The road to Mandalay part 2

I thought given the nature and location of this trip a map would be appropriate. (I did try and rotate this but the Google rotate key decided not to cooperate.)

The ship often up anchored at 6:00 so that we were at a fresh site to visit by 9:00. We moored at Gwe Chaung fort just downstream of Minhla. Here the oxen were being washed (in some cases reluctantly) prior to hitching up and taking water from the river to the village some 5 Km's away. 

The fort was a short climb and with a great view but was built in the hillside so it was all but invisible to any travelling upstream. Further up on the West bank was a second fort. These were built by the Italians and French as a defence to the British during the 1885 war. The idea was that the attackers would not notice the first fort, sail straight past and then get ambushed from behind. However the Brits found out about the first fort and had a second following fleet to take this out!

The fort was a substantial garrison and included a special tunnel to house the elephants.

In the afternoon we arrived at Magwa and explored the town by Trishaws. The peliton was quite large and like "Le Tour" generated much positive interest from bystanders with constant waves and the occasional high five. 

We travelled up to the Myathalon Pagoda and had a great view of the sunset. "Le Tour" effort was not exactly shared around...



The view of the pagoda from the river on the following day gives an idea of its size and magnificent location.

Close up the sun made some of the details glow.

The bells may all be rung by anyone (well really its hitting with a stick!) 

Our bike ride back was very exciting as my driver decided to race the others. In the half light with headlights beaming towards us overtaking and bouncing around (he had springs to his seat but my side car did not!) again underscored why insurance was compulsory. It got the adrenalin running but it was good to see the ship calmly waiting for us.

The day was rounded off nicely by yet another great dinner on board. This one had a significant difference as it was Helen's birthday (8 Nov) and the crew had arranged for a cake and their quite different version of Happy Birthday.

The following day saw us back on the West bank at a village called Salay at the base of the Tan Kyi Taung mountain. A cement barge was being offloaded in the background.

We travelled by "WW11" jeeps (a bit of imaginative sales talk given the range of Hyundai vehicles) up the mountain to a wonderful hill top Pagoda some 1000 foot above the river. The view went for miles with the winding river underpinning the leisurely pace of the. On the far bank can be seen the area of Bagan where we would spend two days. Here there were over 4000 Stupas, Pagodas and temples (it's a size thing) however many have been lost to earthquakes so numbers are down to some (2500). (There was an earthquake during our visit but we new nothing of this until later (see https://www.google.com.au/search?q=burma+earthquake+2012&hl=en&tbo=u&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enAU480AU480&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GKixUOf8KO-YmQXNqoHgCA&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=641 for some pictures by others).

 The Stupa on the top was glorious in the late afternoon sun.

Back at Salay the local villagers treated us to an elephant dance which included table top dancing. The dancers were clearly very athletic, as watching in the evening heat was exhausting enough.

The following morning as we crossed back to the East bank we awoke to a completely unexpected site, 7 hot air balloons drifting over a myriad of Stupas and Pagodas. This was Bagen, the Burmese tourist equivalent of Mecca. It would have been quite a sight from the balloons, however they are heavily booked well in advance.

The next day and half was all about "shoes off please" as we visited a range of temples. This one was only viewed from afar and was not maintained. Called the Dhamma-yan it was built by a King who was killed in the Pagoda. As a result no one wants to go near it in case they suffer the same fate. By comparison others (many of which were much less spectacular) are restored as funds are available (it is the way to Nirvana).

The Shwe-zi-gon Pagoda is well maintained and has some wonderful side attractions in addition to the main Stupa.