The pictures, though unedited are uploaded http://picasaweb.google.com/nywoman

Good pictures...It was nice to look at them just after I read your report this am. Your narative was fresh in my mind. Still a bit jet laged here. Are you home yet? Did you get on a flight? How was Hau Hin?

Lovely report - glad someone had some good words to say about Mandalay! Scary to lose your guidebook....

Fanny, I love reading about Mandalay as we didn't get there this trip. Next time...

NYwoman, nice to see your posts back on fodors once again. I was wondering about you. Are you still in Asia? Or are you back home again?

Carol

Yah, NY, I'm just following along too. I've been having a particularly intense affair with a Roast Chicken which has kept me very quiet for oh, a week. Elvis the chook has finally left the building so I'm able to communicate. I've been all your places, like you, particularly horrified at the Monk Feeding Zoo! More more more.

Wow, NYwoman, thanks for the vase offer. Very generous of you. Let us know when you're back in the US and we'll get in touch somehow.

Fanny-we are all following closely. Keep it rolling!

Back in NYC after some lovely quality time with Maeng. I couldnät wait to get home and now Iäm wondering WHY

Rest of Mandalay and Bagan to follow. Maybe even some tid bits on Bangkok

NYwoman, so glad to hear you had more time with Maeng!! How was your Thai meal?

I know how it is about getting home and wishing you were back in Bangkok instead! The time I spend with Maeng and my other friends in that amazing city is priceless. I can never get enough!

Watching for more of your report, in any case!

Carol

Welcome home! I look forward to the rest of your report.

Glad you are back home. Don't you love that pile of laundry trips make? We are still sorting thing out. Do you feel any better. Really enjoyed our visit..k

Mandalay continued:

How I wish I had more time in Mandalay! So much to see and do, but I’ll be back.

My last day I went to Mingun the town that is famous for the Mingun Paya built by King Bodawpaya (1782-1819) The pagoda if completed would have risen to the height of 500 feet, the largest one in the whole country and probably the highest in the world. It was left unfinished when Bodawpaya died in 1819. It is now a large pile of bricks after suffered an eartquake, that you can climb barefoot by a side staircase, I managed to get to the top with the aid of two young men. As far as I could tell that was their purpose in life, to help tourists climb up to admire the view and then get tipped.

To get to Mingun I took the 1 hour boatride, managed to avoid paying the Government fee by standing online for the boat ticket which was 4.500 kyiat. The ride was very pleasant, and when we arrived in Mingun we were met by “taxis” covered oxcarts that had the word taxi painted on them. I had met two other single women travelers on the boat, the three of us ended up doing the sights together, by foot. We decided to start at the end and work our way back to the boat, which was departing at 1 pm.

The Hsingyume Paya which was furthest from the boat landing is in great contrast to the Mingun Paya which is brick and flat. It is all white, with 7 wavy terraces, almost like a whipped cream cake, and at the top there are two Buddhas, one in front of the other. There was a great view from the top terrace. We then saw the large Mingun Bell and of course crawled under it to hear it reverberate when struck.

As at all tourist places there are women selling things. Here there was mostly clothing, and I managed to buy a t-shirt with the Burmese alphabet. I bought the shirt because the young girl who was selling them had run after me with a shirt my size. She had somehow managed to find one after I had left her. What has struck me more than anything else is that when you decline to buy anything you get a gracious smile, and no attitude.

We returned to Mandalay and hired an open tuk-tuk to take us to Mahamuni Paya. This is the most amazing complex, lovely grounds that people had picnics on, Khmer figures and then the Buddha which is believed to originate in the 1st century. Women are not allowed to walk up to the Buddha, they sit on the floor in front and on the sides praying while men apply gold leaf to the statue. The Buddha which is originally cast in bronze is very thickly covered with gold to the point that it is hard to distinguish any parts of the body. We spent several hours walking around and really enjoying the Pagoda. When we were at the Khmer figures an old monk approached us, telling us he used to be a history teacher, he also said that by rubbing the figure at a corresponding spot, any ailment you had would disappear. I rubbed the knee so hard, to no avail, had torn a meniscus in my left knee, but the pain persisted. .

Our tuk-tuk driver was waiting for us, he was a very kind person, Andrea the young German girl and I, were taking the 9 hour boat ride down the Ayeyarwaddy River to Bagan the next morning. We had been informed that there was no food on the boat. Which as it happened turned out to be false information. They provide you with coffee or tea and a sandwich in the morning and Ramen Noodles for lunch. Since we didn't know any of this We bought fruit, a bag of little oranges and a hand of bananas. Then we went to get barbecued chicken, the driver taking us wherever we wanted to go at no extra charge. This seemed to be the overall attitude of people, to please and be of service. We were happy that we had brought our food even if it wasn't necessary.

Hope you're back on US time! Still enjoying your report - your description of Mingun really brought back memories!

I have really enjoyed your description of Mandalay. Next time...

Bagan

There were a couple of things that were not negotiable, for me, in Burma. One was the boat ride Mandalay to Bagan, the other the balloons over Bagan. My schedule then became dependent on that. The boat to Bagan, which takes 9 hours, only departs from Mandalay on certain dates, the slow boat that takes 13 hours I was informed is a government owned.

I booked my ticket to leave on Thursday the 19th 7 a.m. departure. Am not quite sure what it is about these boat rides but I love them, am not fond of cruises, but give me a boat going up or down a river and I am as happy as a lark. My taxi driver from the night before was waiting at 6 a.m. for me as arranged. He drove a vehicles that is basically a small truck with 4 seats in the back, I seemed to ride quite a few of these during my 3 week trip.
Had been told to be at the dock by 6.30 a.m. The ride was quicker than I thought, the kind driver didn’t like the looks of the coffee seller by the docks, tok me to a place, where they were frying fresh dough, delicious and a perfect beginning to the day.

Andrea in the meantime has reserved a place for me on the outside deck, inside is AC and numbered comfortable seats. Unless you wanted to sleep I could not see a reason for those chairs. The crew lets me put our lunch in the refrigerator and we are all set, it turns out that coffee and sandwiches are served.

The ride down the Ayeyarwady was fairly eventless, we passed a lot of pagodas, some villages with huts built near the water, that were very flimsy, yet people lived in them. We saw water buffalos and many sandbanks. The water was receding a bit earlier than usual because of lack of rain last monsoon season. The fun part about traveling is the people you meet, there were quite a few who had been part of the excursion to Mingun the previous day, on the boat . Instant friendships are made by the mere fact that you keep on bumping into each other. In my case it was very fortunate because I had managed to tear a meniscus in my knee, and one of my new-found friends was a French doctor who advised me how to medicate.

As the boat was approached Bagan the excitement was palpable, all of a sudden the deck was packed with people wanting a glimpse and we weren’t disappointed. There was Bupaya Pagoda with its white stucco and golden roof and many smaller ones closer to the river. There were almost as many people on the riverbank as on the boat. Disembarkation took place walking on two planks with two crewmembers holding a bamboo stick as railing. A little dodgy, but nobody fell in. There were drivers from the various hotels with our names, curious onlookers, vendors and children begging, everybody clamoring for your attention. We had some oranges and chicken left over which I dutifully handed out. The sad part was that our oranges and chicken were as gratefully accepted as the candies that somebody else had.

The manager from Kaday Aung where I was staying, $15 per night, took my passport and $10 entrance fee and I was processed in no time. Nothing had prepared me for the sight of Bagan pagodas, the fact that most are earth colored instead of being white and gold, that the stupas are there in the 1000’s or so it seemed and the 100’s of pagodas had me enthralled. An explanation to the name Stupa that I like is, Spiritual Monument.

We arrive at the hotel which is located in New Bagan, it is beautiful with a swimming pool and a lovely outdoor dining area. Disaster hits when I get to my room, the bed is a foam rubber mattress on a low platform. I try to get down and the pain is excruciating, see the manager who informs me that there are no other rooms, his suggestion to put two mattresses on top of each other. Try that for the night, not a good solution, too soft my back was killing me next morning. When I returned after the days outing they had gotten a spring mattress for me. The hotel had the most incredible service, and always with a smile. One of my favorite places to stay on this trip.

The next morning I was met by my horse and cart driver named Min Min, he is a young man, with a good knowledge of English and even better knowledge of the Pagodas. The hotel manager had written a list for me of the major, and some minor sites, first we had to stop by the stable to exchange horses since this one was too young for an extended trip. The stable was at the home of the owner, which was in direct contrast to the home of Min Min which I saw the following day. Finally we set off, the clip clops of the hooves, and the breathtaking views I kept on choking up, seeing such beauty. One pagoda was more incredible than the next, many of them have wall paintings that are from the 11th and 12th centuries. The periods that were the highlight of Bagan’s wealth and power, and also the time that Theravadan Buddhism became the faith of Burma. http://www.ancientbagan.com/bagan-history.htm

My camera was busy clicking away at the different Buddhas. What I subsequently learnt was that the early ones looked Indian with long faces, middle period had 3 creases on the neck and later periods were Chinese with round/square faces and long ears. I can go on and on about the beauties of Bagan, what I learnt of the different pagodas but that is something you can read up on. Bagan is divided into new Bagan and old Bagan, the government in its infinite wisdom decided to move the residents in 1990 to a new location, hence the name New Bagan. Most of the pagodas but by no means all are located in old Bagan.

I spent two full days going around with the horse cart, at one point I was invited to visit the fishing village where the Min Min came from. The house which he shares with several family members has no walls. He said to me “you think it is beautiful now, but not during monsoon season” I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I thought it was pretty dismal now. Of course he has a brother and sister selling sand paintings, which I bought gladly, at a highly inflated price. However I had to insist to meet them, he never even suggested it. What really, truly bothered me about Bagan were the women vendors asking for presents. It didn’t matter which pagoda there were always a few women asking “present for me”? This is really the only place in Myanmar where I sensed this trend of entitlement. Another disturbing sight was a young child with her face completely covered with Tanaka, a root from which you make a paste and put on the face to cool the skin and prevent sunburn. A tourist was taking her picture and then handed the mother money. Am not sure if the mother had demanded money, or the tourist felt it was his obligation. This was at the Shwezigon pagoda which is one of the most visited pagodas, by tourists.

The wonderful parts were the young children, women and men guiding me around the pagodas showing off the riches and special paintings, not asking for a hand out but really enjoying to show off. One vendor invited me for dinner at her home, unfortunately I couldn’t accept, it was too difficult logistically. The temples or pagodas are overwhelming by the multitude of them, yet I never quite got enough. At most of them I was alone or perhaps a couple of other tourists hardly ever did I encounter a tour group. Many of the temples have interior stairs, quite a few are closed off to visitors, managed to climb a few for the views being grateful for the pain killers and cortisone that kept the pain at a minimum.

The Balloon ride, which I unfortunately was not able to do the first morning I arrived, which would have been optimal, as it were, it happened on the last day. There were 4 balloons take took off 2 had 8 passengers and 2 had 6 each. I was in a smaller one. The bus that was ancient picked me up at 5.30 am and we were taken to a field where coffee and tea was served while the balloons were gotten ready. While we were watching the balloons being inflated, each pilot held a safety lecture for his passengers. The pilots are licensed airplane pilots and the safety drills quite comprehensive. We all felt very safe, before and during the 1 hour ride.

Am not sure whether it was that my expectations had been so high, or the fact that I had seen all the temples and knew the area quite well, but it was a letdown. It was wonderful being up there seeing the sunrise, and the light on the pagodas as it shifted, but it wasn’t the thrill I had expected. At least I got a cap and some great pictures out of the experience.

Fanny, what a pleasure it is to read about your time in Bagan! Bagan really is just stunning, isn't it?

I wonder how much overlap we had on the pagodas and stupas we visited. Like you, most of the places we visited had few visitors, and the ones that were more popular (like Shwezigon pagoda) we entered through the opposite entrance from the one most people enter.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

When we landed we were served Prosecco and delicious croissants. I returned to the hotel and met two wonderful local guides who were taking a group of Dutch tourists on a biking tour of Myanamar the average age was 60. Sat by the pool for a few hours and decided to go to Nyaung U another town where the Schwezigon Paya is located. I had heard about an Indian restaurant called AromaII that was supposed to be excellent. Thought it might be a good choice for lunch.

I walked out to the main road to catch a bus; somehow I got on one going in the wrong direction. Myinkaba, which lies between New and Old Bagan is the village that produces lacquer ware and was the end station. Talk about serendipity, this way I got to see and meet some young girls that collected empty plastic and glass bottles. The bottles were in enormous sacks, that they balanced on their heads, one of them was carrying a car battery. The bundles were piled into the bus, another open air truck. Finally we got going only to stop again to pick up very large bamboo crates holding lacquer ware. The local bus works as a transportation and trucking company. The girls had pomegranates that they shared with me. We tried to communicate the best we could.

The ride was about 40 minutes and stopped at a real bus depot, in a town. It was a fairly short walk to the restaurant, but it was closed until the evening. Again this extreme kindness and willingness to please showed up, they offered to open up and cook for me. This was the best meal I had in all of Myanmar, when I return I will probably stay in Nyaung U for a few nights just to eat there. After lunch I went in search of the market which was very large. The open air part was dedicated to fruits and vegetables with the women sitting on the ground, the wares spread in front of them. I saw the most beautiful miniature purple eggplants, baskets with leaves arranged in symmetrical patterns, to be used by the betel nut sellers.

I wandered for a couple of hours and realized it was getting close to 4 pm when the bus was returning to New Bagan. Also did not realize how far I had walked and there was no way that I could make it on foot and be on time. A horse cart driver stopped and we negotiated a price of 300 kyiat when I arrived he didn’t have change for my 1000 kyiat bill and told me to forget it, instead of asking if somebody who stood around had change. Now I could kick myself for not giving him the bill, instead I said thank you and ran for the bus.
That night I went out for dinner to a Myanamar restaurant near the hotel with a couple of men who were traveling the world and staying at the hotel. A typical meal consists of small dishes that you select from the daily offering and many, many different condiments and side dishes that are included in the price.

The next morning I got a ride to the airport, for my flight back to Yangon, by an Italian family who had hired a car and driver for their trip around the country. The flight was supposed to leave at 9 am but departed 8.40 because everybody was on board. I sat in the back and saw the flight attendants prepare trays of intriguing food for the pilots. When it came time for my meal I asked if it was possible to get the same food as the pilots, they obliged, with the caveat that I might not like it. I was served the most delicious kinds of tempura, the best airplane meal in years. Not only that, they also wrote down all the names of the foods in Burmese so that I would know what to order. Unfortunately never had a chance to test it out, but will bring it with me to a Burmese restaurant here in NYC.

Was greeted at Beautyland as a long lost friend, with lots of welcome backs and expressions of how happy they were to see me. My old room wasn’t quite ready so I decided to walk in a direction that I hadn’t been to before. I came across a building that I knew had to be a hospital because it looked just like the hospital where I trained in England. Yes, it was a hospital built by the British, quite a beautiful building actually, but I wouldn’t want to be a patient there. I had called my friend Ann-Sylvie who lives in Yangon, she and her daughter were attending a European film festival that afternoon so I tagged along and saw a French movie with English subtitles “Jean de la Fontaine” afterwards I was invited back to their house for dinner. We had a lovely evening with as usual interesting conversations.

The next morning I explored the market further, It was much larger than I thought and full of tourists. The season had begun and it was time to leave Myanmar.

Fanny,

We did the balloon ride before touring on the horse cart and greatly enjoyed it, our ride landed on a sandbank in the middle of the river. I could see how the balloon ride at the end of the trip is a let down though but I am happy that you got to experience it. When we went it was only 3 balloon so I guess business is good for them.

We also visited the market at Nyaung U. Loved all those different eggplants! Cheryl got some great market photos there.