Mandalay, Inside and Out

We had two full days in Mandalay so we spent one day wandering around the inside and one day scootin' around the outlying countryside on the back of motorbikes.

Inside the city we watched a street performer with snakes, visited the temples on Mandalay Hill, bought a train ticket from the station, and went to the outdoor market. The afternoon sun heated up the city like a hotplate. The sidewalks were all cracked and you could see either discolored stagnant water or rats down in the gutters. Everything was always coated with a layer of dust, including us. Still, people were going about their business and seemed delighted to see us walking around. Many people smiled at us and said hello. We felt very welcome and safe. The moon that night was the prettiest orange circle I'd ever seen in my life.

That night, we went to see the notorious Mustache Brothers perform their hour long comedy show. It was a mix of comedy and cultural dances mixed with a little insight into some of the struggles citizens face due to the government. It was interesting and entertaining.

Par Par Lay (left) served three separate sentences in jail breaking rocks in a chain gang for telling jokes the government deemed inappropriate. Needless to say, freedom of speech is sorely missed in Burma. The brothers are only allowed to perform in their garage and in English. The government doesn't mess with tourists so they said that we keep them safe by going to the shows.

 
The next day we had our hotel find us two guys willing to take us around the countryside on the back of their motorbikes. We just got on and they took us to one place after the other. They always said, "take your time" and would read newspapers and hang out by the bikes or at little roadside stands while we explored. We went to all sorts of places: shops, temples, workshops, and a restaurant. The countryside was beautiful and the people we saw always smiled back at us. It was dusty, hot, and beautiful.

The next day we made our way back to Rangoon for our flight back to Bangkok. It had been a glorious and adventurous nine days in Burma. We had a few days R&R in Bangkok before heading to our final country on this trip: India!

The Temples of Bagan

We went to Bagan for the temples. There are thousands of them and the view was breathtaking everywhere you looked. The temples are so spread out and there were so few tourists that it felt like we were exploring all along on our rented biked. I really can't express in words how awesome it was. Here are the pictures.

Shwe Dagon Pagoda

Rangoon's number one thing to see is Shwe Dagon Pagoda. It is on one of the many different lists of the Seven Wonders of the World and is the pride and joy of the Buddhist community in Burma, which means that pretty much everyone loves it.

ShweDagon is a massive collection of Buddha's, temples, and stupas of various sizes and decoration. There is so much ornate detail and beauty that you could go many times without seeing everything.

The feeling at the temple is very relaxed and family friendly. People are praying and making offerings while others and chatting to their friends and family on cell phones while children run circles around them. It has a wonderful sense of community and openness about it, especially at night.

Tourists pay a fee to get in and the ticket is good all day so we went once in the morning and then went back again at night to see all the lights and sparkle. It was so peaceful and cool at night that we ended up hanging out there for quite a while.

The Beauty of Burma

Stepping into Burma is like stepping back in time, if you throw in a few cell phones. Most people still wear traditional clothing and farming is done by hand or with the help of oxen. Horse carts are a regular mode of transportation in rural cities and dust is simply everywhere.

the countryside around Mandalay

This isn't to say that Burmese people don't want to come in to the 21st century, they do! The hindrance is a government which only seems to help a select few. Things are looking a bit better for Burma these days and hopefully soon every Burmese man, woman, and child will be free and living in the democracy they've wanted for years.

street performer with snakes(!) in Mandalay

I've heard the argument that tourists shouldn't go to Burma because supporting the government shouldn't be done in any capacity. This is not what the people of Burma think. They welcome tourists with open hearts and warm smiles. They want us to come and see what it's like there and then maybe we can pressure our governments into pressuring their government to do something good for the people, like step down and let the rightful leaders of the country, those who were rightfully elected by the people, take charge and start working towards a brighter, democratic future.

some of the many temples of Bagan

Politics aside, Burma is a beautiful and truly wonder-ful place. It was heart warming for people to be just as interested in looking at us as we were with looking at them and their way of life. People seemed excited that we were there and were always willing to help us out.

a fallen bloom from a massive flowering tree

Burma was dusty, hot, and everything was rickety but even so, it filled my heart with love. Smiles and good spirits were never far away, even in the toughest of circumstances. Burma is filled with an unfaltering hope and it's inspiring to witness. I'm so glad we were able to go to Burma on this trip and I wish all the people of Burma only the best of happiness and prosperity.

monks crossing a very long teak bridge

Back to Bangkok

We headed back to Bangkok to rest up and get ready for our trip to Burma/Myanmar. Mostly, we laid around reading and watching movies and tv shows on the laptop, but we did do a few cool things.

The first cool thing we did was head back to Terminal 21 mall. This place is so fun, both for shopping and for eating. I bought some new clothes and we ate sushi and Mexican food and more Mexican food. It was bliss.

We did some more shopping and happened to catch a boisterous and colorful celebration for Chinese Lunar New Year, complete with confetti, firecrackers, and drums. It was exciting!! 

Another cool thing we did was go have a fancy (and expensive!) drink on the rooftop bar of Lebua Tower. It's the highest outdoor bar in Bangkok and the views were mesmerizing. It was fun to get dressed up (in a new dress!) and wear make up for the first time in months. It was a nice respite from the grungy backpacker look I usually sport these days. :)

Angkor Wat, Adventures on the Tourist Trail

Angkor Wat is a magnificent collection of ancient ruins in northwest Cambodia. There are so many that it's impossible to see them all in one day and some people stay for a week to view them at their leisure. Since these ruins are so impressive, nearly everyone who visits Southeast Asia comes to see them. Everyone, including us.

Angkor Wat at sunrise

It seems silly to say I wish there were less tourists there, since I am a tourist myself and rampantly encourage others to travel and explore. BUT, I do wish there were less tourists there. There, I said it. Get over it.

the most annoying sunrise, ever

The ruins themselves were very cool and after we ditched the superbly crowded sunrise watching spot (pictured above), we got to explore a bit of the grounds without being surrounded by people. It was blissfully serene and otherworldly. I felt like an explorer again.

As the day wore on, people were everywhere. The temperature rose and more and more people seemed to swarm in from every direction. It was all very beautiful and very old and very cool, but we'd seen enough. The magic was gone. The magical morning light, the serenity of being alone with the old stone structures. It all dissipated with the morning mist.  

Even though I'm complaining, it really was extraordinarily amazing. I'm glad we went, crowds and all.