Royal City Hotel Mandalay

... dice and pool than stone cutting. <br><br>One of the highlights of the week was visiting the long teak bridge across a lake near Amanapura, a former Burmese capital. We both enjoyed walking to and fro with the monks and then catching the sunset from a boat while the local fishermen stood up to their necks in the water to reel in their catches.

... a few come for scientific purposes. Now almost a hundred years old, this is the oldest botanical garden in Myanmar and a very valuable and instructional plant collection. The Administrative Officer of the Garden, U Maung Chit, can be contacted on 0095-85-22497 or 0095-9-2044983.<br><br>Detail provided by friend, U Aung Kyaw Myint. <br>Photo provided by Woodland Travels and Tours, Myanmar: woodland@mptmail.net.mm <br>

... clouds of smoke. A few minutes later we get on the bus, and the gas smell overwhelms us, coupled with the unwashed seats. We thought it's only temporary, and once the bus gets going, the cool air with flush the smell out. How wrong we were. (I can still smell the gas on my shirt 2 days after). For one, the bus couldn't go fast enough to flush out the bad air. There are no high speed highways in Myanmar, so all roads are local, or just about. On the ...

... the 20 or so other <br>tourists, but what can you expect. They are doing the same as we are. <br><br>We were able to get out of there ahead of the crowd and went to a nearby Paya that was attached to the monastery. There was a reclining Buddha, a seated Buddha and many statues. Some of the statues were of seated monks that I initially thought were real. <br><br>We then stopped at a silk factory. The threads were on looms that were manually operated by men and women with ...

... says and since there is no mention about a bike trip around Mandalay, all visitors took the ferry back whereas I continued biking to Sagaing, where I climbed Sagaing hill, providing great vistas. I stayed overnight in the town, enjoyed its central market and the next day early in the morning continued towards Inwa, where an extraordinary all teak Bagaya monastery can be found. Last stop on my bike trip was a city of Amarapura featuring one of ...

... up your plate with the one dish that I had ordered - nine in total! The Marionette's show was ok but ok for something to do. It did highlight how few visitors are around. The marionettes and the Mustache Brothers are the two main tourist options for evening entertainment and in the theatre there were only three of us. The following morning I was due to be picked up at 08:00 by a guide I met whilst in Hsipaw. He was taking another group around at the time but I used to have a beer with ...

... meters, span over a kilometre of shallow lake. Vendors are numerous at this popular tourist site, but all were polite if sometimes intense. Debbie was engaged by a young woman who walked with her for the entire time answering her many questions. Only when we left did she modestly offer her jade jewellery for consideration. I was most impressed with a young salesman, maybe nine years old, who conversed well in English, but seemed ...