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Mandalay city in Upper Burma (Myanmar) has cheap Hotels,Mahamuni Pagoda,Temples,on the Ayeryarwaddy (Irrawaddy) River.
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MANDALAY
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Coming & Going:
By overnight train from Rangoon (Yangon). About 16-20 hours, $30-35. Leaves 5pm arrives Mandalay about midday. Advantage is a reclining seat and plenty of room.

By air. Myanmar Airways and Air Mandalay fly daily to/from Rangoon.

Bus. Cheap and popular (i.e.crowded). from the highway bus depot in rangoon (near to the airport), $5-8 one way. Leaves 5pm. Arrives Mandalay about 11am. not a great journey. Leo Express and New Orient Express are best for travellers.

Arriving by bus. It will probably stop just outside town and foreigners will be encouraged to transfer to a Hotel mini-bus to go into the city. Its a scam to get you to stay at that Hotel, but you don't have to and they are nice about it, so its an ok way to get into town.

Buses leaving Mandalay now go from the Highway Bus Centre, about 20 minutes from downtown (K500 to get there) except for pick-up trucks to nearer destinations which go from various street corners. To Bagan K400, Nyaung Schwe/Inle Lake K300. Easiest is to get your hotel to buy the ticket for you.
Ayeryarwaddy RiverNovices Initiation Ceremony
Getting around:
Hire a bike from your hotel (K200 per day).
Leave plenty of time, Mandalay is flat and good for cycling, but it can be a long ride from say Mandalay Hill to Mahamuni Pagoda.
Taxis are easily available but they are comparatively expensive and difficult to negotiate a price.
The drivers seem to have a price collusion going and are not terribly interested in going anywhere for less.

Trishaw (Sai Kaa). Cheap and easy and plentiful. K50-100 for short trips around town.
Most drivers have to pay K100 daily to the owner and might not get a job in a day, don't be afraid to tip.Many speak english and will be helpful tour guides.

Horsecart. Away from the main centres you will come across horsecarts. Cheap and liesurely.
drivers may not have as much english as trishaw drivers. Take a map.
Hassles:Not many.

Attractions: Everybody seems to go to Mandalay Hill for sunset. The walk up the hill is an interesting adventure, seemingly winding on forever. taking a taxi to the top and an elevator to the platform seems like cheating.
Mahamuni Pagoda.
very big area of pagoda and peripheral buildings.
Holds the highly revered Mahamuni Buddha image smothered in gold, except for the face which is washed with Thanaka paste at 4am every morning. old scripture books on display. it is also an important educational centre.

Old Cities. the old capitals of Burma. Mingun, Amarapura, also Sagaing are nearby and make an interesting excursion.

Mandalay Palace. The last royal residence of the Burmese kingdom. A square walled compound about one km on its side and surrounded by a moat. The last Burmese King, Mindon Min's grave is there.

Mandalay Hill. Sprinkled with temples around the base and all the way up. Popular for sunset viewing. Walk up the steep winding track or take a taxi from the bottom. The big surprise is the lift and escalator at the top to help frail people.

Events: January full moon there is an enormous parade and ordination of monks. See the parade and go to a Temple (e.g. Eindawya, Mahamuni) to see the ceremony. The process takes all day.
Mandalay is a Marionette centre. Shows are easy to find.

Shopping:
Mandalay is a centre for silk weaving, gold leaf making, marionettes, embroidery. Craft shops will sell many of these items. Zegyo Market and other buildings across the road provide an enormous and busy experience. Most stuff is low quality or second hand. There is a night market here along the canal. Regular shops sell imported electronics (Sony,Toshiba,JBL etc).

Gem shops are around, be careful and do research before buying. Burmese rubys are often not highly regarded in the west (the colour is not right). Keep your receipt if you do buy some, you may have to show it when leaving Burma.

Mogok is now open to visitors with a permit, if you are serious about gems it might be worth a trip up there (possible Malaria area).
Behaviour: Regular thing in temples. modest clothing and no shoes or socks.
  FACTS.   
Telephone Info: Country code=95. Area Code=02. then the 5 digit phone no.
Local exchanges are very variable. if you can't get through to Rangoon or International, try another hotel phone a few blocks away.
Electricity: 220V. 50Hz. Fairly good supply.
Money: The Foreign Exchange Bank used to change US$ Travellers' Cheques, but like Yangon this may now be not available (2004). Your hotel (and freelancers on the street) will change US$ cash, and maybe Thai Baht.
Weather: in Dec-Feb, the main tourist season, it will not rain. It is quite warm in the daytime (28-30ºC) and very pleasant at night (no sweater needed).

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