Mandalay, romantic not >> Travel: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand 13

Oct 10: Afternoon, Mandalay

Sixteen and a half hours by bus from Yangon to Mandalay. Entertainment during our ride was in the form of Van Damme kicking his way in and out of yet another slam-bam-wham movie.

When Van Damme took a break, current English and Chinese pop covers came on.

We left Yangon in the evening the previous day. The road we took was well-used. Joining us enroute were many goods trucks, buses like ours and private and army vehicles. Many check points to go through and the toll booths were huts.

The road was also very bumpy. And so, we had a jarring night.

When two large vehicles passed by, one had to slow down and edge to the side of the road to let the other pass. Sometimes, one of the drivers even had to stop his vehicle. The road was THAT narrow on certain stretches.

It was also rather dark. On most of our journey, there was no street lamp. Areas of habitation were scattered and the houses there were not well-lit.

The loos at our pit stops were disgusting, but usable in a pinch.

It got very cold early morning, at about 4am. In the dark of night, with little man-made light, I looked up and was treated to a night sky of gadzillion twinkling stars. After 4.30am, the day started to brighten. The stars paled into the light of day.

A list of supposes

(1) This entry is supposed to be about Mandalay, but I don't know what to write about the town.
(2) We're supposed to stay in Mandalay for two or three days. This is, after all, the city that inspires literary works. Remember Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca and Rudyard Kipling's Mandalay? But, we're leaving tomorrow.
(3) We suppose we would enjoy historical Mandalay. This is, after all, the last capital of the reign of King Mindon, who ruled over what might arguably be considered the golden age of pre-colonial Burma. But, we see a sleepy, dusty town with seedy touts and the occasional blackout (on our way back from dinner) instead. The food was somewhat disappointing too.

So, come the morrow, we leave for Bagan. Perhaps we're too hasty in wanting to flee this once fabled city. I would like to re-visit Mandalay and I'm sure it will prove a less indifferent experience.

Until then, here's a more touching rendition, an illustrated version of Kipling's poem, Mandalay.

Budget (for two in US$ or kyat as indicated)

Oct 9
Donation (Sule Paya) >> K100 + Lunch >> K700 + Coffee >> K1,300 + Dinner >> K800 + Taxi to bus station >> K2,500

Oct 10
Taxi to hotel >> K1,000 + Room >> US$12 + Lunch >> K900 + Drinks >> K160 + Ferry to Bagan (next day) >> US$36 + Biscuits & H20 >> K250 + Dinner >> K1,650

Next... A leap through time