Greeting Hivers^^
Today is Monday, and Monday is not the weekend (just for fun), while almost people have to go to the office, work hard in the site, I sit in front of my garden, pick flowers and recall my memory in the past. Today, I do not miss Yangon, Shan State. Today, I miss Mandalay city - a place I visited more than 2 times in 2019.
I arrived to Mandalay city in the early morning in a condition of lack of sleeping by catching a slow railway from Yangon City just only because I need to change my mood and vibe after a long time being alone in Thalyin.
Mandalay popped up in my mind just like a salvation for sure. I quicly folded my backpack with some clothes, took a taxi to the train station, bought the ticket and waited the right time to get off the train. *
Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. Located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River. Mandalay is the economic centre of Upper Myanmar and considered the centre of Burmese culture.
Source
Before going to Mandalay, I have contacted to a monastery and asked for staying permission.
The nun who manages in Thabarwa monastery agreed to me that I can stay here as long as I like. Waving a taxi motorbike, I promptly arrived to monastery with a hungry stomach. She opened the gate for me with a friendly smile, She asked “Are you Rose, who has contacted to me in Yangon”, with a little English, I understood what she said. “Yes mom, it is me. Nice to meet you, and Thank you for accepting me to stay here for a while.” I said. We gave more smiles and hugged together ^^. She set up a corner for me to stay with other nuns and yogi in the second floors.
With the foods have been already set up on the table, she asked me eating breakfast then took a rest after a long trip. With the whole gratitude in my heart, I felt I am very lucky when being treated like her daughters.
One day for rest was enough for me, in the next morning, my uncle (actually he adopted me as his niece in Yangon and I met him again in Thabarwa Monastery in Mandalay) took me a city tour after walking around for food with monks. He listed a lot of destination and decided to take me to the Mandalay Hill. He said from this place, I can have an panoramic view of the top from.
MANDALAY HILL
To the north of downtown Mandalay is the well-known Mandalay Hill with a height of 230 m above the sea level. It is dotted with pagodas and Buddhist temples and Mandalay city is popular with the harmonizing beauty of Mandalay Hill. The fabulous panoramic view of Mandalay city and the experience of sunrise or sunset are the greatest attractions for visitors to stop their one-day sightseeing tour and climb up to the top of the Mandalay Hill.
Source
I have to pay 1000 kyats at that time for entrance fee. Mandalay hill is so large to me with an unique old shape architecture. I walked around outside before going into the temple.
Some ranges of yellow and green colors of rice fields poped up in my eyes. In the distance, there were some ranges of hills and mountains go up and down. The weather in the top of hill was cool, it is enough for me to get an deeper insight into how freshing it is in Mandalay hill.
I did not stay in one direction, I turned an arc shape to go behind the temple and see what else landscape in here. A forest of Flamboyant flowers bloomed, reminded me about my school days when I was a kid. The blooming of Flamboyant attached a lot of memories in the school, we often picked up the petals to press in the notebook, took filament of its for eating and created the fake nails with its Sepal. That is why I was quite surprised when seeing a forest of this flower here. How beautiful they were!
In addition to, from the top, a plenty of golden pagodas appeared between the trees and houses. I thought I was seeing a golf valley but I was not sure.
Mandalay has a strict rule against deforestation to protect the vegetation and environment for their social. I think my country should learn about it and put it into practise. Viet Nam has a lot of natural beauties but the most of it were destroyed in pursuit of profit. Development without preserving is never a long last way to exist, at the end, the nature will be demolished at all.
Inside the temple, there were some big standing Buddha, some Burmeses and tourists lighted incense and prayed their wish. I did not have a routine taking any pictures inside the stupa, it is always my taboos. So I have no pictures to show the inside of stupa.
The another part attracted me here is the hallway. The patterns was carved into each pillar with the curve shape above created a mysterious thing for me.
Ending a tour in Mandalay hill, I and my uncle went back to the monastery. Under the heat of summer in Mandalay, I did not dare to go outside at noon, though I was craving for Myanmar milk tea and a cup of coffee in the cofee shop.
SUNSET IN MANDALAY
Waiting for till the afternoon, I promptly climbed to the terrace of monastery (on the 5th floor), listened to music and rethought about what I will go in the next day.
*In the next part, I would like to invite Hivers have an online trip with me to take part in a sacred ritual for monks/ nuns and in Myanmar. This ritual is very quite popular in Theravada countries. Thank readers for dropping by and taking your time to read my journey. Have a nice day, Hivers!
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
The panorama is amazing. The surrounding area looks so green. I'm surprised that there is Red Phoenix flower over there. You must have had a good day at the beautiful Mandalay Hill.
Welcome once more!
!LUV
Chin Zu Tin Pa De ^^ Much appriciated @tin.aung.soe . Next year I have a plan to comeback Myanmar.
It would have been so nice if I have a house with this kind of view, amazing!
Much appriciated @afterglow . Have a good night. ^_^
Daily Travel Digest #1530.
Become part of our travel community:
- Join our Discord
- Learn more about our travel application
Hiya, @lizanomadsoul here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!This place is so beautiful and peaceful. I really like your style writing
Much appriciated em ^_^ Have added you on my following list. Nice day em nhen.