Mandalay

My flight from Yangon to Mandalay took a little over an hour. A taxi took me to my hotel, where I was lucky to get a free upgrade to a superior room. In the evening I enjoyed the rooftop views from the hotel.

Next morning I went by tuk-tuk to the temple sites on the foot of Mandalay hill. After strolling around at these sites I climbed the stairs up the hill to enjoy the views over Mandalay. I returned at the hotel in time for a sundowner at the rooftop.

With one more day to spend in Mandalay I found myself another tuk-tuk to take me around the former royal capitals that are located around Mandalay. First we visited Sagaing, where the hills are dotted with Buddhist spires and temples. From there we went to Inwa, were I visited some more ancient sites in a horse-drawn carriage.  On the way to Mingun (where I visited some more sites and pagodas) we passed by a traditional Buddhist ceremony parade with many different and colourful outfits.

The last point of visit was the U Bein bridge, world's longest teak footbridge. Since I was surrounded by bus-loads of tourists it was obvious that being here at sunset was on the itinerary for most visitors of Mandalay.