Conquering Mandalay Hill

I’m here in Mandalay, so of course I have to climb the Mandalay Hill. This is a place where the locals go to for their morning exercise. It’s amusing to see what they wear to work out. It can range anything from jeans and slippers to pajamas. It really funny to see people walking around in their pjs…. It’s as if they are sleep walking! But it’s usually the ‘uncles’ who are dressed like that. Beautiful sunrise between the branches.

I caught the sunrise as I was climbing the hill. The sun here rises and sets very early each day. In order to witness the sunrise, my colleagues and I had to start climbing the hill at about 5 plus. We were a little late because the taxi that was bringing us to the foot of the hill broke down midway! We took the winding road up to the summit and at the top was a pagoda. What else did you expect? But coming down, we took the flight of stairs that linked the countless pagodas that were dotting Mandalay Hill. It’s really amazing to know how devoted these people are to their religion and the number of pagodas they have built! But one thing I dislike about visiting pagodas is that I have to remove my shoes. And it’s not like their ground here is very clean! So I always end up with black feet when I return home. The ground can sometimes be very sandy and rocky as well, so I feel like I’m having a free massage / acupuncture as well.

Even though I have kind of become immune to seeing pagodas, (I no longer gasp in amazement when I see one) I still think they have some kind of mystical attraction. So watch out for more photos of neat white rows of pagodas in varying sizes!