Back in Mandalay

My return to Mandalay couldn't match the magic of that first visit but I still had another fun bike ride, heading out on a day trip to the royal town of Innwa. I found a lot of distractions on the way so didn't get there till late in the afternoon. 

The first distraction was the Mahamuni Buddha Temple in southwest Mandalay. I got to wear a longyi for the first time to cover up my legs and was given a short tour around the big golden Buddha by one of the monks. He couldn't speak much english but all he really wanted to emphasis that this was a MAHAMUNI Buddhist temple. Lots of people praying and queuing up to lay gold leaf on the Buddha (men only) for good luck.

Mahamuni Buddha Temple

Laying gold leave on to the Buddha

 

Making Buddha's in Mandalay

When I eventually made it to Innwa I had just enough time to see the sights and another gorgeous sunset: more pagodas, temples and monasteries; a mini Bagan.

Slight earthquake damage

Tourist wagons

Leaning tower of Innwa

On my way to Mandalay

Burmese trains have a bit of a reputation. My train from Bagan to Mandalay was slow but pretty smooth so I was intrigued to see how bad it really was when I made the much longer journey from Myitkyina to Mandalay.

There's a constant roll to the carriages but the train is generally going so slowly you don't really notice the motion - you just see it where the carriages are coupled. There is however the occasional violent shudder that ripples through the carriages and on the odd occasion that the train picks up speed, the carriages really do start to bounce. But it never lasts long and a temporary crawl seems to follow every bout of speed. The train really comes alive in these slow, meandering moments. Every joint, bolt, hinge... whatever, creaking and groaning over the laid back click clack of the wheels on the rails.

There is a constant stream of activity up and down the alleyway with sellers touting their food, drinks, snacks and alms. Each zone seems to have its speciality, so if you something takes your fancy you'd best get it then 'cos the 5 sellers now won't be on the next leg.

I'm sat in the open doorway with a beer and a cigarette. The sun has set and the skies cleared for the stars to shine through the florescent glow from the strip light in the carriage. Fireflies sporadically light up amongst the dark green of the passing trees. We've been crawling along for some time, a beautiful opportunity to enjoy this moment of transitory bliss, but the speed is picking up now and the infamous bounce and roll starting to build...

The scheduled arrival time in Mandalay is, I think, around 04:30 (we left at 07:45 so it should be about 20 hrs). Are we on time? No idea.

First class

Yes... I was slightly disappointed to find! We rolled into Mandalay on time at the ungodly hour of 4.30 am.

Mandalay

My third pre-dawn start in a row was a bit of a killer, but needs must and I was up early again to get the train to Mandalay. 

Bagan train station

Burmese trains have a reputation for bumpiness but this route was fairly mellow, probably just because we never picked up enough speed to get the train rattling. The route took us through rural farmland and seeing the rudimentary farming methods in use gives a good impression of how little development there has been in the last 60 years. A group of women sat next to me must have thought I looked hungry as they kept feeding me their fare of greens and something similar to fried broad beans. Not actually that tasty - salty and slightly bitter. 

Cautiously saving the lives on the Rail Road

The train got into Mandalay at 2 and I had a hot, sweaty but enjoyable walk through the city to find my hostel. Mandalay is quite a new city so there's no grand colonial architecture around. It's got a great vibe though and the people seem particularly friendly. Out for a bike ride in the late afternoon, and taking the more scenic back roads, I seemed to get a shouted hello or a wave from every other scooter that passed me. I got multiple cheers from a pickup full of women.

Boats on the Ayeyarwady

Street life

I followed the magnificent river Ayeyarwady south and then headed to the famous Ubein bridge for sunset, passing through lively festive street stalls, before entering a maze of small streets and alleys in the town near the bridge. I would never have been able to navigate that confusing spaghetti mess of streets myself but everyone knew where I was going and a shouted "Ubein?" unerringly got a point in the right direction. Weaving machines are everywhere and the sound of them thrashing away filled the streets as I picked my way through the neighbourhood.

The Ubein bridge stretches across the lagoon in the background

 I found my way to the bridge just in time for sunset and although I knew it's one of Myanmar's top tourist attractions I still wasn't quite prepared for the throng of people stretching across the full length of the bridge to the other side of the lagoon. Given the stream of people leaving I thought the sun must have disappeared behind cloud but no, the fiery red ball was setting on cue, reflected prettily in the lakes water.

The teak planks of the Ubein bridge

Tourist boats vie for the best photo spot

My cycle home proved to be a bit of an adventure. A nice quiet route down the back roads proved a little too quiet and someone eventually had to lead me out of what, I think, was a sprawling monastery complex I'd somehow ended up in.

It was truly an excellent afternoon and a lot of fun. The vibrancy of the city, the sight of the mighty river, and the open friendliness of the locals made it one of my favourite experiences in Myanmar so far.

What I'd really been looking forward to all day however was the opportunity to finally remove my stitches. They smoothly slid out and my little hole had healed nicely.

I got treated to a birthday meal that night by a couple of guys from my hostel. Myanmar isn't exactly renowned for its wild nightlife but there's certainly some unique experiences to be found; dining at the Unique restaurant for example. It's a modern, sharp restaurant with great food but when 9 pm strikes, the blinds are lowered, the lights dimmed and then the DJ (yes the DJ, spinning vinyl in his DJ booth) starts pumping out high tempo techno to accompany your meal. And then there's the lasers and flourescent AK47 shishas. Definitely got a unique thing going on.