Myanmar: Mandalay & U Bein Bridge


Our final stop in Myanmar was the historical city of Mandalay. To get there from Bagan there is the usual bus options or an interesting option to sail up the Irrawaddy river. The sailing option can take twice as long as the bus (12hrs vs 6hrs) and costs about four times as much ($32 vs $8) but it is meant to be a relaxing and offers a unique way to see local life on the river.

We thought it over but decided that, given our already limited time in Mandalay, we would take the bus. A morning bus would mean arriving mid-afternoon and therefore allow us to take a sunset trip to the U-Bein Bridge – an apparent must-see for tourists.

We arrived at the bus terminal which was a good few kilometres from the centre. There were plenty of taxi drivers around so we quickly got a ride to our hotel for the price of $7. They all offer to take you round the city sights on tours too but we declined the offer (too stingy).

Mandalay fishermen

We stayed at Hotel Sahara and have to give it a shout out as one of the best hotels we stayed with in Asia. Top quality clean rooms and a great buffet breakfast. The staff were also helpful and organised us a taxi trip to the U-Bein Bridge ($18). If you want to faff about and negotiate with local drivers on the street you might be able to save a few bucks off that price but I really couldn’t be bothered at the time.

The bridge isn’t too far from town but the ride down can be quite a long one if you hit traffic in Mandalay. We left around 4pm which got us there in plenty of time. Our driver brought his mate with him and we passed the time talking about Mandalay and Manchester (and Manchester United).

U bein bridge site

Once at the bridge the standard ‘illusion-shattering’ took place. The peaceful bridge from all those iconic photos is as much of a tourist trap as anywhere else in Asia, complete with the usual souvenir stalls and hawkers, although it wasn’t nearly the worst example of that we had seen.

U bein bridge teak

The bridge itself is the longest teak bridge in the world. Although it is a huge tourist draw it’s also has a very practical purpose for the locals living on the island it connects to the shore. We took a walk down the bridge to scope it out. To be perfectly honest it’s hardly breathtaking up close. You are supposed to buy a tourist ticket to go on the bridge but no-one was checking for them anywhere so don’t worry about that, just feign ignorance if anyone asks.

U bein bridge people crossing

After the long stroll up and down we made for the shore to see about a sunset boat ride. Small boats on the lake cruise people out to watch the sun set behind the bridge and let them soak in the peaceful atmosphere and get their own iconic photo. We attempted negotiations with a couple of captains but it seemed it was a fixed $10 price all over.

U bein bridge sunset

With the money business out of the way we were able to sit back and enjoy the cruise. The boatmen paddle by hand so it’s nice and peaceful once you get out on the water. As the sun starts setting the sky catches fire in a quite majestic way. Deep oranges and reds pour out and begin reflecting on the water. I took waaay too many pictures as the light kept on changing.

U bein bridge boat sunset

U bein bridge sunset

U bein bridge boat trip

Once the sun got low the glow started to fade. We sailed back to shore and thanked our captain, then hooked up with our taxi driver again for the ride home.

U bein bridge trip sunset

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