Thursday 11/3/2016 - Mandalay: Local breakfast, Aung Nan Handicrafts Workshop (wood carving), Myanmar Muh Mandalay (bronze casting), Carving of marble Buddha statues, King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop, Kuthadow Pagoda, Mandalay HillWe had to wake up early again for a flight to Mandalay. This would be our last flight until the end of the trip, for which we were grateful. We had spent much time in planes and airports over the past few days, and we looked forward to being able to rearrange our belongings without having to worry about carry-on rules.We left for the airport at 6:15 a.m., as the sun was starting to rise over the bungalows of our resort. On the drive to the airport, we could see dozens and dozens of hot air balloons taking off and rising over the temples of Bagan as the sun rose. It looked so surreal. If we had one regret on this trip, it is that we didn't have an extra day in Bagan. There is so much to see and do there, and one day simply wasn't enough. We would have liked to have been able to do a balloon ride, as well as a horse cart ride through Old Bagan. Our itinerary did not allow this because of the departure date of the upcoming river cruise, but we would definitely recommend at least two days to explore Bagan. There was a cute shop in the airport called Last Chance Bagan, and I bought two nice (but inexpensive) marionettes. Zaw checked us in and took care of our luggage. He handed out stickers which indicated our airline and destination. Soon we boarded the plane. It was only a 25 minute flight to Mandalay. As we approached, we noticed that the rivers were more full of water here than elsewhere. Zaw once again took care of collecting our luggage. We met our new driver and his assistant Mg Han Thu Rai Tun as we boarded our bus. Mg Han Thu Rai Tun is just a teenager, but he is excellent at his job. He was especially good with Craig. He realized that Craig has trouble with balance, and helped him on and off the bus, as well as across streets and up and down slopes. We turned on to the Yangon–Mandalay Expressway and drove toward the city. We looked out the rear window of the van amd saw the 4-lane Expressway heading off toward the new capital city of Naypyidaw. Roadside mile markers were expressed as fractions: 353/3. Zaw explained that Myanmar uses furlongs in addition to miles to measure distances. A furlong is an eighth of a mile. So 353/3 indicates that we are currently 353 miles and 3 furlongs from Yangon. We stopped for an amazing local breakfast at a restaurant called Sein Wah, which translates to "Green and Yellow." We were the only foreigners in the place, which was covered by a corrugated tin roof strategically positioned so that a large tree could protrude from the center. The young women at the counter greeted us with shy smiles, and the plentiful staff pulled together some tables to accommodate our 8 person group. This was clearly not a tourist restaurant, which made it all the more appealing. Eat where the locals eat; they know who serves the freshest and most authentic food! Zaw ordered local specialties for us - bowls of deliciously spicy Shan noodles, giant minced pork dumplings, pork "meatballs", fried tofu, and cruller-shaped fried dough. We had our coffee Burmese-style, with condensed milk. The restaurant manager stood next to our table and called the servers whenever we were running low on anything. We noticed that to get their attention, he made the kissy noises that in the United States are reserved for calling animals. Even though it was perfectly acceptable here (and in fact we would notice it in all restaurants from now on), it made us a bit uncomfortable, because we could only imagine how a server at home would respond to being summoned in that manner. Everything was absolutely delicious, and we couldn't stop eating. It probably wins out as our favorite meal on the entire trip. Nothing fancy, just fresh, tasty local food. Added bonus: the entire bill for our party of eight was only $16 US dollars! We stuffed ourselves to bursting for $2 apiece! Mandalay is best known for its artisanship, and we spent the morning visiting various craft workshops. Each trade has its own district on the outskirts of the city. After a short drive, we reached Aung Nan Handicrafts Workshop. A variety of craft techniques were being performed here. You could watch the artisans and buy pieces which had been hand-crafted here. The wood carvers worked in an open-air workshop under a roof outfitted with flourescent tube lights. Carvings were piled on every available surface. Men sat on the ground carving teak wood in elaborate designs using hand tools. Delicate curlicued shavings littered the ground. We could see paper templates which are traced onto the teak to indicate the most basic shape of the carving. Once the broad strokes are carved, the artisans could focus on the extremely delicate, detailed, nuanced work. The finished carvings were unbelievably intricate and three dimensional. It requires six years of study as an apprentice to attain the skills necessary to do this level of work. As we prepared to enter the showroom from the work shed, we passed a cage which contained some young kittens. They had food and water in the cage, but as I walked by, one precocious kitten clung to the sie of the cage and meowed at me. His mouth opened as wide as possible and I was able to photograph him in this position. I guess he just wanted some attention. He is a calico and looks similar to our cat Maya. The other cat in the photo looks like our other cat, Maya's son Inca. Inside the workshop, artisans were making many different crafts. One woman was creating hands for marionettes as her young daughter watched a video on mom's iPhone. The marionettes here were of very good quality. Some were even life-sized! They were all dressed in elaborate costumes. Rows upon rows of them hung on the wall. Another woman worked on a kalaga (embroidered and sequined three dimensional wall hangings on black velvet) stretched over a wooden frame while her toddler slept on her lap. We carefully wandered around the showroom, which was crowded with beautiful and delicate works of art. Though the "aisles" might be wide enough for Burmese people to pass through, we are significantly larger. One false move could trigger an avalanche. The place felt like a cross between a museum and a long-forgotten storage shed. And everything was for sale! I fell in love with a carved wooden head (the kind that would be attached to a marionette), which had been painted in such a way that it looked antique. It was actually quite reasonably priced, so we bought it. Next, we visited a bronze casting workshop. Bronze casting has a long history in Myanmar. This particular bronze district in the Tampawadi Quarter dates back to 1783. We visited Myanmar Muh Mandalay workshop, which sees the process through from beginning (smelting) to end (selling the end product: statues, bells, gongs, etc.) We saw the stacked red brick smelting ovens, and we watched an artisan shaping a form out of clay which will be used as part of the moulding process. He was sculpting a Buddha, and was referencing an illustration as a guide. He used a knife to carve away excess clay. A young man wearing white ear buds and dark sunglasses welded two halves of Buddha's bronza body together. Other people polished the finished bronze pieces. The artisans would flash shy smiles our way. It was very interesting to see the various stages of the process, and we wandered around the work area observing. Craig really appreciates craftsmanship, and could have lingered watching any step of any trade for hours. There were many stops on today's agenda, so we had to keep him moving. We were dwarfed by the mould for a giant Buddha statue. As we wandered around, we lookup up and saw a partially constructed clay form for a 12 foot tall statue of General Aung San. The final design of the larger than life Bogyoke was depicted in illustrations. We went into the small shop and saw a variety of items produced by the workshop. These included a modern-art style portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi, Buddhas of various sizes, bells, and gongs. We bought a small round bronze "spinning gong" which came with a wooden mallet. The proprietor encouraged us to try several, to make sure we got one which produced a sound that we liked. We chose one with a very pleasant tone. The gong itself is inlaid with elephant and lotus imagery. As we exited, we saw many bronze bells lined up on the patio. These were the type of bells that would be installed in a pagoda. They were approximately one foot tall. Some had the hanger attached to the top and others didn't. I can't imagine how heavy the bells must be, given that I was unable to lift the hanger alone! Next, we drove to the marblework district. We walked down a road which houses many shops where they create marble Buddha statues. The marble comes from a quarry 27 miles away from Mandalay. As the workers ground down the marble with power tools, the fine white marble dust stuck to their faces, reminiscent of the thanaka paste that local women wear to protect their skin. The group didn't linger for long on this street, as the air was thick with dust, making us cough. We can only imagine the long-term effects on the health of those who work with this day in and day out. Buddha statues of various sizes were lined up on a patch of roadside grass, complete except that each had a white marble block-shaped head. It looked very surreal. Zaw explained that they leave the heads unfinished until someone purchases the Buddha. The customer can then specify what type of facial expression they want: serene, smiling, etc. As we walked down the street, we encountered some piles of broken and/or discarded carved marble partially obscured by roadside weeds. It felt like we were making an archaeological discovery. Our last artisan stop this morning was at a gold leaf workshop in the Myat Par Yat section of Mandalay. There are over 20 gold leaf workshops in this district. We visited King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop, where gold ingots are turned to gold leaf, which can be used to gild anything from lacquerware to stupas. Applying small gold leaf squares to pagodas and Buddha statues earns merit for Buddhists. A one ounce 24-karat gold ingot is pounded into a long, narrow ribbon of foil. This strip is cut into very small pieces. They then put these pieces between translucent sheets of bamboo paper. There is an elaborate process including 3 years of soaking bamboo pulp in lime to create this paper, which acts like waxed paper, preventing the gold leaves from sticking together. They stack these layers of gold and bamboo paper and put them into a box made of animal hide. They then beat this with an extremely heavy mallet for three timed sessions. They have traditionally used water and a coconut husk with a hole in it as a timer. The first and second session last 30 minutes each, and then a marathon third session lasts for five hours! Needless to say, the four yong men who stood before us pounding the gold leaf were in excellent physical shape. We were mesmerized by the percussive "music" as the workers beat the gold leaf, falling into a complementary rhythm, maintaining it for a while, and then becoming less syncopated. It reminded us of some of our favorite Tom Waits albums (Stephen Hodges' percussion on Raindogs, in particular). Although there was a traditional timer, these young artisans instead opted to time their sessions using their iPhones. The process results in each sheet of gold leaf becoming gradually thinner and increasing in surface area. The gold leaf is then cut to specific dimensions and packaged by women sitting on the floor at low tables in a closed room. We entered the room and watched them performing the delicate process while chatting happily to one another. Stacks of shiny gold were then tied with cheerful red yarn. A man in the same room applied gold leaf to lacquer figures. The whole process was so precise, and yet so timeless. There is no 21st century technology required here, unless, of course, you count the iPhone timer. After the demonstration, we looked at the various beautiful pieces in the showroom, including two gold leaf portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi on black lacquer. We purchased a small souvenir. The young salesman who helped us was wearing an inspirational T-shirt which read "You will never know your limits until you push," rendered in multicolored letters in a collection of 1980's fonts. Toni bought something also, and the three of us had a small piece of gold leaf applied to our foreheads.  Zaw asked if we wanted to try some local sweets, and took us to a small convenience store next door. They had trays of different colored gelatinous candies made from sticky rice. We sampled a piece and it was very good. This shop was also staffed by a large number of friendly women, this time wearing matching lavendar polo shirts. We looked at the various unfamiliar packaged food products. It was hot and humid, and the allure of an ice cold drink was something that we couldn't pass up. We saw that they had lynchee flavored Sunkist in pink cans. We each bought a can and enjoyed its refreshing chill. Mg Han Thu Rai Tun, our driver's assistant, offered Craig a chair in front of the convenience store, and helped him to cross the busy street. Next we went for a buffet lunch at the Golden Shan Restaurant. We ate upstairs, having white pumpkin soup and a variety of local dishes. I wasn't all that hungry after just having had an enormous breakfast a few hours ago, so I didn't eat much. Al made friends with a local boy outside the restaurant. By the time we were done eating, we were ready for a siesta. With the heat and humidity such as it is (even in the so-called cool season), it is nice to do excursions this way so that we have a chance to relax during the hottest part of the day. We checked in at the Bagan King Hotel, a boutique hotel with exquisite traditional decor. It struck us as confusing that we had left Bagan this morning, and were now staying in a hotel in Mandalay but named after Bagan. Wow, what a gorgeous place! Life-sized statues stand at the center of the lobby, beneath a chandelier inspired by the hti (gilded umbrellas) of traditional Burmese pagodas. We were served refreshing cold drinks upon check-in, and then led to our rooms. We were in room #205, which had beautiful dark hardwood floors and teak furniture. We rested for around two hours before reconvening with the group for our afternoon sightseeing excursion. We drove a short way to Kuthadow Pagoda, repository for the "World's Largest Book." This title was intriguing, and we weren't sure what to expect. In the mid-19th century, King Mindon was worried about the impact that the British colonization would have on the Theravada Buddhism of Myanmar. He was afraid that the religious tradition might be lost or diminished. So he came up with a way to preserve the teachings for 5000 years after the Buddha's life. He ordered for the Tipitaka canon of Theravada Buddhism to be inscribed onto 729 white marble tablets in Pali script. The marble was quarried 30 miles from Mandalay and transported on the river. Each tablet had 80 - 100 lines of script on each side. This ambitious project would have been a merit-making activity for the king. The project was completed in 1868. It took 2400 monks six months to recite the entirety of the text. In 1872, each of the 729 tablets was given its own small whitewashed pagoda to protect it from the elements. These pagodas are arranged in neat rows as far as the eye can see. This area reminded me of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, which housed stelae carved with the names of scholars who successfully passed the examination to become Mandarins. We took off our shoes and passed through meticulously carved teak doors. We entered a saungdan, a covered walkway with open sides. The walkway was decorated with mirrored glass tiles and various intricately carved statuary. We followed the walkway toward the center of the complex. We could see whitewashed pagodas containing the marble tablets to our left. The effect was mesmerizing as we gazed at row upon row of pagodas stretching to the vanishing point. We stepped out from under the roof and to explore the World's Largest Book. We wandered from pagoda to pagoda, looking at the ornately carved tablets. The script was very round, black on the white marble. When it was first engraved, the letters were traced in gold. The area seemed jungle-like, as there were many large trees providing shade from the otherwise intense sunlight, and moss was growing on the pagodas. As we returned to the covered walkway, a young woman approached us with small jars of thanaka paste (a traditional natural sunscreen / moisturizer). She and her fellow sellers applied it to the cheeks of all of the ladies in the group. It was quite cool and refreshing on my cheeks - a welcome sensation in the heat and humidity. They applied the thanaka in the shape of bodhi leaves, and used a small toothpick-sized stick to draw the veins of the leaves. The makeup sellers were quite cheerful and friendly, and it was nice to get to try out this local custom for the first time. We walked to the center of the complex, where the gilded Maha Lawka Marazein Stupa was gleaming in the afternoon sunlight against a stunning backdrop of blue sky and white clouds. This pagoda was built in 1857 by King Mindon, and was modeled after Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan, which we visited yesterday. There was a shrine in front of the stupa where there was a shiny Buddha statue with an electric halo. Fresh flowers in gilded pots decorated the altar, glowing in the late afternoon sunlight. People prostrated themselves in front of the Buddha statue. The atmosphere was ethereal. Zaw showed us a white marble alms bowl. He explained that you make a wish and then try to lift it off of the ground in a single motion. If you are successful, your wish will come true. The thing is a lot heavier than it looks, so my wish will go unfulfilled. Skinny cats wandered around the grounds. There was a large bell, and Zaw taught us the proper way to ring it. You take the baton in both hands, and hit the bell with it like a battering ram. Then you bang the end of the baton on the ground. You do this three times. I rang the bell and put a lot of muscle into it. It rang with a powerful tone. A mom and two young girls peeled some produce, and the mom got the girls to smile for a photo. We studied a scale model of the site, which really gave us a sense of its true scale...729 small white pagodas in perfect formation, and a beautiful gilded stupa. As we walked out of the pagoda, we passed a young woman with a parasol who was being photographed amongst the white pagodas. It reminded us of fashion photos we had seen in the in-flight magazine this morning: young Burmese women dressed in beautiful longyis in places of cultural significance. We couldn't help but to snap our own photo.  When we got out of the truck we rode up several long escalators and emerged on the terrace of the Su Taung Pyi Pagoda. The pagoda (whose name translates to "Wish Granting Pagoda") was originally built by King Anawratha in 1052. There are four Buddha statues in the pavilion, facing in the four cardinal directions. We walked around the pagoda in a clockwise direction, taking in the views. The city of Mandalay is basically flat except for this hill, and we had a view of the city with the Irawaddy River separating it from the Shan Hills in the distance. We could see many pagodas, as well as more modern structures including a golf course. The sunset wasn't spectacular, but the sky did get a faint orange glow. As it became twilight, the moon and Venus were visible overhead. All of the architectural structures were lit up after dark, and it looked quite magical. We explored Su Taung Pyi Pagoda, with its myriad shrines. Two youngs monks approached Craig, eager to practice their English. They were quite friendly. Before leaving this historic site, we walked down a staircase to view a statue of Sanda Muhki. She was an ogress who became incredibly devoted to Buddha when he visited this place. She had nothing to offer him, so she cut off her own breasts and gave them to him as an offering. The Buddha was so touched by this selfless gesture that he prophesied that she would be reincarnated as King Mindon, who would found the city of Mandalay at the foot of this hill.  We were eager for our drinks, and we had to ask several times before the drinks were actually delivered. Craig ordered Myanmar style pork curry, and I ordered pork and pineapple fried rice and crispy vegetable spring rolls with chili sauce. While sipping our drinks and waiting for our food, Craig noticed that in 5 minutes happy hour would be over. He ordered another cocktail. Our food showed no signs of showing up. We are not usually the type to pester, but it had gotten ridiculous and we seriously wondered if they had forgotten. The restaurant was not particularly busy, so we could not see any reason for the delay. After asking several times, the food was finally served. Craig's cocktail never came, and it's not like we could demand a free drink...it was now 45 minutes after happy hour ended! So he ordered a Mandalay lager beer. After several rounds of inquiry, it was delivered. It seemed very out of character for a hotel which otherwise is quite top notch. We all retired to our rooms on the early side, since we would be getting up very early to witness the washing of the Buddha statue at 4 a.m. Craig wore his longyi all day today and got many compliments from locals. He says he may never wear pants again! ;) King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop Kuthodaw Pagoda Mandalay Hill |
 Hot air balloons over Bagan at dawn  Delicious local breakfast at Sein Wah  Shan noodles at Sein Wah  Wood carver at Aung Nan Handicrafts Workshop  Craftsman forms a clay model for a bronze Buddha, Myanmar Muh Mandalay  Soldering a bronze Buddha  Marble Buddhas await their faces  Pounding gold leaf, King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop  Gold leaf, King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop  729 whitewashed pagodas house marble tablets inscribed with Theravada Buddhist canon  One of 729 marble slabs inscribed with Theravada Buddhist canon  Detail of Pali inscriptions on a marble tablet  Craig enjoys the shade between pagodas at Kuthadow Pagoda  Toni, Genean, Steph, and Esther model thanaka make-up in front of Maha Lawka Marazein Stupa  Maha Lawka Marazein Stupa  Model poses at Kuthadow Pagoda  View of Mandalay, Irrawaddy River, and Shan Hills from Mandalay Hill  Su Taung Pyi Pagoda  Mandalay Hill 
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