A must do in Mandalay is exploring the three main areas located on the outskirt of the city: Sagaing, Inwa (locally known as Ava) and Amarapura.
Most tourist book a private tour for the three ancient cities. As for us, a better way to learn about Myanmar culture and tradition, and a better way to explore these places of interest was to rent a scooter. We didn't regret our choice. We didn't want to join the touristic trail of taxi-monastery-boat-horse-drawn-carriage-temples-u-bein-bridge-taxi.
We rode for almost two hours stopping regularly to admire the scenery. We passed Amarapura and its magnificent lake. Further down, we drove up to Sagaing and Sagaing hill. We entered the U Min Thonze Caves. The name was a bit misleading as there are no caves but "just" a temple with dozen statues of Buddha alined in a row along a crescent-shaped hallway. The panoramic view of the golden stupas dotting the Sagaing hills was worth the effort to have come so far though.
We jumped back on the scooter and set off for Inwa, an artificial island full of crumbling ruins and charming inhabitants. We skipped the boat by driving further south to cross the Inwa bridge. We saved a few bucks on the ferry. Thank 'scooter'. Then we got lost in Inwa and its intriguing traditional rural villages. We came across so many smiles from the locals that we felt in love with the place.
Eventually, we joined the hordes of tourists being drag from one place to another. Thanks to our scooter, we were free to go where we wanted. We still visited two of the main attractions. The Maha Aung Mye Bon San monastery which was designed as a stucco-covered brick replica of typical wooden monasteries of the age and a rare survivor from the Ava era. And, the Bagaya monastery which was a splendid piece of craft. Both places were stunning but overcrowded by tourists. Luckily, we were on a motorbike and we could wander off the beaten track.
We finished the day by the must-see U Bein Bridge, one of the most photographed sites in Myanmar. The world’s longest teak footbridge stretches out for over a kilometre long across the shallow Thaungthaman Lake. We walked on and under the bridge and found a perfect spot to admire the dramatic sunset.