We attempted to bus up to Inle Lake, but the buses were full, so we caught an overnighter all the way up to Mandalay, changing our planned route slightly. After taking one of the tiny blue Mazda Pick-up truck taxis from the bus station to find a hotel, we started to explore Mandalay. After lunch, the rains started to slow down and we walked to the Palace with a new Aussie friend Matthew. The Palace itself is surrounded by a huge moat, probably around 2 miles on each side. The palace has recently been restored with forced labour from the locals. A truth we are getting too familiar with. The palace was called the Glass Palace because of the small pieces of mirror decorating the outside. The structure however is wooden and painted red and yellow - quite beautiful really.
On our first full day in Mandalay, we walked to the Ayeyarwaddy river and promptly caught a boat upriver to Mingun Paya. The stupa at Mingun was slated to be the largest in the world at 150m (492 ft), and still would have been today. But alas, King Bodawpaya died in 1819, and work ceased on the structure, leaving the largest pile of bricks I have ever seen. The base built entirely of brick was complete, but a recent earthquake has produced several large crack in the brick structure. There is also the Mingun bell, the worlds largest, undamaged bell weighing in at a cool 90 tons nearby. You are able to climb up the steps to the top of the base, for great views of the area and Ayeryawaddy River. You can also see Hsimbyume Paya from the top.
We recognized Hsimbyume from somewhere...... oh yeah - the cover of the Lonely Planet Myanmar. So Michelle, taking the place of a young novice monk in a red robe, recreated the step across the arches to give our version of the picture. Check out this link to compare:
*Stub
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