Kandawgyi Hill Resort Mandalay

... Asia with more than 2000 temples and stupas. Sightseeing to the busy local Nyaung-U market, Shwesigon Pagoda, a prototype of later Myanmar to stupas, Htilomilo Temple noted for its plaster carvings, Anada Temple, an architectural masterpiece resembling a Greek cross, Anada Okkyaung, a brick monastery with 18th century mural paintings. After lunch, visit to lacquer ware industry, Manuha Temple, built in Mon style in 1059, Nan Phaya Temple, a unique ...

Mandalay, Myanmar 2nd city is surrounded by 3 imperial cities. Sagaing, with 500 temples and 6000 monks! - big meditation place Inwa, used to be the capital for 400 years - totally preserved (wooden villages) Amarapura with its 1.2km bridge all in teak where both fishermen and monks commute at sunrise and sunset.

... Korea, Thailand Japan and Singapore. Thanks to its decades of proximity to Myanmar's military rulers, China has been successful in swinging decisions in Myanmar's energy sector in its favor. That it is a veto-holding member of the United Nations Security Council and in a position to prevent resolutions critical of the junta from being passed at the top UN meeting place has helped increase China's presence and profile in Myanmar's oil and gas sector. Stakes ...

... perimeter. <br><br>The next stop on our tour of the island was a Paya in ruins that is not mentioned in the guide book. It was a small site, but very neat. Very little plaster remained and you could see the bricks that formed the foundation. Bill liked this one very much too. <br><br>The watch tower was the next stop. It had been damaged in an earthquake in 1838, which is why it is tilted like the leaning tower of Pisa. The girls who climbed the tower with us and wanted us ...

... neat, we had not seen that before. We also passed by several streets that had huge baskets of garlic, ginger and onions. That street made Bill sneeze a lot. We could not find the recommended Paya - Sethyathiha, so maybe another day. We stopped for tea and water and then walked back to our room to freshen up. On our way out ...

... paid. One of the lovely things was the food. I was expecting symbolic Burmese food but the menu was like a kid's birthday party in Balham but given the Burmese fondness for sweet things this shouldn't have been a surprise. Ice cream and jelly and lots and lots of cakes, some of which were iced with sprinkles. The bride and groom were beautifully dressed in traditional clothes and were clearly exhausted by glad handing ...

... until I can't eat any more. I even tried the Cows Brain (I felt under pressure as they had stayed open just for me). It's not as bad as it sounds, but I wouldn't order it in a restaurant. On to a couple of workshops with shops attached. These are not very interesting, except the goldsmiths. I see how they make gold-leaf which they cover everything in. Then on to the first major site, Mandalay Palace. I have to walk in on my ...

... some of the Natkadaw`s calling the Nat's. I knew that this was going on all day so wandered off to watch some of the Pew's and looking forward to returning later on. The individual Pew's were a lot smaller and a lot more intimate. They were similar to the one I had originally seen with plenty of Rum (for Natkadaw`s only) being drunk, copious amounts of cigarettes, scents, smelling chickens etc. All of this was occurring whilst the Natkadaw would be dancing to Nat music and entering ...

... the space served largely as military barracks. We did see a number of interesting sites outside the city. For $20 we hired a "Blue Taxi" for the day. These tiny, ancient Mazda pickups are all painted blue, with a rear cap over two wood benches in the cargo bed. If there's any suspension, I missed it, so within an hour on the rough roads, I was fidgeting. We stopped at the sculpting district on the way out of town. People of all ages ...

... I don't even know how much it will take to settle her down. By now the entire ship's manifest and riverside village population are riveted on our exchange. And the boat starts to leave... The woman is now shrieking at me. I grab a few bills and try tossing them down. They flutter into the water and are quickly churned under as we pull away. I am now dealing with a banshee. Just to complete my embarrassment, I glance up ...