http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Burma , Mandalay Region en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 05:00:49 +0000 Sun, 19 May 2013 05:00:49 +0000 Inle Lake and Bagan are Burma39s top two tourist attractions and constitute 2 corners of an almost equilateral Golden Triangle between either northern Mandalay or southern Yangon. You39d expect this frequentlyplied route to boast an abundance of comfortable and efficient tourist buses. Unfortunately our bus to Inle Lake from drizzly Mandalay ranks as one of the worst journeys either Chris http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-785986.html The two most glaring elements of THE BOMB from which all the other issues seem to stem in Burma are Military Conflict and Bad Government. Burma is home to the world39s longest running civil war. There has not been peace in Burma since its separation from British India in 1938. Since that time Burma has seen oppression by British and Japanese imperial rule political assassinations and unrest http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Mandalay/blog-780175.html Bagan has more than 3000 temples these are known as stupas. I was given some real gold leaf but noone can touch itIf the Gold does not crumble then i might show and tell it if we find a safe place to keep it. We went on a horse and cart of road it was bumpy but fun The stupas were built by kings in the 11th and 12th centuries but some were damaged by earthquakes.There was even a tremble th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-779434.html The calming influence of water has been known throughout human history. Mankind appreciates the role of water in providing a fundamental necessity of human life ... indeed if we don39t drink we die. Perhaps this elementary law of nature is the catalyst for our deep yearning for water as our collective spirit strives to be in the presence of the ultimate life giver. So if now39s the time to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Inle-Lake/blog-777308.html The Plains of Bagan are dotted with pagodas temples and monasteries in every direction. If one were to turn back time a thousand years history buffs would discover Bagan at the centre of the Pagan empire which unified the country for the first time and set the stage for what has become modern day Myanmar. During the height of the empire there were over 10000 religious sites proving to be an i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-777307.html Bagan 2125 JanuaryThe sun was setting as we landed at Nyaung U airport Bagan. It says a lot about how unspoilt Burma is that the airport at one of its main tourist attractions is so tiny there are not even any baggage carousels and the entire departure lounge consists of two smallish rooms. Our flight from Inle Lake had travelled via Mandalay as there are so many flights every day in Burma http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-773422.html Bagan 2125 JanuaryThe next morning we decided to take the other mode of transport in Bagan that seems to be very popular the bicycle. I haven39t ridden a bike since I was about ten and C since he was 15 which weirdly was at the same time but consistent with popular saying it turned out to be easy. The only time I have attempted to ride in the past few years was when I went to visit m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-770536.html Note unfortunately it seems that a big batch of photos is inaccessible on my memory card so at this time I cannot download photos of the nats at Mount Popa. Maybe that is meant to be. I missed writing about nats but now it is very appropriate. I witnessed the other day an unusual ritual as my driver and I headed toward the pilgrimage site of Kyaiktiyo.There was a tremendous banging on the side http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/blog-769181.html Well leaving Bagan for Mandalay was the same scenario at the airport but a bit later well an hour but that does mean getting up at 5.30 instead of 4 am It was a long drive into town and once again we crossed the Ayeyarwady River with a whole city of temples in the hills towards the west. I swear this is the land of temples. Our hotel was old but our room was pleasant enough and clean and the wa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Mandalay/blog-769016.html Inle Lake 1721 JanuaryWe had got serious boat fever the day before so we were awake very early on our second day in Inle Lake. We ate breakfast on the verandah and watched the lake wake up with us. The early morning fog slowly ebbed away and this time with the knowledge of what lay beyond the mist it was even more magical. Our boat driver picked us up at 9am and we sailed across the lake again http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Inle-Lake/blog-769003.html Well we got the wakeup call and made our way to the airport with a near miss into the taxi on a roundabout but as I said it was a near miss. The domestic terminal was a step back or two in time. The check in was all manual the departure hall full to the brim with tourists Oh No Were they all making their way to Bagan There turned out to be 4 flights waiting there and we were the last one ca http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-768447.html Our group loaded on to a ferry along with hundreds of other touristsmostly Norwegian French and Danish and floated nearly 11 hours down the Irawaddy River to Bagan. Before we cast off our guide Hubert sang a song to everyone on the boat. This was the second time we were to hear him sing a Tom Jones number Green Grass of Home or something close to that title. He even did the talking pa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/blog-768098.html Our days have been so full that I have had little time to write. Monks are fascinating to westerners. With their shiny shaved heads and dark orangered robes wrapping them up they swish around the temples and chedis walk along the road ride bicycles and motorcycles pack themselves into trucks meditate and take in the views from Mandalay hill just as the locals and travelers do.It seems we w http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/blog-768093.html Some more pics from Mandalay http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Mandalay/blog-767872.html U Bein39s bridge lies outside of Mandalay. It is theplace to be at sunset as hordes of foreigners and locals alike gather to walk its teak planks and marvel at the engineering feat of extending 1300 yards across a shallow lake.I walk with my fellow travelers then we disperse to different places as the sun sets lower in the haze turning a soft gold then orange then a ball of red. I stay on http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Mandalay/blog-767476.html Inle Lake 1721 JanuaryWe landed at Heho Airport in Inle Lake from Yangon after my very first flight in a propeller plane. I had made the mistake of reading many nightmare stories about planes crashing in Burma as their internal aircraft is not approved by international safety standards due to sanctions. However after C reassuring me you wouldn39t not drive on the M25 because of a crash i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Inle-Lake/blog-767205.html 12 January 2013After a long day on the Irrawaddy river with a boat full of older package tourists we arrive in Bagan to a fanfare of taxis busses horse carts and begging children. The first thing we notice is the dust. It is as fine as talcum powder pink talcum powder and is all pervasive. Sinuses ho The second thing we notice is the beggars always a sign that someone has been there befo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Bagan/blog-767028.html 9 January 2013I am worried about you because you are foreigners the only foreigners ever to sit down at my shop says the serious young man who is hovering around our table nervously. It may not be good for you. You should be careful. His rice with mango salad is delicious but he is petrified that it will not be good enough for us or that it will make us sick. His English is excellent and so http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Mandalay/blog-766268.html 8 January 2013This is going to be a difficult one. maybe I should give it some time before writing about Mandalay. The emotions are strong and will surely cloud the dusty reality. We had no expectations flying into Mandalay. Everything I have ever read about visiting this city with the romantic name and connotations has been negative. From guide books to blogs nobody raves about Mandalay. We wer http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Mandalay/blog-766066.html What happens when you put ten thousand people on top of a mountain add copious amount of alcohol and then launch hot air balloons with fireworks strapped to them The Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival that39s whatBurma isn39t a country I would normally associate with festivals. So I was surprised to learn of such a radical festival on a large scale. And nothing quite prepared me for what I s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay-Region/Inle-Lake/blog-764324.html