Mandalay is the second city in Myanmar and for many travelers a place where you do not linger too long. Not entirely right, because there is so much beauty to see. Beautiful palaces and impressive shrines for example. Mandalay is a fascinating city where you do not get bored Mandalay was founded in 1859 by King Mindon, who built his palaces here and named the city as the capital of Burma. A fairytale that did not last long, because soon the city was taken over by the English. Fire and wars put an end to the beautiful wooden palaces, but luckily a lot has been rebuilt Things to see: Kuthodaw Pagoda At the foot of Mandalay Hill is the Kuthodaw Pagoda, a beautiful building from the eighteenth century. The complex consists of 729 stupas, each housing a page from the largest book in the world. The double pages are made of a thick slab of marble and measure 107 centimeters in width, 153 centimeters in length and 13 centimeters in thickness. The book includes the Pali canon, an early Buddhist collection of Buddha’s speeches. Atumashi Monastry South of the Kuthodaw Pagoda is the Atumashi Monastry, an impressive monastery that was […]
As one of the least visited countries in Southeast Asia, any trip to Myanmar is sure to sure to feel a bit off-the-beaten track. You’ll find ancient temples and monasteries, beautiful handicrafts to take home as souvenirs, and in many ways, a culture and way of life that’s remains relatively unchained for centuries. But in addition to these iconic religious and cultural sites, there are tons of unique things to do in Myanmar to ensure that you have an authentic, intimate, and culturally-rich adventure. For first time visits, most travelers will make their way through Myanmar’s most popular tourist destinations: Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle Lake. Thankfully, none of these cities and towns have yet been overtaken by the tourism industry, so you’ll be sure to have authentic cultural experiences alongside locals anywhere you go. However, if you’re looking for things to do in each destination that are a bit unexpected, consider adding these activities to your Myanmar itinerary. For my complete Myanmar Guide, download my latest e-book! Yangon: Ride The Circular Train A far cry from a luxurious mode of tourist transit, the Circular Train (or Circular Railway) is as gritty as it gets, and was one of […]
When I first received my itinerary from “Hotel by the Red Canal,Mandalay”, for my ballooning trip through the Mandalay I skimmed it quickly, city tour here, nice hotel there, cooking class there……. What the heck is that I thought? I would soon learn on my trip and love it…. but as I kept going down the list the thing that got me the most excited out of everything on the list was taking a HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE with Oriental Ballooning!! I would be going hot air ballooning for the first time in Mandalay,Myanmar! Our flight was with “Oriental Ballooning”, an awesome hot air ballooning company in Myanmar that does flights over the Mandalay, Bagan, Inle and Ngapali. The night before our flight I didn’t sleep much as I was a bit anxious for some reason. Hot air ballooning is something that has ALWAYS been at the top of my bucket list and “Hotel by the Red Canal” arranged for that. I was picked up from our hotel on-time at 5.45am and transferred to the balloon site where we were met personally by the all pilots and given a breakfast of the best pastries we had in Myanmar and coffee […]
Randonner dans les villes incontournables du Myanmar Myanmar est une destination de choix pour partir en randonnée découverte, que vous soyez à la recherche d’une marche facile ou pour aller à la découverte de ses trésors historiques et culturels. En effet, ce pays de l’Asie du Sud-Est dispose d’un grand nombre de sentiers de randonnée qui offrent des vues et des paysages hors du commun, particulièrement dans ses villes. D’ailleurs, vous allez découvrir quelques spots de randonnée célèbres dans les villes birmanes. Balade dans la ville de Naypyidaw, la capitale birmane Capitale du Myanmar depuis 2005, Naypyidaw regorge de lieux d’intérêt à découvrir en randonnée. Partir en Birmanie pour parcourir la ville de Naypyidaw, c’est comme réaliser l’une des visites les plus marquantes d’un séjour dans le pays. Pour ajouter une touche d’originalité à cet itinéraire, la balade dans la ville débute par son incroyable parlement. Il est à noter que le parlement ne peut être approché sans un guide officiel. En avançant vers la pagode d’Uppatasanti, les amateurs de la marche pourront apprécier l’architecture de cette structure bouddhiste moderne. Sise sur une colline artificielle, la pagode d’Uppatasanti ressemble à celle de Shwedagon à un détail près. Celle-ci fait 98 […]
Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar and is considered the center of Burmese culture. You’ll find many unique pagodas here and can enjoy views from U-Bein Bridge and Mandalay Hill. Set aside 2 or 3 days to experience everything this city has to offer. Things to Do Mandalay Hill This 790 feet high hill gives you incredible views of Mandalay. The entrance fee to Mandalay Hill is 1000 kyat. We left our hotel around 9am and had a tuk tuk take us here. You have your choice to walk up the hill or pay 500 kyats per person to get a ride to the elevator and escalator which is located on the foot of the highest of the temple. We had plenty of time so we decided to trek up the hill by foot. There were a lot of stairs, and we were dripping with sweat by the time we made it to the top, and we passed several temples along the way. We were happy we chose to walk up as it added to our overall experience. Kuthodaw Pagoda Lying at the foot of Mandalay Hill (just a few hundred feet from where you have the option to walk […]
HOTEL BY THE RED CANAL,MANDALAY CELEBRATES HOSPITALITY EXCELLENCE WITH SPICE GARDEN RESTURANT AND PRANA SPA LOCAL BUSINESSES EARNING THE 2018 TRIPADVISOR CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE MANDALAY,MYANMAR – YEAR 2018– HOTEL BY THE RED CANAL, the Beauty of Mandalay today extends congratulations to SPICE GARDEN RESTAURANT AND PRANA SPA local businesses that have earned the 2018 TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence. Now in its 12th year, the achievement celebrates businesses that have consistently earned great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year. Recipients of the Certificate of Excellence include accommodations, restaurants and attractions of all sizes that have continually delivered quality customer experience. “We are delighted that so many local businesses in MANDALAY earned the 2018 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence,” said Mr. Kumar, General Manager of Hotel by the Red Canal “The recognition helps to set the benchmark on hospitality operational and service excellence in Mandalay and ensures that the industry is continuously striving to achieve customer service that is best-in-class for our visitors and the community. “TripAdvisor is excited to announce the recipients of the 2018 Certificate of Excellence, which celebrates businesses that have consistently received strong praise and ratings from travelers,” said Heather Leisman, Vice President of Industry Marketing, […]
The date on my calendar 16th July 2017, the day I started the biggest adventure of my life so far: a very first day bicycle tour of the Beauty of Mandalay. This was the start of my real Adventure stories. Let me start with a little background. I’ve never been particularly athletic—even as a kid, I’m the one who could never do a criss-cross jumping rope during gym class, never mind doubles. I didn’t play high school sports also. Let’s just say if you ever met me in the customer service area, you’d never think to yourself, “There goes a woman who would crush a bicycle tour.” This is actually happening. Unexpectedly I got a chance to do Cycling Adventures together with Jolly Adventures collaborate with Hotel by the Red Canal, Mandalay. It was awesome to have Bicycle Adventures. Truth: I was prepared for a little heckling when I mounted my Bike. But I’m looking around at my bicycle tour comrades and I realize—we’re in this together. And I’m not the only one on a Bike. And no one even cares! My inner three-toed sloth is doing a celebration dance. And I know this trip is going to be awesome. […]
Tabodwe ,the eleventh month of the Myanmar claender, is the time for the festival of ‘Hta-ma-ne’ in honour of the traditional harvesting period. The eleventh month of Myanmar Lunar Calendar Tabodwe approximately corresponds with February. Although the tenth month Pyatho [January] is the peak of Myanmar cold season, Tabodwe can beat Pyatho in chilliness depending upon place, climate condition and time. There are old Myanmar sayings regarding the chill of Tabodwe. In Tabodwe, the tips of bullaloes’ horns shiver with cold. In Tabodwe, we have a running nose. “In Tabodwe, ripen plum fruits open up”. “Kon” or Kumbha [Aquarius] is the astrological name of Tabodwe with a zodiacal symbol of a water bearer. Pauk [Butea] and Lei or Let pan [Silk cotton tree] [Bombex Malabaricum] are the traditionally designated flowers of Tabodwe. Pauk flowers are orange coloured profused on bunches. Lei or Let pan trees are big and tall. The entire tree after shedding all old leaves, produces buds and blooms of scarlet colour from all branches. Against the blue sky on the golden sun lights these pauk and let pan flowers create fantastic natural paintings. Let pan flowers produce silken cotton wool they are also a good vegetable which […]
The majority of married women in the villages rely on production of handmade works. The women in Myintlaung Village near Myitnge Town, Amarapura Township, Mandalay Region raise their income by weaving a wide range of plastic baskets. Knowing from one of the baskets makers said that this is a home-based job opportunity for them. They buy raw materials from the plastic factory in Industrial Zone 1 in the region, paying Ks 1,200 per Kilo. They woven baskets for their survival and this is a family business in the region. Most married women working from home. There is a regular demand for the handmade woven plastic baskets, which are available in different sizes, designs and colors. They have mostly been sent to Shwebo, Myitkyina and Mandalay markets. The wholesale price for a basket is Ks 1,500. In the retail market, the price rose to Ks 2,000 from Ks 3,000. A local basket maker receive wages of Ks 500-Ks 600 per basket based on size. Handmade baskets are one of the popular accessories of people for shopping groceries, flowers and meats at local markets and are boost income in Mandalay.
With the introducing of new Mandalay-Bangkok-Yangon and Mandalay-Hong Kong flights at Mandalay International Airport, the number of international visitors to the country has significantly increased in early peak season. According to the directorate of hotels and tourism, Mandalay hosted 203,145 foreign travelers between January and August. This time last year, a total of 194,520 tourists entered the region. The majority of visitors are from China, Thailand, India, Singapore and Viet Nam. Citizens of Japan, Austria, New Zealand, Britain and the US also visited the region through border points of entry. They trips to Bagan-Nyaung U, Buddhist archaeological site, Mandalay Cultural Zone, the Ava ancient city continue all year round. A scenic hill town PyinOoLwin is one of attractions in Mandalay and it is always crowded with visitors at home and abroad. The directorate of hotels and tourism estimates that tourists arrivals in Mandalay is likely to increase than that of previous year. Source—Global New Light of Myanmar ,Maung Pyi Thu (Mandalay) Photo-Supplied