Myanmar (Burma), Mandalay, Sagaing
12/12/04 Filed in: Travel
The road to Mandalay is long and as usual bumpy and
in the end we arrive just a little too late to see
the Ayeyarwady River winding through the valley. The
city of Mandalay is much quieter and cleaner than
Yangon and a perfect place for a day’s rest.
It’s here that I learn how to play Burmese
pool. In this game you play on an oversized pool
table, 2 men and one beautiful Burmese girl play the
game together. The girl plays between the shots of
the men, taking first one shot for one man, then one
shot for the other. People gather around trying to
see who the girl will make points for, who’s
shot she will miss. You never know which way the game
will go.
The next morning we head out on a day trip to Sagaing, a small mountain area that is known as the meditation center of all Myanmar. Our driver lets us off at the top of the mountain and we walk down, passing along the way so many monks, as well as some sweet, angelic nuns, young and old. So many different people seem to be drawn here over the years to spend time in meditation. Perhaps another day, another time it might be interesting to return to do long meditation on the mountain, but not today. Instead we head back toward Mandalay, stopping to see traditional stone carving and finally a walk across the kilometer long wooden footbridge, where hundreds on monks enjoy the sunset. A perfect end to a sweet, quiet day of exploration.
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com
The next morning we head out on a day trip to Sagaing, a small mountain area that is known as the meditation center of all Myanmar. Our driver lets us off at the top of the mountain and we walk down, passing along the way so many monks, as well as some sweet, angelic nuns, young and old. So many different people seem to be drawn here over the years to spend time in meditation. Perhaps another day, another time it might be interesting to return to do long meditation on the mountain, but not today. Instead we head back toward Mandalay, stopping to see traditional stone carving and finally a walk across the kilometer long wooden footbridge, where hundreds on monks enjoy the sunset. A perfect end to a sweet, quiet day of exploration.
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com