Mandalay - day 1

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Two days in and around Mandalay were planned. Our first day was spent visiting Mandalay itself. On the map it all looked so close to one another, we decided to walk... We first headed to the Mandalay Palace, a historically interesting place but not very spectacular as not the original but a rebuild after being destroyed at the end of the second world war.

Next we visited a monastery and a couple of pagodas, one presents the largest book in the world. The book is actually made up by a large number of slabs on which Buddhist scriptures are inscribed, each slab housed in a small white stupa.

And then it was time to climb Mandalay Hill. Everytime you thought you'd reached the top, you discovered the next lot of stairs and so it went on and on. But the climb was well worth it as you get a great view of Mandalay city and its surroundings. Up there we met a group of monks who come to talk to foreigners as they are very eager to practise their English and to learn more about the west.

After making it back to the bottom and a long day of walking and sightseeing, we did treat ourselves to a taxi ride back to the hotel!

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