Mandalay, Back in Time

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When we arrived into Mandalay from Bangkok, its tiny airport reminded me a little of Regina's airport years ago, before any of its renovations. Hot, dusty, dry, and impoverished, the city itself felt a little desolate, at least at first, before we rented bicycles and toured around. When we did, we noticed immediately the vibrancy of its people, particularly when we went through the market areas.

Without a doubt, a favorite memory for us will be the "music caravan" experience. The music caravan consisted of three trolleys of very old school stereo music equipment - huge speakers, CD players, microphones, and such - which were being pushed through the streets by at least a half dozen men. One of the men - the singer - was singing a Burmese tune in Kareoke style - to a steady, disco-like, pumped in background drum beat. We followed them only briefly before Stan caught up and somehow conveyed to them that I was a "famous singer from Canada" and should sing them a song. So moments later, I am singing my favorite tune "When You're Smiling" to a smiling Burmese street audience. It began as an accapello tune, but they quickly added a drum beat and melody which I happily adjusted to, then had the delightful pleasure of dancing and singing with one of the entourage during the song. Beautiful.

That was our first insight into what a joyful, lovely, people the Burmese are, and with every encounter, the evidence kept building.

Although it may not be the most attractive city we have ever visited, its vibrant energy and consistently kind and friendly people won our hearts. The hot, dry countryside was a bit reminiscent of Cambodia, the city displayed the colour and vibrancy of much of India, and the people were as warm and friendly as the beautiful people we had encountered in Sri Lanka. Yes, I guess you could say we liked Mandalay quite a lot. It was a lovely introduction to Myanmar.

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Photos

The Singer
He was a travelling Kareoke street performer, entertaining people in the markets.

The Troubadours of Mandalay
This was the beginning of the entourage.

The Entourage Completed
This was no easy feat to accomplish. You have to think back at least twenty years in technology to get any sense of what is going on here.

Street Singing with My New Buddy in Mandalay
This was just pure delight. My singing companion had no idea what he was singing, but was totally into it. Precious.

Group Photo
Can you feel the energy? This was so good. Thank you Stanley, for helping make this happen. You are the best music manager ever :).

Mandalay Fire Truck
Just a little retro. . .

Family Outing
This could never happen in Canada, because the average speed limit is not 50 km, and patience is not so much a way of life. Road rage not evident ever.

Taxi Service
Taxis here come in many forms. This one was particularly fun. Stan sat in front, I sat behind him, back to back, watching oncoming traffic as we were peddled home.

Flower Shopping
The receptionist girls at our hotel were so friendly and bend over backwards helpful that we decided to buy them some flowers before we left. The flower buying experience was another opportunity to have fun with the lady merchant.

Mandalay Temple
In addition to cycling around town, we did climb Mandalay Hill, as all tourists do, to visit the temple on top, talk to the monks who come there to practise their English, and see the sunset.