Rockin' the Rails to Mandalay

The visit to the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon left me a little teary. After filling our travelling mugs with (not great) coffee we headed off in the cool of the morning to capture the early sun on this spectacular site. The Shwedagon Stupa is guilded in 53 metric tons of gold leaf and assorted hundreds of precious stones. Not sure if that is true but it really is a magnificent site. Early morning worshipers chanted & made their offerings of flowers or cash etc. as we silently watched from the sidelines. The area is huge with many stupas and temples surrounding the huge golden stupa. There is so much to learn here. What all the different temples symbolize and what the different gifts signify. I'll never learn it all but it is fun to ask questions and watch and learn.
Later in the day we wandered around through Kandawgyi Lake area. It's a beautiful park in the middle of Yangon with the strangest Chicken Palace set right in the water. I'm not too sure what the thing is with chickens but we've seen quite a few of them all guilded and obviously much to be admired. Will keep asking questions.
The next morning began our trip to Mandalay. I've been on a lot of train rides in many different countries but this one is right up there with the most unique. We blew the air brakes on more than one occasion which made us pretty late... the spare parts for various things that should be connected could be seen jumping around on the floor (no bolts attached) as we hit yet another bump on the rails. On more than one occasion you could actually feel the metal wheels lose their purchace on the rails. It was at one of these 'bumps' that Shane mentioned to me that, in his research, he had read that this train frequently derails. Yeah....OK... so what are we doing here? We were in upper class coach which meant reclining seats and leg room.... Well the seats reclined (Shane's couldn't be budged from that position) and the leg room... what that meant was that if you stretched out the whole seat rotated sideways (that means the block of two seats). Could possibly have had something to do with the spare parts sliding around on the floor. Oh yes... and if you didn't eat the food you brought with you than the rather fat little mouse hanging around would make a run for it. First class.... you bet!
Seventeen hours later we arrived in Mandalay. Now the trip wasn't all that bad. We actually had a lot of fun meeting people. You can do a lot of that while the air brakes are being repaired. The countryside was really interesting as well. From rice fields, sugar cane, peas and I think tomatoes to the beautiful teak houses on stilts and the water buffalo pulling big wheeled carts. All very different and very interesting.
Today... having recovered from the train ride with a sleep in to almost 8AM... we put on our walking shoes and headed off to see the town. It really is quite beautiful here. The Royal Palace (though rebuilt after the Japanese destroyed it in WWII) is a huge compound surrounded by a wide moat. Later in the day we climbed Mandalay Hill where we were better able to appreciate the size of the palace grounds.
Wandering around we got lost... true to Browne-Clayton's nature... and found ourselves in a most interesting part of town. Had a cold beer and watched the world go by.
This is the way we like to travel. No, really, getting lost is part of the fun. We meet the most astonished people when we turn up in neighbourhoods where tourists don't usually go. The people here are very friendly. People want your business but they don't hastle you. It really is a country where you can relax and enjoy your surroundings. Everyone has a smile for you... even those in uniform.
Tomorrow we are hiring a car and going to the outskirts of town. The next day it is down the river to Bagan.