A travel guide to Wacheng

Mount Mandalay is located in the north of downtown Mandalay, formerly known as Mount Rogue, and is a famous Buddhist resort in Myanmar. Mandalay Mountain is not high, only 236 meters, but it is the highest place in Mandalay. From the mountain, you can see the whole city of Mandalay and the Irrawaddy River. Mandalay is a must-see spot to watch the sunset, and there are a large group of enthusiastic little lamas to chat with you.

Although Mandalay Mountain is not high, it is located on the bank of the city. The Irrawaddy River, the famous mother river of Myanmar, comes from the horizon, meanders around Mandalay Mountain and flows to the fertile plain. From the foot of the mountain to the hillside, there are 1,7 steps and eight temples along the way. In the morning, the sun rises from Ran Ran behind Mount Mandalay. The spire at the top of the mountain and the gallery that stretches down seem to be a paper-cut shape. Up to the top of the mountain is a Hindu temple, surrounded by square pillars, which are inlaid with glass into prismatic patterns. The pillars are connected by arches, and the cloisters run through them. In the morning sun, they are dazzling and crystal clear. Many local Burmese people worship devoutly in front of the Hindu sacred object, the golden-ringed cobra, and put folded Burmese coins on the snake's head from time to time. I wonder if they are praying for fortune or peace.

Mandalay's name also comes from Mandalay Mountain, the highest hill in the city. When Sakyamuni preached Buddhism, he passed by this mountain and pointed to the vast land below, predicting that there would be a prosperous big city here in 24 years. Mandalay really lived up to expectations. Under the rule of King Mindong, the 3-year glory has become an immortal page in history. (KingPalace/CulturalMuseum)

Located in the center of the ancient city, it used to be the palace of Kampong Dynasty, the last dynasty in Myanmar. It was destroyed by fire in

Mandalay

during World War II, and now it is rebuilt on its original site. In 1989, the Myanmar government began to rebuild 89 main halls based on historical pictures and materials, which were completed and opened to the public in September 1996.

There are two places in the Palace that must be visited. One is the watchtower with a height of 33 meters. After climbing the 121 stairs, you can have a bird's eye view of the whole Palace and Mandalay, and you can really feel the superiority of "the earth is at my feet". However, you should pay attention to the "chirp" when you climb the wooden stairs, and you don't know if it will collapse when you push too hard. Another must-see place is the museum, where the items used by the king of Myanmar, a small amount of furniture, photos, etc. are displayed, which is the only place where you can learn about the history of Myanmar.

The Palace is not as big as the Forbidden City in Beijing, but there are many buildings in it, such as the main hall where the emperor summoned his ministers to court, the living room, a large harem where concubines lived, and the golden tile red walls, all of which are Burmese-style, but unfortunately they are not furnished. There is the Museum of Ancient Burmese Culture, which displays the costumes, articles and Buddhist art of the court in those days.

the palace is square, with a side length of 3.2 kilometers, and has four main doors and eight side doors. Red brick palace wall with a wide moat outside. There are 14 large and small halls in the palace, and the whole complex is made of wood structure, which is exquisitely carved and magnificent. The model of Mandalay Palace exhibited this time was specially made by the Myanmar government for the second China-ASEAN Expo. This model is 5.5 meters high and has a total area of 18 square meters. It is made of steel, wood and a lot of bronzing. It took three months to make and cost about 1, yuan.

Mahagangdayong Monastery

Mahagangdayong Monastery: This is a monastery that has only been established in Mandalay for more than 5

years, but it has the largest number of monks in China, ranging in age from a 12-year-old monk to a 65-year-old abbot. The daily meals in the monastery are offered by believers, even devout believers as far away as Taiwan Province.

The century-old teak bridge teak is the most precious treasure in Myanmar. Smart Burmese people widely use it in building or carving. The centennial teak bridge (UBeinBridge, built in 1851), located about 11 kilometers south of downtown Mandalay, can make people see the immortality of teak. The 1.2-kilometer-long teak bridge is made of 1,86 solid teaks, and it crosses Taungthaman in a zigzag shape. This design can slow down the strong impact of floods on the bridge in rainy season. More than a hundred years have passed, and people on both sides of the lake still live on this bridge. Many hotels only have one computer to provide Internet service, and the hourly fee is K1 or K15. Other places in the city center where e-mail can be sent are:

Micro-electronic-mail service (83 rdst, 23/24; K 1 per hour; 9am~8：3pm)

Winner(83rdSt，24/25； K 1 per hour; 8am~8pm) The currency exchange rate in Mandalay is slightly worse than that in Yangon, but it is better than that in other places.

KyawKyawAungE-mail(27thSt，8/81； 9am~6pm) The network connection here is poor, but AmericanExpress traveler's checks can be exchanged, and a 2% commission is charged.

Sedona Hotel (Corner of 26th and 66thSts) This is a hotel that drinks money and is the only place in the city that accepts credit cards. DHLExpress Office (22ndSt, 8/81)

General Post Office (22ndSt, 8/81; 9: 3am ~ 3pm) For local calls, you can go to the telephone booths everywhere in Mandalay.

Mandalay, the ancient capital of Myanmar with Buddhist sounds

Central Telephone and Telegraph Office (CTT；; Corner of 8thSt and 26thSts; 7 am ~ 8: 3 pm) International calls can be made here (US$3.2 per minute in Europe, US$4.5 in North America and US$1.4 in Thailand). MTT（； Corner of 68thSt and 27thSts; 9am~5pm) government-run offices.

NewHorizonTravels（； 12236thSt，78/79； 8 am ~ 5: 3 pm) can help you find drivers and tour guides. The best budget hotels in Mandalay (all in the city center) are full every afternoon during the peak season (that is, from October to March each year). The room rate includes breakfast.

RoyalGuestHouse(4125thSt，82/83； Single US$3~7, double US$6~1) This is the best economic hotel in the city, and the rooms are small but bright and spotless. The host of the hotel is very friendly and willing to help. If you ask, you can have mohinga (fish rice noodle) for breakfast. This place is always full first, so book a room in advance. MoustacheBrothersTroupe(39thSt，8/81； Donate k 25; 8:3pm) This colorful troupe is performing in the hometown of the banned trio. They have been performing traditional Burmese national operas for more than 3 years. The performances here are very straightforward and somewhat trite. They are performed one after another on a small stage made of wooden planks, and more than a dozen plastic chairs are visited one meter away from the inner stage. The once famous troupe here has now withdrawn from public performances, and its original funny scenes have changed from Burmese to English. There are many programs in the evening, including farce, political satire, Burmese historical drama, traditional dance and music, and how to tie Luo clothes. LuMaw's English is very good-his favorite phrase is "catoutofthebag"-but if English is a second language to you, it may be more difficult for you to understand his English. The price of T-shirts here is K5. You can come in and talk at any time.

MandalayMarionettes& CultureShow(66thSt，26/27； Tickets k 35; 8:3pm) Marionettes zatpwe (adapted from Buddhist stories) and yamapwe (stories from Indian epic "Ramayana") are often staged in this small theater. The performance lasts for one hour and is worth seeing. The whole performance was accompanied by a group of traditional musicians beating gongs and drums, and the sound was loud. There are new puppets for sale, which are expensive. Handicrafts in Mandalay are very cheap. You can buy marionettes (both old and new) for a few dollars, as well as kalaga (a traditional woven silk) and other antiques.

SunflowerArts& Crafts(27thSt,74/75) This is a part of Marie-MinVegetarianRestaurant. There are two showrooms displaying old wood and bronze trinkets, and some puppets that conform to anatomical principles (that is, pendulous genitals) (the price of new puppets is above US$3, and the price of antiques is above US$1). MandalayMarionettes also sells puppets.

Zeigyo(84thSt,26/28) A large number of Myanmar-made goods (including handicrafts) filled these two large modern buildings and placed them on the surrounding sidewalks.

Jade Market (ticket US$ 1; 7am~5pm) This market is located in the "Monk District", with dozens of stalls and tables, where local people sell stones in a serious way. Beware of fakes.

The vendor outside Mahamuni Pagoda sells handicrafts and Buddhist gadgets. If you want to buy ivory or stone pagodas, things in the jade carver's workshop to the west of the pagodas are cheaper.