Fresh, Strong, and Clever ... and a Buddhist Feeding Frenzy

Mandalay has been full of surprises so far ...

Contrary to our first impression, there is a lot to do in Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma).  When we first arrived, it seemed to us like there were a rather limited range of activities available, as this country has just recently opened up to the outside world.  

But in the last couple days we have packed in a lot of movement and liveliness.  I will try to recount some of it in this blog post, but there just isn't enough time or space to cover it all. 


There were several amusing moments that would bear retelling here.  Last night we went to a Marionette show featuring the puppet master of Myanmar.  It was a fun and charming evening.  On the way there, the taxi guy, a young man who spoke English, asked me several times how old I was.  I explained that in our culture that is considered rather rude, but he persisted. 

When I finally relented and told him my age, he exclaimed "But you are so fresh and strong!"  Ha Ha, I'm glad you think so!  And the next day we had the same driver, and after some conversation,  I was able to pick up the format of their rather bizarre written language, and he said "And you are so clever!"  Ha!  Fresh Strong and Clever - not sure if I've ever been described that way before!

And later we made our way through a long and winding road to a remote village with a big monastery.  Myanmar (Burma) is a Buddhist country, and there were a whole bunch of monks there, but we arrived a little late - the point of the visit was to see them eat?  I guess they eat at 10:15 and apparently this is significant ... but we missed it.  It was a Buddhist feeding frenzy - I guess we'll have to catch that next time.  

The first time on an escalator can be a scary thing

Among the many activities of the last couple days was a trip to the top of Mandalay Hill with spectacular views of the surrounding area. Most of the geography near Mandalay is pretty flat, so when you are able to get up high, you can see a lot. 

On the way to the top, there are a lot of steps.  And it's really hot and muggy here, so you sweat your guts out.  I mean, it can be really brutal, almost unbearably hot and humid.  So when we found an usual opportunity to take an escalator up the last 400 feet, we jumped on it - which literally describes the way that some Burmese women reacted.

We were behind them in line and when the rolling steps came along, they didn't know what to do.  They froze; they had never seen escalators before.  Of course everyone behind them backed up, and something had to happen.  So a couple of the ladies pushed the others onto the escalator and they were really scared, so they jumped and hopped onto it.  It was hilarious.

And what happens when you get to the other end?  You can't stand around thinking about what to do, you have to get off.  They all start screaming and hopping and nearly fall down - they are terrified of this device.  They just sort of tumble off the end.  We were behind them and saw the whole thing.  I'm surprised somebody didn't get hurt.  Wild ... and pretty funny ...

If you're gonna ride a bike, go in the morning

We wanted to "rent" some bikes (they were free actually) from the hotel where we were staying and see the town a little bit.  We set up a time mid-morning to get the bikes and set out on the unruly streets to make our way to the Grand Palace.  You have to pay attention when riding bikes in Mandalay, it's a bit like anarchy on the roads.

Fortunately it was in the morning before it got blazing hot.  The last couple days here have been close to 100 degrees F with high humidity, so you need to be aware of how that affects you.  More than once, we needed to make sure that we properly hydrated in the unrelenting tropical sun.

We found our way to the Palace and were rewarded with a nice visit to the grounds and we climbed the observation tower and enjoyed the view.  You can see me in the picture below with a beautiful background and a shirt soaking wet with sweat. 

We continued on with our experiences here in Mandalay

We went to visit an island in the middle of the Irrawaddy River and took a ferry boat across the river to reach the ancient temples and buildings of the Inwa area.  

Upon reaching the other side we discovered that the only way to get around is by horse cart, so we promptly hopped in and started out.  It was a bit bumpy but almost pleasant because we were moving (without too much exertion) in the extreme heat. 

From there we made our way to the "open bridge" across the river, which means it's a long foot bridge with no rails - a little iffy if you ask me.  But the point was to catch the sunset, and we managed to catch a boat to the middle of the river and the timing was perfect.  It was amazing and fun and a rare moment of travel when everything comes together.