The year was 1885 and the last Burmese king was standing strong. The British forces were marching into Mandalay with very little opposition. Their plan to take over the country was succeeding- but capturing the Royal Palace of Mandalay in the centre of the city, was going to be an important symbolic victory. 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 […]
Thursday afternoon we are on our way to Schiphol airport Amsterdam from where we fly directly to Bangkok with KLM. In the Netherlands it is really cold autumn weather. We feel lucky returning to the fair warm temperatures and the great food, my wife has been nervous for weeks to see her family again, even though it is short because of all our travel plans. Ancient temples, pristine jungle areas, some of the world’s friendliest people, cheap beer, mountains and beaches this is the ultimate travel guide to Thailand and Myanmar Donderdagmiddag zijn we onderweg naar Schiphol vanwaar we met KLM direct naar Bangkok vliegen. In Nederland is het echt herfst weer we hebben er zin aan om de eerlijke warme temperaturen weer op te zoeken en het geweldige eten, mijn vrouw is al weken zenuwachtig om haar familie weer te kunnen zien al is het kort door al onze reisplannen. Oude tempels, ongerepte jungle gebieden, enkele van ‘s werelds vriendelijkste mensen, spotgoedkoop bier bergen en stranden dit is de ultieme reisgids naar Thailand Myanmar Jomtien / Pattaya After a flight of 11 hours, we arrive in Bangkok where we at our big surprise within an hour outside the terminal by our […]
The World’s Largest Book The Kuthodaw Pagoda or Maha Lawka Marazein Paya is located at the base of the southeast stairways to Mandalay Hill and was built by King Mindon at the same time he was constructing the Royal Palace. Its central stupa is modeled on the Shwezigon at Nyaung U near Bagan. The Charity Group of the Hotel by the Red Canal, Mandalay painted the campus of the Kuthodaw Pagoda, known as World’s Largest Book Heritage site on 11.11.2016.They announced at the Hotel social media page that anyone who wishes to join them in helping preserve one of the most important monuments in Mandalay. The stupa itself, connected to the outside entry by means of a long corridor, is set in the middle of a thirteen acre field of 729 pitaka pagodas or shrines (Dama Cetis). Each shrine contains a marble slab, inscribed on both sides with the Pali script text of a portion the Tipitaka (Pali spelling, or Tripitaka, in Sanskrit), Theravada Buddhism’s sacred texts. Taken together, they contain the entire text of the Tipitaka and thus form “the world’s largest book.” The slabs were carved from white Sagyin Hill marble found just a few miles north of […]
Mandalay is located 716 km North of Yangon. It was the royal capital of the last two kings of Myanmar, and is the cultural and religious centre of Buddhism. The city is also famous for its traditional crafts. Mandalay has a tropical wet and dry climate. The Mandalay streets are laid out in a grid system, and are numbered east to west (up to 49th) and north to south (over 50th).Addresses show the block where the building is located by giving the main street which it is on and the streets which is between: for example, 56th (between 19th and 20th Street). There are Six Townships, namely Aung Myae Thar San, Chan Aye Thar San, Mahar Aung Myay, Chan Mya Thar Si, Pyi Gyi Tagon and Amarapura. Moreover, Mandalay is well known for its pagodas and historical buildings; Maha Muni Pagoda, Maha Thatkya Thiha Pagoda, Shwe Kyee Myin Pagoda, Sanda Muni Pagoda, Kutho Daw, Atu Mashi Monastery, Golden Palace Monastery, Mandalay Hill, Yankin Hill and U Bein Bridge. The heart of the city dominated by Zegyo market. The Clock Tower, built in 1903 to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria. Eain Daw Yar Pagoda, a very popular pagoda known […]