210MANDALAY & AROUND
MANDALAY
are rip-off s. If you don’t know your jade and
don’t want to pay the $1 entry (not always en-
forced), it’s still interesting to see the cutting
and polishing of jade pieces that takes place
just outside along the market’s eastern fl ank.
Or retreat to the octagonal Unison Teahouse
(38th at 87th St; snacks K500-1500; h5am-1am) to
watch more furtive-looking jade merchants
discussing deals over a cuppa. 2 Activities
Swimming
The Mandalay City and Mandalay Swan ho-
tels both allow nonguests to use their attrac-
tive outdoor pool for $5 per day. Behind the
zoo, the outdoor, Olympic-sized Yatanaban
Swimming Pool (Map p 204 ; admission K2000;
h6am-6pm) is OK, but don’t use the diving
board or you’ll pike yourself into a fountain.
At the base of the Shan Hills beyond
Yankin, 18-hole Ye dagon Taung (www.myan
margolf.com/yedagontaung_golf_club.htm) is argu-
ably the most attractive of Mandalay’s three
golf courses. Shwe Mann Taung Golf Resort
(Map p 204 ; %60570; 9-/18-holes $15/30, gear rental
$10) is also lovely and sits handily close to
Mandalay Hill. There’s a driving range nearby. C Courses
Dhamma Mandala MEDITATION CENTRE
(%39694; http://www.mandala.dhamma.org; Yaytagun
Hill) Spacious centre several miles fromMandalay offering regular 10-day Vipas-
sana courses (bilingual) on a donation
basis. Bookings usually close two weeks
ahead. Website gives schedules. z Festivals & Events
Traditional pwe (festivals), big and small,
happen all the time – for weddings, birth-
days, funerals and holidays, and in side
streets and at pagodas. Ask a trishaw driver
if they’ve passed one. Major festivals include
the following:» (^) Mahamuni Paya pwe In early
February thousands of people from nearby
districts make pilgrimages to Mahamuni
(see p 208 ).
» (^) Mingun Nat Festival Pays homage to
the brother and sister of the Teak Tree,
who drowned in the river while clinging
to a trunk. Fifth to 10th days of the waxing
moon of Tabaung (February/March).
» (^) Sagaing Waso festival & Paleik Festival
The Sagaing Waso festival and then the big
Paleik festival take place in the two weeks
following the Waso full moon (June–July).
» (^) Taungbyone Nat Pwe This massive
festival is held in August about 12 miles
north of Mandalay. It honours the so-called
Muslim Brothers, Byat-wi and Byat-ta, two
of the most famous nat from the Bagan era.
Celebrations culminate on the full moon of
Wagaung.
» (^) Irinaku Festival (Yadanagu) A week
after Taungbyone Nat Pwe worshippers
move to just south of Amarapura to honour
the brothers’ mother Popa Medaw.
» (^) Thadingyut Central Mandalay’s biggest
festival at Kyauktawgyi Paya (p 225 ) lasts
seven days in early October.
4 Sleeping
Aside from our listings, many more Chinese-
type hotels in the blocks south of 27th St
off er generally mediocre to poor midrange
rooms for $20 to $30. None of the cheapest
local guesthouses takes foreigners.
Unless otherwise stated, all room rates
include breakfast and a bathroom with hot
water. However, in budget places, don’t be
surprised if your air-con or hot water isn’t
working. Most midrange hotels have rooms
that are every bit as dowdy as budget hotels,
but add a lift (handy in the heat given that
most hotels are at least fi ve storeys) and per-
haps a doorperson or two. In the high-end
bracket only a handful of choices are really
appealing.
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST
BOOK
Around the gilt-and-gold stupa of mid-
19th-century Kuthodaw Paya (Maha
Lawka Marazein Paya; Map p 204 ; admission
$10 combo ticket; h24hr), you’ll fi nd
729 text-inscribed marble slabs, each
housed in its own small stupa and to-
gether presenting the entire 15 books
of the Tripitaka. Another 1774 similarly
ensconced marble slabs (collected
in 1913) ring the nearby Sandamuni
Paya (admission free; h8.30am-5pm)
with Tripitaka commentaries. Collec-
tively these slabs are often cited as the
‘World’s Biggest Book’. Producing the
Kuthodaw set alone required an editorial
committee of over 200. When King Min-
don convened the 5th Buddhist Synod
here he used a team of 2400 monks to
read the book in a nonstop relay. It took
them nearly six months to fi nish.