Breakfast on the hotel rooftop, buffet breakfast, the incredible views. We rented two electric motorcycles at the hotel, they don't give us helmets they say it's not necessary, in short the Asian security. The bikes have a range of about forty kilometers, they work quite well.
We get up early and leave in search of a tuk tuk that will take us to Shwe In Bin Kyaung Monastery and then take us to the pier, we have to arrive before nine o'clock when the boat leaves for Mingun.
The monastery is beautiful, well worth a visit, built of teak on huge stilts. The monks are in the adjacent pavilions doing their homework.
We rent a tuk tuk at the hotel to visit the imperial cities, our driver is called Ningy. At 8.30, we are expected on time.
First stop Mahamuni Paya, a seated Buddha of almost two thousand years old covered with hundreds of layers of gold leaf that the devotees deposit and are deforming, much revered by Burmese Buddhists. In the temple there is a painting gallery and a collection of Khmer bronze figures. Only men are allowed to glue the gold leaf, there are cameras everywhere. Entrance fee included in the combination ticket.
We rent a tuk tuk at the hotel to visit the imperial cities, our driver is called Ningy. At 8.30, we are expected on time.
First stop Mahamuni Paya, a seated Buddha of almost two thousand years old covered with hundreds of layers of gold leaf that the devotees deposit and are deforming, much revered by Burmese Buddhists.
We arrived at 4 a.m. in Mandalay. The southern bus station is about 10 kilometers from the city. We take a taxi, which is very nice and takes us to the ET Hostel, our accommodation. We get the room and sleep for a couple of hours.
We have breakfast at the hostel, for now the simplest breakfast. We rent some bikes and make a tour that marks the Lonely that takes us to the Ayeryawadi river.
We have rented a car with a driver at the hotel as there is no bus to Kakku. But first we go up to the roof to have breakfast, you will not believe what breakfast is: a porra (delicious), a kind of giant crust, fruit, juice, coffee or tea, eggs, pancake and soup in the traditional style shan and everything spectacular, we started the day well.
We get up at 4.40 a.m., the reception has prepared breakfast for us to take away. Our boatman is waiting for us, we follow him to the canal. We get on the boat, only our engine is heard. It is cool and sparkling but in less than an hour we are in the middle of the lake and it is dawn. It's beautiful, it's surrounded by mountains. It's quite cloudy but still beautiful. The first fishermen appear, they are gathering the nets and they move the oar with their feet, they don't lose their balance while they work.
We take the 8:30 a.m. bus. It leaves from the bus station in the market, opposite Aung Chan Tha Zedi. There are several stations depending on the destination located in other parts of the city.
It's a van and it takes less than an hour to get to Shwenyaung, and here you can take a taxi or thoun bein (small truck) for the remaining 11 kilometers to Nyaungshwe.
