Mandalay, Burma

I can say that Mandalay is the hottest place I have ever been for sure.  The combination of exhaust and heat really was hard to take.  But like everything in Burma you have to suck it up.  You have traveled here for this.  You are exploring a place that has been forcefully held back in time with a strong arm.  Mandalay is really the jumping off point for the north of the country and a transport hub for boats along the Irrawaddy River which stretches the length of the country.  Probably because of the isolation of the country many people don't know how gigantic a river this thing is.

 I was soon to find out about how long it really was when I ventured to the former hill station of the British where the renowned writer George Orwell lived.  He based his first novel Burmese Days on his experiences in this place.
The  food in Mandalay is really good, if you go to the Shan places.  This is an ethnic minority to the east of Mandalay where there is a lot more influence from Thailand, especially the North.  This is the food I remember eating with my friend the first time I did a border run to the Mae Sai border in Thailand.  Lots of small plates of vegetables, chili pastes, and a ground chicken and tomato dish.  Unlike Thai cooking that is seductively numbing, this food is mild and the spiciness spread out throughout.  This was definitely one of the best meals on the trip.

 Another day in Mandalay I rented a motorbike.  Renting a motorbike in Yangon was impossible but rules were more lax here and I had to attempt it.  So I started off with a very basic map and my trusty iPhone compass.  I was heading to the U. Bein bridge a 1.2 km wooden footbridge (longest teak bridge in the world) built by the mayor U. Bein salvaging the unwanted teak columns from the old palace during the move to Mandalay.  This was the first time and not the last where I experienced a really idyllic setting.  Unlike other monuments in the country, this was really lightly populated.  So much so that there were great moments of quiet and tranquility.  This is one of the great places of Burma.  A really old bridge over water with stupas in the background.  Thankfully there are these shaded spaces along the way where you can stop, eat some fried bread pieces and talk with the locals, some were even getting their palms read by the local shaman.  After about 4 hours walking and relaxing in the heat, I jumped on the motorbike to hopefully find my way home.

Crab sitting in the sun

Shrimp Cracker

 Past houses on stilts, and a lot of water buffalo pulling carts, and thought I knew where I was going.  I really did not, I must have taken the wrong way, I started seeing very different things and getting farther and farther away the city.  Thankfully, I knew if I had the Irrawaddy on my right that I would be ok.  I approached this huge bridge which was relatively new.  The bridge was built by the Japanese (the Japanese are trying to be the number one investors in the country) a shining example of the opening up of this country.  I crossed the bridge around 4 in the afternoon as the sun was getting into the golden hour.  This is my favorite time in Asia and I found a great view to see it happen.  Here on the other side of the river were temples as far as the eye could see.  It reminded me of the South in the US where you can see a steeple from every vantage point.  It was great just standing on this bridge watching the water buffalo dance on the edges of the river and the golden stupas get more golden. 

 I eventually found my way back to my hotel but realized I still had a bit more time with the bike so I was hungry and went looking for something, drove down a random street to the east of the citadel in the center of town and found this great Mohinga spot (Mohinga is the unofficial national food) the best on the trip, a great day in all. 

  The next day I was supposed to catch my boat but it turns out it was fast boat which would have been 45 dollars which was not what I wanted to take.  I was going to take the 7 dollar boat north.  So with an extra day on my hands I walked around the markets and encountered a lot of friendly people, decent tea shop food and these young guys on the side of a busy street. 

This is for my skateboarder friends

 I was walking by and these young guys ushered me over to where they were sitting.  Unlike other countries in Asia tattoos are common on males here and especially young men.  These were a bunch of unemployed college graduates.  Men who had gotten degrees but had found a job market where there degrees were not needed.  Burma puts people in schools and universities but when the students graduate there is no economy that can support them.  Maybe in many years will there will be an opportunity for people with real qualifications.  Through broken English we had a nice conversation they flexed their tattoos and we drank some more, but in the noon day sun and the very difficult to drink palm wine I started getting a buzz very quickly.  I said my goodbyes and went and got a bit of food and used the bathroom.

 I continued walking around, stopping a lot to sit in the shade of the afternoon heat.  It was so strong that I felt like was being burnt.  One of the places I stopped had icy water and this great take on a green papaya salad but this was with buttery green tomatoes.  I continued walking around and found this nice Hindu temple, an old many who was the custodian of the place walked me around and explained all of the imagery.  It was good for me because I have always wondered why that deity was blue or why that one had an elephant head.  Mandalay was an interesting place but my adventure was talking it up a notch on the next round, the boat north to Orwell's station.