On my way to Mandalay. Only a 7 hour bus trip this time, at daytime, so I have the views as well. At the bus station in Mandalay or our guesthouse meeting point I do not see N. After a quick email check I find out he is not coming. Still busy with his thesis for university. He also emails me that he has been taken to the police station and asked a lot of questions about my backpack being at his place (I left is there and travel only with the small bag). What is his relationship with me? Why is the bag there? Etc. They even wanted to look inside my bag, but N. did not let them. I surprised to hear they did not do it anyway. There 'advice' was to not invite foreigners to his place anymore. I am very surprised at this, as I only went to visit him for 1,5 hours, never illegally slept there. Also wonder who told them or is Big Brother watching (undercover) all the time! Maybe the police thing made him change his mind as well about traveling with me.
So here I am in Mandalay alone again. Feel really disappointed as I would have loved to travel with him, but understand him as well of course. What to do now? I talk someone at the guesthouse who is renting a taxi for the day to see 3 'tourist' places around Mandalay the next day. I consider taking it easy and joining here. 2 more tourists join in as well. As soon as we leave the next morning, with guide as well as driver I know I have made a huge mistake. First stop: a 'gold leave making' shop, one of the many 'please by a souvenier' shop we will visit that day. The sites we go and visit are not bad, but the whole thing is just too much for me. It is all arranged to the minute, with tourist prices and tourist sales people everywhere. Even on a day like this I still get into contact with the locals though. Walking into a nunnery, while the others take their pagoda photos, talking with locals while they visit a temple. At the famous (touristy) teak bridge in Amarapura I get in contact with a girl selling bags/bracelets made of watermelon seeds. I make it clear to her I am not buying. We talk in Myanmar/English and spend at least 1 hour together walking the bridge. She gives me one of her bracelets. Just because she likes me and because I try to speak her language. I give her one of mine in return, she's over the moon with it. In the end she does not expect me to buy something of her. She just thanks me for spending time with her and hopes to see me again some day. I have been blessed with the fact that people have given me things before, but I did not expect it to happen in a very touristy place like this, from a girl who sells things to tourists for a living!
One of those days is enough for me, I rent a bicycle to explore Mandalay area on my own. But first getting some more money. The only way to do that in Myanmar is by cash advance on a Visa card, as there are no ATMs or travelers cheque exchange possibilities. In Mandalay only 1 place to do this and they know it! The commission is a staggering 27%!!!!! But I am VERY low on cash, so it needs to be done, $100 less in my account but only $73 in my wallet. And also all $1 note bills, which have the worst exchange rate for Kyats. Ripped off twice! Thank you.
In Mandalay is the important Mahamuni Pagoda, with the Mahamuni Buddha image inside. This Buddha is very important to all Buddhists in Myanmar as it supposed to have special powers. It was originally based in Arakan state, but brought here by the Myanmar king in 1784. The Arakan people are still sad and angry about it. When I asked a trishaw driver if they will ever give it back to the Arakan people, the answer was 'We don't need to as it was given to us'. Hummm...
The image is beautiful and I paid my respects to it, but it is the encounter with locals that make the place special to me again. This time I spend great time with street kids, hanging around the pagoda in hope to get some food or money. The first day I give them nothing, just my attention and smiles. The next day I go back with some balloons and chocolate biscuits. They are over the moon with them. I spend another 2 hours with them talking about different things (all in Myanmar language, which developed a bit more by now). They even buy me some mango and one of the little boys gives me his 'good luck' owl. Again I am touched by the kindness and the people. These kids give me things when they have almost nothing themselves. Wearing old cloths, not able to wash every day, most likely no toys to play with. And still they give me something. Words cannot express how I feel in moments like these. A few moments later the security comes marching towards us, chasing the kids away. They must be used to it, as they come back from a different direction little later. I don't want them to be into trouble over me, so send them off again, leaving myself after giving the guards a frowning look. Why they do that, when all we do is having a laugh. That really gets my blood boiling.
My time in Mandalay is not really about seeing the sights, but again more focused on meeting the locals. I end up eating with family from Yangon, on their first visit to Mandalay, going to a monastery with a monk, who gives me a booklet on meditation (I have about 4 different once now) and even buys me a drink and the bus ticket back (with my bicycle on top of the bus). The world upside down as it is common for a 'normal' person to buy things for the monk out of respect.
Even though my time in/around Mandalay has been highlighted with some beautiful encounters with locals, I am really looking forward to going back to Yangon. So I can spend my last Myanmar days with S. and N., who I consider my friends now.
More thumbnails ...
Mandalay Hotels
9 votes 
