful places to visit, some of them considerably further up my bucket list than Burma, and a limited budget both in time and money, I am reconciled to not going there. but I'm keen to read about your trip, when you have time and inclination to tell us about it.
Thank you for your and Kathie's efforts to sell Myanmar to me. With so many wonderful places to visit, some of them considerably further up my bucket list than Burma, and a limited budget both in time and money, I am reconciled to not going there. but I'm keen to read about your trip, when you have time and inclination to tell us about it.
Jul 21st, 2015, 10:48 AM
#24
So sorry you had to go back to the hospital. What a nightmare experience you've had. I am surprised also that they went out in bad weather as we had been told that no boats on the lake if the weather is bad. They told you no one had eer been struck by lighning on the lake? I'm amazed at that actually. Hope you continue to heal and feel better soon. Good luck with the insurance company.
Re the kyat, maybe do a separate post on here and TA offering to sell them and you might get a taker.
Re the kyat, maybe do a separate post on here and TA offering to sell them and you might get a taker.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 08:55 AM
#25
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So finally first part of my trip report 
I flew DFW-DOH-RGN on Qatar in economy. This was my first time on Qatar, but it wasn't the most pleasant first experience. The A/C was broken, so they could not turn it down. I piled on all clothing I had in my carryon and was still shivering (as was everyone around me!) They said they couldn't fix it, so it was a long 15.5 hours!
I didn't do much exploring in Doha Int'l, the thing that stuck most with me was how dark it was, even during the day! I guess I was thinning it would be similar to Dubai, lots of shopping, food, light and airy but it was the opposite!
My second flight on Qatar to Yangon was much nicer. The plane was nearly empty. My phone died, and there were no chargers in coach on this plane. Since there was one person in business, the FAs offered to charge my phone for me up there- yay!
I landed in Yangon, our flight was an hour early landing at 5:40AM, so we walked in to the immigration hall to see the officers all sleeping on the chairs with blankets. Once they were woken up we proceeded through. I exchanged money and then headed to the Panorama hotel.
I took a nap and then was off on my Yangon Food Tour for breakfast. We stop at three places and I tired a bit of everything from soup to donuts. My guide James, was great, and was actually a member of a Baptist Church run by a woman from Dallas! So while not helpful with the religious questions I had, he was very knowledgable and nice.
At our last spot it started to POUR (the last speck of rain I would see until the lightning at Inle almost 2 weeks later!) We decided to wait it out, but it only got worse... So after running through knee deep street water and a barely avoid stepping on a family of rats, we made it into a cab back to the Panorama.
After a very soapy shower I took yet another nap and once I woke up it was sunny! So I headed out to the circle train. It was running about 2 hours behind, so I wasn't able to take the whole train as I was meeting my group for orientation/dinner at 6pm. I did get about 75-90 minutes on the train tho, and it was so very interesting. I got off at a stop hopped in the lone cab and back to the city!
After a brief orientation, the group headed to 999 Noodle shop on 19th (17th? but pretty sure its 19th) street for dinner, it was lovely and quick, I would recommend it highly!
I flew DFW-DOH-RGN on Qatar in economy. This was my first time on Qatar, but it wasn't the most pleasant first experience. The A/C was broken, so they could not turn it down. I piled on all clothing I had in my carryon and was still shivering (as was everyone around me!) They said they couldn't fix it, so it was a long 15.5 hours!
I didn't do much exploring in Doha Int'l, the thing that stuck most with me was how dark it was, even during the day! I guess I was thinning it would be similar to Dubai, lots of shopping, food, light and airy but it was the opposite!
My second flight on Qatar to Yangon was much nicer. The plane was nearly empty. My phone died, and there were no chargers in coach on this plane. Since there was one person in business, the FAs offered to charge my phone for me up there- yay!
I landed in Yangon, our flight was an hour early landing at 5:40AM, so we walked in to the immigration hall to see the officers all sleeping on the chairs with blankets. Once they were woken up we proceeded through. I exchanged money and then headed to the Panorama hotel.
I took a nap and then was off on my Yangon Food Tour for breakfast. We stop at three places and I tired a bit of everything from soup to donuts. My guide James, was great, and was actually a member of a Baptist Church run by a woman from Dallas! So while not helpful with the religious questions I had, he was very knowledgable and nice.
At our last spot it started to POUR (the last speck of rain I would see until the lightning at Inle almost 2 weeks later!) We decided to wait it out, but it only got worse... So after running through knee deep street water and a barely avoid stepping on a family of rats, we made it into a cab back to the Panorama.
After a very soapy shower I took yet another nap and once I woke up it was sunny! So I headed out to the circle train. It was running about 2 hours behind, so I wasn't able to take the whole train as I was meeting my group for orientation/dinner at 6pm. I did get about 75-90 minutes on the train tho, and it was so very interesting. I got off at a stop hopped in the lone cab and back to the city!
After a brief orientation, the group headed to 999 Noodle shop on 19th (17th? but pretty sure its 19th) street for dinner, it was lovely and quick, I would recommend it highly!
Jul 23rd, 2015, 06:33 AM
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Day 2/3
Woke up early to the included buffet breakfast at the Panorama. Great selection of fruit, in addition to western breakfast (toast, eggs) and eastern (fried rice, noodles).
I then headed off to Shwedagon, I took the lift up the side instead of walking up the main entrance which was packed! What an incredible structure! I think my favorite part (minus the pagoda itself) was the room that contained historical pictures as far back as the 1800's, as well as pictures of the jewels at the top of the structure.
After Shwedagon I hopped on the bus to head to Golden Rock. It was about 4 hours, then we took the (horribly uncomfortable) truck up! It was a scary ride, seeing as we were sitting on a plank of wood about 4" wide that would pop up whenever we hit a bump, but the monks hanging on to the back of the truck didn't seem scared, so we went with it!
The mountains were beautiful, and the clouds were rolling in when we got to the top, so it was beautiful.
We checked into the Mountain Top Hotel, which I would say is about 1/3 of the way from the bus stop to the rock. The hotel was basic, but very clean. It was about 4 flights of stairs down to my room, but the views the next morning were more than worth it! After getting our zone passes we headed up to the Rock, it was still cloudy, but the rock was visible, and it was probably good that I couldn't see all the way down the mountain! Dinner back at the hotel- my first of many chicken with cashew dinners, I LOVE cashews and they pile them on in this country! so Cashew lovers, take advantage!- and a good night's rest.
The next morning after breakfast I saw the junior monks on their procession through town, it was quite foggy, so you'd see them walk out of the mist and into sight, then back into the mist, very cool experience.
The ride back down was not as much fun (I think our driver on the way up was more of a daredevil!) but just as painful
Hopped back on the bus, and off to Bago, to see the giant reclining Buddha. It was even larger than I imagined- just huge!
Another hop on the bus, to Yangon Domestic terminal for our flight to Mandalay on Air Bagan. We got nondescript boarding passes and a sticker on our shirt 'to make sure we were on the right flight'. After a nice cool drink in the upstairs bar it was off to Mandalay! Air Bagan was really nice, but I can't remember being on a plane that small in a long time, it was a bit scary! But we landed safely and headed to the Emerald Land Hotel in Mandalay.
The hotel was very cute, with a great pool and a large breakfast. Rooms were clean and the bedding was so white and fluffy! The best part was the little packet of fresh jasmine they left on your pillow each night, it smelled so nice!
Woke up early to the included buffet breakfast at the Panorama. Great selection of fruit, in addition to western breakfast (toast, eggs) and eastern (fried rice, noodles).
I then headed off to Shwedagon, I took the lift up the side instead of walking up the main entrance which was packed! What an incredible structure! I think my favorite part (minus the pagoda itself) was the room that contained historical pictures as far back as the 1800's, as well as pictures of the jewels at the top of the structure.
After Shwedagon I hopped on the bus to head to Golden Rock. It was about 4 hours, then we took the (horribly uncomfortable) truck up! It was a scary ride, seeing as we were sitting on a plank of wood about 4" wide that would pop up whenever we hit a bump, but the monks hanging on to the back of the truck didn't seem scared, so we went with it!
The mountains were beautiful, and the clouds were rolling in when we got to the top, so it was beautiful.
We checked into the Mountain Top Hotel, which I would say is about 1/3 of the way from the bus stop to the rock. The hotel was basic, but very clean. It was about 4 flights of stairs down to my room, but the views the next morning were more than worth it! After getting our zone passes we headed up to the Rock, it was still cloudy, but the rock was visible, and it was probably good that I couldn't see all the way down the mountain! Dinner back at the hotel- my first of many chicken with cashew dinners, I LOVE cashews and they pile them on in this country! so Cashew lovers, take advantage!- and a good night's rest.
The next morning after breakfast I saw the junior monks on their procession through town, it was quite foggy, so you'd see them walk out of the mist and into sight, then back into the mist, very cool experience.
The ride back down was not as much fun (I think our driver on the way up was more of a daredevil!) but just as painful
Hopped back on the bus, and off to Bago, to see the giant reclining Buddha. It was even larger than I imagined- just huge!Another hop on the bus, to Yangon Domestic terminal for our flight to Mandalay on Air Bagan. We got nondescript boarding passes and a sticker on our shirt 'to make sure we were on the right flight'. After a nice cool drink in the upstairs bar it was off to Mandalay! Air Bagan was really nice, but I can't remember being on a plane that small in a long time, it was a bit scary! But we landed safely and headed to the Emerald Land Hotel in Mandalay.
The hotel was very cute, with a great pool and a large breakfast. Rooms were clean and the bedding was so white and fluffy! The best part was the little packet of fresh jasmine they left on your pillow each night, it smelled so nice!
Jul 24th, 2015, 08:43 AM
#32
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Day 4
After a nice breakfast at the Emerald Land we headed to Mahamuni Pagoda. Along the way we got to walk through a number of marble carving workshops, it was interesting to see all of the faceless buddhas waiting to be purchased and having their faces carved. We also saw some bronze work before heading into Mahamuni.
There is a camera fee for Mahamuni, 1000k but it was well worth it- the golden ceilings and arches were fabulous, some of my favorite pics from the entire trip.
As a woman I wasn't allowed to put gold leaf on the buddha, but I did get to see a procession for a young boy becoming a monk. They were having his ceremony at the pagoda. There was a parade and he was dressed up, as were his sisters and the family looked so happy! The costumes (?) the children were in were very ornate as was their makeup, they were beautiful!
We then went up to the large monastery in Amapurra, to watch the lunch procession. Two of the older monks gestured for me to come in the the lunch room, but I declined, they may have been ok with it, but I didn't want to disturb anyone.
We then drove across the river and took an open air van up to a pagoda complex that has about 50 buddhas all lined up. I can't remember the name (ugh!) but if anyone knows, that'd be helpful! haha
After lunch we went back across a different part of the river to 'Ana' which is only accessible by boat. We took a horse cart ride to a very old teak temple, as well as some other ruins including 'The Leaning Tower of Burma' better known as an old watch tower that is crumbling.
Afterwards, we headed down the road to U Bein for sunset (well with the haze, there wasn't really a sunset) but it was a nice walk across the other side for a drink (a coke is about 1/2 the price than on the 'main' side of the bridge!)
At the end of this very long day I headed to Ko's Kitchen for dinner. The thai food was excellent, as was the atmosphere. We had the whole second floor to ourselves, the service was prompt, and they gave us a free dessert to "make up for the two power outages", both were under 30 seconds, no complaints from us, just very nice service. I highly recommend this place!
After a nice breakfast at the Emerald Land we headed to Mahamuni Pagoda. Along the way we got to walk through a number of marble carving workshops, it was interesting to see all of the faceless buddhas waiting to be purchased and having their faces carved. We also saw some bronze work before heading into Mahamuni.
There is a camera fee for Mahamuni, 1000k but it was well worth it- the golden ceilings and arches were fabulous, some of my favorite pics from the entire trip.
As a woman I wasn't allowed to put gold leaf on the buddha, but I did get to see a procession for a young boy becoming a monk. They were having his ceremony at the pagoda. There was a parade and he was dressed up, as were his sisters and the family looked so happy! The costumes (?) the children were in were very ornate as was their makeup, they were beautiful!
We then went up to the large monastery in Amapurra, to watch the lunch procession. Two of the older monks gestured for me to come in the the lunch room, but I declined, they may have been ok with it, but I didn't want to disturb anyone.
We then drove across the river and took an open air van up to a pagoda complex that has about 50 buddhas all lined up. I can't remember the name (ugh!) but if anyone knows, that'd be helpful! haha
After lunch we went back across a different part of the river to 'Ana' which is only accessible by boat. We took a horse cart ride to a very old teak temple, as well as some other ruins including 'The Leaning Tower of Burma' better known as an old watch tower that is crumbling.
Afterwards, we headed down the road to U Bein for sunset (well with the haze, there wasn't really a sunset) but it was a nice walk across the other side for a drink (a coke is about 1/2 the price than on the 'main' side of the bridge!)
At the end of this very long day I headed to Ko's Kitchen for dinner. The thai food was excellent, as was the atmosphere. We had the whole second floor to ourselves, the service was prompt, and they gave us a free dessert to "make up for the two power outages", both were under 30 seconds, no complaints from us, just very nice service. I highly recommend this place!
Jul 24th, 2015, 09:10 AM
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The place with the long lines of Buddha statues may well have been Umin-thounzeh (30 caves), in Sagaing. Take a look and see if this looks familiar to you: http://www.marlandc.com/Myanmar-2011...ar/i-LJGN5cH/A
The visit to the Mahamuni gave me a perspective on how Buddha statues and other temple items were the spoils of war. The Mahamuni Buddha came to Mandalay from Mrauk-U after it was captured; there are Angkorian bronzes at that temple that were captured by the Thai and taken to Ayutthaya, then captured by the Burmese and brought to Mandalay.
I'm enjoying your report. How many people are there in your group?
The visit to the Mahamuni gave me a perspective on how Buddha statues and other temple items were the spoils of war. The Mahamuni Buddha came to Mandalay from Mrauk-U after it was captured; there are Angkorian bronzes at that temple that were captured by the Thai and taken to Ayutthaya, then captured by the Burmese and brought to Mandalay.
I'm enjoying your report. How many people are there in your group?
Jul 24th, 2015, 11:06 AM
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You nailed it Kathie! That was it- thank you!!
Yes, I didn't get to spend much time with the bronze statues at Mahamuni due to a large influx of tribespeople who were there for the day and were crowding that room- I did get to see the elephant!
There were 15 in my group, 16 with our guide
Yes, I didn't get to spend much time with the bronze statues at Mahamuni due to a large influx of tribespeople who were there for the day and were crowding that room- I did get to see the elephant!
There were 15 in my group, 16 with our guide
Jul 29th, 2015, 09:59 AM
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NMV, so glad you are feeling better. What a horrifying scare you had.
On the completely superficial side, I'm so glad you were able to get the Lotus Silk scarves in Inle Lake, as they are so unique and seriously impossible to find anywhere else in the world.
We were talking about you at the Boston GTG a couple weeks ago and collectively send you our best wishes for a complete recovery and for you to be back out traveling soon.
On the completely superficial side, I'm so glad you were able to get the Lotus Silk scarves in Inle Lake, as they are so unique and seriously impossible to find anywhere else in the world.
We were talking about you at the Boston GTG a couple weeks ago and collectively send you our best wishes for a complete recovery and for you to be back out traveling soon.
Aug 2nd, 2015, 07:54 PM
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I just got confirmation earlier this week that we will be going to Burma in November. If you still have the kyat, I'd be glad to buy them from you. Let me know where and we will figure out how to communicate privately.
Aug 21st, 2015, 05:57 AM
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Hi all, Sorry for the delay. They've been doing some tests on my eyes (apparently you can get cataracts when you're hit by lightning!) and was asked to limit screen time to next to nothing.
I'm working on furthering my trip report and Kathie- shoot me an email at [email protected]- happy to exchange my un-burned Kyat
I'm working on furthering my trip report and Kathie- shoot me an email at [email protected]- happy to exchange my un-burned Kyat
Aug 21st, 2015, 06:19 AM
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Boston Harbor- thanks for your kind words! And yes, I am SO glad I got my lotus silk scarves, and they survived! I had actually purchased a white cotton scarf that morning, which was lightly burned (I'm still gonna rock it though! I beat lightning!) and I was so nervous to see what the lotus scarves looked like- but they were untouched!!!
I had planned on Costa Rica next month with my boyfriend, but we have delayed those plans (it's rainy season!)
I had planned on Costa Rica next month with my boyfriend, but we have delayed those plans (it's rainy season!)
Aug 21st, 2015, 07:34 AM
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Day 5
Another lovely breakfast at the Emerald Land started our day. We then headed by bus down to the jetty to grab our boat over to Mingun. The ride over was pleasant, a nice breeze on the river.
We arrived at Mingun and were greeted by hoards of young women wanting to sell us items. This was actually one of the worst spots for this that I encountered on the trip, which says a lot! I believe there were about 20 women to our group of 15, selling us (much needed!) fans. But of course, we were the only tourists in town that morning, I believe I saw only one other couple in our 2-3 hour visit. However, the women were much more polite than I have encountered in other countries, so it really wasn't too much of an issue.
Anyway- Mingun- the crumbling unfinished Pagoda- WOW- massive. You're still able to walk up the staircase to the top, but seeing as the staircase is located on the side of the pagoda that is crumbling, I passed. I loved the crocodile (alligator?) water spouts that would run the standing water off of the different walking paths that surrounded the pagoda. What is truly remarkable (to me!) is that this is a solid pagoda the entire structure that is still there is solid- so many bricks! If they told us how long it took to build I don't remember, but I'm always fascinated by how much time and labor these structures could take to build- all in honor of a god/belief. I hope one day to have that level of devotion- to something!
We then walked down the main strip to the Mingun Bell- WOW again. They do things big over here in Mingun! I was able to get under the bell, which of course I did before someone mentioned it 'fell' at one point and was not able to be lifted for 3 years (I hope I'm remembering all of this correctly- please correct me if I am not- I will blame it on lightning-brain!)
-Sidenote- in rewriting all of this, I have come to realize why I am so enamored with travel to developing countries- you are 1) less crowded 2)able to interact with the history. I'm pretty sure if this bell was in a museum in Paris there would be no climbing under it to see the inside (of course there wouldn't be graffiti on the inside, but that's another issue). Don't get me wrong, Europe is lovely, and I've spent a good amount of time there and I love it, but I am just drawn to the untouched aspect of more developing countries.
Sorry, back to Mingun! We wandered through the village, and saw how the locals live- some raised homes, some two stories (enclosed on 3 sides down stairs) all with sturdy fences in good condition. There was no trash to be found- it looked like a lovely village where I would be happy to stay in for a time. A nice woman invited us in to her home, and showed us her kitchen - a separate 'hut'- the smells were amazing but lunch wouldn't be ready for a while and we had to keep moving.
Out last stop in Mingun was the Nya Thein Dan pagoda, an intricate white pagoda- lots of steps up, but nice views of the river and Mingun pagoda from the top. Ps- just because it's white, doesn't mean it's not hot hot hot!
On our way out of town, I bought some wiiiide legs capris made out of the same fabric I was seeing the longyis made out of. In addition to a little marionette horse (I try to pick up a horse figurine from each country I go to!) in anticipation of the marionette theater later that evening!
We headed back to the boat, and back to Mandalay. We stopped for lunch at the Unique Myanmar restaurant for lunch- delicious! I had Burmese curry (most restaurants I tried throughout the trip had limited Burmese options- but always a Thai menu and a Chinese menu- so I jumped at the opportunity!) with chicken. The atmosphere was really lovely and the service as prompt.
After lunch we visited the Shwensadaw Palace, better known as the Golden Palace, which is in fact not Golden, but teak now The inside is still covered in gold and is just beautiful. The Burmese truly have a way with teak carvings- just amazing to see.
Afterwards, it was a short hop to the worlds largest book, which is large field of small pagodas (?) with large marble tablets inside, each containing a page of the book. It is reported that to read the entire book would take two years or more. The tablets are under lock and key, but 1 of the gates was unlocked, so you could get a bit of a closer view to the writing/tablet.
Back to the Emerald Land for a short rest, before I headed out to Mandalay Hill! It was a good 25 minute walk to the hill, and then 3000+ grueling stairs up. One of the girls on the trip was hell-bent on losing as much weight as possible (whereas I eat as much as I can on vacation!) so she insisted we walk to the top, it was not until we took the elevator and bus down did I know there was another option!! It was an interesting climb, that's for sure, and I'm glad I did it, but if I could have worn shoes and shorts in stead of barefeet and long pants I would have been a much happier camper! However- great views at sunset, and if not I would not have known that people live on the sides of the staircase- the whole way up!(they must be in fabulous shape)
I had a quick dinner at a restaurant two doors down from the Mandalay Marionette Theater. $10 admission for a prompt 30 minute show- good A/C, live music on local/original music sets- and for some of the 'acts' they will drop the curtain so you can see the puppeteers at work- I found this to be very interesting! They introduced all of the puppeteers at the end, including the only 'Master Puppeteer' left in the country. He was kind enough to come out and shake all of ours hands at the end of the show- all 6 of us in the theater! I would recommend this if you're in Mandalay, the $10 is worth it
Another lovely breakfast at the Emerald Land started our day. We then headed by bus down to the jetty to grab our boat over to Mingun. The ride over was pleasant, a nice breeze on the river.
We arrived at Mingun and were greeted by hoards of young women wanting to sell us items. This was actually one of the worst spots for this that I encountered on the trip, which says a lot! I believe there were about 20 women to our group of 15, selling us (much needed!) fans. But of course, we were the only tourists in town that morning, I believe I saw only one other couple in our 2-3 hour visit. However, the women were much more polite than I have encountered in other countries, so it really wasn't too much of an issue.
Anyway- Mingun- the crumbling unfinished Pagoda- WOW- massive. You're still able to walk up the staircase to the top, but seeing as the staircase is located on the side of the pagoda that is crumbling, I passed. I loved the crocodile (alligator?) water spouts that would run the standing water off of the different walking paths that surrounded the pagoda. What is truly remarkable (to me!) is that this is a solid pagoda the entire structure that is still there is solid- so many bricks! If they told us how long it took to build I don't remember, but I'm always fascinated by how much time and labor these structures could take to build- all in honor of a god/belief. I hope one day to have that level of devotion- to something!
We then walked down the main strip to the Mingun Bell- WOW again. They do things big over here in Mingun! I was able to get under the bell, which of course I did before someone mentioned it 'fell' at one point and was not able to be lifted for 3 years (I hope I'm remembering all of this correctly- please correct me if I am not- I will blame it on lightning-brain!)
-Sidenote- in rewriting all of this, I have come to realize why I am so enamored with travel to developing countries- you are 1) less crowded 2)able to interact with the history. I'm pretty sure if this bell was in a museum in Paris there would be no climbing under it to see the inside (of course there wouldn't be graffiti on the inside, but that's another issue). Don't get me wrong, Europe is lovely, and I've spent a good amount of time there and I love it, but I am just drawn to the untouched aspect of more developing countries.
Sorry, back to Mingun! We wandered through the village, and saw how the locals live- some raised homes, some two stories (enclosed on 3 sides down stairs) all with sturdy fences in good condition. There was no trash to be found- it looked like a lovely village where I would be happy to stay in for a time. A nice woman invited us in to her home, and showed us her kitchen - a separate 'hut'- the smells were amazing but lunch wouldn't be ready for a while and we had to keep moving.
Out last stop in Mingun was the Nya Thein Dan pagoda, an intricate white pagoda- lots of steps up, but nice views of the river and Mingun pagoda from the top. Ps- just because it's white, doesn't mean it's not hot hot hot!
On our way out of town, I bought some wiiiide legs capris made out of the same fabric I was seeing the longyis made out of. In addition to a little marionette horse (I try to pick up a horse figurine from each country I go to!) in anticipation of the marionette theater later that evening!
We headed back to the boat, and back to Mandalay. We stopped for lunch at the Unique Myanmar restaurant for lunch- delicious! I had Burmese curry (most restaurants I tried throughout the trip had limited Burmese options- but always a Thai menu and a Chinese menu- so I jumped at the opportunity!) with chicken. The atmosphere was really lovely and the service as prompt.
After lunch we visited the Shwensadaw Palace, better known as the Golden Palace, which is in fact not Golden, but teak now
The inside is still covered in gold and is just beautiful. The Burmese truly have a way with teak carvings- just amazing to see. Afterwards, it was a short hop to the worlds largest book, which is large field of small pagodas (?) with large marble tablets inside, each containing a page of the book. It is reported that to read the entire book would take two years or more. The tablets are under lock and key, but 1 of the gates was unlocked, so you could get a bit of a closer view to the writing/tablet.
Back to the Emerald Land for a short rest, before I headed out to Mandalay Hill! It was a good 25 minute walk to the hill, and then 3000+ grueling stairs up. One of the girls on the trip was hell-bent on losing as much weight as possible (whereas I eat as much as I can on vacation!) so she insisted we walk to the top, it was not until we took the elevator and bus down did I know there was another option!! It was an interesting climb, that's for sure, and I'm glad I did it, but if I could have worn shoes and shorts in stead of barefeet and long pants I would have been a much happier camper! However- great views at sunset, and if not I would not have known that people live on the sides of the staircase- the whole way up!(they must be in fabulous shape)
I had a quick dinner at a restaurant two doors down from the Mandalay Marionette Theater. $10 admission for a prompt 30 minute show- good A/C, live music on local/original music sets- and for some of the 'acts' they will drop the curtain so you can see the puppeteers at work- I found this to be very interesting! They introduced all of the puppeteers at the end, including the only 'Master Puppeteer' left in the country. He was kind enough to come out and shake all of ours hands at the end of the show- all 6 of us in the theater! I would recommend this if you're in Mandalay, the $10 is worth it
