Amurapura

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We were so excited when Owen and his friend Louie said they would take us to Amurapura because we really wanted to go there but getting there on our own seemed tricky. With locals on our side, it was so easy to hop from bus to bus and very cheap! Amurapura is where U Bein's bridge is located, the world's longest teak walking bridge (over 1km) and is over 200 years old! It is a famous landmark in Myanmar and is very picturesque at sunset - of course we wanted to go there and take some pictures!!



We take a couple different local buses, pay 400k each and it takes about an hour to get to Amurapura, then we walk 15 minutes down to the bridge. There is almost no way we would have figured this out on our own! We arrive at the bridge and I am a little hesitant to actually walk on it because I have a slight fear of rickety bridges and a 200 year old bridge is not the sturdiest thing you have ever walked on. But, it holds many people everyday we crossed it safely!



This bridge is set in a wonderful setting, surrounded by a lake, fishermen, boaters, farmers and trees. Owen takes us to a temple with a large statue featuring gaudy LED lights around it. We cross back over the bridge as the sun is setting and we could not have picked a better day to visit! We get an awesome sunset and a great ambiance, watching monks and locals walking and biking home from their day's tasks. Once the camera is done clicking, we hop on a pick up (300k each) for a bumpy, jerky ride back to town. It is not a comfortable ride, but a great experience mingling with the locals people!



Back at the hotel we meet our friend Mark for dinner and beers again. We have one more day in the area and plan to take a boat trip to Mingun before our 4:30 bus to Bagan.

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