Saturday 19 November: MINGUN

The population of Mandalay is 2 million and I think there are as many motorcycles.The women ride at the back, side saddle and there are often whole families on board. No helmets of course. The city is humming in that typical Eastern Asian way. Today we cycle through the outskirts of the city where the poverty always seems more apparent. We pass dusty shanty houses made from bamboo with woven mats for roofs. There are watermelons, squashes and gourds of various shapes and sizes by the side of the road. It is misty this morning so our first sight of the Ayrewaddy River is in the haze as we cycle over a long bridge. We then pass into a quieter and more rural area following the West Bank of the river northwards. We have an early lunch of vegetable noodle soup overlooking the river before visiting the Mingun bell, the largest uncracked bell in the world at 90 tons. We see the large unfinished pagoda, partially destroyed by earthquake in 2015 so health and safety rules do not allow us to climb to the top for the panoramic views. We also visit the unusual white Hsinbyume Pagoda with wavy concentric terraces before boarding a boat which takes us back to Mandalay where our magic bus awaits. This evening we will watch the sunset from Mandalay Hill before an early start tomorrow to watch the same sun rising.