Mandalay was my last stop in Myanmar before heading to Thailand. The second largest city in Myanmar and the former capital, Mandalay reminded me a lot of Yangon but with much more culture. Many people will tell you that you can just skip Mandalay, but I found that it had a lot to offer just outside the city. It is worth a stop, but staying within the city center itself won't be so rewarding.

Once again arriving in the middle of the night at 4am, I was left waiting on the rooftop of my hostel freezing cold trying to plan out what to see. Had I known before, I would have taken this time to watch the sunrise at the U-Bein Bridge (which I ended up doing later). My first adventure of the day was walking around the entire perimeter of the Mandalay Palace in the center of the city, which was by accident. There are only certain entrances foreigners are allowed to go through. Finding the actual entrance took a surprisingly long hour, only to be surprised by a lovely 10,000 kyat entrance fee. Steven, my friend from Chicago who walked the perimeter with me, was smart and didn't go in. I felt like I had to go in the palace walls after walking for so long. Word of advice— not worth it, unless you're a history buff or very interested in architecture. During this time though, Steven did successfully plant the seed of moving to Sweden or elsewhere in Europe for work. Europeans have a great attitude towards traveling. They see it as necessary and an important part of work-life balance. The European mindset is much more me. If I had a penny for every American I've met while traveling, I'd still be poor. I might have a dime's worth now.

The first day wasn't much luck for me as I stayed within the city, but the second day showed me what the outskirts of Mandalay truly had to offer. With a group of people from the hostel, we caught the ferry to Mingun, a town about an hour away from Mandalay. There we were able to see the Mingun Pahtodawgyi, which is an enormous stupa that was never completed. The completed stupa would have been the largest in the world. There are huge cracks in it from an earthquake, making it all the more impressive. Nearby is also the Mingun Bell, which is the largest ringing bell in the world. Standing inside it while people are hitting it is an even better experience.

From the top of the stupa you can see the pristine white Myatheindan Pagoda. I have found myself so drawn to white temples during this trip. They stand out so much compared to all the other temples I have seen. Outside this one was an extremely cool old lady smoking a Burmese cigar. I loved her presence— so happy without a care in the world. So full of life!

After spending a short time in Mingun, since the boat for foreigners leaves only 2 hours after arrival, we walked around searching for food and stumbled upon a lively flower market. As much as I enjoy taking pictures of scenery and buildings, people are so much more fascinating. The Burmese are so curious about foreigners as well. I tried hard to get a picture of someone smiling with red-stained, decaying teeth. Dental hygiene is not really a concern in Myanmar, due to their extensive use and addiction to betel nut. So many are constantly chewing it, and you can find crowded betel nut stands everywhere.

The group wanted to head to Mandalay Hill to catch the sunset at the temple. The walk up to the top is around 30 minutes from the South entrance, but it is really enjoyable. There are cute photo-ops along the way and dozens of cats lying around. I had to snap a photo of one of the nuns walking down. I love them, they are so cute! I have never seen a Buddhist nun before, but they are everywhere in Myanmar. They wear pink— it's fantastic!

The view at the top is not the best, so I didn't spend much time even looking at it. Instead, we were set on taking a jumping photo at the top, turning ourselves into a spectacle for everyone else. After twenty or so attempts, I think we may have gotten a single good jumping photo. Everyone else at the top was also taking photos of us since it was apparently really entertaining. So a couple people out there in the world have a great photo of a group of Dutch, American, Greek, Israeli, and French tourists jumping at the top of Mandalay...