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 […]
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, […]
Myanmar New Year Thingyan festival (water festival) is coming soon. We welcome our Burmese new year beginning with three days or sometimes 4 days of water festival. The Burmese new year falls on the second week of April as begins on 13th april and will end on 16th april. April always will be the welcomed day of our Burmese New Year. The true spirit of the water festival is to have nice clean fun with dear friends sprinkling water on the one another. Here are the symbols of “Thingyan Festival”. “Ah-Tar-Oh”, “Thingyan Pot” The Pot with its set of flowers and leaves, is called “Ah-Tar-Oh”, ‘Thingyan Pot’. “Ah-Tar-Oh”, “Thingyan Pot” meaning is that ” pot of flowers put out during Thingyan to welcome the New Year”.In this pot , the seven flowers or leaves are chosen and represent the seven days of the week. It welcomes our Burmese New Year, especially to the King of the Celestials- Tha-Gyar-Min. Whether he forgets to come or not, we never forget to welcome him with ‘Thingyan Pot’. We place Thingyan Pot at the suitable place in front of our house and hope that he will see it and let our names be engraved […]
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 […]
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 […]
Patagonia: An Unmissable Destination For Cross-Country Skiing in Argentina Original Writer – Hugo Garnier (French Language) Translated by May Malar Win Argentina is a perfect destination for cross-country skiing. In general, it has many sites where you combine adventure and the pleasure of skiing. Patagonia is a must for ski touring. This region offers impressive hiking tours through vast spaces and picturesque landscapes. Lakes, mountain villages, forests and wild nature are within easy reach. Here is an idea of itinerary to give you an overview of the journey. Ski Touring around Bariloche After your arrival in Buenos Aires, join San Carlos de Bariloche, the capital of Patagonia. This town is well located at the foot of the Andes mountains, on the South coast of Lake Nahuel Huapi and in the park and near the ski slopes. Located at 764 meters above sea level, it is set in a landscape of mountains, lakes, forests and rivers surrounded by numerous high peaks of the Andes. To discover the wealth of the region, head for Cerro Catedral, the largest ski area on the continent. It is 20 km from the city and has 103 km of slopes located at an altitude between 1,000 […]
The Spice Garden, a chic elegant restaurant serving Mandalay , Northern and Southern Indian cuisines with primary focus on poultry, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Menu includes special creations of authentic traditional foods. The Director, Mrs. Nina W. Kumar subscribes to a policy of only preparing food for the same day itself to ensure guests are served the freshest quality foods. First outlet of The Hotel by the Red Canal’s Spice Garden Restaurant was opened on January 2007 in Mandalay and growing. Spice Garden built its worldwide reputation through imitations of unique styles for its dinner, one of which is the style of the Royal Palace of Mandalay. It is now well known as the Spice Garden Bar and Restaurant. As a family of passionate restaurateurs, the Spice Garden Bar & Restaurant strive to create great slow foods experiences for our guests through excellent food and service. Spice Garden offers a nightlife experience unlike any other is the perfect place for a get together. Or get your high class party, gathering party, birthday party, anniversaries party and special candle light dinner with your partners. Cooking class and catering services produce an experience like no other. The employees at the restaurant are […]
MYANMAR has the most Buddhist temples of any South-East Asian country. There are said to be a million pagodas and stupas! In the rural village of Bagan alone, there are over 3000 structures on a plain of 42km2, the site of the first Burmese kingdom between the 11th and 13th centuries. In each city, town and remote village, there are pagodas to be found. Fascinatingly, although hundreds are now in ruins, countless are still places of active worship and the centre of community life. In addition, hundreds of Buddhist temples are being built, to add to the existing vast numbers. I saw new construction – with bamboo scaffolding – as well as restoration, in each place I visited. Donating money to build a pagoda on temple grounds, or to support a monastery, is one of the most popular ways to earn merit (kutho), believed to allay illness and misfortune and secure a better rebirth in the next life. The wide practice of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar permeates the daily life of the people, ranking them as the world’s most generous country, along with the US. I experienced the renowned hospitality when I was invited off the street into a private […]