Day 5 in Myanmar

An early rise was due today to catch an 11am flight to Mandalay. Unfortunately I woke before my alarm as there were giggles and cries from outside my room. The cleaning girls had decided to wait outside my room extremely eager, even though it was 5:30am! Too early for breakfast I asked to take away some toast and a banana, easy to do as they had already set up the buffet. But this small request seemed to be a major problem to them. Something you become accustomed to in Asia is any slight change to the proposed order and routine can upset and frazzle any local sole.

Wrapping my toast in napkins and ignoring the extra fuss they had now decided to create I boarded the long boat and settled in for the journey. The sky was overcast and I hoped the rain wouldn’t come pelting down upon me. This morning the lake was scarce and there were barely any fisherman. As we traveled closer to the town I saw a boats piled high with baskets of fruit and observed the orderly array of shapes they displayed.

The trip was smooth followed by another 45 minute ride to the airport. I arrived, checked in and began the long boring wait in the outdated departure lounge. My next destination was Mandalay and I had hoped it was going to prove as exotic as its name sounded.

Arriving early afternoon I found my taxi driver and arrived at the hotel within an hour. The hotel was average. I had opted for a cheaper hotel as I was planning to stay for 3 days. Unpacking a few things I grabbed my laptop and loaded the tripadvisor and lonelyplanet websites searching for things to do in Mandalay. I was sadly disappointed. I would be lucky to fill two days let alone three! I gave myself a little talking to for not doing better research before booking these internal flights.

In the end I decided to make a slight change to my itinerary. Tomorrow I would catch a mini van to Bagan, a five hour journey. I would then explore Bagan for two days and fly from there back to Yangon. I would cut my losses on the hotel and the previous flight from Mandalay to Yangon. I had not included Bagan in my initial travel plans. I had thought Mandalay would have more to offer, however, from years of experience I have learnt when traveling one needs to be flexible.

With my new made plans I decided to check off one of the tourist attractions Mandalay had to offer. Most options were pagodas and temples so there wasn’t must chance I was going to experience anything new or unique. I decided I would tackle Mandalay Hill, a stair pathway to the top of a hill where a temple was situated with an expansive view of the city. At reception the doorman organised a taxi for 25USD which was clearly a rip off as the hill wasn’t far from the hotel and the airport trip had been only 15USD. There didn’t seem to be any chance of haggling so I swallowed my pride and set off.

It wasn’t long before the taxi driver tried to change my plans. Grabbing a map and thrusting it in my face he said “You want to go to this pagoda, and this temple, and this shrine?” “No just to the hill okay?” I replied with an annoyed tone. This conversation – argument continued for minutes before he finally got the picture and headed to the bottom of the hill. I had planned to walk up the hundreds of steps and meet the taxi driver at the top where the temple was located.

Removing my shoes and beginning the climb I noticed how filthy the stairs were and realised I would need a good wash when I returned to the hotel. The climb took under an hour and after weaving my way this way and that I soon arrived at the temple. Paying a fee of 10,000Kayt and wrapping myself in my sarong I scanned the view. Slightly disappointed, I reached for my camera and took some shots. A few monks in burgundy robes were taking selfies on their cellphones, which made me smile. It seemed the technological age had reached all corners of the world.

Discovering that the elevator and escalators were the only option for descending I lined up behind local Burmese who had ventured up the hill for the day. Finding the car park and locating my taxi I realised the driver was nowhere to be found. He clearly thought I would’ve taken longer to climb the hill, but this I am afraid, was not the case. Finally he appeared and drove me back to the hotel again trying to persuade me to visit the temples we passed.

When I returned to the hotel it was time for dinner but after a failed attempt to find a café or restaurant nearby I resorted to room service, which in the end turned out pretty good. I packed my bags ready for the next day and settled in to bed to read my book.

#Mandalay #Yangon #Monks #Travel #temples #day5