Early this morning at 06:30 you will be picked up from your hotel by our guide and private car for a taste of local life at Thaye Zay, a vibrant market located to the north of Mandalay’s former Royal Palace. You won’t come across many tourists here but you will see plenty of fruits, vegetables and other food products from surrounding villages being sold on and beside the train tracks. Whenever a train is heard approaching all the local vendors quickly gather all their items to let the train pass by!
Leave the sights and smells of the market for those of a local tea shop; a place of business, politics and socializing. Enjoy delicious snacks and tea or coffee as you ‘people watch’ and listen to conversations in Burmese.
Next, we will return to the car and drive towards Sagaing, located 20km south-west of Mandalay. On the way there stop at a riverside village to learn about the local community’s daily agricultural lifestyle, and to visit wood carving and bronze casting workshops. Then, cross a bridge over the Irrawaddy River to arrive in Sagaing, widely regarded as the religious centre of Myanmar and home to more than 3,000 monks. This former royal capital’s nuns, on the other hand, are less talked about and today you will have the opportunity to observe the daily life of Buddhist nuns at That Kya Di Tha Nunnery. We will arrive by 10:30 to spend some time with them before they sit down for lunch at 11:00. Following this unique cultural insight head to Swan Oo Ponnya Shin Pagoda which offers beautiful views of the surrounding nature, and U Min Thounzeh Pagoda, a cave temple with 45 Buddha images arranged in a curved format, an ideal spot to take a group photo.
Afternoon:
Ava-Amarapura
Having worked up an appetite continues to Ava by a combination of car and small boat. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant there, after which a horse cart will be waiting to take you around the capital city from the 14th to the 18th century. This traditional form of transportation allows you to directly support the horse cart owners who have been dealing with decreasing income over recent years.
In Ava explore Bargayar Monastery with its beautiful teak wood structure and stunning carvings. Then your horse cart driver will lead you to Yadana Semi Pagoda, before the final stop at MahaAungmyae Bonzan Monastery, an imposing brick monastery dating back to the 19th century.
Later in the afternoon, visit Amarapura, the royal capital from 1783 until 1859. Highlights here include a visit to a traditional silk-weaving workshop and the world’s longest teak footbridge – U Bein Bridge, which crosses the shallow Taungthaman Lake. This is a fantastic place to take beautiful photos and enjoy a leisurely stroll along the bridge as the sun sets before transferring back to your hotel.
Optional activity: For a truly memorable sunset take a short boat ride on Taungthaman Lake with a local boat driver (15000 Kyats per boat – maximum 2 passengers.
