Pacific Hotel Mandalay

Another magical sunrise kicked off an otherwise sticky and uneventful 12 hours up the Ayeryarwaddy to Mandalay. One mile of river bank looking very much like another for most of the journey and it was something of a relief to arrive in a dusty and bustling Mandalay before weaving our way through the traffic to our hotel in a terrifying ...

... each representing a different botanical family were laid out and 369 tree species including 199 indigenous and 170 exotic species and 173 orchid species of 44 genera were planted in the garden. In 1928, around ten years after establishment, it was recorded that 1,357 trees of 372 species and 43 families had been planted. By 2006, the total number of trees planted in the botanical garden was 12 127 of 482 indigenous species, 3 ...

... foothills. We had come here to spend three weeks with the people known as Kachins, an ethnic and religious minority that for decades fought a war of independence against the brutal military junta that rules Myanmar, or Burma. The Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting covered the costs of our trip so that we could tell the story of these remarkable people. read the rest at http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content ?oid=980928

... the "Boss Lady," or Alice, and decided to spend the days as follow: May 1 Mandalay sightseeing by bicycle (10$ for entrance fees, one price, one ticket for all major ones, and $2 for bike rental a piece). We also had to get our overnight tickets ($9 pp) to Bagan for May 4th, and also stop by the Myanmar Travel Agency to pickup maps (200 kyatt, or whatever it's called). We spent about 4,000 each for lunch, and 4,000 for ...

... to the jade market, but decided to skip it. Instead we decided to find the shop near Sun Far where I had seen a top I liked. We walked quite a way down 80th and could not find it. We did stop at a tea house for some Myanmar tea (with milk and sugar) and pastries. One was like a small cold chicken pot pie that you could hold in your hand. The other was sweet - filled with sugar cane. We walked around the train station and up 78th. I ...

... in bronze and is an image of a seated Buddha. Over the years many men (women not permitted) have covered the <br>figure in gold leaf (at least 15 cm). We were able to see many women outside and many men applying more gold leaf inside. <br><br>There are also 6 (3 lions, 2 Hindu gods Shiva, 1 three-head elephant god Airavata) bronze Khmer figures that were brought back from Rakhaing along with the Mahamuni Buddha. One lady coaxed me over to rub one of the lions for luck. While ...

I got to Mandalay in the afternoon. Royal GH, which seems to be far the best, was fully booked (better to book in advance), so I stayed at nearby Nylon hotel. My first impression of the city was a bit mixed. It is bigger than I expected and not at all relaxing as some resources claim. Motorcycles and bicycles are everywhere and even crossing a road might get challenging. Another surprise came in the hotel, where I was not welcomed in as friendly ...

... you to the right. It is one or two blocks off of the main street. I was sick within six hours. My friends all got sick the next day. I met a couple at Inle lake who also noted getting sick like me after eating there. Be forewarned, vomiting out of your nose is not fun. This is probably the first town that a number of locals talked to us without trying to get us to ride ...

... had a similar problem obtaining a visa as myself, and was only offered a 10 day visa. I was heading off to change some money when I stopped to take a picture of a really cool Ganesh Temple. As I was getting my camera out I was approached by a rickshaw driver. After he realised that I had been to all the places I wanted and he wasn't getting a job we ended up chatting for a bit and he asked me to join him for a cup of tea. He was really funny to speak to and I was in no hurry to go ...