Enroute to the boat landing for a trip up the Ayerawaddy river we stopped by the Stone Cutters Street. Blocks of marble are quarried 80 km from Mandalay and are shipped here to be transformed into Buddhas and sundry other statuary. The Buddha's body is carved first - the seated position with hand up is the the most typical in this street - then the head and face is completed, by perhaps a more specialized carver. Many Buddhas still had a rough cube for a head. The white stone dust coated the trees creating a winter-in-July feel.
Lunch was overlooking the Ayerawaddy river on one side and a marionette show on the other. My tofu dish was excellent!! Food has been very good so far - main choices are chinese/thai/indian.
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From there it was down to the water for a boat ride up the Ayeyarwady river to Minguin to climb the world's biggest pile of bricks. The boat was a double decker, wooden, with a wheelhouse and some covered seating. The deck chairs are bamboo with sling seating. Rugs are laid out them for some added comfort. The captain's "crew" consist of man and woman - the woman does most of the work. They are in charge of setting up the gangplank, holding the railing and selling souvenirs. (Not while holding the railing.) It's the start of the cool season so the water level is low. The banks are sloping sand/clay so the boat can only get so close. The man standing on the shore beside one end holding a long bamboo pole and the woman is on the boat holding the other end. The gang plank is just that, a plank, a very bouncy plank. The man and the women were talking a lot when I was crossing. The "railing" kept shifting a little left then a little right. I managed to make it without falling into the silty looking water.
It was a hot but lovely ride. We passed some boats that were quarrying gravel from the river bank. The men were near the top shoveling down then the women shovelled into waiting boats. Hot work. It's well into the high 30's here but not so very humid. Quite bearable in the shade especially with this nice breeze off the water.
This big pile of bricks had at one point been destined to be the world's tallest stupas/zedi/pagoda BUT the folks around here are very suspicious people. The king who commissioned the project was told by a fortune teller that he would die if the pagoda was completed. Work was halted at the one third point...fairly sure the dude died.
What is left is a massive brick pagoda base with some huge earthquake induced cracks, a small shrine at the lower level and 175 steps to the top. There is an entrance fee which is covered by our tour which supports the local school. Several young men were standing about - volunteer "guides". There ran to Peg's aid and I ended up with two. The railing was sufficiently secure so I didn't real need a guide but they were so sweet and wanting to practice their English that I gave in. We made it to the top with them carrying my bag and taking my hand and cautioning me on a difficult step. The older one said with confidence "Madame I know your camera I will take your picture." He did a decent job too.
In front of the pagoda are the remains of two large lions called chinthes that guard the entrance. The heads had fallen off and only the pear shaped butts remained. I'm not sure if I heard my young guide correctly but I think he said they are also known as "ass wipes" (more like "as swipes) to the locals.
Decided to pass on the upper upper level as it required a vertical climb with only an old propped up log and my two skinny guides as support. As we headed down the one boy said very softly madame you give me something for my school books...your choice please madame...if you want. I had planned on giving them something so I pulled out my folio and it was all "no, no, no madame not here." They obviously didn't want to be caught scamming. I gave then a $5 to split in the end which was way too much but it was too windy to dig out anything else. Little buggers. Can't say I blame them.
Down the street we rang the world's biggest bell and climbed another 100 steps to yet another pagoda for some lovely views and a cool breeze. I do love the simplicity and the serenity of these buildings.
As Peg and I headed to the boat we saw a guy running...running towards us...running with a pig...a pig on a leash...right at the "ass wipes".
How perfect a scene is that?
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The Road From Mandalay
Petrol is about 80 cents a litre, cheaper than Canada but still, it's a lot of money in a struggling country. This means motorcycles are used as the family vehicle and as the general work horse. First stop next morning we saw one of the more attractive cargo types being loaded up and hauled away on wheels - chrysanthemums, as far as the eye could see.
Today's destination was former British hill station Pyin Oo Lin. At a cooler elevation of 3400+ feet this town was a popular escape from Mandalay's hot season. Getting there meant chugging up a series of switchback roads so steep that there are "cooling" stations along the way. In other words lay-bys and pit stops where vehicles can pull over and hose down their aging, steaming engines at cisterns filled with hill top run-off water.
At our w.c./cool-off stop I noticed a number of the vendors had modestly hung photos and/or old 35(!) kyat notes with the image of General Aung San, Suu Kyi's father also with photos of The Lady herself.
Spent most of our free time poking around the market - nice to see a real local market not ladened down with tourist junk. Beyond the street side vendors were the local stalls. The betel leaf arrangements were works of art on their own - also saw a number of mohinga rice noodle stands complete with fool proof olde fashioned balance scales. Scored a few nice longyi for Sheree's fabric collection. Very reasonably priced.
One of the attractions in this town are rides in Cinderella type horse drawn carriages. My favourite sported an iconic Che Guevara logo and several marijuana leaves - go figure. Peg and Lucy and I shared a ride to our next stop - a former British Club, Candacraig Hotel - passing huge bushes of blazing red poinsettias as big as sumac along the way. We happened to arrive just as a wedding shoot was being set up.
Then it was on just a short clip-clop ride to the popular Club Terrace restaurant for some hot Thai curry. The place was empty when we arrived and overflowing by the time we left. I noted that the establishments here have no trouble seating a group of 16 and doing up separate bills for each armed with a universally understood calculator.
Back in our conventional bus now, we headed down the narrow switchback roads passing steaming cars along the way.
We had missed the heat of the day in town but it was still a little toasty at the decommissioned and relocated Shwenandaw Monastery - a lovely teak construction with intricate screens and roof lines and with a plethora of tiny mythical buddhist carvings on the exterior wall panels like so many chocolates in a box.
Around the corner was Kuthodwa Pagoda home of the world's largest book. The "book" is a collection of inscribed stone tablets representing the entire Tripitaka; in other words the collection of Buddhist scriptures according to the Theravedic way of thinking. The tablets are stored in a series of marble pavilions laid out on a grid around the main stupa. At the 5th Buddhist Synod in 1871, the reading of these tablets took almost 6 months to complete! The sensation of the space is that of a cemetery rather than a library.
Mandalay Hill was the sunset destination. After a white-knuckle taxi-truck transfer up the hill it was shoes of and up the tourist escalator to Sutaungpyei Pagoda to take in the views. As with Shwedagon, I would have preferred the stairs to get the full profane (vendors) to sacred (pagoda) transition. Lots of mirrored glass, buddhas, nats, bells and the odd ogre! A lovely end to a sensory overloaded day.
Lunch was overlooking the Ayerawaddy river on one side and a marionette show on the other. My tofu dish was excellent!! Food has been very good so far - main choices are chinese/thai/indian.
.jpg)
From there it was down to the water for a boat ride up the Ayeyarwady river to Minguin to climb the world's biggest pile of bricks. The boat was a double decker, wooden, with a wheelhouse and some covered seating. The deck chairs are bamboo with sling seating. Rugs are laid out them for some added comfort. The captain's "crew" consist of man and woman - the woman does most of the work. They are in charge of setting up the gangplank, holding the railing and selling souvenirs. (Not while holding the railing.) It's the start of the cool season so the water level is low. The banks are sloping sand/clay so the boat can only get so close. The man standing on the shore beside one end holding a long bamboo pole and the woman is on the boat holding the other end. The gang plank is just that, a plank, a very bouncy plank. The man and the women were talking a lot when I was crossing. The "railing" kept shifting a little left then a little right. I managed to make it without falling into the silty looking water.
It was a hot but lovely ride. We passed some boats that were quarrying gravel from the river bank. The men were near the top shoveling down then the women shovelled into waiting boats. Hot work. It's well into the high 30's here but not so very humid. Quite bearable in the shade especially with this nice breeze off the water.
This big pile of bricks had at one point been destined to be the world's tallest stupas/zedi/pagoda BUT the folks around here are very suspicious people. The king who commissioned the project was told by a fortune teller that he would die if the pagoda was completed. Work was halted at the one third point...fairly sure the dude died.
What is left is a massive brick pagoda base with some huge earthquake induced cracks, a small shrine at the lower level and 175 steps to the top. There is an entrance fee which is covered by our tour which supports the local school. Several young men were standing about - volunteer "guides". There ran to Peg's aid and I ended up with two. The railing was sufficiently secure so I didn't real need a guide but they were so sweet and wanting to practice their English that I gave in. We made it to the top with them carrying my bag and taking my hand and cautioning me on a difficult step. The older one said with confidence "Madame I know your camera I will take your picture." He did a decent job too.
In front of the pagoda are the remains of two large lions called chinthes that guard the entrance. The heads had fallen off and only the pear shaped butts remained. I'm not sure if I heard my young guide correctly but I think he said they are also known as "ass wipes" (more like "as swipes) to the locals.
Decided to pass on the upper upper level as it required a vertical climb with only an old propped up log and my two skinny guides as support. As we headed down the one boy said very softly madame you give me something for my school books...your choice please madame...if you want. I had planned on giving them something so I pulled out my folio and it was all "no, no, no madame not here." They obviously didn't want to be caught scamming. I gave then a $5 to split in the end which was way too much but it was too windy to dig out anything else. Little buggers. Can't say I blame them.
Down the street we rang the world's biggest bell and climbed another 100 steps to yet another pagoda for some lovely views and a cool breeze. I do love the simplicity and the serenity of these buildings.
As Peg and I headed to the boat we saw a guy running...running towards us...running with a pig...a pig on a leash...right at the "ass wipes".
How perfect a scene is that?
.jpg)
The Road From Mandalay
Petrol is about 80 cents a litre, cheaper than Canada but still, it's a lot of money in a struggling country. This means motorcycles are used as the family vehicle and as the general work horse. First stop next morning we saw one of the more attractive cargo types being loaded up and hauled away on wheels - chrysanthemums, as far as the eye could see.
Today's destination was former British hill station Pyin Oo Lin. At a cooler elevation of 3400+ feet this town was a popular escape from Mandalay's hot season. Getting there meant chugging up a series of switchback roads so steep that there are "cooling" stations along the way. In other words lay-bys and pit stops where vehicles can pull over and hose down their aging, steaming engines at cisterns filled with hill top run-off water.
At our w.c./cool-off stop I noticed a number of the vendors had modestly hung photos and/or old 35(!) kyat notes with the image of General Aung San, Suu Kyi's father also with photos of The Lady herself.
Spent most of our free time poking around the market - nice to see a real local market not ladened down with tourist junk. Beyond the street side vendors were the local stalls. The betel leaf arrangements were works of art on their own - also saw a number of mohinga rice noodle stands complete with fool proof olde fashioned balance scales. Scored a few nice longyi for Sheree's fabric collection. Very reasonably priced.
One of the attractions in this town are rides in Cinderella type horse drawn carriages. My favourite sported an iconic Che Guevara logo and several marijuana leaves - go figure. Peg and Lucy and I shared a ride to our next stop - a former British Club, Candacraig Hotel - passing huge bushes of blazing red poinsettias as big as sumac along the way. We happened to arrive just as a wedding shoot was being set up.
Then it was on just a short clip-clop ride to the popular Club Terrace restaurant for some hot Thai curry. The place was empty when we arrived and overflowing by the time we left. I noted that the establishments here have no trouble seating a group of 16 and doing up separate bills for each armed with a universally understood calculator.
Back in our conventional bus now, we headed down the narrow switchback roads passing steaming cars along the way.
We had missed the heat of the day in town but it was still a little toasty at the decommissioned and relocated Shwenandaw Monastery - a lovely teak construction with intricate screens and roof lines and with a plethora of tiny mythical buddhist carvings on the exterior wall panels like so many chocolates in a box.
Around the corner was Kuthodwa Pagoda home of the world's largest book. The "book" is a collection of inscribed stone tablets representing the entire Tripitaka; in other words the collection of Buddhist scriptures according to the Theravedic way of thinking. The tablets are stored in a series of marble pavilions laid out on a grid around the main stupa. At the 5th Buddhist Synod in 1871, the reading of these tablets took almost 6 months to complete! The sensation of the space is that of a cemetery rather than a library.
Mandalay Hill was the sunset destination. After a white-knuckle taxi-truck transfer up the hill it was shoes of and up the tourist escalator to Sutaungpyei Pagoda to take in the views. As with Shwedagon, I would have preferred the stairs to get the full profane (vendors) to sacred (pagoda) transition. Lots of mirrored glass, buddhas, nats, bells and the odd ogre! A lovely end to a sensory overloaded day.
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