Mandalay: It was another early morning flight, this time to Mandalay. However, we did have enough time to eat breakfast at the hotel before heading off to the airport. The flight was a short thirty minutes, after which we had our feet back on the ground and ready to explore the city.
Mandalay was founded in 1857 by King Mindon, fulfilling the prophesy that such a city would be built on that exact spot on the 2,400th year since the founding of Buddhism. By this time, the Burmese had already fought two of the three Anglo-Burmese wars with Britain and, as a result of having lost both, governed a fraction of what it had just 33 years earlier. King Mindon was able to hold on to power, but his successor, King Thibaw, oversaw the final collapse of the Burmese Royal Kingdom when he was defeated by the British in the last Anglo-Burmese War in 1885. This destined Mandalay to be the last Royal Capital of Burma.
Mahagandhayon Monastery: Our first stop was in Amarapura, a former capital of Burma and now a township within Mandalay, at the Mahagandhayon Monastery. Here we witnessed some of the daily life of its more than one thousand resident monks. We walked through a small museum dedicated to Janakabivamsa, who, in 1914, founded the monastery that would eventually grow to be the largest in the country. Popular with tourists, it is well-known for the systematic manner in which the monks line up and are fed during lunchtime, served just after ten in the morning and the last meal of the day.
U Bein Bridge: From the monastery we rode over to the U Bein Bridge. Although some parts have been replaced with concrete and the handrails have all but disappeared, it still stands as the longest teak bridge in the world, spanning 1.2 km (.75 mi) over the shallow Taungthaman Lake. It was constructed in 1849 to link the shore with an island in the lake and was named after the mayor of Amarapura at the time. Peep and I, along with our guide, traversed the entire length of the bridge, at which point we simply turned around and walked back.
Thein Nyo Silk Weaving: We continued on into the city and to our next stop, the Thein Nyo Silk Weaving Shop. Here we witnessed the entire process, from spinning the silk into thread, to dying the thread to give it color, and finally weaving it to produce the final cloth. Now living in a country where silk weaving and silk textiles are really popular, we didn't spend a great deal of time at the shop.
U Win Maung Bronze Casting: From the silk weaving shop, we headed to another craft shop, U Win Maung Bronze Casting. Just as with the silk weaving, we were treated to each step of the bronze casting process. They start by making a clay model of the final product, then create a plaster mold around the model. Once the mold is removed, it is filled with wax to get an exact replica of the original clay model. At this stage, an inner clay core may be held in place within the plaster mold in order to produce a hollow bronze casting. Once the plaster mold is removed from around the wax model, the wax is covered with clay. Finally, straps are affixed to the outside of the clay to hold the mold together while the bronze is poured. As the final casting is made, the wax melts away and is replaced with bronze. The clay mold is then broken and the casting is smoothed and shined to remove any imperfections. This type of casting is known as the lost wax method.
The primary subjects cast at U Win Maung are of Buddha images. The largest of these castings, which are produced in pieces and then joined together, are built on spec for businesses and temples in places such as China, South Korea, and Singapore.
Mahamuni Paya: Traditionally believed to be one of only five likenesses of Buddha made during his lifetime, the Mahamuni Buddha Image holds great importance in many Myanmar lives. Pilgrimages to the temple that holds the image are common. The image itself is a bronze casting covered in gold leaf, crowned with a headdress adorned with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Only males are allowed inside the small chamber where it is kept, so I borrowed a longji available at the temple and headed in. There was little room to maneuver in the chamber and, as we had arrived just prior to closing of the chamber doors, there were many men laying a cloth banner over the legs of the Buddha. Unfortunately, this also meant we were unable to see the image in full while we were there.
The inner chamber is housed in a larger building, where worshipers are able to sit in full view of the front or sides of the Buddha. Outside the main shrine are many other buildings, including shops specializing in religious paraphernalia, restaurants, and monasteries. One of these buildings contains several bronze figures plundered from Siam.
Marble Carving Workshops: Heading out from the Mahamuni Paya we traveled down a road lined with marble carving workshops on both sides. We got out of the van and observed workers chiseling, grinding, and polishing marble figures. Similar to the bronze castings, the subjects of the marble statues were overwhelmingly religious in nature.
Aung Nan Woodworking & Tapestry: Our next stop was at a small woodworking and tapestry workshop. In one area teak wood blocks were being chiseled into statues while in another area great tapestries were being sewn by hand. It can take many months for an intricate tapestry to be completed.
King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop: We next made our way over to a gold leaf workshop where we saw the process of making gold leaf. After being rolled into very fine strips 1/1000 of an inch thick, the gold is cut into one-inch squares and stacked between sheets of paper. The paper used in this process is also produced on site and takes three years to make, most of the time spent soaking the wood to break apart the fibers. The stack of 150 gold squares is then beaten, by hand, with a large hammer for about an hour, until the gold squares have expanded to match the four-inch packet. They are then removed, cut into four pieces, and re-stacked 1,500 layers thick. This new packet is then beaten three to four hours. This step is repeated a second time until the gold, now 1/250,000 of an inch thick, is ready for packaging. As the gold leaf is very delicate at this point, it takes a tremendous amount of skill to manipulate it for final packaging, piecing multiple slivers to make up the final square.
Sutaungpyai Paya: Daylight was fading fast as we headed up Mandalay Hill. On our ascent, we drove past many people walking, running, or biking the hill, part of their regular exercise routine. We eventually reached the point where we could drive no more and had to finish the climb on foot. The sun had already dipped below the horizon by the time we reached Sutaungpyai Pagoda at the summit, but there was still enough light to admire the view of the city below.
We remained at the top until the last rays of daylight faded, and then headed back down to the van for the drive back to our hotel. We had dinner at the hotel before retiring for the night.