(^58) Bagan - Myingyan - 55 km
Mandalay was about 160 kilometres from Bagan and Myingyan,
conveniently midway. After such a long time off the bike, I should
have been a ball of energy, but instead I felt lethargic and couldn't
get going. A room at the Kaung Kaung Guesthouse at the entrance to
the town was home that night. However, the rooms were pricy, and I
was unhappy with the lack of Wi-Fi. Apparently, "Have Wi-Fi" didn't
translate into "Have working Wi-Fi".
Myingyan – Mandalay - 110 km
The route to Mandalay was hot, dry, and dusty, and the going was
slow. As I wondered if something was wrong, the road turned out to
be a false flat as the second half of the day felt downhill. With the
mercury hovering around 40°C, it felt like it was only me and the
mad dogs out in the midday heat. Around midday, nearly all truck
and motorbike drivers pulled over at shelters to have a snooze. I
wanted to get to Mandalay so I put my head down, and soldiered on.
By late afternoon, I reached the end of the road to Mandalay.
Mandalay wasn't as romantic-looking as Kipling made it out to be.
Instead, it was a dusty, sprawling city. The cheapest bed in town was
undoubtedly at the AD1 Hotel, situated amid the onion market. The
market was an area where one could still get that old, timeless Asian
feel, and as my $13 room came with an en-suite bathroom as well as
air conditioning, I was more than happy.
leana
(Leana)
#1