September 8, 2007

Mandalay (MYANMAR)

Walking Tour of Mandalay and Climbing Mandalay Hill

The over-night bus arrived in Mandalay, the former capital of Myanmar, at 4am this morning. I was groggy eyed after a sleepless night and didn't feel like dealing with the touts who swarmed the bus when they saw two westerners getting off. These men must have been sleeping at the bus station because there were at least seven of them holding up signs for various guest houses. I ended up picking the Nylon Guest House because no place with a name like that could be too expensive. It was a 45 minute ride into the city, and we had to wait around for a while before being admitted. We were given a cheap room on the fifth floor which was more climbing than anyone should have to endure at 5am, but there was a great view that would make up for it later.

After making up for a few hours of lost sleep we set out on a walking tour of the city. We started off eating lunch at a Shan restaurant (ethnic group in Myanmar) called Lashio Lay. There were a dozen dishes (mostly curries with rice and vegetarian options) on offer, with fans to counter the heat and attendants donning yellow, green, and red Shan flags. The prices were cheap, but it has become habit to drink Mandalay Beer at every meal and this inevitably raises the average cost. Fortunately, the beer has a 7.5% alcohol content (compared to, say, 4% for Budweiser) so it goes to work quickly. When the temperature is in the 90s (35 degrees Celsius) cold beer is a real must-have.

The streets of Mandalay are much quieter and more laid back than those of Yangon. More importantly, the city is infinitely cleaner and isn't plagued by constant rain.

We passed by several interesting temples and pagodas, such as the shaded and peaceful Shwekyimyint Paya, where we were able to rest from the oppressive heat. I tried sitting down with another fortune-teller at this particular Buddhist complex, but he seemed more interested in my money than offering me any sound advice. I really have had enough with fortune-telling nonsense.

In the center of town there was a permanent market spanning half a dozen blocks and selling everything under the sun. Although the style was far different from that of Inle Lake (this was a much larger 'city market'), it maintained the same 'local' feel. This time I was in the market for hot chilies, and I found what I was looking for at the stall shown to the left. I wanted to show off my masculine side, so I strolled through the baskets looking for the biggest and hottest chilies. Then, when I had the attention of everyone around I popped two of them in my mouth and hid the pain from my face. There were sounds of astonishment (which made my day) and I proceeded to buy a bag full. The sad thing was I spent the next 30 minutes in a heavy sweat with a severe case of the hiccups (likely my body's attempts to regurgitate the chilies).

Despite a lay-over at an ice-cream parlor, we were worn out by the mid-afternoon heat. Jo and I went inside the beautiful Eindawya Paya (yes, yet another golden pagoda) where we joined a group of locals resting on the covered marble flooring. I passed out while Jo read her book. When I woke up, she was playing peek-a-boo with a shy group of boys who were obviously curious of the blonde-haired blue-eyed foreigner. I quickly chased them away out of jealousy.

As it was getting late in the day, we hired a trishaw (bicycle powered transport) to Mandalay Palace and Fort. It was a ride straight across town, so we had to switch trishaw drivers halfway. I don't like riding under someone else's power, but this is the local custom here and I figure it is better he has my business, and thus my money, than nothing at all. Besides, I always give a generous tip because the drivers are often covered in sweat.

Mandalay Palace and Fort occupy the center of the city and the compound is surrounded by a square moat, 3.2km on each side. It is really a sight to behold as the 70m-wide moat leads to 8m-high walls and there are armed guards at both the East and West entrances. The background of the crimson and gold palace is somewhat depressing as forced labor was used. In fact, in the rebuilding efforts young males had to contribute one day's labor every month. Such a background took away from the grandeur of the complex because for every amazing building one could not help thinking of the man forced to build it.

The other strange aspect of the complex was that foreigners were not allowed to veer off the main road. There were camps positioned throughout, but armed guards stood at all the intersections and did not allow us past. They were quite serious about us not speaking to anyone, so we couldn't help wondering what is still going on behind the scenes.

The sight-seeing wasn't done yet as we decided to climb Mandalay Hill for a sunset view of the surrounding valley. If I had known what a long climb it was beforehand I might have opted for a ride to the top, but in my ignorance I figured we could storm up the hill.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Although it is only 230m high, reaching the top required a 45 minute barefooted walk up never-ending steps and past numerous shrines. It really was rough going after a long day of walking the city, and Jo was well into her "You're going to pay for making me do this" stage. The picture to the right shows her pouting, although I tried my best to make it up to her by paying $1.50USD for a Coke.

Fortunately, the views from the top were worthwhile, and the picture to the left should speak for itself. Once again, I was amazed to see there was an actual elevator one could use to ascend the final several flights of stairs (after taking a truck up the remainder of the hill). I fail to understand how anyone could travel in such a way as it defeats the entire purpose of seeing and experiencing a country. Why not just buy a postcard from the top or take a helicopter directly there?

Our night was still far from over. We rode in the back of a small truck to a restaurant on the other side of town where we were served a variety of curry and vegetables dishes (more Shan food). We were basically killing time before going to see the internationally renowned Moustache Brothers. They are a group of three brothers who have been doing stand up comedy in Myanmar for generations, but they reached the world spotlight when two of the brothers were taken by the military junta for making political jokes. Two of the brothers were then imprisoned and forced to do chain labor for six years before international pressure led to their release. The biggest campaigners on their behalf were Bill Maher (American comedic commentator with a show on HBO) and Bob Reiner. They were even mentioned in the Hugh Grant film About A Boy, which was something I found amusing.

Anyway, the brothers now perform out of their garage, and there is constantly someone surveying the street to make sure it is safe to continue. They have been performing for several years now, so I was not too worried about being arrested. Only one of the brothers, Lu Maw, could speak English, and his vaudeville act was rooted on using quirky sayings that only native English speakers should know. It was a great deal of fun, and everyone was beside themselves with laughter during the 90 minute performance.