Mandalay to Mingun

SAT 04 MAR 2017

Today we traveled up the Irrawaddy River by local river boat to Mingun and the Myatheindan Pagoda. The seven wavy terraces around the pagoda represent the seven mountain ranges around Mt Meru, while the five kinds of mythical monsters can be found in niches on each terrace level. Mingun has two remarkable objects from King Bodawpaya, the Mingun Bell which everyone tries a ring and the Pagoda which only some people climb due to the heat.  It reaches 97' f today.

In 1838 an earthquake struck and part of the building collapsed; today you can still see a huge fissure in the giant slab. Guarded by a pair of dilapidated brick chinthes, the Mingun Pagoda is truly a bizarre sight. This may not have been the largest pagoda in the world, but it does have the world's largest uncracked bell, 14 times the size of that of St Paul's. It is possible to crawl inside. The bell fell off during the earthquake of 1838 and it lay on the ground until 1896 when it was re-mounted. It is now covered by a shelter open on all sides.

We head back on the river to our launching site and have lunch overlooking the river listening to some local music.  Then to the palace across from our hotel. Mandalay Palace was the primary royal residence of King Mindon and King Thibaw, the last two kings of the country. The complex ceased to be a royal residence and seat of government on November 28, 1885 when, during the Third Anglo-Burmese War, troops of the Burma Field Force entered the palace and captured the royal family. The British turned the palace compound into Fort Dufferin, named after the then viceroy of India. Throughout the British colonial era, the palace was seen by the Burmese as the primary symbol sovereignty and identity. Much of the palace compound was destroyed during World War II by allied bombing; only the royal mint and the watch tower survived. A replica of the palace was rebuilt in the 1990s with some modern materials.

Street scene

Amarapura, the city of immortality

FRI 03 MAR 2017


We drive to the ancient capital of Amarapura, the city of immortality, described in its heyday as a microcosm of Burmese civilization. As a capital it was founded by King Bodawpaya in 1783 and went back and forth as the capital until in the 1857 with King Mindon in power, Amarapura was finally displaced by Mandalay.

We stop at Mahagandayon Monastery founded in 1914 one of the largest teaching monasteries in Myanmar and home to several thousand young monks. We watched the whole monastery walk to lunch where they eat silently. 

On to U Bein’s Bridge (Bridge of Love) a beautiful 1.2 kilometer structure built from teak planks the longest of its type in the world. The local mayor, U Bein, salvaged the wood from pieces of the dismantled teak palace at Amarapura when the capital moved to Mandalay.

After a wonderful lunch which included a whole steamed Sea Bass we visit Bagaya Monastery with its myriad Buddha images and vast collection of various antiques. This teak wood monastery was first built in 1593 and rebuilt during King Bagyidaw (1819–1837). It consists of the seven-tiered spire with eight brick stairs.

Back in Mandalay, we visit Shwenandaw Monastery, otherwise known as the Golden Palace Monastery, was built in 1880 and was originally part of the royal palace at Amarapura, before it was moved to Mandalay. The building was heavily gilt with gold and adorned with glass mosaic work. The monastery has teak carvings of Buddhist myths.Then to Mandalay Palace was the residence of King Mindon and King Thibaw, the last two kings of the country when  28 November 1885 when the British  Burma Field Force entered the palace and captured the royal family. Finally we stop by a factory to see how gold leaf is produced. 

On the Road to Mandalay

THU 02 MAR 2017

We leave after breakfast for a long bus ride to Mandalay making a few interesting stops first to see the mummified monk and then a Myanmar truck stop type gas station. Anywhere else this might not seem like an exciting time, but in Myanmar anything can become an enjoyable experience.

We came upon a novitiation ceremonial parade which is the uniquely characteristic of Myanmar and a Buddhist tradition for every boy over eight years old to enter an order for a week or more as a novice.  The chance of seeing one of these events is quite rare, so we felt very lucky.

We reach Mandalay, the Golden City, founded in 1857 by King Mindon after a legend that the Lord Buddha's visit 2,400 years previously when he prophesied the founding of a holy city. It lies on the east bank of the Irrawaddy, about 500 miles north of Yangon. It was Burma's last capital before it came under British rule in 1885. The magnificent Mandalay Palace was burned down during the Second World War and only a scale model remains in the palace grounds, which are surrounded by a moat. Many pagodas and monasteries still stand.

Tired from our adventurous ride we check in at our very nice hotel and take it easy for a bit and adjust to being in a city of over a million people and growing.  We head out to the Kuthodaw Pagoda, built 1857 by King Mindon Min. The temple building is completely gilded however the true spectacle lays within the stark white stupas that surround its base. there are 730 marble tablets which describes the entirety of Theravada Buddhism’s religious canon.

On to Mandalay Hill known for its abundance of pagodas and monasteries, and a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists for nearly two centuries. At the top of the hill is the Sutaungpyei Pagoda with a panoramic view.  We finish the day at A little Bit of Mandaly resturant for a nice meal with our traveling companions.

Bagan to Mt. Popa

WED 01 MAR 2017

After a wonderful breakfast of local noodle soup, shrimp and fish dumplings plus some other delights then  we travel by bus to the monastery at the summit of Mt Popa. On the way, we stop at a  roadside mill for coconut where we watch water buffalo slowly circumnavigating the central stone, grinding palm seed into oil. We taste some 'jaggery', the local candy made from palm sugar. and the local fire water distilled from the coconut.

Fire water

We then stop at a local village where our guide introduces us to the oldest resident at 99 and she talks about the changes she has see.  The village has no running water or electricity save a few solar panels with batteries.  We see tamarid trees and the local harvest of the nuts.

Then off to Mt Popa is an extinct volcano that dominates the area. However, and its attraction today lies not so much in its geological aspect, but more in its religious and mystical attributes that are still prevalent. Popa is popularly recognized as an abode of many Nats, or spirits of ancient ancestors, who dwell in various parts of the mountain. In the days of old, it also used to be referred to as the Mountain of Spirits. We climb the 777 stairs to the Taung Kalat Monastery to see evidence of these beliefs in the form of Nat shrines and ceremonial offerings.

Safety tips

People who are faint-hearted or have vertigo must not dare look down from the top of the monastery as it will surely give them spells of dizziness, and the lack of hand rails make the situation riskier.

Since this region is home to hundreds of Macaque Monkeys, the visitors are advised to take good care of their valuables since the monkeys, who live on either side of the stairs, are known to snatch items from the tourists.

It is suggested that you avoid wearing the colors red, black, and green 

since these colors are known to offend the spirit of the Nats.

The 777 steps up to Taung Kalat Monastery

At the top of  Taung Kalat Monastery

Temple Monkey

Tonight we spend the evening at the  Mt Popa Resort, which features spectacular views.

 View from Mt. Popa Resert

Morning coffee on our deck

Temples and pagodas in Bagan

TUE 28 FEB 2017

We meet up with our traveling companions and head off to visit temples and pagodas in Began.  It strikes you immediately of the rich history of Myanmar dating back to greek and roman times in western history.  Bagan was constructed over hundreds of years  and now as a world heritage site it is so much to take in in a few days.  There are thousands of temples that are spread across the plains of Bagan. The government relocated the people living among the old structures by creating new Bagan and shutting off the utilities in old Bagan.  We were told people disassembled their simple homes and moved to new Began, which is now a bustling community.

We visit the Manuka temple, with its reclining Buddha image, which records a captive king's impression of life in prison; the fine stone carvings of Nanpaya Temple; Thatbyinnyu Temple, the tallest in Bagan; and Bupaya Pagoda. We walk from one place to the next along dirt paths that have been there for more than a thousand years and so many smaller unnamed and unknown structures.

On to new Bagan to visit a lacquer factory to see the laborious process of making lacquer ware.  The remainder of the afternoon at our hotel on the Irrawaddy River and we take a local boat out on the river to watch the sunset. Our dinner at a local restaurant provides us an opportunity to view a local puppet show.

Our boat

Ballooning over Bagan

The journey is getting there and this trip getting there proved a challenge. With late flights close connections etc. we took an extra day getting to our tour which started the largest city in Myanmar, Yangon.  So by the time we got to Yangon our group had left so we took a 2 stop small prop plane to meet them in Bagan. After days of travel we had dinner and met our enjoyable group on Monday the 27th.

We had scheduled a balloon ride over Bagan, which left at 5 am the next morning, so with a few hours of sleep we were off in a World War II era Canadian bus used to transport soldiers, now in Myanmar transporting tourists. We meet our pilot and 14 others that will be in our balloon and with first lights the journey begins.

Bagan is beyond description, even if you have read all the descriptions and seen all the pictures.  Bagan was once the largest and most splendid city ever built in Burma and it was a rival to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Its pure Hinayana Buddhism had no rituals, no sacrifices and no priests; only monks, vowed to poverty and meditation. Across 40 sq. km there stand thousands of pagodas and temples with dirt paths connecting them, some surrounded by vegetation.  When viewed from the balloon it is inspiring.

We land in a field and our bus and ground crew arrive with pastries and champagne even though its about 8 in the morning.  After some fun discussion with our balloon mates its back to the hotel where our travel group is having breakfast.  We were the only people in our group to sign up for the balloon ride.  We have some breakfast and are ready for our day touring the temples and pagodas.

Myanmar, Laos and Thailand

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.”  -Mark Twain

First stop Myanmar

"This is Burma and it is unlike any land you know."  Rudyard Kipling