Mandalay is the second largest city is Myanmar, and the economic center of the upper part of the country. It is a big city by any measure. Unlike Yangon, Mandalay has no ban on motorbikes, so traffic is as crazy as you’d assume it would be in a big city, but with more honking. Much like the Italians, the Burmese are fond of their horns.

It is home to a complete replica of Mandalay Palace, which covers an area of 413 hectares and is surrounded by 4 walls measuring 2 km in length and a real life moat. The original palace was destroyed in WWII, but parts of the wall and a couple of buildings managed to survive. It is also home to Shwenandaw Monastery, also known and the Golden Palace Monastery. Built in 1878,  this hand-carved wood and gilt masterpiece was originally part of the royal palace at Amarapura, before it was moved to Mandalay.

The city looks its name from Mandalay Hill, which overlooks the town. Mandalay Hill is known for its abundance of pagodas and monasteries, and is a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists. The road that goes to the top of the hill is commonly walked, but we made the trip in the back of a covered truck- which was a little easier on the joints. Many of the pagodas and temples were covered in mirrored mosaics, a common technique in this part of the country. The result is stunning.

Mandalay is also home to a number of workshops producing handcrafted art and textiles. We all bought longyi, the traditional wrap skirt of the country, at the textile shop. Didn’t see a longyi that you liked? Pick out a fabric, and they’ll whip one up for you in minutes. I got one with orchids embroidered on it.

Later in the day, we drove out to the U Bein Bridge. The U Bein Bridge is thought to be the longest teakwood bridge in existence, and is quite the popular place to see the sunset or sunrise. We drank beer and watched some chinlone, or cane ball, and then loaded into canoes for a cruise out onto the water to watch the sun go down. There’s a reason that it’s a popular place – the sunset view is magnificent.

We saw a good portion of the city in just over 36 hours, but I would go back to do more exploration- there is just so much to see!