Mandalay
 
Mandalay gets a fair amount of hype as being a craft centre, but don't let the talk get your hopes up too much. It is a sprawling city with unpaved streets and intermittant (at best) electricity. Having said that, Mandalay is still worth visiting. Besides the sights within Mandalay such as Mandalay Hill and Mandalay Fort, there are some great day-trips into the ancient cities.
   
Mandalay city may not be the most beautiful town in Myanmar, but there are a few nice spots.   The climb up sacred Mandalay hill takes about one hour in your bare feet. Fear not. There are plenty of stops along the way and the view from the top is worth the hike.
 
The top of Mandalay hill is a glittering mosaic.
The boat trip from Mandalay to the ancient city of Mingun can have unexpected surprises and you never know what friends you might make.
 
 
The Hsinbyume Paya is pure white, curvaceous and very, very pretty. It was built as a memorial to a favoured princess.
 
The gargantuan Mingun Paya was never completed, though construction began in 1790. The structure was cracked down the middle by an earthquake in the 1800s, but the paya still stands. You can climb up the top of it by scrambling along the debris and catch a great view of the environs.
 
Mingun is easy enough to navigate by foot, but taxis are always available if you want one.
 
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