Swan Mandalay

... 1749 steps to the top with bared feet, looked at a lot of Buddha and nat shrines on the way up. The stair was dirty and the walk wasn’t that comfortable. The view on the top was just ok with view of the surrounding Shan hills, the Ayeyarwady river and the city, including dozens of stupas and a huge prison. I stayed there until the sunset was finished, using part of the time talking to two young monks who were eager to practice their ...

... capital of Buddha life time.<br>So let's continues to story,their mother queen have strong feeling that she will part away from her poor blind two son,and she manage all kind of food and water on the bamboo craft,and the king send them to the middle of river and they going down until Sagaing,<br>

... explore the ways of life of the local inhabitants. In the afternoon, visit to the venerable Mahamuni Pagoda, Myanmar traditional handicraft workshops: marble works and wood carvings, gold-leaf making and tapestry works, Shwe Kyaung (Golden Palace) Monastery, Atumashi (incomparable) Monastery, Kuthotaw Pagoda, a large Buddha Image carved out of a single block of marble. Enjoy the sunset and panoramic view of Mandalay Hills. Overnight in Mandalay ...

... kyatt to the sites, but it's so close you can walk, unless you want to take the oxcart for the experience. Do whatever floats your boat. But as we were walking, of course, peddlers tried to sell us stuff, and some casually gave us a tour. My friend and I got separated, and luckily I got stuck with a really smart "tour guide." I would definitely recommend him. His name is Jhyaw Hen, and his number is 09-2033365. As of 2009, he was 19 ...

... by a fort that is 3.2 km long on each side. It has an 8 m high wall all the way around and there is a 70 m wide moat outside the wall. It is kinda hard to miss when you are in this city. The original Palace was the living quarters for royalty and a walled city. It was originally built in 1857 and was rebuilt in the 1990's. Within the compound there is a watch tower, a central pavilion, a "hall of victory", and a cultural museum. It ...

OK. This will be a long one, so grab a rye and coke with lots of ice or an iced tea with lots of ice on our behalves (we miss little things like a frosty beverage with ice). <br><br>I bet you are expecting a story about a James Bond type adventure or martinis at the very least... not such luck. We are referring to our cab ride around the Mandalay area. <br><br>We slept in until 8am. Bill is still throwing back the Imodium (he is so delicate) and not feeling 100%. We dropped ...

Was picked up at 10pm and dropped to Mae Haad pier, Koh Tao (B1000 one way not incl. visa fee). Night boat left at 11pm bound for Chumphon. Air conditioned cargo ferry with about 30 bunks. Slept it in on the boat, nobody woke me!! Could've ended up back in KT!! Got off and everyone was loading up onto respective buses to Bangkok etc. Mine was to Ranong pier on the ...

... friendly cat and shred some prawns with her. Then drove to Buffalo Point, where the buffalo used to drag teak logs out of the river. Now it's home to a community of river people who make their living moving bamboo down the rivers and diving for sunk teak. A truly great experience walking along the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy watching people getting on with their lives and continuing a trde that has was existed for centuries

... their office innocently enough, just to see about delaying our departure from Yangon to Bangkok. Myanmar was going so much better than Thailand, why not maximize our time here? That was accomplished quickly, and our most gracious agent asked about our future plans. He was smooth. We later learned he was one of the "Seven Diamonds", managing family partners (Indian heritage, I think) in a chain of Travel Agencies around the country ...

... Brits for Xmas Eve. Needless to say we all had the same intentions of getting shittered. We hit our target. Due to the volume of driving and condition of the roads, Xmas day was to be spent driving. No sooner had we left our little village and Zol looked a bit concerned. Puncture. No worries, we bailed out put the temporary tyre on and drove to a shack that 'mends' tyres. Burma the way it is they don't replace ...