Myanmar - Mandalay

A long travel to Mandalay

Myanmar has always been a dream destination. One day we finally stopped dreaming and booked Quatar airline flights to Bangkok and from Bangkok we continued the trip to Mandalay. It was the first time we travelled with this airline. First part was absolutely fine. I enjoyed the vegetarian curry and 'The Hundred-Foot journey' (movie about Indian and French food... mmm). The first flight of nearly 6 hours passed quickly. We arrived in Doha for the transfer to Bangkok.

Doha airport was ridiculously big, too big for the number of flight and couple of lost travelers who were wandering through the endless halls on the way to their gate. Despite the size of the building, the airport itself was not much of a big deal. Couple of expensive shops here and there and a tiny food court was pretty much the only 'attraction'. There were plenty of free sits and fast wifi connection, so we could easily keep ourself busy for the next four hours.

Our energy level was not the same anymore when we entered the next airplane. We couldn't sleep and therefore this trip seemed endless. I was disappointed there was no vegetarian food on board and we had already enough of traveling.

It's been only six years ago when I was in Bangkok and boy it has changed! Thailand is clearly the most popular country among tourists. I don't know why, but I was absolutely surprised by the crowds and huge queues for the passport check. We thought we had plenty of time but we nearly missed our third flight to Mandalay. As we landed at Suvarnhabhumi and our Mandalay flight departed from Don Muang. By showing our e-tickets for departure on the same day from the other airport we could take a free shuttle bus which (due to heavy traffic) took about 1,5 hour to the other airport. 10 minutes before the check in counter closed we were dropped off, asked 3 officials where to check in and got three different answers. Tired, unable to think anymore, confused after no idea how many hours of traveling, we made it just on time. We flew to Mandalay with Air Asia. It was a short flight, nothing special, I even slept a bit. Everything went smooth: we received our visa, collected luggage, were welcomed by friendly locals dressed in longyis and with applied thanaka on their faces, arranged a shared taxi to the city and get our first package of kiats which is the local currency.

The way from mandalay airport to Mandalay is a long one and the roads aren't good. At this point I was totally fed up with traveling and couldn't wait any much longer to get in the hotel. We shared our taxi with couple of Swedes and two locals. One of the poor locals became suddenly carsick and puked inside a car. Welcome to Myanmar! Luckily we were already down town at this very moment and could leave the stinky car fairly soon after the incident.

After arriving into hotel, I immediately took a needed sleep and after this power nap we took a funny tuk tuk, burmese style, to a restaurant. The driver took us to the 'Too Too restaurant' which was also mentioned by Lonely Planet. At this moment they were already out of food and we checked at Vegetarian restaurant 'Marie Min'. Touristic place, too expensive for Myanmar, but the food was actually very tasty and we discovered our first favorite dish of Myanmar: Lahped Thoke! It was a strange looking salad, but oh so good! Chopped cabbage with tomatoes, crispy nuts, fermented tea leaves and couple of ingredients extra created a surprisingly fresh and unique dish.

Surprisingly also in the big cities the streets turned out to dark, the area had nothing more to offer, so we took the same ride to the hotel. At this very first evening we noticed how curious the locals were, as if they never have seen 'caucasian people' before. The country is ofcourse at its very early stages of development. It doesn't see that much tourists like their neighbours Thailand and Cambodia. Yes, Myanmar is developing and therefore maybe comes across a bit primitive, but also pure and very authentic. That has it's benefits and ofcource some downsides. The first impressions are positive. Everybody is friendly and we feel very welcome and comfortable.

Mandalay

Fully rested we were ready to explore Mandalay on bikes.

Riding a bike in Mandalay is a challenge, but overly exciting and simply a perfect way to get to know the city and it's vibe. The crossings were the scariest at the start. With time I got more certain, but at the end this adventure totally exhausted me.

Our only destination on this trip was Mahamuni Paya – an important buddhist temple with it's famous Buddha image. To reach that we took a very busy 84^th street with tons of crazy crossings. It was basically a straight road to the temple, though we get lost a bit. There were couple of different religious shines in that neighborhood with Burmese writings at the entrances only, which confused us. We were only a couple of blocks off the downtown and suddenly no one was able to speak any English. A lady on the street showed us the way, we were actually very close.

Right before the temple we walked in the colorful arts and crafts market first. Souvenirs in Myanmar are very special, I immediately have a feeling I can score some good presents. The temple itself didn't really wowed us. The atmosphere and people were much more interesting. The main attraction is the Buddha image, only men are allowed to come near and stick golden leaves on it. This was the first time I have experienced discrimination within a buddhist temple. I've been to Asia a lot and never have I seen a limited access for women before. I didn’t really care as I am not a religious person, but I found it really strange and disappointingly. We would run into this odd rule more often in Myanmar. 'Fortunately' there were couple of TV screens on which this gold sticking process can be seen. We strolled a bit more around complex and watched people and their habits. Burmese culture is so pure, traditional and one of a kind, I cant get enough of watching at longyis and thanakas.

We took another crazy bike ride back to downtown to grab some food. Dusty roads, crazy traffic and impressions are tiring. We had some Thai food, relaxed a bit, but were not ready with Mandalay yet. Another destination on our list was the Mandalay hill. Only we decided to leave the bikes at the hotel and take a cab to the top.

Earlier that day at the Mahamuni Paya we were pretty much the only tourists and because of that we thought the hill would be just as authentic and maybe even quite. We were wrong, the Mandalay Hill was in contrast full of tourists, especially at this time of the day when everybody waited to see the sunset. There were many young monks hanging around, they didn't mind to pose for the photo's, in exchange they used the tourists presence to practice their English skills. The whole area was way to crowded, but the sunset was worth it.

Mandalay left a good impression on us. We were even more eager now to travel to Bagan, which is for some a reason to visit Myanmar.

Austrian Getaway

Despite of the large number of sights Austria counts, it's not that easy to set a clear goal for a weekend getaway. Beautiful scenery, clear lakes, high mountains and baroque monasteries are just everywere. To begin with the trip, I chose the Styrian village Admont because of it's impressive Benedictine Abbey. The attraction of this abbey is obviously the library. When I first saw it's pictures on the internet, I coudn't believe its beauty and I definitely had to head there one day.

Anyhow, I did my best to keep my expectations low, because I expected the library to look bigger on the pictures than it actually is. I also had no info about the abbey, which made the visit a spontaneous and very surprising one. Besides the library, the abbey offers a natural museum, an art museum and areas for history about the holy Benedict and the Benediction Monastery on film.

We arrived quite late in the afternoon and thought to have enough time. We immediately started with the library. It was a very serene atmosphere, as we were the only visitors. When the doors of the library were opened, the richly decorated interior blew my mind. The room is very spacious and well lit by natural light. The ceiling frescoes are painted in pleasing soft tones and show allegories of the arts, sciences and religion. The bookcases are divided into two floors. It's unclear how to get to the first floor. After having asked the employee, she showed us one of the four secret staircases, hidden in the bookcase. I could have stayed here longer, but I was too curious about the rest of abbey. We watched on of the movies about Benedicts live. This presentation is very modern and well designed. Visitors can start the movie by pressing the button in the center of the room. Some matching images are being projected to enhance the story. On the same floor there's a small museum with religious art and church treasury. The most impressive I found the clothes decorated with stunning embroidery and gemstones.

The biggest surprise was the natural history museum. I didn't think stuffed animals exhibition would impress me that much. The huge insect collection, reptiles dry and in alcohol, birds and animals were mesmerizing. And before I knew, visitors were asked to leave the museum.

The day was still young and the weather was beautiful. Without any idea where to drive next we just left Admont and made a brief stop at the Frauenberg church which is located on a high hill and offers a spectacular panorama view over the region.

We decided to drive to Hallstatt, even when my husband was there at least three times before. First we rode along Bad Aussee and learned this place is the geographic center of Austria. We found ourselves a cute overnight stay at Obertraun, a place which is simply cheaper and more authentic than Hallstatt.

Next day we took a trip into the Dachstein mountains. These are mainly famous for the beautiful ice caves. We skipped those and went for the height and views. I will certainly visit the caves some other time. We took a cable car to the top. There was still quite a lot of snow, but the sun was very warm. I was not really warm dressed, but did not get cold either. After have walked about twenty minutes we reached a sightseeing platform in the shape of five fingers. At this location you have a great panoramic view on the surrounding mountains and the Hallstädtersee. The view was spectacular. We had such luck with the weather, the visibility was perfect. It wasn't busy at all, therefore we could quietly enjoy and take pictures.

On our way back we sunbathed a bit on the special benches and watched how paragliders jumped off the mountain. I have never seen people doing anything like this in real life It was spectacular to watch them. Totally satisfied and mesmerized we left the mountains for the way more touristic Hallstatt.

Hallstatt is probably the most visited place in this area. I've even learned the Chinese designed an exact replica in their Guandong province. How crazy is that? Maybe they are right, because this place is really astonishingly beautiful. But despite its beauty and rich history, Hallstatt lacks atmosphere. And only a few kilometers away you'll find real Austrian villages with delicious homely kitchen. Next to the picturesque houses, narrow streets, lake and mountains, Hallstatt has another famous sight. On a rocky outcrop above the village, there's a church. Just beyond is a chapel where since 1720 skulls and bones were preserved. This tradition came from a lack of space in the cemetery. After about fifteen years graves were reopened and the contents were put in that chapel. The skulls were decorated with drawings and described with information about the deceased. The latest skull was placed here in 1995. It's a very small space with the stacked bones and orderly rows of skulls above. The idea seems scary, but the entire collection looks actually quite nice.

We did not stay long at Hallstatt. We drove on without any idea where to stop. First we wanted to take a look in Bad Ischl, but spontaneously we decided to go ahead and ended up in lovely St. Wolfgang. The weather was still very nice and we had a beautiful view of the lake at the hotel. We enjoyed our balcony and toast to our fourth wedding anniversary.

The continuing heavy rain on the next day ruined our stay, so we simply called it a day and returned to Vienna. It was a short but enjoyable weekend. I cannot wait to discover the rest of Austria!

Flea Market (Naschmarkt) Vienna

Vienna has a lot of markets. Basically each neighborhood has its own. But none is more visited and famous among tourists than the Nachmarkt. The location and the prominence make the market the most multicultural, expensive and perhaps overvalued. Maybe this is also the last place that a Viennese will recommend. Yet because of it's beautiful and central location it is still a nice sight to visit. Especially on Saturdays!

Every single Saturday the Nachmarkt stretches out and overrated delicacies make way for vintage, antiques and other unique, ancient objects. For those who love old stuff, this Viennese flea market is a must.

You can find here old books, traditional austrian garb, silverware, tableware. Probably something you have been looking for and most definitely a lot of stuff you don't need.

Getting there: take the green subway line U4 and get off at Kettenbrückengasse station. The market is in between the Rechte and Linke Wienzeile streets.

If you loose focus on the goods, you'll notice how gourgeous the street of the market actually is. And as I mentioned above, the location is very central and hence many other sites are close. Karlskirche and the Opera are two spectacular buildings you probably won't miss when you'll check out the Naschmarkt. But if you're into art than don't forget to take a look at Seccesion (contemporary art & Klimt) and Academie of Fine Arts (Bosch).