Blogs from Mandalay Region, Burma, Asia - page 61

Again we were on the road for a full day to get from Mandalay to Lake Inle, but the taxi was pretty comfortable, the roads not too bad and the scenery really beautiful. We soon left the main road linking Mandalay with the capital Yangon, and after passing a checkpoint we kept driving uphill for a considerable time. The resulting cooler climate was a welcome change after the heat and dust of Mandalay. Jean-Marc had an altimeter with him and entertained us with the announcement of the changing altitude. Especially our taxi driver was fascinated and kept asking for new information. He was a nice guy speaking excellent English and told us that he had studied economics but was barred from studying after participating in student protests, which had rendered him very frustrated and filled with ... read more

There are several locations of interest around Mandalay which can easily be reached in a one-day trip and we of course wanted to see as many of them as possible. We visited four small cities of historical importance, of which three had been capitals of the Burmese kingdom in former centuries. Historical backgroundSagaing became the second Burmese capital around 1315 after the fall of Bagan. Its period of importance was short, for in 1364 the founder's grandson moved his capital across the river to Ava. From 1760 to 1764 Sagaing was once again the capital. Moving entire capitals is a tradition in Burma; the most important Burmese town of the northern Ayeyarwady (formerly known as the Irrawaddy) valley had for a long time been the town of Ava, founded in 1364. But in 1782 the town ... read more

In February 2005, I visted Myanmar for 11 days. I was in Cambodia (Angkor temples) and Indonesia (Borobudur temple) some years before this trip. I always thought about my next destination "Myanmar", as I wanted to see the thousands temples in Bagan, which are one of the must-sees in South East Asia. I flew from Hanoi to Bangkok, then took a 15-hour train to Chiang Mai. Air Mandalay flew once a week from Chiang Mai to Mandalay on ATR72. I booked this flight even 3 months before my trip. Leaving Mandalay airport for the town by taxi, my first impression of Mandalay was the sand color outside the airport, which reminded me of Sahara desert in Egypt. I spent only one day in Mandalay visiting 3 kingdoms near the town (Amarapura, Sagaing and Inwa) before taking ... read more

trip to myanmar in 1997... read more