Mandalay & Yangon

Both former capitals of Myanmar (Burma), the cities of Mandalay and Yangon (Rangoon) are two very contrasting places.

Mandalay is located in the northern part of Myanmar with the evenings quite cool. It has a population of about 1 million and feels more like a country town. The city is dominated by Mandalay Hill and the huge Fort, complete with moat, shown below

The hills around Mandalay from the hotel roof looked quite spectacular in the late afternoon sun.

Mandalay is a quiet, unhurried place. The photo below shows one of the main streets of Mandalay with two of the tiny Mazda Taxis that transport people around. It was a tight squeeze in the back for two Westerners!

The U Bein bridge is one of the highlights of the Mandalay area. The bridge is over 200 years old, made of teak and about 1.2km long. There was big crowd walking across as it was the Independence Day Public Holiday, celebrating the end of British rule on January 4, 1948.

Yangon is a biggest and busiest city in Myanmar, but with its wide streets and grand old buidings, a legacy of the British colonial era, it has a very different feel to other Asian cities. Sule Pagoda, shown below, is located in the heart of the city.

Below is abother street scene and some old buildings.

The old British-style architecture in the street below is now the home of many of the Government Departments.

The photo below shows the High Court Building behind Mahabandoola Garden.

Shwedagon Pagoda is the heart and soul of Yangon. The pagoda grounds sit on a hill, and with the stupa of gold rising up a further 100 metres, it is an impressive sight.

The photo below gives some perspective of its size - check out the workers carrying out repairs.

The pagoda grounds full of different shrines, stupas, pavillions and bells. The photos below show some of them.

One final view of Swedagon Pagoda.