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 […]
Coronavirus is breaking the entire world. The speed at which it is spreading and affecting the travel and hospitality industry is really troubling. When it appears that the COVID-19 disease is more deadly than seasonal influenza, it is obvious that your guests are afraid to travel or consider any other accommodation option safe. But, as a hotel, you can adopt a few preventive measures, and assure a safe stay for your guests. Well, we have covered the what, why and how of COVID-19 and which preventive measures hotels should take to assure a safe stay to your guests. What is Coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others circulating among animals, including camels, cats and bats The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus that causes respiratory illness in people and can spread from person-to-person. This virus was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization (WHO) has made a dedicated page that has comprehensive information on COVID-19. You can explore more of this outbreak from here. How does it spread? Coronaviruses in human spread just like the flu or a cold (from person to […]
Mandalay ist die zweitgrößte Stadt Myanmars, hier gibt’s ne Menge Pagoden und Klöster zu besichtigen. Besonders die Ausflugsziele in der Umgebung unterscheiden Mandalay von anderen Städten in Myanmar. Ich verrate dir alles, was du für deinen Aufenthalt in der ehemaligen Hauptstadt wissen musst. SEHENSWÜRDIGKEITEN IN MANDALAY Was wäre eine burmesische Stadt ohne Klöster und Pagoden? In Mandalay gibt es davon auf jeden Fall genug! Für einige Sehenswürdigkeiten gibt es ein Sammelticket. Das kostet 10.000 Kyat (ca. 7€) und ist für 5 Tage gültig. Folgende Sehenswürdigkeiten in Mandalay kannst du damit besuchen: Mandalay Palace, Atummashi Kyaung, Shwenandaw Kyaung Kloster und die Altstadt von Inwa. KUTHODAW-PAGODE Die Kuthodaw-Pagode ist auch bekannt als “Das größte Buch der Welt”. What? Rund um die Pagode stehen 729 kleine, weiße Stupas, in denen eine Marmortafel steht. Diese stellen ein Blatt des größten Buches der Welt dar und es sind Texte der buddhistischen Lehre vermerkt. Besonders beeindruckend ist die Kuthodaw-Pagode zum Sonnenaufgang – ein unbeschreibliches Licht. Solltest du nicht zu den Frühaufsteher gehören, lässt sich ein Besuch der Kuthodaw-Pagode perfekt mit dem Mandalay Hill verbinden. Sie liegt im Norden der Altstadt, sozusagen am Fuße des Mandalay Hills. Der Eintritt ist kostenlos. MANDALAY HILL Der Mandalay Hill ist ein Hügel, auf […]
The Irrawaddy River is home to the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, found just north of Mandalay. What’s unique about Burma’s (Myanmar) Irrawaddy dolphins is their relationship with local fishermen. Dolphins and fishermen communicate and fish together, a practice called “cooperative fishing”–a unique phenomenon found in only two other places in the world. Taking this Irrawaddy Dolphin Watching trip in the hottest month in Myanmar turned out to be a great idea. As a group of 4 we opted for the 2 days/ 1 night trip and enjoyed the cooling breeze and beautiful scenery as we slowly made our way up the river. What is an Irrawaddy Dolphin? Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are an oceanic dolphin named after the Irrawaddy (Ayeyawaddy) River and are one of the world’s five species of dolphins that live in rivers. They have a grey body, a blunt forehead and nose, unlike the other oceanic dolphins, and can live up to 50 years. They use echolocation (sound) to hunt fish and communicate together. Irrawaddy dolphins are endangered and have an estimated total population of 7,100. They are found in only three rivers today, and there are less than 70 individuals left in the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, […]
Thingyan, or the Buddhist New Year festival, is the most celebrated event in the country. It usually occurs in the middle of April and lasts for four or five days, culminating in the New Year according to the Myanmar calendar. For the duration of the celebration, people spray or douse each other with water on the streets. The centre of this year’s celebration will be around the Mandalay moat and city walls. Those who want to erect water-spraying pavilions around the moat, where they can sell tickets to revellers, can participate in the bidding supervised by the city. Mandalay have introduced walking water splash, rural Thingyan night market, and Pyidaungsu Thingyan for this year “Walking Thingyan” on 26th street has attracted revelers this year, making the festival more attractive than previous years.The he Mandalay City Development Committee is going to try to ramp up travel and tourism in Mandalay by celebrating this year’s water festival with Mandalay Walking Thingyan and Countryside Thingyan Night Market. The aim is to elevate tourism in Mandalay ,would like all tourists to come here during Thingyan festival and like to arrange trips for them to visit our three ancient cities Bagan, Innwa and Amarapura before […]
The Shwenandaw Monastery, all teak monastery originally part of the Royal Palace is one of the finest examples of traditional 19th century wooden monastery building in the country. The monastery was originally part of the Royal Palace in Amarapura, before it was moved to Mandalay, where it formed the northern section of the Hmannan (Glass Palace) and part of the king’s royal apartments. The building was heavily gilt with gold and adorned with glass mosaic work. When the capital city was moved to Mandalay, the building was dismantled, transported to Mandalay and rebuild there as part of the new all teak Royal Palace in 1857. Shwenandaw Monastery was built in 1878 by King Thibaw Min, who dismantled and relocated the apartment formerly occupied by his father, King Mindon Min, just before Mindon Min’s death, at a cost of 120,000 rupees. Thibaw removed the building in 10 October 1878, believing it to be haunted by his father’s spirit. The building reconstruction was finished in 31 Oct 1878, dedicated in memory of his father, on a plot adjoining Atumashi Monastery. It is said that King Thibaw used it for meditation, and the meditation couch he sat on can still be seen. The […]
So after Bagan in Myanmar (Burma), I went to Mandalay. There are lots of hotels in Mandalay from the budget ones, mid-tier to the boutique luxury ones. Choices are unlimited. So, after some research, I chose to stay at the hotel by the Red Canal. Online it looked great and it seemed to be closer to the things I wanted to do and see in Mandalay. Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay, Myanmar Contents Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay, Myanmar Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay, Myanmar Check-in Room Afternoon Tea Breakfast Swimming Pool Massage & Spa Facilities and Services Final Thoughts Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II Digital Camera Accessories For Canon GX7 Mark || GoPro HERO4 Silver Accessories For Go Pro Hero 4 SanDisk 64 GB Memory Cards All-in-One Memory Card Reader Now, let’s start with my experience staying at the hotel by the Red Canal. Address: No 417, Corner of 63rd & 22nd Street, Aung Myay Tha Zan Township, Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma) Room Type: Rakhine Total Room: 25 How to get here: It takes approx 1 hour by taxi from Mandalay International Airport, 4 hours by minivan from Bagan, and 25 mins by taxi from […]
As one of the least visited countries in Southeast Asia, any trip to Myanmar is sure to sure to feel a bit off-the-beaten track. You’ll find ancient temples and monasteries, beautiful handicrafts to take home as souvenirs, and in many ways, a culture and way of life that’s remains relatively unchained for centuries. But in addition to these iconic religious and cultural sites, there are tons of unique things to do in Myanmar to ensure that you have an authentic, intimate, and culturally-rich adventure. For first time visits, most travelers will make their way through Myanmar’s most popular tourist destinations: Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle Lake. Thankfully, none of these cities and towns have yet been overtaken by the tourism industry, so you’ll be sure to have authentic cultural experiences alongside locals anywhere you go. However, if you’re looking for things to do in each destination that are a bit unexpected, consider adding these activities to your Myanmar itinerary. For my complete Myanmar Guide, download my latest e-book! Yangon: Ride The Circular Train A far cry from a luxurious mode of tourist transit, the Circular Train (or Circular Railway) is as gritty as it gets, and was one of […]
When I first received my itinerary from “Hotel by the Red Canal,Mandalay”, for my ballooning trip through the Mandalay I skimmed it quickly, city tour here, nice hotel there, cooking class there……. What the heck is that I thought? I would soon learn on my trip and love it…. but as I kept going down the list the thing that got me the most excited out of everything on the list was taking a HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE with Oriental Ballooning!! I would be going hot air ballooning for the first time in Mandalay,Myanmar! Our flight was with “Oriental Ballooning”, an awesome hot air ballooning company in Myanmar that does flights over the Mandalay, Bagan, Inle and Ngapali. The night before our flight I didn’t sleep much as I was a bit anxious for some reason. Hot air ballooning is something that has ALWAYS been at the top of my bucket list and “Hotel by the Red Canal” arranged for that. I was picked up from our hotel on-time at 5.45am and transferred to the balloon site where we were met personally by the all pilots and given a breakfast of the best pastries we had in Myanmar and coffee […]
Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar and is considered the center of Burmese culture. You’ll find many unique pagodas here and can enjoy views from U-Bein Bridge and Mandalay Hill. Set aside 2 or 3 days to experience everything this city has to offer. Things to Do Mandalay Hill This 790 feet high hill gives you incredible views of Mandalay. The entrance fee to Mandalay Hill is 1000 kyat. We left our hotel around 9am and had a tuk tuk take us here. You have your choice to walk up the hill or pay 500 kyats per person to get a ride to the elevator and escalator which is located on the foot of the highest of the temple. We had plenty of time so we decided to trek up the hill by foot. There were a lot of stairs, and we were dripping with sweat by the time we made it to the top, and we passed several temples along the way. We were happy we chose to walk up as it added to our overall experience. Kuthodaw Pagoda Lying at the foot of Mandalay Hill (just a few hundred feet from where you have the option to walk […]