Fotos 04_Laos 2

When we returned to Yangon, the monk was still reading (we finally found out that this usually takes 7 – 10 days), therefore we made it for Mandalay in the fastest possible way. Unfortunately, Mandalay wasn’t really what we had expected – no charm at all and far too many tourists, and for this reason also loads of aggressive souvenir traders. The tour of the surrounding ancient cities, booked in the hotel, was therefore also a bit of a disappointment. Luckily, the same night, we met a nice trishaw (bicycle with two additional seats) driver who offered us a tour of the “real” Mandalay. And indeed, this turned out to be a great trip! Already at the first monastery we visited, we met two monks eager to practice their English and we were spontaneously invited to their English class. Another highlight of the tour was the Kuthadaw Paya with its 729 books inscribed in marble slabs. King Mindon once used a team of 2400 monks to read the whole book in a non-stop relay lasting nearly 6 months!