23: Road to Mandalay….and Bagan via the Irrawaddy (Ayeryarwady)

Women dressed in traditional longi with man in suit,  next to a motorcycle in Mandalay
These bell shaped gilded stupas are a familiar sight throughout Burma.

We were scheduled to take an early flight from Yangon to Mandalay and were given the astonishing meeting time of 3:30am. We would have a continental breakfast ready for us in the Dining Room, and then board the bus for the airport by 4pm.

All went well. Of the twenty-eight in our group, only five were students. Apparently another Semester at Sea field program, Beach and Elephant Camp, was wildly popular with the students and there would be three different groups making that trip. The faculty liaison for this trip was a wonderful couple from Pittsburgh – he an astronomer and biologist, and she a long time university registrar.

Our first stop in Mandalay was the U Bein Bridge, which according to our guide, is the longest wooden bridge in Burma. One of the benefits of our early morning flight is that we got there before the rush of other tourists. There were no large groups there yet, so our visit was leisurely. We were able to enjoy the changing colors of the sky as the sun rose further into the sky, while the sounds of chanting from a nearby temple filled the air.

U Bein Bridge, the longest wooden (teak) bridge in Burma. It was early morning when we arrived, so the colorfully decorated boats in the foreground sat idle.

Tourists and locals silhouetted in the early morning light on the U Bein Bridge in Mandalay.

Additional stops that day included the requisite temples: Mahamuni Pagoda in the morning and Shwe Kyaung (Golden Pagoda Monastery) and Kuthodaw Pagoda in the afternoon.  We even squeezed in visits to a weaving workshop and decorative wood carving workshop. Shwe Kyaung was a very pleasant surprise. Known for its intricate wood carvings which cover every inch of its exterior, photographing it – capturing its tactile complexity and patterns – was challenging, but in a good way.

The beautifully and densely carved facade of Shwe Kyaung (Golden Pagoda Monastery), in Mandalay.

This reproduction ceremonial helm of the Naga tribe, caught Gary's eye (he is still disappointed that he could not bring back the yak skull he had bought - and then had to return - in Lhasa...). We think that water buffalo and wild boars contributed their parts to this flamboyant creation, though the shop lady said something about horses...

The gold leaf stupa of the Kuthodaw Pagoda, set amid the white washed smaller pavilions.

The many pavilions on the grounds of the Kuthodaw Pagoda house individual stone slabs
inscribed to form the "largest book".

Monks approaching the inner sanctum of the Kuthodaw Pagoda.

We had an early departure the second day as well. We left the hotel at 5:30am and were on the boat that would take us up the Irrawaddy River to Bagan before the sunrise. Though we were apprehensive about the twelve hours we would spend on the river, it was surprisingly relaxing and comfortable, despite the intense afternoon heat.  All along the Irrawaddy, daily life was on display. Men and women fished, washed clothes, children played. There were villages and temples, and farms. We drank coffee, had snacks, took photographs and napped (the students in the morning, the older people in the afternoon…). We all got to know each other better.

On the Irrawaddy, traveling at about 10 knots, heading to Bagan.

Life along the Irrawaddy...

The highlight of the river trip was our mid-day visit to Yandabo village. This village’s economy depended on the production of terracotta pots crafted from clay found on its riverbank. We observed the process they used to throw the pots, which were then dried in the sun, pounded or “stamped” with a wood mallet, then dried again, and finally fired – not in a kiln, but in a big heap, covered with brush and ash and cow dung, in a smoldering charcoal fire. We enjoyed the interaction we had with the village children and other residents of the village, who seemed somewhat amused by all of us, and very willing to smile for photographs and “talk.”

Yandabo Village work: pots, firewood and fruit. When we were there, peanuts were also being harvested.

Trading introductions with the children who run over to greet our boat.

Gary coaxes a smile from a shy little girl standing in the shade of an ox cart.

The village's livelihood depends on these clay pots drying in the mid-day sun.
Pots are stamped with distinct patterns, unique to each family.

Our procession through the village amuses these women.

The sun sets on the Irrawaddy as we approach Bagan.

On the drive to our hotel in New Bagan, we got to see a little of old Bagan. Some consider Bagan to be the “Angkor” of Burma. During the height of the Pagan Kingdom (9^th – 13^th centuries CE) that first unified the various regions that would later become Burma, over 10,000 temples, stupas and monasteries. Today over 2,000 remain, some currently in use, others, reconstructed and still others left to ruin. They sit, almost randomly littered, in lovely picturesque counterpoint to the flat Bagan plains.

Resourceful children selling their sketches to tourists to use as postcards. The paste on the young girl's face is called "tanaka". It is worn by children and women, to protect the skin and enhance the complexion.

The next day, what I wanted to do more than anything was get out on foot or on a bicycle to explore the plains. The early morning light was golden….but our itinerary had us heading to the local market….darn.

Small stupas and temples in the morning sun....the golden landscape beckoned, but we were heading to the market.

The market was fascinating. Gary loves markets and all the varied, crazy foods and smells and people. We soon got separated, carried away by the crush of people into the areas that drew our interest most. After taking some shots with my wide-angle lens, I changed to my 77mm and started taking people shots.

The market was bustling with people - arranging, chatting, buying and selling.

Bananas...and more bananas....

Amid the fruit and vegetable stalls were food stands where people were being served breakfast.

Young girl tends a beetle nut leaf stall in the Market.

We got to a few of the major temples and stupas in Bagan: Ananda, Shwezigon, Gubyaukgi, Mahabodi, and Htilominlo. And we finally did get some free time to roam on our own (but it was in the harsher mid day sun which wasn’t so good for photographs…), and then enjoyed a bumpy fun ride on a horse drawn carriage to one of the temples that we could climb to view the sun setting over the plains.

Thatbyinnyc Temple, c 1150 CE.

Shwezigon Stupa, 1102 CE.

Htilominlo Temple, 1218 CE.

rtist at one of the many shops that line the compound of the Htilominlo Temple.

Looking upward at the Htilominlo Temple.

Facade detail of Htilominlo Temple.

AnandaTemple, 1105 CE.

Niches housing smaller Buddhas line the corridor that allows you to circumambulate
the four standing Buddhas, one facing each direction, that are located in the center.

Our ride into the sunset on horse drawn carriages.

The temple we would climb to get sunset views over the Bagan plains was already packed with tourists.

One surprise was how interesting we found the local lacquer workshop. I remember looking at the lacquer tea set that my grandparents had brought back from Bejing in the 1960’s. I assumed that it was made of some type of paper mache, since it was so very light. At this workshop, we found that they actually started with very thin strips of bamboo, sometimes woven together with horsehair for added flexibility. On this base was then layered the many coats of lacquer, each requiring several months of drying time (which took place in the basement of the workshop).

The many stages of creating lacquer (start at the middle and spiral clockwise).

On the way to the airport, we made one last stop. It was a village where they would be showing us their traditional ways of weaving, farming and silver working. Though we all knew we were probably being shown the village that might best suit our “western” sensibilities, it was still quite pleasant to wander through and try to interact with the local people.

Gary visits with two toddlers observing village life from their swing.