15th March 2006 - Mandalay, MYANMAR - the land of contradictions and contrasts Okay, the journey by road was actually fourteen and a half hours on the slow coach to Mandalay. It was an experience, and we're glad we did it - but NEVER again. So, Mandalay is quite different to Yangon. The pace is much slower, the people are even friendlier - everyone says hello - and the city is much smaller, in height as well as size. It is a dusty city, but it is very young so the buildings are not so ramshackle as those in Yangon. People are more keen for a chat up here, even if they can't speak English, and I'm afraid our Myanmar is minimal. However, it doesn't stop you from communicating. Today, we were looking for the jade
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