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Published: August 5th 2009
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This was one of the best day trips we had. It was full of Burmese history, culture, food and people. The highlights included:
Mandalay (photos in previous blog)
• Visiting the stone carvers workshop
• Purchasing longyis (Burmese traditional wear and getting help from the locals), a wall tapestry and a puppet at the weaving and handicrafts shop.
Amarapura It is 11 km south of Mandalay and most famous for its teak bridge and lake.
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Maha Ganayon Kyaung: a monastery currently home to around 1300 monks. We arrived before 11am to watch them queue for their last meal of the day. It was a picturesque sight, all the monks dressed in their saffron robes, holding their alms bowl lining up along the leafy road.
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U Bein’s Bridge: a 1.2 km wooden footbridge (longest teak bridge in the world) built by the mayor U Bein in 1849 leading across the Taungthaman Lake.
Inwa It served as the capital of the Burmese kingdom for nearly 400 years, longer than any other city. Inwa is an island cut off from roads and is only accessible by boat and then horse and cart. This was our first experience in Burma to be taken
around by horse and cart, which is the normal mode of transport for many locations in the country.
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Maha Aungmye Bonzan: brick and stucco monastery built in 1822
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Nanmyin Watchtower: 27m high watchtower which gives you views of Ayeyarwady River and Ava Bridge (it leads to Sagaing Hill).
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Bagaya Kyaung: Monastery dating back from 1834 and is built of teak. We were fortunate to catch some children in a class when we visited.
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Htilaingshin Paya: dates back to the Bagan period, I liked the statue at this one.
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Spending time with the locals: we met quite a few characters following us around the island trying to sell us souvenirs. When we stopped for lunch on the other side of Inwa we had some young girls selling us jewellery and keeping us company. They initiated me into the Burmese culture by applying tanaka (makeup) on my face. It was a real hit with the men, even the monks, which we discovered during the rest of our tour. You will see most Burmese women or children wearing it not only as makeup but to protect them from the sun.
Sagaing It is home to 500 stupas, more monasteries and around
6000 monks and nuns. It is set on the riverbank across the Ayeyarwady River from Inwa.
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Sagaing Hill: we climbed Sagaing barefoot like in Mandalay Hill to discover a panoramic view of the 500 stupas and Ayeyarwady River. While walking up the stairs near the top of the hill up we saw a large (and I do mean large) black cobra slithering across ahead and we were fortunate to stop just in time to watch it go past. Our guide told us that it was good luck and not often that you will see a snake on the stairs but at the time I was just happy that we did not see it again on our way down.
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