Mandalay City Sights
Sunset on Mandalay. The city is on a flat plain next to the Irrawaddy river. It is dominated by the ancient fort which covers several square miles of city center.
Floating restaurant in the moat surrounding the fort
Faye encounters some Buddhist nuns. Quite a contrast. Beyond the fort and some of the shopping for arts and crafts which is covered in some other sections of this branch, the major attractions in Mandalay are the Buddhist pagodas. The following is an example.
The outer arrival gate to the Kyaukatawgyi Pagoda grounds. On foot from here.
Heading to the main pagoda.
Entry to the center altar.
More interesting to me than the altar area is the commercial section where religous art goods are sold. Take a look below.
The round, pointed containers are ceremonial gift boxes for holding offerings of food or money to the monks. They are really beautiful in their own right.
More.
Buddhas and decorative thrones for them to sit on.
Carving wooden buddhas. And laquering them.
An amazing collection of great "stuff".
Some regular shopping helps. Faye in a silk shop.
One interesting part of Mandalay is its spralling and active waterfront on the Irrawaddy. Hundreds of boats coming and going with interesting cargo and passengers.
This part of the port is for timber logs from the far north. Logs arrive bundled together in large rafts . Here they are unbundled, stripped and cleaned, and sold for use.
No matter how hot or dirty our travels were around Mandalay, it was always a pleasant escape to return to our luxurous hotel. In this case, the Novatel. This is the view from our window in the morning.
Breakfast by the pool was superb.