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Mandalay 1
loungin at the tea shop Mustache Brothers was listed in the Lonely Planet as a comedian group that at one time enjoyed some freedom practicing political satire. However, after some stints in jail and in labour camps the main actors only do their shows in English for tourists these days. The group consists of 3 brothers and their wives, who were activists for democracy and some of the comments/jokes are related to the situation in Myanmar. Par Par Lay, the oldest brother was specifically noted for doing his share of time. Even though some residents believe Mustache Brothers aren't the best comedians and that fees aren't necessarily to support political dissidents it was an interesting and funny show. We were told there are many other comedian and dance groups along the "Hollywood Road" that don't get involved in politics which locals can enjoy.
Later, that night we stopped and had tea and mutton chipatti with the German we had met during the show. This snack was one of our favourites in Myanmar and a fantastic way to get killer garlic breath!
Working really hard for a few bucks or less seems like the typical life in Myanmar for many people. Outside of our hotel,
Mandalay 2
Moustache Brothers stage workers of all ages including really young and really old sorted stones for paving the road. We saw the progression of the road work as the days passed while we stayed at the same hotel over three nights. You can see this in the photos.
Just like all the cities, we were asked to take a taxi or trishaw pretty much constantly. The drivers in Mandalay seemed to be a little pushier, however, especially the ones hanging around our hotel. After a little while we figured out the business strategy, the trishaw and taxi drivers hanging around the hotel door step seem to wait for tourists only and refuse to drive locals. Well we didn't like the "cherry picking" style, nor the constant nagging so we refused their service every time we walked by looking instead for busier looking drivers. Frustrating to see drivers who sit around when others are working hard driving locals and doing errands for local shops. A few drivers around our hotel got annoyed since we refused every time and we got mad when we were followed one day over several hours by one of the drivers.
Well with good timing and luck we
Mandalay 3
Par Par Lay found a nice trishaw driver which we have gotten to know more about over tea during our stay in Myanmar. We met the trishaw driver on our second day in Mandalay when we walked around finding a restaurant for lunch. He has an intriguing and polite demeanor. We used his services twice while we were there. Later, he told us since his English had improved to a certain level, by talking with tourists, he had been able to manipulate his pronunciation to a pleasant British accent.
Our first day he took us around on his bicycle trishaw to a shop which makes gold leaf, to the Mahamuni Paya (temple), to a buddha stone carving street, to a Teak monastery, and biking along the river to enjoy the sunset. It was a long and hot afternoon but it was a nice start to our adventure and exploration of Mandalay city.
It was really intersting to learn that the gold leaf was pounded by hand for hours over several stages to an incredibly thin finish. A lot of the leaf is sold locally (within Myanmar) used as offerings to Buddha images. The leaf is applied to the Buddha carvings found
in Paya (temples). We saw this at Mahamuni Paya which is home to a Buddha that is covered from head to toe in layers of gold leaf and covered with jewelry. There were a lot of locals praying and paying respect here, monks chanted and incense burned. He showed us photos of the Buddha image hanging on the wall. It reveals how the buddha has changed over the past hundred years or so. It is impressive to see how the shape changed as gold leaf and jewelry have been applied.
Later, we stopped by a street where litterally tonnes of Buddha images were being carved from marble. Pretty amazing to see them being carved free hand. Nearby, in an abandoned monastery, some men were loading a truck. We saw a couple of enormous Buddhas laying nearby waiting for a destination.
Next, we stopped at an old Teak monastery with beautiful carvings. It is maintained by the monks who live there and the sandy grounds are spotless.
Finally, we stopped by the river where we saw people enjoying a swim and getting laundry done. We finished up the night with dinner and a sunset at a fancier place
with a riverside deck and women singing Karaoke.
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san Tun win