As it turned out, overtaking the palace- and King ThibawMin- was even easier than predicted. The British demanded unconditional surrender and that’s what they got.The King and Queen were put on a bullock cart and taken down to the river to be sent into exile in India.

The story goes that when the British soldiers pulled out their guns, the King dropped down to his knees and begged for his life to be spared. His queen, however, walked on her own defiantly towards the steamer on the mighty Irrawaddy.

After the British invasion, the palace was used by the colonialists as a base for troops in Mandalay and many of the royal treasures were looted and sent back to London ( many are still on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum).
Every global aggress or eventually must face a rising challenger. And so it was that during the Second World War, Japanese forces captured he Mandalay Palace and used it as a supply depot for their expansions in the region. In retaliation, the Allies bombed the compound and most of it was burnt to the ground.

Only one major wooden building survived-the Shwenandaw Monastery, which is built completely of teak and is decorated throughout with detailed and ornate carvings. The watch tower and royal mint were also undamaged. The rest of the Royal Palace has been rebuilt from scratch.

So, almost everything you walk through from the entrance hall all the way past the throne room and to the residences was constructed in the early 1990’s. Although it is faithful to the original design and some traditional construction techniques were used, modern materials like concrete and corrugated iron were incorporated into the reconstructions.
Visiting the palace is one of the best things to do in Mandalay. It doesn’t take too long to walk through the palace but it can take a long time to get into it. The palace grounds are massive and dominate the cityscape. They are huge square of about two kilometers on each side, surrounded by a 64 meter-wide moat. Only one entrance can be used by tourists-the eastern- and it can take a long time to get to it if you happen to be on the other side (where most of the hotels are).

There are some great tours in Mandalay, many of which include the Royal Palace. Have a look at these ones that I would recommend:
The reason for the inconvenience is because the actual restored palace takes up only a small space in the centre of the grounds. The rest of the area is used now as a military base and big signs (and guards) remind you that it’s a restricted zone.

At least it is back in the hands of the local people again, whatever the international view of the Myanmar military is.
After the British control and then the Japanese it seems there is now plenty of protection for this important symbol of Mandalay and Myanmar. Nobody will march unopposed through these gates again.

” The last Palace built by Burmese Royals”

When King Mindon Min founded Mandalay in 1857 he ordered construction of a new Royal Palace called the “Mya Nan San Kyaw”. The old Royal Palace in the former capital Amarapura was dismantled, transported to Mandalay and rebuilt there.

The Mandalay Royal Palace is the last Palace built by Burmese Royals. On the large complex are dozens of buildings including audience halls, throne halls, a monastery, a watch tower, a court building, a tooth relic building and a library where the Buddhist scriptures were kept.

“The citadel with the teak wood Palace”

The Palace that was completely made from teak wood was built in the center of a large citadel or fort. The square citadel was surrounded by four walls each 2 kilometers long with a total of 48 turrets. In the walls were 12 gates, one for each sign of the Zodiac. Around the walls was a 60 meter wide moat, crossed by a number of bridges.

“Watch Tower”

The watch tower is a very solid reddish brown cylindrical tower measuring 24 meters high. It is topped by a golden seven tiered Pyatthat roof. The stairway winding around the tower can be climbed, which gives a good overview of the Palace and great views of Mandalay.
The watch tower is one of only two original buildings left, the other one being the Royal Mint.

” Tooth relic Tower”

Close to the main entrance is the Burmese style tooth relic tower. The all white square structure has a small square relic chamber on top and a steep stairway leading to it. In spite of its name the building never contained a relic from the Buddha, it houses a Buddha statue instead.

“Supreme Court Building”

A number of Royal Mausoleums was erected for the remains of several members of the Burmese Royal Family. One if for the founder of Mandalay and the Royal Palace, King Mindon Min.

“Great Audience Hall”

The Great Audience Hall is another very attractive, intricately decorated building. The hall is about 75 meters long and topped with a seven tiered Pyatthat roof. In front of it are a few old canons. The wooden bargeboards and eaves boards on the roof are all carved in flower patterns. In the original building there were also gilded.

“Lion Throne Room”

The Lion Throne room contained the Lion Throne, an extremely richly decorated and ornamented wooden throne. In total there were eight thrones in the Palace, of which the Lion Throne was the most important.
On top of the Lion Throne room is a seven tiered Pyatthat roof, richly decorated and gold plated. This Pyatthat marks the center of the Palace.

“Glass Palace”

The Glass Palace is one of the largest and most beautiful structures of the Palace. This building was used as Kin Mindon’s personal living quarters. It contains two large rooms, one of which contained the Bee Throne, the other one was separated into a number of smaller rooms, which were the King’s living room and bed room , as well as a number of rooms for his Queens.

“Golden Palace Monastery”

The Shwenandaw Kyaung or Golden Palace Monastery is a very ornate teak building that was originally contained in the Palace compound. It was later moved to its current location just outside the Palace grounds and converted into a Buddhist monastery. The Golden Palace Monastery is the only major all teak building that remains of the original Royal Palace.

It has been a century since the last King of Burmese staying in the Royal Mandalay Palace. To date, it has been restored several times and become one of the most popular attractions to visit in Myanmar tours. Once witnessing the charm of the fabulous architecture and learn more about its history, it ensures to deliver you an interesting experience in the Golden Land of Myanmar.

The post The Royal Palace In Mandalay appeared first on Hotel by the Red Canal.

When it appears that the COVID-19 disease is more deadly than seasonal influenza, it is obvious that your guests are afraid to travel or consider any other accommodation option safe. 

But, as a hotel, you can adopt a few preventive measures, and assure a safe stay for your guests. 

Well, we have covered the what, why and how of COVID-19 and which preventive measures hotels should take to assure a safe stay to your guests. 

What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others circulating among animals, including camels, cats and bats

The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus that causes respiratory illness in people and can spread from person-to-person. This virus was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has made a dedicated page that has comprehensive information on COVID-19. You can explore more of this outbreak from here.

How does it spread?

Coronaviruses in human spread just like the flu or a cold (from person to person). Someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the illness to others.

• Through the air by coughing or sneezing
• Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it
• Occasionally, faecal contamination

What are its symptoms?

The basic symptoms of the COVID-19 can include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath 
• Runny nose

The symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying. 

How to keep your hotel safe from Coronavirus?

As a hotel, you should act immediately and start introducing preventive measures. Following are mandatory actions that you should immediately bring into practice:

1. Keep your staff aware of the disease

Though 99% of your staff must be fairly familiar with the outbreak to some extent. We would still recommend you to arrange a meeting and make them aware of it to all corners.  

Educate them about the preventive measures that they should take on your hotel premises. Also, brief them about the guidelines provided by the local health authorities.

2. Check whether any of your staff or guests have been infected

Have the infrared thermometers at your frontdesk to conduct temperature checks on all guests. Your staff can request all your newly arrived guests to measure their body temperature via a thermal scanner placed near the entrance. 

If you find any guests who are unwell with any symptoms of fever, flu or respiratory problems, ask them to consult a doctor immediately. Ask the sick suspicious guests to get their check-up done at the nearest clinic, checking in to the hotel. Take extra care while catering to international guests.  

3. Ensure cleanliness in every corner of your hotel

The COVID-19 virus spreads through the surface as well. So make sure every corner of your hotel is cleaned. 

Especially the surfaces or areas which are used frequently by your guests and staff members such as, the doors, the reception area, the front desk, lift or elevator buttons and so on. You can also apply plastic insulating films on the lift and elevator buttons, and change it every day to avoid germs spreading. 

Above all, if you have an in-house restaurant, ensure the cleanliness of your kitchen. Ask your chefs to wear surgical masks and wash their hands frequently.

All buffet or semi-buffet food should be served in smaller portions. It should be replaced or replenished every 30 minutes to avoid contamination. The crockery and utensils used at the buffet counters, including tongs, spoons and under liner should be changed and sanitized.

Besides, ensure that tableware including salt & pepper shakers, toothpick holders, sugar container, tent cardholders, menus and bill folders are being cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis.  

In addition to this, the main entrance and carpets at the hotel’s lobby are sprayed with qualified disinfectant every hour.

4. Use sanitizers and masks 

Provide your staff members with surgical masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol) and gloves to wear. Ask them to always wear masks and use sanitizer frequently.  

If it is feasible, try to install the alcohol-based disinfectant hand rub dispensers at your front desk, reception area, in-house restaurant, cafe, meeting rooms or hotel lobbies. If you can’t, then at least keep big bottles of sanitizers at all these places. 

Keep sanitizers and surgical masks in each hotel room. Encourage your hotel staff as well as your guests to use sanitizers frequently. 

Keep helpful signs of washing hands and using sanitizers in common areas of your hotel.

5. Avoid handshakes. Do ‘Mingalabar’

Well, the handshake is a great way of transferring different microbes like viruses and bacteria from one person to another. So for the time being, ask your staff members to avoid shaking their hands with guests. Also, they should avoid frequent physical contact internally. 

Even the health experts warn that shaking hands is a prime way to spread the coronavirus. You should adopt some different methods of greeting people, like elbow bumps or Mingalabar. 

6. Maintain records

You should maintain accurate guest records. This includes maintaining guest registration records (name, ID Proofs, and other details), data of electronic locks, and security camera tapes. This is especially important if someone in your hotel has been diagnosed with the virus.

These records should be kept for a minimum of 90 days.

7. Check where your supply is coming from

Keep a tab on your suppliers and other outsourcing agencies. 

Ensure megastores from where you are getting inventory for your in-house restaurant is safe from COVID-19. None of your food or beverage should be sourced from Hubei province or Wuhan city, where the Novel Coronavirus originated from.

Besides, check whether the laundry services agencies are taking some preventive measures. 

So, this was all about how you can keep your hotel safe from corona virus.

And most importantly, when you are taking all these measures, keep your guests posted about the same. Highlight these measures being taken at your hotel in real-time on your website and social media pages. So, your guests can know that their stay at your hotel is going to be safe and pleasant. 

You have to take these measures sincerely, to be safe from this outbreak. Along with, as a hotel owner/manager consider these preventive measures for yourself too and be safe.

The post How Hotels Can Be Safe from Coronavirus? appeared first on Hotel by the Red Canal.

SEHENSWÜRDIGKEITEN IN MANDALAY

Was wäre eine burmesische Stadt ohne Klöster und Pagoden? In Mandalay gibt es davon auf jeden Fall genug! Für einige Sehenswürdigkeiten gibt es ein Sammelticket. Das kostet 10.000 Kyat (ca. 7€) und ist für 5 Tage gültig. Folgende Sehenswürdigkeiten in Mandalay kannst du damit besuchen:  Mandalay Palace, Atummashi Kyaung, Shwenandaw Kyaung Kloster und die Altstadt von Inwa. 

KUTHODAW-PAGODE

Die Kuthodaw-Pagode ist auch bekannt als “Das größte Buch der Welt”. What? Rund um die Pagode stehen 729 kleine, weiße Stupas, in denen eine Marmortafel steht.  Diese stellen ein Blatt des größten Buches der Welt dar und es sind Texte der buddhistischen Lehre vermerkt. Besonders beeindruckend ist die Kuthodaw-Pagode zum Sonnenaufgang – ein unbeschreibliches Licht. Solltest du nicht zu den Frühaufsteher gehören, lässt sich ein Besuch der Kuthodaw-Pagode perfekt mit dem Mandalay Hill verbinden. Sie  liegt im Norden der Altstadt, sozusagen am Fuße des Mandalay Hills. Der Eintritt ist kostenlos.

MANDALAY HILL 

Der Mandalay Hill ist ein Hügel, auf welchem du nicht nur einen beeindruckende Pagode  begutachten sondern auch einen atemberaubenden Ausblick auf die Stadt genießen kannst: die vielen Klöster, Pagoden, der Mandalay Palace, der Fluss und die umherliegenden Berge. Die Wände und Säulen der Pagode sind über und über mit kleinen funkelnden Mosaiksteinen  bedeckt – ein tolles Farbenspiel mit dem Sonnenlicht – besonders zum Sonnenuntergang!

Anfahrt: Du kannst den Gipfel entweder zu Fuß, per Roller, mit dem Tuk Tuk oder dem Taxi erklimmen. Wir haben uns für die Roller variante entschieden und es war sehr angenehm, du kannst bis ganz nach oben fahren. Dort ist ein überdachter Parkplatz. 

Geheimtipp: Wenn du beim Hauptpalast die Treppen zu einem kleineren Gebäude  hinunter gehst, gelangst du zu dieser Fläche, wo du diese schönen Fensterbögen vorfindest. Der perfekte Ort, um den Sonnenuntergang zu beobachten.

Da ich einen Tag krank war, haben wir es leider nicht geschafft die folgenden Sehenswürdigkeiten zu besuchen. Uns wurden diese jedoch von vielen Reisenden empfohlen.

HANDWERKER-VIERTEL

Du kannst in Mandalay zahlreichen Handwerkern bei der Arbeit zuschauen. In dem Viertel der Goldschläger, wird das Gold immer noch per Hand geschlägert! In der  Schauwerkstatt “King Galon” in der 36. Straße kannst du diese Handwerkskunst bewundern. In der Nähe der Mahamuni Pagode befindet sich das Viertel der Holzschnitzer und Steinmetze.  

MADALAY PALACE

Der Mandalay Palace wurde zwischen 1857-1859 von König Mindon erbaut und ist der letzte königliche Palast der letzten birmanischen Monarchie. Das Gelände ist 4 Quadratkilometer groß und von einer dicken Mauer und einem riesigen Wassergraben umgeben. Im Jahre 1942 wurde die komplett aus Holz erbaute Anlage angegriffen und bis auf die Grundmauern niedergebrannt. Ab 1990 wurde versucht die Gebäude des Königspalastes so authentisch  wie möglich wieder aufzubauen.

SHWENANDAW KYAUNG KLOSTER

Das Shwenandaw Kyaung Kloster ist ein beeindruckendes goldenes Teakholz Kloster, welches von König Mindon als Privatgemach genutzt wurde. Es ist das einzige größere Gebäude, welches vom originalen Königpalast übrig geblieben ist.  

MAHAMUNI PAGODE

Die Mahamuni Pagode ist neben der Shwedagon Pagode und dem Goldenen Felsen in der Nähe von Hpa-An das wichtigste Pilgerziel für Buddhisten. Hier kannst du die heiligste Buddhastatue Myanmars bewundern, welche täglich von unzähligen Pilgern (nur Männern) mit Blattgolt beklebt wird.

FORTBEWEGUNG IN MANDALAY

Schaust du dir die Karte von Mandalay an, wir sie dich an amerikanische Städte erinnern. Mandalay wurde wie ein Schachbrett angelegt: Die Straßen verlaufen, sowohl von Norden nach Süden, als auch von Westen nach Osten. Sie sind alle durchnummeriert, demnach ist die Orientierung recht einfach. 

Auf den Straßen ist ein buntes Treiben angesagt: Roller, Autos, Fahrräder, Märkte … an den regen Verkehr in Mandalay mussten wir uns erst mal gewöhnen. Wir haben uns für einen Tag einen Roller gemietet, um die oben beschriebenen Sehenswürdigkeiten in Mandalay abzuklappern. Das empfehlen wir jedoch nur, wenn du dich sehr sicher fühlst und schön öfters Roller gefahren bist. Wir haben die Rushhour in Da Nang überlebt, deswegen haben wir es uns zugetraut. Den Roller haben wir bei TT Bike ausgeliehen und waren sehr beeindruckt von der Professionalität und dem Service. Die Roller sind in einem top Zustand, du kannst den Roller für 3,6,9,12, oder 24 Stunden ausleihen. Auf Wunsch wird der Roller dir sogar in deine Unterkunft gebracht und auch dort wieder abgeholt. Dieser Service kostet nicht extra. Hast du keine Lust auf Roller fahren, kannst du auch mit dem Tuk Tuk oder Taxi fahren oder dir für einen Tag einem privaten Fahrer mieten. 

SEHENSWÜRDIGKEITEN IN DER UMGEBUNG 

Wenn du in Mandalay bist, solltest du auf jeden Fall einen Tagesausflug in die Umgebung der ehemaligen Hauptstadt einplanen. Der einfachste und komfortabelste Weg diese zu erkunden ist definitiv mit einem privaten Fahrer. Wir haben einen Fahrer empfohlen bekommen und haben 45.000 Kyat (ca. 26 Euro) bezahlt. Mit Kyaw Kyaw haben wir Mingun, Sagain und Inwa besucht. 

MINGUN

Der erste Stopp unseres Ausfluges war das Dorf Mingun, welches sich nördlich von Mandalay befindet. Dort haben wir zunächst die Hsinbyume Pagode besucht, einfach nur beeindruckt das weiße Meisterwerk! Die wellenförmigen Terrassen machen die Pagode einzigartig. Damit sie auch jedes Jahr so scheint, wird sie jedes Jahr nach der Regenzeit neu gestrichen. Von oben hast du eine tolle Aussicht auf den Fluss und die Landschaft. 

Im Dorf Mingun begann König Bodawpaya im Jahr 1790 die größte Pagode der Welt, mit einer Höhe von 152 Metern, zu errichten. Der König schaffte es jedoch nicht die Manta Gyi Pagode bis zu seinem Tod fertigzustellen. Lediglich die 50 Meter hohe Basis der Pagode wurde errichtet. Ein starkes Erdbeben in 1838 führte dazu, dass die unfertige Pagode stark beschädigt wurde. Wie die Mingun-Pagode einmal aussehen sollte, zeigt die nahebei stehende fünf Meter hohe Pondawpaya-Pagode.

Auf der anderen Straßenseite kannst du die Ruinen zwei riesiger Löwen “Chines” besichtigen, welche ebenfalls stark vom Erdbeben beschädigt worden sind. Meiner Meinung nach, sieht das Hinterteil eher nach dem eines Elefanten aus … 

Zu der größten Pagode gehört natürlich auch eine große Glocke. Im Jahre 1808 ließ der König die 87 Tonnen schwere Mingun Glocke gießen. Mit ihren 3,7 Metern Höhe und einem Durchmesser von 5 Metern ist die zweitgrößte funktionierende Glocke der Welt. Damit der Glockengießer nicht noch ein weiteres solches Meisterwerk erbauen konnte, ließ König Bodawpaya ihn nach Vollendung umbringen. 

SAGAIN

Sagaing beherbergt etwas 600 Pagoden, Tempel und Klöster. Das Gebiet liegt auf einem Hügel und zählt zu den wichtigsten Orten in Myanmar. In Sagaing haben wir die U Min Thonze-Pagode und die Sun U Ponnya Shin Pagode besichtigt. Von den Pagoden hast du einen herrlichen Blick auf den Irrawaddy Fluss und die schöne Landschaft.

INWA 

Die ehemalige Hauptstadt des Königreichs Inwa (auch bekannt als Ava)  ist von Sagaing aus über den Irrawaddy-Fluss ausschließlich mit der Fähre zu erreichen. Die Überfahrt dauert nur wenige Minuten und kostet 1500 Kyat (ca. 1€) pro Person. 

In Inwa angekommen warten unzählige Pferdekutschen auf dich, die dich für 15.000 Kyat (ca. 10€) zu den Sehenswürdigkeiten bringen. Du kannst auch zu Fuß laufen, die Wege zwischen den Pagoden sind jedoch sehr weit.

Auf einem relativ weitläufigen Gebiet findest du hier eine Reihe an Klöstern und Pagoden. Einige davon sind schon sehr verfallen und verwittert, andere wiederum in besserem Zustand. Zudem ist die Landschaft sehr schön. Meine Highlights in Inwa waren das Maha Aung Mye Bonzan Kloster und die Yadana Hsmee Pagode.

U-BEIN-BRÜCKE

Die 1,2 km lange Teakholz Brücke befindet sich in Amarapura. Der Fußgängerübergang gilt als die längste und älteste Teakholzbrücke der Welt. Ein Besuch bei Sonnenuntergang ist sehr empfehlenswert, allerdings bist du besonders zu dieser Tageszeit mit einer Menge anderen Touristen dort. Wir haben uns ein Boot gemietete (15.000 Kyat, ca. 10€) und einen einzigartigen Blick auf die beeindruckende U-Bein-Brücke genossen und sind somit den Menschenmassen entflohen. Zwar gibt es auch andere Boote, aber die Fahrer achten darauf, dass alle eine einwandfreie Sicht auf die Brücke haben. Wir konnten tolle Fotos schießen – der perfekte Abschluss für unseren Tagesausflug in die Umgebung Mandalays.

UNTERKUNFT IN MANDALAY 

Wir haben drei Nächte in dem gemütlichen Hotel by the Red Canal übernachtet und haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt. Das Hotel liegt sehr zentral und vor allem in der Nähe einiger Restaurants und nur wenige Minuten vom berühmten Mandalay-Palast entfernt.

Das Boutique-Hotel ist wie eine kleine Oase der Ruhe in der quirligen Stadt. Ein kleiner Pool mit ein Paar Liegen laden zum Entspannen ein. Hier werden am Nachmittag kostenfreier Tee und Gebäck und am Abend kostenfreie Cocktails serviert. Eine tolle Möglichkeit, mit den anderen Gästen in Kontakt zu kommen. 

Das hoteleigene Restaurant Spice Garden ist das einzige indisch-myanmarische Restaurant in Mandalay. Hier wird eine große Auswahl an Geflügel, Meeresfrüchten und vegetarischen Speisen in ruhiger Atmosphäre serviert. Das Frühstück verfügt über eine Auswahl an Früchten, Brot, asiatischen Speisen, Müsli, Eierspeisen, süßem Gebäck, frischem French Toast und Crêpes. Dazu gibt es frischen Kaffee, Saft und Tee.       

Spa und Fitness: Was gibt es Schöneres, als sich nach einem erlebnisreichen Tag in Mandalay mit einer Massage verwöhnen zu lassen? Die Inneneinrichtung des Prana Spas ist inspiriert von der traditionellen Bauweise ländlicher Dörfer in Myanmar, wo die Innenräume der Gebäude auch im Sommer eine angenehme Temperatur haben. Zudem verfügt das Hotel by the Red Canal über ein Fitnesstudio, wo du dich auspowern kannst.   

Die Zimmer: Das Hotel verfügt über 25 Zimmer in 4 Kategorien, welche nach den vier wichtigsten ethnischen Gruppen in Myanmar benannt und auch demnach eingerichtet sind: Chin, Kachin, Rakhine und Shan. Alle Zimmer sind mit schönen Holzverzierungen dekoriert, sehr sauber, gemütlich und ruhig. 

FAZIT ZU MANDALAY 

Die Stadt ist zwar sehr groß und wuselig, jedoch super spannend! Wenn du für deinen Aufenthalt 2-3 Tage einplanst, schaffst du es auf jeden Fall alles zu sehen. 

The post Mandalay: Tipps, Sehenswürdigkeiten & Ausflüge appeared first on Hotel by the Red Canal.

Taking this Irrawaddy Dolphin Watching trip in the hottest month in Myanmar turned out to be a great idea. As a group of 4 we opted for the 2 days/ 1 night trip and enjoyed the cooling breeze and beautiful scenery as we slowly made our way up the river.

What is an Irrawaddy Dolphin?

Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are an oceanic dolphin named after the Irrawaddy (Ayeyawaddy) River and are one of the world’s five species of dolphins that live in rivers. They have a grey body, a blunt forehead and nose, unlike the other oceanic dolphins, and can live up to 50 years. They use echolocation (sound) to hunt fish and communicate together. Irrawaddy dolphins are endangered and have an estimated total population of 7,100. They are found in only three rivers today, and there are less than 70 individuals left in the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, where they are critically endangered.

What’s endangering Irrawaddy Dolphins?

• Shock by electrofishing
• Entanglement in gill nets or drift nets put across the river
• Lack of food as a result of over-fishing
• Pollution from mining and other industry
• Noise disturbance from large boats
• Less habitat from soil erosion

What is cooperative fishing?

Communication via calls and signals is made by both dolphins and fishermen, with the dolphins rearing schools of fish towards the cast net fishing boats and signalling to the fishermen to throw their nets when the fish near close to the boat. Only a handful of fishermen still practice cooperative fishing with dolphins these days. Communicating with dolphins and coordinating the throw with their signals takes years of skill and trust building with dolphins. The tradition is dying, as modern fishing practices and economics take over. Illegal electrofishing is also breaking down the trust between dolphins and fishermen, as dolphins are sometimes shocked and killed.

Ayeyawady Dolphin Protected Area

Myanmar’s Ayeyawady Dolphin Protected Area is the only place where you can see both Irrawaddy dolphins and the cooperative fishing tradition. It was the country’s first aquatic protected area, established in 2005, stretches for 74 km and has approximately 25 dolphins in the area. It is best visited from Mandalay on an overnight boat trip for 2 or 3 days in order to maximise your chances of spotting dolphins and having ample time to witness cooperative fishing in action. There are seven cooperative fishing villages that can be visited along the way that still maintain traditional culture, as well as other attractions such the 126 species of birds of the Upper Ayeyawaddy.

How Your Visit Helps

• Generates income for cooperative fishermen and their families
• Creates incentives for dolphin protection
• Raises awareness to protect dolphins & cooperative fishing
• Proceeds from the project’s revenue (5%) and donations by visitors help with community development

Spending 2 days 1 night on the river with Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project was the best decision we made in Mandalay. The most amazing thing about this trip was not only seeing dolphins, but also learning about the unique relationship between local fishermen and dolphins. Cooperative fishing with wild dolphins doesn’t exist anywhere on earth but this part of the Irrawaddy River. One of the fishermen even told us a beautiful folktale about their relationship with dolphins.

Another thing we really enjoyed on this trip is we got to interact with the villagers. They showed us how to apply thanaka, how to wear longyi (traditional men’s sarong), how to throw a net, etc. It was a lot of fun! Food (cooked by the villagers) was very good and vegetarian friendly.

The moments on the boat from village to village were very relaxing too. I would love to try it again and would recommend it to anyone looking for a very authentic experience interested in getting to know life in rural Myanmar.

Your visit helps raise awareness for dolphin protection and generates income for local fishermen to continue their practice of cooperative fishing with dolphins. This is a social business. They are neither an NGO nor a strictly for-profit company.They use business to create benefits for communities and conservation. This project is an initiative of Living Irrawaddy Travel, a small local travel company.The Living Irrawaddy Dolphin Project is an initiative of Living Irrawaddy Travel and works with 6 communities to help them develop and market community-based ecotourism.

For your visit, you can get more detail information at info@hotelredcanal.com.

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The centre of this year’s celebration will be around the Mandalay moat and city walls.
Those who want to erect water-spraying pavilions around the moat, where they can sell tickets to revellers, can participate in the bidding supervised by the city.

Mandalay have introduced walking water splash, rural Thingyan night market, and Pyidaungsu Thingyan for this year
“Walking Thingyan” on 26th street has attracted revelers this year, making the festival more attractive than previous years.The he Mandalay City Development Committee is going to try to ramp up travel and tourism in Mandalay by celebrating this year’s water festival with Mandalay Walking Thingyan and Countryside Thingyan Night Market.

The aim is to elevate tourism in Mandalay ,would like all tourists to come here during Thingyan festival and like to arrange trips for them to visit our three ancient cities Bagan, Innwa and Amarapura before they participate in the festival.

To attract tourists and visitors, the MCDC has arranged the Countryside Thingyan Night Market to take place between 19th street and 23th street, at the eastern palace moat. The MCDC initially planned to allow building pandals from 12nd street to 20th street and opening stalls both day and night on 66th street for up to 450 feet at the 26th street at the eastern moat.

Just like last year, the walk way will be located at the southern moat along 26th street between 66th street and 78th street. The Union of Myanmar Travel Association will be given an area for the festival between 66th street and 69th street on the 26th street.

What is the meaning behind throwing water ?

A festival celebrated since 9th century, or the first Burmese Empire before the spread of Theravada Buddhism in the empire. It is one of the ancient (either Brahmanic or early Verdic Hindi) beliefs or practices to dive in the water or river to cleanse the soul spiritually. The main reason of pouring water on each other during Thingyan derives from such practices, to clean the soul from all bad deeds of the previous year and to start a new year with fresh soul and body. April being one of the hottest months in Myanmar, people have fun pouring water on each other for 4 straight days under the sun with sweet smile surprisingly without getting sick.
If you plan to take part in the water festival in Myanmar, here are a few useful tips that you should be aware or prepared of:

1. Expect to get wet : At the Thingyan Festival, water is thrown at you from all kind of sources and all possible ways i.e. tin cans, bowls, watering pipes to fire hoses. Regardless of who/what you are, what you are doing or wearing, you will be poured and get wet from head to toe. So be prepared to have fun while getting drowned under big fire hose as you will not be able to escape from it.

2. Embrace the madness : This is the time of the year where the whole country celebrates. A party that last for three days and a party at a size of a town. The main areas of the festival will be an absolute riot. These ‘pandals’, temporary raised stages erected on main roads are usually furnished with high powered water jets with which the occupants proceed to hose anyone and anything that passes by. The Burmese pile themselves into jeeps, pick up trucks and cars, some even with the doors missing, packing as many people into and onto a vehicle as possible. They then tour the city ‘visiting’ each pandal with the apparent intention of just getting absolutely soaked.

3. Who are spared from throwing water : A few people gets special permission not to get wet during Thingyan and these are monks, nuns, pregnant ladies and those taking Sabbath (who are wearing white blouse/shirt and brown longyis). So please make sure to avoid throwing water to these people in whatever condition you may be in even though it is very unlikely for these people to come out and play water.

4. Water proof Accessories : You can buy waterproof folders for your phone and other belongings just about everywhere. Make sure you test them before you trust them though.

5. What to wear : Wear something that will weather the wetness. Do not wear jeans as it would get really heavy on you. Do not wear flip flops nor heels but sandals with adjustable straps or light shoes. Flip flops will be washed down into the drains and it is very difficult to walk in shoes going up the pandals, cars or evening walking the congested long roads.

Here are the lists of accessories and clothes you might need :
– Sunglasses (however, you are likely to get yours lost or broken within 4 days.)
– A Hat (optional)
– Sun block and Aloe Gel to sooth the sunburn at night. (Under a hot sun, it is very easy for foreigners to get sunburn.) All make up accessories should be water proof, otherwise you will look like a panda.
6. Do not bring or wear anything valuable : It is very likely that you will have fun, dancing and drinking and throwing water the whole day that it is very easy to lose valuable items such as sunglasses, earrings, rings, necklaces and etc.

7. Book Accommodation : Things can book out a fair way in advance, especially because many Burmese people return to the big cities for the celebration. Book ahead! Lot of travelers are visiting their home towns or travelling elsewhere to celebrate Thingyan. Place like Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle and beaches tend to be fully booked with people coming in for the celebrations. It is very normal for beach hotels to double the room price as well.

8. Pre-Organise Transport : One thing we discovered is that transport rarely runs a few days before, during the festival and a couple of days after. Flights will be full and ticket price are expected to double. Reserve your tickets early. Trains rarely book out as you can only buy tickets up to one day beforehand. This could be a good option if buses and flights are full.

9. Not a time for business : Thingyan is not a time to do business nor entertain your business partners. All the offices and enterprises close down for five to ten days of Thingyan and nobody has a thought for business. It is also very likely for almost all shops to be closed on the 13th – 17th of April. Thingyan is time to wash away not only sins but also problems and worries of everyday life.

10. Yangon and Mandalay : The biggest celebrations are at Yangon and Mandalay. The celebrations at Yangon, befitting a port and capital city have a modern flavour. Those at Mandalay, the country’s cultural centre, are more traditional. Since the celebrations are held over three or four days depending on the calendar of that particular year, you can cover both cities.

11. After Thingyan effects : Hangovers, sore throat from screaming and shouting are very common. Also it is advisable to buy insurance for injuries and accidents as a great amount of alcohol consumption often leads to accidents and fights even though it may not be serious.

As well as the water fun, there is also traditional singing and dancing in the evenings featuring the traditional Thingyan dance at night. After 3 days straight celebrating water festival, on 1st day of Buddhist calendar year, locals perform meritorious deeds at monasteries, pagodas, elderly homes and orphanages e.g. washing the elderly’s hair and letting loose fish and cattle.

Of course there are people who celebrate the new year by doing good deeds. Many people enter Thingyan meditation camps, some as a normal Sabbath keepers some as nuns and monks fasting and keeping the Eight Precepts or Ten Precepts and go to the monasteries and pagodas to offer alms-food.

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The monastery was originally part of the Royal Palace in Amarapura, before it was moved to Mandalay, where it formed the northern section of the Hmannan (Glass Palace) and part of the king’s royal apartments. The building was heavily gilt with gold and adorned with glass mosaic work.

When the capital city was moved to Mandalay, the building was dismantled, transported to Mandalay and rebuild there as part of the new all teak Royal Palace in 1857.

Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)

Shwenandaw Monastery was built in 1878 by King Thibaw Min, who dismantled and relocated the apartment formerly occupied by his father, King Mindon Min, just before Mindon Min’s death, at a cost of 120,000 rupees.

Thibaw removed the building in 10 October 1878, believing it to be haunted by his father’s spirit. The building reconstruction was finished in 31 Oct 1878, dedicated in memory of his father, on a plot adjoining Atumashi Monastery. It is said that King Thibaw used it for meditation, and the meditation couch he sat on can still be seen.

The monastery is also called the Golden Palace Monastery, because it used to be part of the Mandalay Royal Palace and was completely gilded. Both exterior and interior of the monastery are decorated with intricate wood carvings. Some of the carved wooden panels ravaged by time and weather have been replaced with new panels, especially on the outside.

Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)

Well known for it’s teak carvings of Buddhist myths, which adorn its walls and roofs. The monastery is built in the traditional Burmese architectural style. The roof lines are decorated with very detailed intricate wood carvings. The roofs bargeboards contain carved depictions of mythical creatures, animals, dancers and flowers.

Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)

Some of the best preserved panels are inside the building, sheltered from weather and sunlight. Among them is a number of carved panels depicting scenes from the Jataka tales, the tales about the previous lives of the Buddha.
Inside the main room in the center of the building is the main Buddha image, with Nat spirits worshipping it. Only men can go inside to worship the Buddha image.

Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)

The Shwenandaw Monastery is located a few hundred meters from the North East section of the Royal Palace grounds, next to the Atumashi pagoda. From downtown Mandalay you can get there by rickshaw which should cost around US$2 or by private taxi at around US$ 4.

Tourist can buy a Mandalay archeological zone ticket at US$ 10, that is valid for a week. This ticket is also valid for the Atumashi Pagoda located right next to it and for a number of sites around Mandalay in the towns of Sagaing, Innwa and Amarapura.

Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)

This is a great place to get an impression of what the Royal Palace once must have looked like. As the Palace was destroyed by fire during the second World War, the Shwenandaw Monastery is the only major original teak wooden building left of the original Mandalay Royal Palace.

Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)

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Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay, Myanmar

Contents

• Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay, Myanmar
• Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay, Myanmar
• Check-in
• Room
• Afternoon Tea
• Breakfast
• Swimming Pool
• Massage & Spa
• Facilities and Services
• Final Thoughts
• Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Digital Camera
• Accessories For Canon GX7 Mark ||
• GoPro HERO4 Silver
• Accessories For Go Pro Hero 4
• SanDisk 64 GB Memory Cards
• All-in-One Memory Card Reader

Now, let’s start with my experience staying at the hotel by the Red Canal.
Address: No 417, Corner of 63rd & 22nd Street, Aung Myay Tha Zan Township, Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)
Room Type: Rakhine
Total Room: 25
How to get here: It takes approx 1 hour by taxi from Mandalay International Airport, 4 hours by minivan from Bagan, and 25 mins by taxi from Mandalay bus stop. I recommend installing Grab app to get a taxi where price is set before you start your journey to the hotel.

Read Ultimate Myanmar travel guide here. Everything you need to know before you go, from visa to wifi and more.

Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay, Myanmar

Check-in

Because I had a door-to-door service included in my bus ticket from Bagan; I was dropped off right at the door of the hotel by the Red Canal. It was scoring heat around 1:30 pm but it was refreshing to be welcomed with a cold towel and delicious lemongrass and rosella water. A few moments later I was sitting at the check-in desk. Check-in was quick and staff were organised and English speaking.

Room

Hotel by the Red Canal offers 25 uniquely designed rooms that are named under 4 categories. The cultural adornments of the 4 major ethnic groups in Myanmar- Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Shan. My room was Rakhine. It came with the beautiful brass bed with clean sheets, fruit basket, FREE WIFI, TV with a selection of over 100 satellite channels, air conditioning, hot and cold bath/shower, coffee & tea making facility. I liked that my room also had a desk where I could work and sofa to relax, alarm clock, room safe and room service. Also, enjoy the soft music playing on the corridors of the hotel which I initially thought was strange but I grew to like it by the time I was leaving.

Afternoon Tea

After settling into my room, it was just the right time for complimentary afternoon tea. Every day it runs from 2-4pm on first-floor canopy bar. The hotel offers a free flow of coffee, tea, some snacks and fruits. You can also sit outside on the balcony and enjoy the afternoon tea. In case you missed the afternoon tea, you can always enjoy a drinking water full of apple slices, fruits and herbs that sits on the canopy bar 24/7.

After afternoon tea, I went out to town for a stroll and tried some local street food. Read about it here.

If you are feeling lazy to go around, you can try delicious Indian food at the in-house spice garden restaurant. Hotel states they are the only Indian-Myanmar fine dining restaurant in Mandalay.

Breakfast

Next morning, it was breakfast time. It was a buffet-style continental breakfast, fresh juice, tea/coffee, freshly baked goodies as well as Asian dishes. On the first morning, I had some baked goodies, fried rice, eggs, fruits and coffee. The second morning, as you can see in the picture above, I made myself a super good bowl full of good healthy things. It was a great way to start the morning in this beautiful place.

Swimming Pool

Walking around and exploring Mandalay all day in the heat, I was exhausted and sweaty. It was a perfect way to end the day relaxing by the pool. Though it is smaller in size, it was surrounded by lush tropical greenery and calming water features. And because it is around the city centre, like just 10 mins from Mandalay Palace and other attractions. It isn’t a hassle to pop back in the hotel for a dip and go out again if you wish. Such a great spot in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Mandalay.

Massage & Spa

I was tired after hiking to and back Mandalay Hill, and my legs were in need of some TLC. I was glad to find out I could have the massage at the hotel. It is named Prana Spa. Initially, I thought it would be somewhere inside the hotel building but was pleasantly surprised to find out, it is actually underground. It gave the feeling of a private cave and exclusive sanctuary. The massage was a therapeutic experience and interior looked like a rural house in Myanmar. It opens daily, just inform the staff 30 mins prior and enjoy your pampering.

Facilities and Services

What I liked the most in regards to facilities and services was the E-hub. It is a quiet business lounge where you can work without anyone bothering you. WIFI is free and strong and if you forget to bring your essentials like Laptop, it also has a few laptops that you can use. There is a little reading corner too where you can borrow books for your stay or donate your own if you like.

Another great facility in the hotel by the Red Canal is the gym. It was equipped with the basic pieces of gym equipment and not crowded at all. So, it was like your own home gym! Something worth mentioning in terms of services is Pets aren’t allowed. But the evening happy hour was a nice touch to the evening. You can enjoy complimentary snacks and buy 1 get 1 free drinks. There was also a local lady playing the Myanmar musical instrument which was super cool!

Final Thoughts

All that to say, I found the hotel by the Red Canal fully equipped with modern facilities and services. If you are looking for a hotel in Mandalay that is closer to the attractions, has a swimming pool, spa, business lounge, and good restaurant. You have hit the jackpot! Hope this review was of help and lmk in comments if you have any questions or your experience staying here.

Thank you for an amazing stay hotel by the Red Canal and all the staffs who work hard day in- day out. You guys rock!
I hope to be back soon!

Check out the “Myanmar” stories on Instagram.

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What I used to take these photos

Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Digital Camera

This has been my favourite Camera so far. I love how my pictures come out crisp and colourful. It also has a screen which is useful when vblogging. You can check out what I meant on my Instagram which is here.

Accessories For Canon GX7 Mark ||

Check it out here

GoPro HERO4 Silver

This is the good old Go pro that I take with me everywhere. I recommend it because it is small, lightweight and waterproof. I have had made many memories with this trusted item and looking forward to more.

Accessories For Go Pro Hero 4

Check it out here

SanDisk 64 GB Memory Cards

I have been using SanDisk since my first camera which was back in 2009. They build quality memory cards. I recommend getting at least two, just in case something happens to one of them.

All-in-One Memory Card Reader

Do you think it’s a hassle of plugging your camera into your computer? This memory card reader will fit cards of all sizes and make an easy transfer to your computer. The reader supports all popular SD memory card formats, including SD™/SDHC™/SDXC™ memory cards, UHS-I SDHC/SDXC memory cards, and microSDHC™/microSDXC™ memory cards. It is also compatible with the latest UDMA 7-enabled CompactFlash cards.

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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 the most off-the-beaten-track cultural activities I did in Myanmar. The railway is a commuter route that services the small villages in the outskirts of Yangon, and a ticket will set you back a mere 200 Kyats (about 10-20 cents). Along the way, you’ll find yourself in the thick of local life, with all its chaos and color and excitement.

Except to see locals bathing or slaughtering chickens or hanging wet clothes to dry along the train tracks; vibrant markets plopped on the dirt train platforms with eager food vendors that often make their way inside the train cars themselves to sell to commuters; locals making their morning commutes carrying bamboo baskets filled with tobacco or rice or chickens, with their entire families in tow.

 

Consider grabbing a tea or snack from a vendor (fried tofu with chili is a popular option, and I suggest staying away from meat), chatting up the locals, and soaking in as much as you can both within the train and outside its windows.

The entire loop to and from Yangon Central Railway Station takes about three hours and perpetually runs about 30 minutes late. However, I suggest hopping off the train whenever you come across a market or town that seems interesting. Go explore for a while, and then hop back on the next train that passes through (the Circular Train runs about every hour) or get a taxi or Grab back to Yangon.

To find the train schedule, I suggest asking your hotel for help. There does not appear to be an updated schedule posted online, and a visit to the station is possible but may leave you even more confused (don’t expect to find any English speakers working there). Also, note that the Circular Train is notorious for having a rather “elastic” schedule that is more akin to a rough estimate of arrival times.

Mandalay: Take A Day Trip To The Ancient Island City Of Ava

Although once the imperial capital of Burma during the 14th and 19th centuries, a series of massive earthquakes left the little island of Ava, otherwise known as Inwa, in ruins, which is much of what you’ll find there today. It’s a bit of a hidden gem, as even most locals didn’t know Ava existed until quite recently. However, you’ll still find a large handful of people that still inhabit the island, as well as a treasure trove of ancient ruins just waiting for you to explore.

Some of my favorite spots were the teakwood Bagaya Monastery, surrounded by fragrant evergreen trees; the Me Nu Ok Monastery, famous for being made of brick rather than the traditional wood; and the Yadana Hsemee Pagodas, a series of small ruined pagodas from the 1400s. Also be sure to drive past the Nanmyin Watch Tower which was damaged in the 1838 earthquake, giving it the nickname “The Leaning Tower of Ava.”

You’ll find some beautiful and unique souvenirs in Ava, such as antique stone pipes and wood carvings that. It’s a good idea to bargain here, but you’re still likely to get great prices as compared with the bigger, more touristed cities.

To get to Ava, take the public ferry from Mandalay to the Ava Jetty, which runs pretty regularly. The ferry costs about 1,300 Kyats roundtrip, and once you arrive, you’ll need to hire a horse buggy (starting at 10,000 Kyats) or rent a bicycle to get around the island.

 

Bagan: Learn To Cook Traditional Burmese Cuisine

Bagan is most famous for its thousands of ancient pagodas that offer visitors spectacular sunrise and sunset views. However, in between your morning and evening spent temple hopping, you’ll need to find some way to fill your time. Rather than hiding inside your hotel room all afternoon, consider taking a cooking class with Pennywort Cooking Class.

If food or local culture interests you in the slightest, you’ll love this experience. You’ll start the morning by visiting the local New Bagan market — it’s a smaller, more local market than the popular Nyaung-U Market, so there’s a good chance you’ll be the only foreigner there. May, who will be your instructor, will guide you through the market explaining the produce, preparation of dishes, and cultural significance of it all, as she selects items here and there for your cooking class.

I even had the opportunity to walk around the market on my own, picking out strange items that I wanted to try (May can make a meal out of anything, so she really did encourage me to pick out whatever I wanted).

After the shopping is finished, you’ll head over to a nearby tea shop for a break. Sip sweet black tea with condensed milk, accompanied by Chinese-influenced donuts and Indian-influenced chickpeas. May will explain to you about the interesting tea shop culture, where locals come to meet with friends, find work, or hire handymen for the day.

Finally, head back to May’s backyard kitchen to cook up a feast of traditional Burmese salads, tempura, curries and stews, and sweet treats. Except one of the best meals you’ll have while in Myanmar, made with fresh ingredients, loving hands, and great company. The best part? Proceeds from May’s cooking classes help sustain the eight free public libraries that May and her family run around Bagan.

If you’re a vegetarian or have other dietary restrictions, May can make arrangements to accommodate you. She also offers afternoon classes with a prepared dinner, but I suggest the morning class because it allows you to visit the market with her.

Inle Lake: Take A Multi-Day Trek

Although technically this 2-day/1-night or 3-day/2-night trek isn’t solely in Inle Lake, it’s definitely the best way to make your way to Inle Lake from Kalaw. Along the way, accompanied by an informative guide, you’ll walk past some of the most breathtaking scenery, including rolling grassy hills, vibrant green rice paddies, corn or pepper or pumpkin farmlands stretching for miles, and quaint little villages with no running water or electricity.

This trek will offer you some really beautiful and unique insights into village life and culture, as you’ll pass through tribes of Burmese people that only live in these hills. I walked through funerals, harvests, gambling gatherings, watering holes, and even “rush hour traffic” as all the farmers returned home with dozens of buffalo. And as an added bonus, I think I only saw two other pairs of trekkers the entire time.

One of the highlights of my trek (and possibly of my entire time in Myanmar) was being able to spend the night in a monastery. It was far from luxurious, but it was a seriously beautiful display of hospitality. The monks at the local monastery set up a sleeping mat, blankets, and a pillow, made private by a curtain attached to the interior pillars. They slept on the opposite side of the monastery, and we all woke up early in the morning to the clanging of pots and dishes as locals came to deliver food. Completely surreal. If you’re worried about comfort, my guess is you’ll be too exhausted from the day(s) of trekking that you’ll actually have one of the best nights of sleep on your trip.

In additional to the beautiful scenery and unique experiences, this will also be one of the few times you have easy access to and the undivided attention of a local who (hopefully) speaks excellent English. I had the most interesting conversations, gained the most nuanced insight into local culture, and was able to comfortably ask some of the more difficult questions I had (for example, about Myanmar’s ethnic conflict, while my guide was able to ask me about gun violence in America) while on my trek. The conversations were as interesting, challenging, and rewarding as the physical trek itself.

I can’t recommend my guide enough, who not only hosts travelers for insightful, educational, and beautiful walking treks, but also for cycling tours. You can book my guide, Mr. Qual of Kalaw Trekking & Biking Tour, by sending him an email at jskhual@gmail.com.

Let’s Go.

If you’re planning a trip to Myanmar, my guess is that you have some of the most iconic pagodas, monasteries, and sunrise adventures on your bucket list. But as you head to each of Myanmar’s most popular tourist destinations, don’t miss some of these unique things to do in each city. Although perhaps a bit off the beaten track and unexpected, each of these activities were highlights of my time in Myanmar and offered some of the most authentic, rich cultural experiences of my trip.

For a FULL GUIDE featuring more unique experiences like these, as well as safety, cultural etiquette, logistical, and other useful information, download my latest e-book: The Wayfaress’s Guide To Myanmar.

Hotel Recommendations:

The following are hotels I can personally recommend to you, because I stayed there and had great experiences. All include breakfast. Prices vary depending on the room selection and season during which you’ll be traveling (rainy season is generally cheaper).

Budget: USD $0-50

Mid-Range: USD $50-100

Luxury: USD $100+

Yangon

Mid-Range: Esperado Lake View Hotel (beautiful rooftop views, large breakfast buffet with tons of variety, and clean and modern rooms)

Budget: Casa Yangon Hotel (basic but clean and modern accommodations, centrally located in downtown Yangon)

Mandalay

Mid-Range/Luxury: Hotel by the Red Canal (beautiful boutique rooms and garden-filled property, pool, gym, business center with computers, affordable hotel restaurant offering the best Indian food in Mandalay, a cozy underground spa, delicious breakfast, and the friendliest staff — highly recommended!)

Bagan

Mid-Range: Areindmar Hotel (feels much more luxurious than the 3-star nightly rates would suggest, with spacious and well-decorated rooms, tasty breakfast, and conveniently located in New Bagan)

Inle Lake/Nyaung Shwe

Mid-Range: Royal Nadi Resort (located on its own private lake with lovely lake-view suites, but a bit far from Nyaungshwe)

Mid-Range/Luxury: ViewPoint Ecolodge (beautiful eco-friendly stilted suites situated on the water, conveniently located in central Nyaungshwe)

Have you tried any of these activities while in Myanmar? Have any others to add to the list? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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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 and tea. Following a short safety briefing by our pilot (Allie Dunnington with many years balloon piloting experience in many countries), we watched the balloons inflate and then climbed aboard.

We’re going how high today? I said to the pilot of our hot air balloon told us we’d be reaching an altitude of 3000 feet. That’s 1 km in the air!

We’d be going way up, I started to feel my knees go weak.

There were four of us plus our pilot in our balloon, squished in snuggly with just enough room. Our flight took off from a random field up-wind from the monastry call ” Mahar Wi Thode Dar Yone” located in the area of “Nan Shae” near Nan Shae Market. It was early morning with a heavy fog just lifting which gave us some spectacularly epic scenes to capture and the royal moat was as still as could be. It was almost fairy tale like.

The experience was magical as we floated low over near “Kuthodaw Pagoda” and “Mandalay Hill” in every direction, the early morning sun just beginning to bathe them in colour. The peace and tranquillity, the unbelievable sights just below, the strangeness of the situation. This was the highlight of our trip to Myanmar.

It was so calm and smooth, it was as if we were hardly moving. Aside from the off and on loud roar of the propane cylinders firing to keep us in the air and the beep of the altimeter it was a very peaceful experience. That was until I remembered that we still had to land the darn thing… however this also turned out to be quite smooth and easy.

After about an hour or so of soaring and up and down over the clouds and fog our pilot began searching for a nice place to land. This is when I then realized that since hot air balloons can’t really steer in any particular direction and they just float along with the air streams that they also don’t always have a designated landing spot. Or at all. Ever. They just find a piece of land that looks clear, hope for the best and hope the land owners don’t mind.

Our hot air ballooning experience in Lithuania wasn’t over yet though. We were then told about a hot air ballooning tradition after ones first flight. Apparently over 200 years ago in France the first hot air balloon was successfully piloted and upon landing one of the men fell out and got dirt on his face and the other accidentally singed his hair on the ignition in the balloon and to celebrate their successful flight they toasted with champagne. Because of this there is a tradition that is almost like a knighting ceremony in a way. Each of us were asked to get down on one knee and the pilots then proceed to singe some of our hair, put some dirt on our faces and then pour champagne on our heads! This was definitely a new tradition for me.

This was my first ever hot air ballooning trip, and it was absolutely magic! Oriental Ballooning are great operators, being extremely safety conscious and with the most experienced British pilots -ours had been flying over Bagan, Myanmar since 2000! Drifting for an hour or so over the hundreds of Pagodas of the Irrawaddy River plains during sunrise was an experience not to be missed and can book via “Hotel by the Red Canal” tour desk. They can organize for you very well.

Other people that were with me who had hot air ballooned in other parts of the world had never experienced this before, who knows. However it was all in good fun and we all got to celebrate afterwards with a nice glass of champagne.
Now I can’t wait to do it again somewhere else in Myanmar! Have you ever flown in a hot air balloon? Where did you do it?

May Malar Win

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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 up or ride up Mandalay Palace) this pagoda contains the world’s largest book. Make sure to allow yourself enough time to explore, as there are 729 stupas that make up the largest book.

Explore Mingun

Rather than making the long (and expensive) drive from Mandalay city to Mingun by taxi, consider a 1-hour ferry ride across the river.  Our roundtrip tickets cost 10,000 kyat per person, and the ride included views of communities living on the river. Here at Mingun you can explore the Hsinbyume Pagoda and the Mingun Pagoda.

• Hsinbyume Pagoda – Of all the places in Mandalay I believe this is the most beautiful.  The pure white color of this pagoda stands out among the green trees making it a perfect photo opportunity.  

• Mingun Pagoda – The brick structure is a result of slave and prisoner work during the 18th century that was left unfinished. In 1839, an earthquake left large cracks in the building that are visible today.  The front of the pagoda was crowded, so we opted to walk around and there was no one in sight.

Mandalay Palace

This place is hard to miss as it is right in the center of Mandalay and surrounded by a large moat. The entrance is 10000 kyat. This is a Mandalay Combo tickets which also gives you entry to the Kuthodaw Pagoda and a few more.

U Bein Bridge

The U Bein Bridge is a 30-minute drive from Mandalay Hill and is most commonly visited during sunset. The Bridge has been used for many years as a crossing of Taungthaman Lake by locals and is used by tourists and locals alike today. The old wood shows character and age and the 3/4 mile bridge provides a great viewpoint to see locals fishing and swimming.

Zay Cho Market

This 12-acre market is the most common in Mandalay.  It’s open from 6 AM until 5 PM.  Zay Cho in Burmese means “cheap price,” and you’ll find most things very affordable here; especially if you barter down.

Places to Stay & Eat

My blog focuses on affordable travels. However, as a backpacker, it is nice to take a break and spend more for a luxurious hotel. My husband and I had the opportunity to stay at Hotel by the Red Canal. We loved our experience and definitely recommend it! The hotel has won many awards including: Myanmar Leading Resort-Winner World Travel Awards, Winner World Luxury Hotel Awards and TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice. The hotel is in a great location as is situated at one of the busiest locations in the city. It is near Mandalay Palace, Kuthodaw Pagoda, Nan Shae Market, and other historical attractions.

Hotel by the Red Canal sports a modern design with a touch of traditional theme.  It’s really cool to experience a taste of the ancient Myanmar culture from close quarters. They offer four different room choices that represent the ethnic groups of Myanmar such as Chin, Shan, Kachin and Rakhine. Every room offers traditional paraphernalia, continental breakfast, welcome fruit basket, and free internet access. They also have beautiful views of the outside waterfall, stream, and swimming pool.  The Kachin room is distinguished with an outdoor shower and stone forest. We stayed in a Rakhine room and were more than pleased with our experience!

Hotel by the Red Canal delivers round the clock services and treats their guests as royalty. At hotel you can enjoy delicious food served at the Spice Garden Restaurant, pamper yourself at the spa, or take a refreshing dip in the pool.  They also offer daily complimentary snacks at noon and cocktails by the poolside during the evening happy hour. If you don’t drink alcohol, they offer non-alcoholic too. The Spice Garden Restaurant is featured in an English house with a high ceiling building near
the pool side with garden views. It is open from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, which is great if you plan to leave in the early morning to explore the area. Be sure not to miss out on the breakfast buffet that offers Myanmar and Western choices. The restaurant specializes in Indian food, but everything we ordered was amazing! Over the course of our stay we ordered the desi burrito, mutton chettinadu with naan, paneer butter masala with naan, and the grilled fish with lemon rice.  Our favorite was the desi burrito, which is an Indian dish with a Mexican twist.  You have to order it!  My husband and rarely choose to order anything but water, however, while here we tried their lime and watermelon juices and their mango and blueberry smoothies.  All were fresh and well prepared with garnishes. The smoothies were especially tasty! As a Registered Dietitian I was especially impressed with the quality of food they served.  Everything was super fresh and later I learned that the chefs hold a policy of preparing food for the same day only.

The underground spa is really calm and relaxing, perfect for a rejuvenating experience. Each staff member is extremely polite and willing to fulfill your needs. We both agree that the masseuse’s were well qualified for the job Our massages at the end of our stay were just what we needed after exploring the Mandalay.

Overall, we loved our stay in Mandalay and you should definitely include a few days here during your trip to Myanmar!

Travel Guide to Mandalay, Myanmar

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