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Moustache Brothers
Missed their performance the last time I was in Mandalay. Tragi-comedy act of informal stand-up and dance, eldest brother Par Par Lay has been imprisoned three times for subversion against the state, once sentenced to five years hard labour cracking rocks at the Chinese border. And he can still smile about it...A longer-than-expected gruelling 8h overnight bus ride later, and I'd finally arrived in Mandalay. Not a moment too soon either, alighting at the bus terminal at 4 a.m. 11km outside of town, before being shuttled by motorbike taxi to ET Hotel, only to be greeted by a surly receptionist who was obviously displeased about being awoken from his slumber. I asked to see the rooms and quickly settled on a tiny, almost cell-like single on the roof (yes, roof!), which turned out to be an absolute oven under Mandalay's searing afternoon sun! But I forgive the place because of its laundry service and free wifi (YES!)
The bus ride to Mandalay threw up an unexpected surprise though, as I believe en route we passed through Nay Pyi Daw, the new capital which is supposedly officially out-of-bounds to foreigners. It was indeed a very stark contrast to what I've observed of typical Myanmar cities and towns in the southern and coastal regions. Nay Pyi Daw looked very new (even clean) and brightly lit even late at night, with wide, sweeping roads, not unlike the pictures of Pyongyang (North Korea) that we see on TV, which I guess explains it all.
Replica Shwedagon in Naw Pyi Daw
Or at least that's what I think it was, as mentioned by LP. Very blurry photo as shot in the dark from the moving bus as we sped through the new capital en route to Mandalay. The city was absolutely deserted though, and somehow I'm inclined to believe it hardly gets much busier even during the day.
Mandalay itself was much like I'd remembered from 2006. Mostly low-rise buildings and shophouses, with grid-like streets centred around the Palace. The main difference from Southern Myanmar? It was unbearably hot! Looks like the monsoon rains had not yet reached the north. Now I wonder why I complained about the rains before...
Anyway the main reason for my stop here was actually to board the train bound further north. Specifically, I'll be heading to Katha, a riverside town next to the Upper Ayerwaddy, and taking the boat ride back down, to embrace the concept of "Journey as Destination" as espoused by LP. The government-run trains and ferries schedules' are notoriously fickle and flexible though, so wish me luck! I don't expect internet access there either so I'll be checking back in again in a couple of days when I'm back in Mandalay...
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