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Neither Rudyard Kipling nor Robbie Williams actually took “The Road to Mandalay”. They probably wouldn’t have celebrated this journey, if they had to do it themselves. The bus ride completely followed Burmese etiquette. There was a Buddhist prayer before the bus started and our Burmese friends politely told us that the road signs don’t display the distance between places and that we should never ask the driver, how long it would take to get to the destination. “We would be tempting fate!” The “overnight” journey was full of breakdowns and the 12 hours turned out to be 26 hours. We were happy to finally reach Mandalay’s highway bus station, which according to our guidebook, was just 3 blocks away from our hotel. As it turned out, a new bus station was built 25 kilometres away from the city! The taxi lobby was definitely strong here. Who says there’s no democracy in Myanmar?
Mandalay is the cultural capital of Myanmar. The highlight of a trip to the city is the various Marionette theatres. The puppet shows usually depict the Hindu epic Ramayana or the Jatakas, the previous lives of the Buddha. Puppeteers are a very important part of Burmese society. They are invited to perform before weddings and other important ceremonies. Many puppeteers also double up as comedians. The famous “Moustache Brothers” are the most famous puppeteers cum comedians. They’ve been the most vocal opponents of the Junta or military regime. In 1995, they performed outside Nobel Laureate Aun Sang Suu Kyi’s house and a “joke” was enough to earn two of the brothers seven years rigorous imprisonment! And we thought the Soviets were cruel! The Moustache brothers are now not allowed to perform to Burmese audiences. Being foreigners, we were treated to a cultural spectacle. They provide a real window into the diverse Burmese culture.
The major tourist attractions in Mandalay are all covered under a ten-dollar zone ticket. These include a reconstructed palace, museum, fort and the Mandalay Hill. We saw the best two attractions without paying a penny. The key to escaping ridiculous charges in Burma is to wake up really early and see the sights. We were up at 4:30 in the morning, and climbed the Mandalay Hill, to see the sunrise. The sunrise from the top of the hill is truly spectacular. We also managed to see the well maintained Fort before it was open for tourists. In spite of the damage and destruction caused by the fighting in World War 2, the Fort has been well preserved. The Burmese authorities completely restored the Fort to all its glory. There is a lovely moat surrounding the Fort and unlike most forts in Asia, the moat is full of (clean) water.
Mandalay is very close to some of the ancient Burmese capitals. We travelled by boat to the Mingun Island, on the Ayerawady River. A 45-minute boat ride gave us a relaxed glimpse of river life in Myanmar. Mingun Island has an enormous rock-carved pagoda as well as some Khymer style Cambodian temples. The most famous attraction on the island is the Mingun Bell, the world’s largest uncracked bell (the one in Moscow is cracked). Mingun was a great place for cheap souvenirs and we stocked up on oriental umbrellas, paintings and sarongs called “longhyis”. The last boat left the island at 1pm, so we were able to squeeze the historical treasures of Mingun into four hours!
There aren’t too many places where you get better value for money than Myanmar. Unlike many countries in South and Southeast Asia, the monuments and cultural heritage of Myanmar is very well preserved. Boycotting this country will only strengthen the military stronghold.
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Ajay K
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Comments
Matija | Nov 2nd, 2004
wao! i really wanna visit Myanmar! you presented it in a great way Ajay! :) the traffic problems are important , they actually tell you a lot about the people!this might sound stupid , but it is so! most of the people from here the west part of eurasia, would loose their nerves! but the locals stay calm! i think it's really cool!
other thing is, i think more turists should come to Myanmar, so the authorities would become a bit smoother as they are! i definetly want to visit Myanmar, it's really amazing , and Mandaly is on my plan! :)
AK | Sep 4th, 2005
Lim
Tourism will help the Burmese economy. If tourists avoid government services, they can help the common man.
Secondly, the more foreign tourists that visit Burma, the less the military will be able to openly violate human rights.
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