Mandalay

Mandalay.  Along with Kathmandu and Timubuktu, have you ever thought, "Where is Mandalay?"

It is in Burma.

When Thibaw, the last king of Burma, was ignominiously dethroned by the British it was from Mandalay that he and his queen, Supayalat, were driven. The old city was gutted by Japanese bombing during WWII though some of the 19th century teak royal enclosure remains.  The city sits on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River and some of the poorest people we saw in Burma live along the riverbank.

We crossed through Mandalay twice, once as our jumping off point for Hsipaw in the Shan hills and again when we left on a riverboat journey south.

our bus to Mandalay

our transport from the bus station into town

Scenes from near our hotel, along the bank of the Irrawaddy River.

 

 

the hotel bar

buying our train tickets to Hsipaw

delicious fried street snacks

Scenes from the Mandalay fish market where our friend Henry chased a catfish down the street.

sunset over the Irrawaddy

These photos are from our day trip to see the longest teak footbridge in the world!

dyed yarn for weaving monks' robes

a loom in the town closest to the U Pein teak footbridge

pagoda on the walk to the U Pein Bridge