Myanmar: The markets of Mandalay
It was April 2015 and I took the night bus from Yangon to Mandalay. I swear by public transport, that's the closest you come into contact with normal life. It is still a journey of more than seven hundred kilometers. It was too cold from the aircon, I pulled a blanket over me. I woke up several times along the way. At seven o'clock, at sunrise, I arrived in Mandalay. Faint colors painted the eastern sky.
The city is built at the foot of a hill that gave the city its name. That name means: Mandala (Pali word, 'flat land'; and Mandare (Pali word, 'auspicious place'). There are a number of important temples and palaces. After the third Anglo-Burmese War, the city was added to the British Empire Incorporated In the gaze of a 1885 global citizen, the whole English domination seems of an absurd military and colonial arrogance.
Many of the city's riches are now on display in London's Victoria and Albert Museum. Art theft is called such a thing. It is hardly known that in World War II, after heavy attacks in May 1942, the Japanese occupied the city and used it as a military center. The famous Bridge over the River Kwai, part of the logistical supply of war material from Japan via Thailand to Burma, ran to Mandalay. Thailand was supposedly neutral.
In March 1945, Mandalay Fort was heavily damaged by British bombing prior to liberation. But the liberation by the British was not very well received in Burma, because it heralded again the rule of the British. In 1948 the Burmese declared independence. The name Burma or Burma comes from the English and is therefore a colonial name. They named the country after an important population group, the 'Barmish' or 'Bamar'.
In Burma itself, the country was always called 'Myanma' or 'Myanmah', but the English corrupted it to 'Bamar' or 'Barmish'. That was not really acceptable for the many other population groups in the country. In 1989, the military regime renamed the state of Burma Myanmar – the Union of Myanmar. Not all countries in the world accept this name change, just as many countries, including Belgium, still consider Yangon as the official capital and not Naypyidaw.
What is the first thing I do when I arrive in a new environment? Just do it, hit the road! Looking for the people, folksy people. I dropped off some markets, walked to the Irrawaddy River (also called Ayeyarwady), watched as they unloaded ships, watched the evening fall, and went in search of some jasmine garlands to thank the Buddha for my auspicious journey.
Go on, go on…
I'm there again in my mind
Well written.
I made the journey from rangoon to mandalay by train in 1984
From Bangkok with Burma Airways to Yangon.
Burma then had 3 planes of dubious quality and every year one fell out of the sky.
There was also no communication between Bangkok and Rangoon and reserving a seat was simply not possible.
When there were more passengers than seats, someone was out of luck.
The flight attendant on the plane later turned out to be the hotel's receptionist as well.
On arrival it was noted how much money you had and this was also checked on departure.
I had to be able to show where I had spent the money.
The train journey to Mandalay was an experience in itself.
The carriages were not connected by a door, so the conductor climbed in from the outside through the window.
The poverty was great and soon I had given away my extra pair of shoes to a riska boy.
When he got into the riska he turned out not to be able to carry my weight of 60 kg and the suitcase of 10 kg and the bicycle wheels collapsed.
Gone was the boy's source of income.
Of course, a good compensation was given and an acquaintance was added.
The riska boy also said that every package that came from abroad was checked and foreign goods were confiscated.
when I nevertheless wanted to help someone, he advised to hide a few banknotes between the layers of cardboard of a cardboard box and not to put Western goods, but cheap stuff in the box.
The swedagon temple in Rangoon was beautiful.
At the entrance of the temple sat an elderly woman with a girl of about 10.
If I wanted to take the girl with me, she gestured to me.
On the way back to Bangkok ended up in a big thunderstorm, with the tea cups flying against the ceiling.
Given the current problems in Myamar today, I wonder what the country would have looked like Economically, human rights, tourism if it had remained under British rule.
It is a beautiful country, where a lot is wrong.
Been to Myamar a few times and traveled around there as well
You can only do the north and center, the rest is a problem.
Yangon, yes good for 2 days and then you have seen it, apart from a few temples there is not much to do, not even a decent nightlife.
Sorry, there are nice things to visit outside of Yangon, but all difficult and expensive because for 150 km you have to take a plane because the roads are not too bad
Hugo
Yes, beautiful country. I especially remember the boat trip on the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Pagan, where all those temples can be admired.
The country was so cheap at the time that you could pay for a stay of 2 weeks in the country with the proceeds of 20 boxes of 2 packs of cigarettes each on the black market and longer was not allowed.
Hugo
Outside Yangoon you can also visit the golden rock. We took a taxi there because it was a long distance. At the bottom of the mountain you have to transfer to a kind of small truck that takes you up and down again where the taxi is waiting. Of course this truck was for a small payment as there are about 30 people on it. The rock is a shrine and men are allowed to put a gold leaf on the rock, but it is forbidden for women. I can't remember the name, but google it and you'll find it. The rock hangs half over another rock.