Mandalay. It’s been one of the places that I wished to visit even though I didn’t really know much about. The name sounds like a resort town, but what I’ve found make me want to go back again.
While there are a lot to see in Mandalay, we decided to visit a few highlights, with more to be covered during our future visits. Before we checked in to the Sedona Hotel Mandalay, we stopped for lunch at one of the more popular Thai restaurants in town, Ko’s Kitchen. Interestingly, Thai food is very popular in Myanmar and the locals do see it as “trendy” to dine at these Thai restaurants.
We spent the afternoon visiting one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in the Union of Myanmar, the Mahamuni Buddha, which is one of the five likenesses of Buddha (2 are in India and 2 are in heaven) according to ancient belief. It is believed that those who worshipped the Mahamuni will get their wish granted. The evidence of those fulfillments can be seen in the gold and jewelry being offered to the Great Mahamuni.
What is more amazing is the daily ritual of face washing of the Mahamuni Buddha, which starts from 4.00-4.30am. This ritual has been ongoing since 1988 and has never missed a date since. Each morning, hundreds of devotees, both locals and tourists alike, join in to witness this fascinating ritual.
As the drum struck, the elder monk, chosen from other senior monks from across the country, assisted by several lay helps. will start washing the face, and teeth of the Mahamuni Buddha, all the while saying his prayers. All the utensils use in the ceremony are made of pure gold, offered by the devotees. Some offered fresh towels to be used during the ritual, which will be returned to them to worship at their own residences. After the washing is done, the elder monk sprinkled scented water on the Buddha, with some devotees offered a fresh bottle of perfumes to be used with the belief that this will be auspicious to them.
We next flew to Heho via Air Bagan from Mandalay with our destination begin the Inle Lake, a popular resort town by many expats and European tourists. From Heho Airport, we need to take a bus to Huping Pier to get on the long tail speedboat to our destinations. Along the way, we were accompanied by flocks of seagulls, many of them flying very close to us.
People living in the Inle Lake have been doing their cultivation on the water, with the helps of dense layers of weeds. Tomatoes are grown on these weeds, with natural fertilizers coming from the water. In fact, Inle has been producing the best tomatoes in Myanmar that are being used all over the country. Along our boat rides, we could see the locals during their farming, as well as “foot” pedaling their wooden sampan. An interesting sight.
We visited the Phaung Daw Oo Temple to pay homage to the Lotus Buddha. The five Buddha Images were handcrafted by ancient King, which are now covered in gold by the gold leaf offered by devotees over the years.
From the temple, the speedboat took us to Ko Than Hlaing Silk and Lotus Weaving House. The house produces lotus weaved cloths and scarfs, which are believed to be better than silk. From the demonstration, the process is rather time-consuming as the workers need to carefully cut the lotus stems to get thin fiber that will be used to weave together before producing them into scarfs. In fact, I did purchase one and I can guarantee you that it can really keep your neck warm during those chilly boat rides. I was also told that the lotus scarf will keep you cool during hot summer days too.
With the sunsetting, we decided to head back to the Myanmar Treasure Resort, where we spend a night. Obviously, I have always expected sunsets to be beautiful in Inle Lake, but what surprised me more, was the next morning.
While winter morning was cold, it was also beautiful. We spotted this view from behind the resort. I believe that I don’t need to say a word.
We then left Inle Lake, heading back to Yangon for our flight back to Bangkok. Nonetheless, with a couple of hours to kill before our evening flight, we visited another important pilgrimage site in the old capital, the Botataung Paya Pagoda, which resides the Sacred Buddha’s Sacred Hair-Relic. Botataung Paya means “stupas of 1,000 leaders”, named after 1,000 military leaders who gathered to welcome the Buddha’s Sacred Hair-Relic to Yangon. Next to the pagoda is statue of the revered Bo Bo Gyi, a Buddhist saint who has been worshipped by both locals and Thais.
With so many other places to see, I will definitely visit Myanmar again in the future when chances permit and I hope to bring you even more fascinating stories about the country and its people. If you’re deciding on your next vacation, I can recommend the Union of Myanmar as a good option.
*Please note that when visiting temples or religious sites in the Union of Myanmar, you must take off your shoes, and your socks in certain places, to show respect.
You can see more photos from our fascinating journey at our Facebook page.
