...headed back to the airport to catch a flight to Mandalay with a stop to change money enroute. This is what $400 USD looks like in Burmese money:
Felt like I robbed a bank. (Now would a money belt have worked? NO!! I would have looked like a suicide bomber.)
Our airline had the unfortunate corporate slogan "Flying Beyond Expectation" but, fly they did. Quite the collection of runway potholes heading out to take off. Our very attractive attendants were immaculately dressed and sweating profusely. Peggy wanted to "adopt" one very tall and very attractive guy. The aircraft was suspect, the air-con was feeble but the service was impeccable. Cold drinks, cold towels, lunch, candies, more cold towels, more cold drinks, more candies. Needless to say we made it.
The hour long bus ride into town went from abandoned highway with plenty of countryside stupas, gold and brick, big and small, to thick swarms of scooters and trucks. Yangon has forbidden scooter in their streets and I think Mandalay makes up for it. I was fortunate enough to be on the wrong side of the bus to see a graphic billboard ad for road safety featuring a full colour scooter accident.
Manadaly is reminiscent for me of India in 80's crowed, layered with old and new, diesel fumes, ridiculously high piles of stuff being transported on bike, scooter rickshaw, truck. Street food, street auto mechanics, street medicine. On our death defying evening walk Peg and I stumbled across a lady's shop front where she had her certificate proudly displayed from "The Albert Einstein School of Medicine."
By contrast our hotel is a quiet oasis of worn, yet spotless, western comfort right smack in the middle of a dense city block. It was like walking through the looking glass when we returned from the night "walk" (vehicle dodge) Sidewalks here are for workshops, scooter parking, family dinner and every once in a while, pedestrians. There are few street lights, often no traffic lights ,and lots of dodgy patchwork concrete tiles covering the street sewer. People are friendly and helpful - one man came to our rescue and stopped traffic (kind of) at a corner where the traffic lights were out. He told Peg that Obama was his friend when she told him she was American. Lot's of interest in the US elections here. One guy who asked us if we wanted a taxi chatted a bit with us. He knew Ohio was a big swing state - he seemed to favor Obama over the rich white dude as well. No surprise there.
Nice breakfast buffet with fresh fruit & juices, eggs & ham + a few local items - maybe tomorrow I'll give them a try. My stomach seems to have settled and my jet lag over come.
First stop today was Mahamuni Paya home of a very popular seated Buddha. Before entering, our group was carefully inspected for offensive exposition and given the appropriate clothing to cover up with. Longyis for both men and women - long sarong type skirts - and shawls for bare arms. I dodged that bullet but still had to pay a 1,000 kyat "camera fee". And so, suitably attired we paid a visit to the resident golden Buddha, at least the men did. Ladies had to remain outside the enclave and pray from a distance. While we could make offerings of flowers we could not place gold leaf purchased from the stalls outside on the Buddha himself. Apparently a feminist opposition this and other restrictions is slowly making waves. As of today, women have to be reincarnated as a man before attaining nirvana...can your read to word balloon over my head right now?
I know you can.
It was a lively place full of shops, incense, chanting, gold, red and white. While poking around I found another entrance were camera fees were collected and saw a guy, working for the paya , where a NAZI Third Reich t-shirt!!! All I could think is that these people have been so isolated that they only connect with the meander symbol (aka swastika) which is very ancient and found all over the east. Also saw another shop later in the day with a poster up and saw one scooter helmet. Unfortunate to say the least.
Although the Lonely Planet guide recommended avoiding this, both Peg and I enjoyed our stop at Maha Ganayon Kyaung Monastary. The monks eat twice a day 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. For lunch busloads of tourists arrive to photograph the 1000+ monks who line up with dishes in hand to be served from giant pots of rice and soup. I enjoyed walking around the monastery and watching the food prep - the line up of monk-arrazzis was rather intrusive. I did sneak around around and watched from the serving side though.
.jpg)
Sherree and I thought that the High Line in NYC was special but our next stop had many of the same the elements and predated it by a bit - U bein's bridge in former capital Amarapura. At 1.3 km long it is the world's longest teak foot foot bridge. It has no railings, the deck boards are spaced with good sized gaps and, it's a good 25 ft down to the water now in the "cold" season. Who needs those fake thrill sports like bungee jumping when there's a place like this?
It's a very lively space "patrolled" by attractive young teens immaculately dressed, practicing their English and selling art, jewelery and boat rides. These kids work the bridge during the day and go to school at night. They all study English, French, Italian which tells you who the biggest visitor groups are. We walked to the half way point passing food stalls, artist, beggars, bicycles and birds. Sampled some fresh water chestnuts in black, black shells, passed on the sticks of meat. A few women had wire baskets full of pretty sparrow type birds, pretty ducklings and my favorite, adorable little owls. For a small fee one could "release" the bird for good luck. Kind hearted Peg decide to add to her karmic balance by liberating an owl.
I pointed out that it was probably a homing owl and would just fly back. Of course, says Peg, but I don't want to be reincarnated as a cockroach so I'm doing this good deed. I acted as photographer and hand sanitizer supplier for the event. The owl flew as far as the next bridge support post.
And the day continues...
Felt like I robbed a bank. (Now would a money belt have worked? NO!! I would have looked like a suicide bomber.)
Our airline had the unfortunate corporate slogan "Flying Beyond Expectation" but, fly they did. Quite the collection of runway potholes heading out to take off. Our very attractive attendants were immaculately dressed and sweating profusely. Peggy wanted to "adopt" one very tall and very attractive guy. The aircraft was suspect, the air-con was feeble but the service was impeccable. Cold drinks, cold towels, lunch, candies, more cold towels, more cold drinks, more candies. Needless to say we made it.
The hour long bus ride into town went from abandoned highway with plenty of countryside stupas, gold and brick, big and small, to thick swarms of scooters and trucks. Yangon has forbidden scooter in their streets and I think Mandalay makes up for it. I was fortunate enough to be on the wrong side of the bus to see a graphic billboard ad for road safety featuring a full colour scooter accident.
Manadaly is reminiscent for me of India in 80's crowed, layered with old and new, diesel fumes, ridiculously high piles of stuff being transported on bike, scooter rickshaw, truck. Street food, street auto mechanics, street medicine. On our death defying evening walk Peg and I stumbled across a lady's shop front where she had her certificate proudly displayed from "The Albert Einstein School of Medicine."
By contrast our hotel is a quiet oasis of worn, yet spotless, western comfort right smack in the middle of a dense city block. It was like walking through the looking glass when we returned from the night "walk" (vehicle dodge) Sidewalks here are for workshops, scooter parking, family dinner and every once in a while, pedestrians. There are few street lights, often no traffic lights ,and lots of dodgy patchwork concrete tiles covering the street sewer. People are friendly and helpful - one man came to our rescue and stopped traffic (kind of) at a corner where the traffic lights were out. He told Peg that Obama was his friend when she told him she was American. Lot's of interest in the US elections here. One guy who asked us if we wanted a taxi chatted a bit with us. He knew Ohio was a big swing state - he seemed to favor Obama over the rich white dude as well. No surprise there.
Nice breakfast buffet with fresh fruit & juices, eggs & ham + a few local items - maybe tomorrow I'll give them a try. My stomach seems to have settled and my jet lag over come.
First stop today was Mahamuni Paya home of a very popular seated Buddha. Before entering, our group was carefully inspected for offensive exposition and given the appropriate clothing to cover up with. Longyis for both men and women - long sarong type skirts - and shawls for bare arms. I dodged that bullet but still had to pay a 1,000 kyat "camera fee". And so, suitably attired we paid a visit to the resident golden Buddha, at least the men did. Ladies had to remain outside the enclave and pray from a distance. While we could make offerings of flowers we could not place gold leaf purchased from the stalls outside on the Buddha himself. Apparently a feminist opposition this and other restrictions is slowly making waves. As of today, women have to be reincarnated as a man before attaining nirvana...can your read to word balloon over my head right now?
I know you can.
It was a lively place full of shops, incense, chanting, gold, red and white. While poking around I found another entrance were camera fees were collected and saw a guy, working for the paya , where a NAZI Third Reich t-shirt!!! All I could think is that these people have been so isolated that they only connect with the meander symbol (aka swastika) which is very ancient and found all over the east. Also saw another shop later in the day with a poster up and saw one scooter helmet. Unfortunate to say the least.
Although the Lonely Planet guide recommended avoiding this, both Peg and I enjoyed our stop at Maha Ganayon Kyaung Monastary. The monks eat twice a day 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. For lunch busloads of tourists arrive to photograph the 1000+ monks who line up with dishes in hand to be served from giant pots of rice and soup. I enjoyed walking around the monastery and watching the food prep - the line up of monk-arrazzis was rather intrusive. I did sneak around around and watched from the serving side though.
.jpg)
Sherree and I thought that the High Line in NYC was special but our next stop had many of the same the elements and predated it by a bit - U bein's bridge in former capital Amarapura. At 1.3 km long it is the world's longest teak foot foot bridge. It has no railings, the deck boards are spaced with good sized gaps and, it's a good 25 ft down to the water now in the "cold" season. Who needs those fake thrill sports like bungee jumping when there's a place like this?
It's a very lively space "patrolled" by attractive young teens immaculately dressed, practicing their English and selling art, jewelery and boat rides. These kids work the bridge during the day and go to school at night. They all study English, French, Italian which tells you who the biggest visitor groups are. We walked to the half way point passing food stalls, artist, beggars, bicycles and birds. Sampled some fresh water chestnuts in black, black shells, passed on the sticks of meat. A few women had wire baskets full of pretty sparrow type birds, pretty ducklings and my favorite, adorable little owls. For a small fee one could "release" the bird for good luck. Kind hearted Peg decide to add to her karmic balance by liberating an owl.
I pointed out that it was probably a homing owl and would just fly back. Of course, says Peg, but I don't want to be reincarnated as a cockroach so I'm doing this good deed. I acted as photographer and hand sanitizer supplier for the event. The owl flew as far as the next bridge support post.
And the day continues...
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