1st Apr 19 - Mingun and Amarapura

Walking tour of Mingun in the morning.
Then to the U-Bein Wooden Bridge in Amarapura for a trip in a sampan at sunset.

King Bodawpaya's monumental, unfinished stupa. It would have been the largest in the world but an astrologer told the king he would die upon completion. Cracks are from the 1839 earthquake.

The Mingun Bell was the heaviest working bell in world (90 tonnes) until 2000 when the Chinese unveiled the Bell of Good Luck.

The Hsinbyume Paya was built in 1816 and is sometimes called the Myanmar's Taj Mahal

Hsinbyume Paya

70 steps to the top of the Hsinbyume Paya and this view

Afternoon visit to the U-Bein Bridge in Amarapura. The world's oldest and longest (c1.2km) teak wood bridge. We boarded sampans to view the sunset. MAGICAL

Boarded sampan. Joyce - the Hotel Manager from the Scenic Aura - even came to serve us champagne!

Fissherman

View over the lake

The bridge is a major attraction for locals and tourists. We were told that it was dangerous as there was no guiderai!

Finally the SUNSET. And what a magical place to view it.