One of the more
interesting places to visit and get a great feel for the culture is the
Mahagandayon Monastery in Amarapura.
Buddhism is such a vital piece of life in Myanmar and visiting this or
any other major monastery will give you an insight into their identity. Constructed in 1914 this complex is known for
its strict religious discipline referred to as Vinaya and academics.
I wanted to
visit this particular monastery in Myanmar because it’s one of the largest in
the country and housed about 1,500 monks according to my tour guide. In the travel shows I’ve seen I wanted to
photograph them line up for lunch that is served everyday at 11 am. From what I had seen on TV was long lines
with the monks in complete silence as they keep their bowls in front of them to
accept donations or food offerings from the community.
I wish I could
offer some pictures of this amazing spectacle but my flight was delayed and
ended up missing the lunchtime ritual. I
did manage to walk the grounds and see how they live though. The interesting part was walking into the
kitchen because most of the kitchen staff are volunteers and the food is
provided by donations. The monks do not
even know what is on the menu because it depends on the donors that day! Also, even though I’ve worked at a restaurant
before and used to seeing large kitchens, I’ve never seen a kitchen designed to
feed over a 1,000 people though. It’s
kind of difficult for me to imagine how much preparation goes into making meals
on that type of scale.
My photo opportunity
of the lunchtime ritual wasn’t a complete loss though because I had a free day
towards the end of my trip and visited a large monastery in the Bago region
instead. Stay tuned for my blog on that
region.
The other must
see landmark in the Mandalay region and not too far south from the Mahagandayon
Monastery is the U Bein Bridge. Located
right on the Taung Tha Man Lake this bridge made of teakwood is said to be the
longest wooden bridge in the world. The
bridge is 1.1 km or 0.7 miles long and each wooden pile stands at roughly 6
meters or 20 feet high. I visited this
area in January when it was dry enough to walk on the ground. The monsoon season is quite a different story
though. The peak season is July and
August when the water is at its peak and the sunrises and sunsets make great
photos.
Built in the mid
19th century it was also named after the mayor who constructed it. There
are over a 1,000 pillars used in this bridge and despite its age it seemed to
be structurally sound. There are four pavilions along the bridge that
have vendors selling souvenirs to food and drinks. I’d suggest going here just to admire the
scenery and to relax. There are nearby
restaurants that offer a panoramic view of the U Bein Bridge. Try some of the local dishes and the local
beer Mandalay or a Regal 7 that I really liked too.
Happy traveling
and don’t forget the sunscreen or thanaka.
