Touring Mandalay

Reckless motorcycles drivers, excessive heat, firecrackers and cheap delicious Indian food is what comes to mind when I think about Mandalay, Myanmar. Being our final stop before flying back to Thailand we wanted to soak up all this city and country had to offer before taking off. 

Mandalay_1.jpg

While walking around sweating buckets we we’re approached by a local tour guide who provided tours to all the major sites on the back of his motorbike. While we usually would do this on our own, the price was decent enough and we wouldn’t have to worry about finding these locations ourselves. To this day I’m still amazed that I’m actually alive to tell you about this adventure. 

Mandalay_2.jpg

We were picked up and before long we were both holding on for dear life. I’m pretty sure this guy dreams about being a dare devil as I’ve never been more scared in my life. It’s one thing to drive like crazy, but it’s another when you live in a city as busy and crazy as Mandalay. Weaving in and out of other motorcycles, bicyclist, cows and naked babies on the dirt roads didn’t seem to slow this guy down a bit. All this was escalated with fireworks being shot onto the road and no working headlight to guide us. 

Mandalay_3.jpg

While we saw many lovely temples, the religious highlight was a temple made completely of beautiful teak wood. We also visited the 1.2km U Bein Bridge where local fisherman wade in the water catching fish for their families. Another highlight was all the delicious Indian food we consumed with our driver. Taking us to one of his favorite places we gorged on food which still makes my mouth water today.

Sounds of the train

Train_4.jpg

After roughly a half day on this old rickety train we finally arrived in Pyin Oo Lwin. The ride was exhausting but beautiful. We chugged across Myanmar crossing deep valleys, rivers and little villages picking up passengers along the way. Half way through the trip we were blessed with a group of young kids who played guitar and sang songs together. Certainly one of the highlights of our trip looking back on it now. With no cell phones, Facebook or Twitter to distract these kids they were truly just enjoying the moment. Sorry I don't have the audio of them signing but the sound of the train was to loud to get a good recording. 

Train_5.jpg

Map or Guide? Map

After arriving in Hsipaw by bus we quickly looked for a place to stay so we could at least get a few hours of sleep. Our bus left Inle Lake during the day, and throughout the night we tossed and turned on winding roads up and down mountains until we reached our destination (at 3:30am). While it might have been possible to sleep with the right amount of drugs; you would also need multiple layers of clothes to keep you warm. I think the bus drivers in Burma like to keep the bus as cold as possible to help them stay awake. 

Luckily the nice folks at our accommodation allowed us to check in very early to get some rest. Once we awoke we chatted about our options to make it out to Pankam Village. Go it alone with a hand drawn map, or go with a tour, for more money of course. We opted for the map, and set out early the next day. The hike took a few hours and took us over mountains, through villages and to a tiny hot spring. 

People always say it's the journey, not the destination; I've always agreed, and this journey certainly didn't disappoint. The hike while extremely hot, was lovely and filled with friendly people and happy kids. When we arrived at our destination we were blown away by the hospitality we were greeted with. A hot meal upon arrival to our host's hut and too many smiling kids to photograph. To this day, after two years of traveling this might still be one of my favorite memories. 

We filled the rest of our day relaxing and chatting with our hosts and their guests as well as running around with the local kids photographing their smiles. That night we slept on the second floor with mats and a few blankets to keep us warm. All of this was made even more special since we traveled with Inaki and Aires who quickly become wonderful friends for the next few days and still good friends now. We were also able to reconnect with Aires in Melbourne a year later.

Floating away on Inle Lake

While Inle Lake is not a very large lake, or even deep for that matter it's a special place worth a few days of exploring. We spent three days wandering around this lovely area while a yearly tradition of floating a local Buddha statue across the lake was taking place. The small city was a buzz with local villagers, tourists and rambunctious teenagers filling the streets getting tattoos, riding a man powered ferris wheel and eating to their hearts content.

Famous for the local fisherman who paddle with their legs while standing on the edge of their boats, and floating villages where farmers grow all their produce on the water brings many curious visitors. During our day on the water we saw the ceremonial parade of young men rowing together on boats dancing and cheering along the way. Leading the floating statue to all the villages around the lake. 

When the ceremony was finished, we headed into one of the floating villages to see how life was lived on the lake. The houses stood above the water on stilts leaving gaps for the boats to float down the water laneways to each house. Inside many of the homes women and children worked to make local Shan-bags (tote-bags) and created beautiful fabrics made from lotus threads. 

On our last day we explored by bicycle and rode up to a local winery and all around the lovely mountains surrounding the lake. We had an amazing time but we had to leave since we were heading deeper into the mountains, to a remote village far far away from other tourists, and we couldn't wait.