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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdMandalay & AroundMandalay . . . . . . . . . . . 201Amarapura . . . . . . . . 224Ayeyarwady Bridges . . 225Inwa (Ava) . . . . . . . . . 225Sagaing . . . . . . . . . . . 228Mingun . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Paleik . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231Yankin Hill . . . . . . . . . .231Best ReligiousStructures» Bagaya Kyaung (p 225 )» Mahamuni Paya (p 208 )» Mingun Paya (p 230 )» Pahtodawgyi (p 225 )» Sagaing Hill monasteries(p 228 )» Shwe In Bin (p 209 )Best Views» River scenes from ViewPoint cafe (p 216 ) or therooftop of Ayarwaddy RiverView Hotel (p 214 )» Chanthaya Paya and footbridgeseen across the lakefrom the west (p 211 )» U Bein’s Bridge from thelake (p 224 )Why Go?For those who haven’t been there – and that list includedThe Road to Mandalay author Rudyard Kipling – the mentionof ‘Mandalay’ typically conjures up images of Asia atits most traditional and timeless. The initial reality can bea major anticlimax – a traffic-choked grid of interminablestraight roads full of anonymous concrete buildings. Butdon’t despair. Though it’s a relatively ‘young’, dynamic city,Mandalay (mNÿel") is Myanmar’s cultural capital. It’s easyto escape the fumes and architectural banalities of the mainstreets in quarters full of craftworkers and tree-shaded monasteries.Temple-topped Mandalay Hill offers a welcomedexception to the city’s pan-flat topography and several minitheatresshowcase traditional performing arts. Meanwhile,Mandalay is the ideal transport hub for northern Myanmarand offers a panoply of easy day-trip destinations, includingthree former royal capitals and the site of what would havebeen the world’s biggest stupa, had it ever been finished.When to GoIn the winter tourist season, days are still hot but evenings aremild and you might need a light jacket if you’re riding a motorbikeafter sunset. By March you may find it hard to sleepwithout air-conditioning, while April and May really bake withtemperatures sometimes reaching 104°F (40°C) by day anddust caking the trees (and the back of your throat). At suchtimes, cool down by nipping up to nearby Pyin Oo Lwin (p 250 ).If you’re not interested in participating in the waterthrowingfun of Thingyan (see p 16 ), it’s generally best toavoid April, especially 12 to 21 April, when almost all publictransport stops and shops are closed. Restaurants mostlyclose too, and those hotel eateries that still serve mightdouble their prices.In August, Mandalay regional transport can be overloadedfor several weeks due to huge crowds heading to and fromthe vast nat festival at nearby Taungbyone, which culminatesover the five days before the August (Wagaung) full moon.