Mandalay & AroundWhy Go?For those who haven’t been there – and that includes The Road to Mandalay author Rudyard Kipling – the mention of ‘Mandalay’ typically conjures up images of Asia at its most traditional and timeless. The initial reality can be a major anticlimax – a traffic-choked grid of interminable straight roads full of anonymous concrete buildings. But don’t de-spair – though it’s a relatively ‘young’, dynamic city, Man-dalay is Myanmar’s cultural capital. It’s easy to escape from the fumes and architectural banalities of the main streets in quarters full of craft workshops and tree-shaded monaster-ies. The temple-topped Mandalay, Yankin and Yedagon Hills offer welcomed exceptions to the city’s pan-flat topography, and several mini-theatres showcase traditional performing arts. Meanwhile, Mandalay is the main transport hub for northern Myanmar and offers a panoply of easy day-trip destinations, including four former royal capitals and the site of what would have been the world’s biggest stupa, had it ever been finished.

Best Religious Structures¨¨ Bagaya Kyaung (p249)

¨¨ Mahamuni Paya (p228)

¨¨ Mingun Paya (p255)

¨¨ Pahtodawgyi (p249)

¨¨ Shwe In Bin Kyaung (p230)

Best Views¨¨ River scenes, Ayarwaddy

River View Hotel (p236)

¨¨ U-Bein Bridge (p248), Taungthaman Lake

¨¨ City panoramas, 10th-floor Skybar of Shwe Ingyin Hotel (p236)

¨¨ Sagaing from Shin Pin Nan Kain (p253) or Shwe-Kyet-Kya (p254)

When to Go

Nov–Feb Peak tourist season: days hot but bearable, eve-nings mild or oc-casionally chilly.

Apr–Sep Heat gives way to seri-ous rain midsum-mer; widespread closures during Thingyan festival.

Oct & Mar Budget hotels less busy than at peak but air-con will be useful and rain is still possible.

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Mandalay°C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm

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4/10010/50

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30/86

40/104

20/68

Mandalay .................. 223Around Mandalay ...... 247Amarapura ................ 248Inwa (Ava) ................. 249Sagaing ..................... 252Mingun ...................... 255Paleik ........................ 256Pinya .......................... 256Yedagon Hills ............. 256Kyaukse ..................... 257

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KandawgyiLake

TaungthamanLake

ShwetaChaung

HantharwaddyVillage

Amarapura

PaleikVillage

Mingun

Tadu-U

Sagaing

GwagegyiVillage

YeHtwe

Mandalay

Fortress

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iver

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78th

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35th St

19th St

26th St

10th St

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Mandalay-Pyin Oo Lwin Rd

14th St88th St

30th St

TheikPan St

Yangon–Man

dalay Expressway

YankinHill

ThabyedanFort

'Road toMandalay'Jetty

PaleikSnake

Temple

MandalayJail

Pyi GyiMyat ShinBus Station

Boss Sweet &Win-Win 35

StoneCarvers

SinkyoneFortress remnants& Jetty

RoyalLake

Emperor

ShweTaung Tarn

RuparMandalar

Hotel Shwe Pyi Thar35 Skateworld

Mya KyaukMonastery

Bus Station(planned)

Golden ToothPagoda

Pinya StupaRuins

Shin PinNan Kain

MingunPaya

MahamuniPaya

Shwe In Bin Kyaung#æ

CyclingTour

U-Bein Bridge#1

#2

#3

#4#5

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#7Gold-Pounders'District

See AmarapuraMap (p248)

See CentralMandalay

Map (p228)

See Royal MandalayMap (p224)

See InwaMap (p250)

See MingunMap (p255)

See SagaingMap (p253)

#e0 5 km0 2.5 miles

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Taungbyone,Mataya

DYangon(550km)

D

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KaunghmudhawPaya (2km);Monywa

(8km);Yangon (550km)#–

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Railway Line toShwebo, Myitkyina

DYaytagon GolfCourse (2km);

Dhamma MandalaMeditation Centre(2.7km); Yedagon

Hills (3km)

DPyin Oo

Lwin

DPyin Oo

Lwin

1 Watch sunrise or sunset from the world’s longest teak bridge, U-Bein Bridge (p248)

2 Survey Sagaing’s monastery-dappled hills and gilded pagodas from Shin Pin Nan Kain (p253) pagoda

3 Ponder unfinished Mingun Paya (p255), reached by boat from Mandalay

4 Escape Mandalay’s bustle with our cycling tour (p233)

5 Potter around Mandalay’s lesser-known monasteries, including the teak masterpiece Shwe In Bin Kyaung (p230)

6 Arrive at Mahamuni Paya (p228) by 4am as attendants wash the face of the country’s most famous buddha image

7 discover crafts being made, including edible sheets of gold leaf, in the Gold Pounders’ District (p227)

8 Witness the two-man ‘elephant’ dance during an annual festival at little-visited Kyaukse (p257) or with free evening performances at Mya nandar restaurant (p240)

Mandalay & Around Highlights