Yandabo to Mandalay

Continuing up this fascinating river our next stop was at Yandabo which is famous for being the location where the Anglo-Burmese peace treaty was signed in 1826 but today is better known for its pottery making.  These pots are fundamental to the people of Myanmar to store water and food and are transported all over the country.  One persons can make 30 to 50 pots a day and each household has their own unique stamp.  To fire them they are arranged in a large circular pattern and covered with a large pile of ash, straw and wood which is set on fire and reaches a temperature of 1200 degrees for several days.  Had a lovely evening celebrating Steve's birthday complete with cake and a Myanmar serenade.  

February 4th we spent a lazy morning up on deck observing the life on the river and on shore.  There is always something to look at and one does not spend much time sitting in one place as both sides of the river offer different glimpses all the time.  After lunch we arrived in Inwa, which was the capital of the Burmese kingdom for more four centuries and is located at the confluence of the Ayeyarwady and Myitnage Rivers.  We explored the area by horse drawn buggies passing huge rice paddies and stopping to go in the Bagaya Monastery.  Built of teak it is beautifully adorned with artistic works of the Inwa Era but somehow perhaps due to its darkness it did not have the same beauty as many of the others hat we have visited.  Afterwards we went to Amapura to visit the U-Bien bridge, which is 1.2 kilometers long and built from teak planks from the dismantled palace is said to be the longest of its kind in the world.  We went out in small boats to watch the sunset at the bridge.  With a glass of champagne in hand it was a spectacular sight and a sunset we will always remember.

The next morning in Sagaing started off in a most memorable way with a food giving ceremony to the local Buddist monks from the crew and passengers of our ship.  A long procession of monks filed by and we're all given food and necessities as is the tradition in the Buddist faith.  It was very touching.  We the went to a nunnery where we met with several nuns and through an interpreter were able to discuss their way of life.  Some had become nuns as young as nine and we're now in their eighties.  Fascinating.in a day full of Myanmar culture we then went to a monastic education school which is a free school for all who can not afford as well as an orfanage for those with no parents.  A lot of the students come from monasteries and nunneries.  Started in 2003 with 31 students they now have 2556 students.  Classrooms are minimal but students seemed to be paying attention and learning.  It was heartwarming to see that teacher, many of them volunteers are trying to educate the young. We concluded our visit in Sagaing with a visit to a hilltop pagoda which gave us a panoramic view of the river and all the multitude of religious monuments.

A short ways along the river we sopped at Mingun where we first visited the the Mingun Pahtodawgyi which if it had been completed would have reached a height of 500 feet.  Started in 1791 it was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1838 but is still the largest brick base in the world.  We had a visit with the towns doctor who is their first and only opened his clinic two years ago in this town of sixty thousand people after a Japanese rotary club paid his way  through medical school.  His wife runs a small souvenir shop to help fund the clinic.  How lucky we are.  We then went to visit Myatheindan Pagoda which was built in 1816 and painted white as a representation of the mythical Buddist mountain Mount Meru.  The seven wavy terraces around the pagoda represent the seven mountain ranges surrounding Mount Meru and are absolutely stunning.  We climbed up the 88 steps for a view before taking an entertaining tuck tuk ride back to the ship so we could sail to our final destination of Mandalay.

We spent the last day of our river tour exploring Mandalay.  A city of over 1.6 million people it is one of many contrasts.  Modern high rises sit next to derelict old buildings giving evidence to a wide spread in economic positions.  Motorcycles are everywhere and the city is hot and dusty.  We made a visit to one of the remaining gold leaf workshops and the went to see the Mahamuni Buddha which was originally bronze but has been covered by thick layers of gold by the faithful.  This was the first pagoda that we visited that only men were allowed to go up to the Buddha.  We also visited a woodcarving,tapestry and puppet making workshop.  It was fascinating to see these craftsmen up close and be able to see all the finished products.  We stopped at Kuthodaw Pagoda which is said to contain the worlds largest book as it has Buddist scriptures inscribed on 729 marble slabs with each slab housed in a separate pagoda.  It is quite an impressive sight.

We completed our visit in Mandalay with a sunset visit to the monastery on the top of Mandalay Hill to enjoy the panoramic views.  It was really interesting to engage in conversation with some of the young monks who were there as they were eager to practice their English.  Tomorrow we leave the Ayeyarwady River behind but look forward with great anticipation to Inlay Lake.

Working on the foot driven lathe this lady makes 50 pots a day.

This woman was the owner of the operation and pounds the bottom of each pot by hand.

With an open engine and woven bamboo sides on the back this truck was quite appealing

This kitchen was actually bigger than most that we saw.  Note the stove with the kettle on it.

The village turns out thousands of pots yearly and ships them all over the country and some internationally 

Every business needs a supervisor and this gent seemed to be doing a great job

Life can get boring when mom is doing the laundry

This was our transportation around Inwa

Sunset at the U-Bien Bridge 

Reminded me a lot of ET

Every last moment was breathtaking 

A visit to a silk weaving factory was really interesting and the work was to intricate and time consuming 

The monks coming for their morning blessing. Not a word was spoken 

Eric presenting an offering to the monk

Nuns young and old at the nunnery

Kindergarten class at their lesson outside at the Monastic school

Grade five class not all so hard at work

Not quite the classroom facilities our children are used to

Lion seems to be guarding all the gold

Religious monuments dot the landscape in Sagaing

Either everyone does their laundry on the same day or perhaps it is an out door landramat 

Dry land storage just waiting for the rainy season to launch the boat

The stilts on these house indicate how high the water levels get in the rainy season 

These workers are all carrying hoses. Quite the irrigation system

Nothing seems to be done the easy way in Myanmar 

Fish nets stretched across a tributary with homes in the background and livestock in the foreground 

Largest brick base in the world in Mingun

Even cows need to get around 

A local makeup shop

Various fried goods. Some were small fish and some were worms. Yum

This pagoda was breathtaking. Looked like a giant wedding cake

Steve, Tina, Eric and I halfway up

Some entertaining Burmese dancers 

Pounding gold into gold leaf

Worshipping and putting gold leaf on the Buddha 

Sisters dressed up for their brothers novitiation ceremony

Craftsmen at the wood carving shop

Beading puppets

Tapestry work

Finished puppets

Wooden monastery 

Worlds largest book

One page of the book

Monastery on Mandalay Hill

Beautiful tile work and contrasting colours

Feast for the eyes

Friendly young monks wanting to engage in conversation 

Pagodas lit up like Christmas trees