The Magic of Mandalay
Manadaly is the second largest city in Myanmar after Yangon.
It was founded in 1857 by the then King, Mindon, in the shadow of the Mandalay Hill.
This is center of Burmese Buddhism and is home to one million people.
It was the capital of the country until 1885 when the British annexed the country.
It is one of the main economic hubs in the country and site on the eastern bank of the Mekong River.
In the 1980s many fires in the region cut huge swathes of land unoccupied in the city.
in a series of four fires about 10,000 homes were destroyed and more than sixty thousand people rendered homeless.
During this time many Chinese poured into the city buying up large pieces of land.
Today they make up about forty percent of the city's population.
Many Burmese people complain that they are turning the city into a Chinese satellite town.
It has though managed to retain much of its original charm.
It is beyond doubt that the Chinese have significantly revitalized Mandalay's economy.
The original old town of Amarapura has been swallowed up by the urban development.
In 2006 Naypyidaw was made the capital of Myanmar and has risen in significance ever since.
It has though, failed to knock Mandalay from its place at the top of Myanmar's commercial, educational and health system.
Mandalay remains for many the economic center of the country.
It is a fascinating place to visit.
situated right in the middle of the countryside dry zone, it has little rainfall even in the wet season and the temperatures remain hot all year round.
The two hottest months of March and April can be restrictively hot, with temperatures remaining about 40ºC for long periods of time.
There is much to do and see here.
The Mandalay Palace is a magnificent complex that sadly was badly damaged in the Second World War.
The outer walls, some of the wooden palaces and the grand gates were thankfully saved.
It stands on the banks on the Mekong River and provides a super day out.
Shwenandaw Monastery is famous for its superb wood-carvings.
It was a part of the old palace and was later moved to its current site by in 1880.
The magnificent white Kuthodaw Pagoda is a really beautiful place and was built by King Mindon in 1857.
The World's Largest book can be found here.
It stands upright and is set in stone, in the grounds.
It has 1460 pages; each page is three and a half feet wide, five feet tall and five inches thick.
The city center is a mixture of old and new.
Much of the Chinese money has been spent on modern glass structures though no high rise buildings have spoilt the feel of the city.
There is much to enjoy and as Myanmar's popularity continues to increase many hotels are being built to cope with the demand.
It was founded in 1857 by the then King, Mindon, in the shadow of the Mandalay Hill.
This is center of Burmese Buddhism and is home to one million people.
It was the capital of the country until 1885 when the British annexed the country.
It is one of the main economic hubs in the country and site on the eastern bank of the Mekong River.
In the 1980s many fires in the region cut huge swathes of land unoccupied in the city.
in a series of four fires about 10,000 homes were destroyed and more than sixty thousand people rendered homeless.
During this time many Chinese poured into the city buying up large pieces of land.
Today they make up about forty percent of the city's population.
Many Burmese people complain that they are turning the city into a Chinese satellite town.
It has though managed to retain much of its original charm.
It is beyond doubt that the Chinese have significantly revitalized Mandalay's economy.
The original old town of Amarapura has been swallowed up by the urban development.
In 2006 Naypyidaw was made the capital of Myanmar and has risen in significance ever since.
It has though, failed to knock Mandalay from its place at the top of Myanmar's commercial, educational and health system.
Mandalay remains for many the economic center of the country.
It is a fascinating place to visit.
situated right in the middle of the countryside dry zone, it has little rainfall even in the wet season and the temperatures remain hot all year round.
The two hottest months of March and April can be restrictively hot, with temperatures remaining about 40ºC for long periods of time.
There is much to do and see here.
The Mandalay Palace is a magnificent complex that sadly was badly damaged in the Second World War.
The outer walls, some of the wooden palaces and the grand gates were thankfully saved.
It stands on the banks on the Mekong River and provides a super day out.
Shwenandaw Monastery is famous for its superb wood-carvings.
It was a part of the old palace and was later moved to its current site by in 1880.
The magnificent white Kuthodaw Pagoda is a really beautiful place and was built by King Mindon in 1857.
The World's Largest book can be found here.
It stands upright and is set in stone, in the grounds.
It has 1460 pages; each page is three and a half feet wide, five feet tall and five inches thick.
The city center is a mixture of old and new.
Much of the Chinese money has been spent on modern glass structures though no high rise buildings have spoilt the feel of the city.
There is much to enjoy and as Myanmar's popularity continues to increase many hotels are being built to cope with the demand.