Farmland stretches out and covers most of the flat land along the Irrawaddy River. From the aeroplane, I can see the green fertile land and the brown river before the aircraft lands in Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar after Yangon.
The trip is part of the Asean Connectivity campaign and hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. It aims to strengthen Thailand's position as the gateway to the region. On this journey, we explore the cultural sites of the old kingdoms in Mandalay, Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang.
After a two-hour flight from Bangkok to Mandalay, we set out on a minibus. It drives off smoothly on the well-paved four-lane road leading us to the inner city. The view is mostly rice paddies, bamboo forests and trees. From time to time, there are communities or food stalls lining the highway.
Mandalay is home to 1.5 million people, said a local guide, a majority of whom are farmers. The city was the last royal capital of the Burmese Kingdom before being colonised by the British in 1885. King Mindon of the Konbaung Dynasty moved the capital from Amarapura to Mandalay in 1857.
He also ordered the movement of a teak wood royal palace in Amarapura to the new capital, which would then be his palace. Construction took about two years. The palace is on a 2,581 rai plot of land surrounded by a 2km-long, 8m-tall wall with a 60m-wide moat. It has 114 buildings, said the guide.
Unfortunately, most of the original buildings were destroyed by bombs of British aircraft during World War II while Japanese troops occupied the palace.
"Only one watchtower survived. Other buildings were reconstructed in 1989 to resemble the architecture of the old palace," the guide added.
The palace also houses a museum. It displays antique collections and personal items of King Mindon such as his handwritten scrolls, royal attire, the bedstead of King Thibaw, who was the son of King Mindon and the last king of Burma, royal lacquerware and Buddha images.
Although the royal palace was restored, its beauty can't beat the original -- proof of which is the Shwenandaw Monastery, a short walk from the palace.
The temple hall, which is also known as Golden Palace Monastery, was the residence of King Mindon, who died in the building in 1878. His successor King Thibaw relocated the building outside the palace wall. The royal chamber survived the Allied bombing raid.
The raised floor mansion with four-tier roof looks eerie from afar, but its grace is seen when you are up close. Every square inch of the building is carved. Wooden doors and windows are carved with flowers, vine leaves, angels, mythical creatures and performers with different postures that make them look as if they were alive.
"When you see the details of each carving of the Shwenandaw Monastery then you can imagine how magnificent the original royal palace would have been before it was destroyed," said the guide.
Mandalay also is known as the centre of Buddhism. "About 60% of Myanmar's monks live here because Mandalay is the best city for a Buddhist education," said the guide.
King Mindon played a big role in supporting Buddhism. During his reign, he convened the Buddhist Council to clarify the Tripitaka, or the Buddhist teachings, and had it inscribed on 729 marble stone tablets.
Work started in 1860 and finished in 1868. The stone slabs, each of which is 1.5m tall, 1.1m wide and 12.7cm thick, are housed in individual shrines in the Kuthodaw Pagoda. The stone inscriptions are known as the largest book in the country.
Mandalay also has sacred sites. A must-see is the Maha Myat Muni Pagoda which houses Maha Myat Muni, or the Mahamuni Buddha image, a highly revered Buddha image.
Legend has it that the seated Buddha image was crafted when Buddha and 500 monks visited the king and queen of the ancient Arakan Kingdom to spread his teachings. Impressed with the dhamma, the king asked the Buddha for permission to craft his image. It was made in seven days while Buddha meditated. Once completed, the image was known as "Mahamuni Living Image Of Buddha", said the guide.
The image was brought to Mandalay by King Bodawpaya of the Konbaung Dynasty in 1784 when he conquered the Arakan Kingdom. The temple was built to house the 4m-tall bronze image.
Every day at 4am, a face-washing ceremony is held in the temple. A senior monk will wash the Buddha's face with water mixed with thanaka powder and dry the face with fresh towels offered by devotees. People believe that the used water is holy, which is used for blessing their souls or curing sickness.
Another amazing Buddhist site is in Mingun, which is a an hour's boat ride from Mandalay. Located on the west bank of Irrawaddy River, Mingun is famous for Mingun Paya, the unfinished pagoda made by King Bodawpaya in 1790. The king wanted to build the world's tallest pagoda at 150m. But construction was stopped at 50m.
"People believed that the kingdom would come to an end if the project was completed," said the guide.
Airlines that fly directly from Bangkok to Mandalay include Bangkok Airways (bangkokair.com), Myanmar Airways (maiair.com), Thai Smile (thaismileair.com) and Thai AirAsia (airasia.com).
From Mandalay to Chiang Mai, Bangkok Airways offers five flights weekly.
From Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang, Lao Airlines (laoairlines.com) provides daily direct flights.
Visit the Tourism Authority of Thailand's website at tourismthailand.org or call its call centre at 1672; Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of Myanmar at tourism.gov.mm and Tourism Marketing Department of Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos at tourismlaos.org.
Like Mandalay, Chiang Mai is home to countless temples. We spent half a day at Wat Si Suphan on Wua Lai road in Muang district. Built in 1500, the temple highlights are its old Lanna-style ubosot (ordination hall) and a new silver ordination hall.
The silver pavilion was initiated by the temple abbot and the Lanna silversmith group in 2004 to showcase skills of local silversmiths. The building is made of silver and aluminium panels that are finely carved on the inside and outside walls of the building.
The artistic work tells stories of Buddha and his teachings. The silversmiths added new elements of tourism, including attractions of countries in the Asean region and the world's wonders, as well as famous cartoon characters.
The temple offers a workshop for tourists for carving silver keychains, as well as intensive classes for those who want to practise silversmith skills.
We join a cooking class at Meena Rice Based Cuisine, a restaurant that offers healthy meals and herbal drinks in Chiang Mai's San Kamphaeng district. They serve home grown organic rice and vegetables.
We try cooking khao yam, which is rice served with sliced raw vegetables, coconut shreds, dried shrimps and peanuts. Instead of using a sweet-and-salty sauce made from preserved fish, we use fish sauce, lime juice, chillies and add a selection of flowers. The dish is easy to cook, colourful and tasty.
Before leaving Chiang Mai, we visit the Maiiam Contemporary Art Museum in San Kamphaeng. The museum is privately owned by Jean Michel Beurdeley, his late wife Patsri Bunnag and their son Eric Bunnag Booth.
The 3,000m² gallery exhibits family collections, as well as visual arts of international and Thai artists, including the talented Chinese-French artist Lalan (Xie Jing-lan) and 27 artists from the far South of Thailand.
Fly to Luang Prabang
From Chiang Mai, it takes an hour to fly into Luang Prabang. We reach the old capital of Laos in time to see the sun go down on the scenic city over the Mekong River from Mount Phousi.
When the sun sets, it is time for walking street, which is at the foothill of Mount Phosi on Sisavangvong Road. It is a popular place for visitors to try local snacks, food or shop for woven cloth and handmade products.
Morning alms-offering is another highlight. Dozens of monks walk in a long line to receive alms. We are advised by our local guide Thanongsak Sitthikornvaravong to offer only a small portion of sticky rice to each monk. We have to quickly scoop hot sticky rice into the bowl because every monk continues walking and does not stop while receiving alms.
After the alms-offering, exploring the morning market is a must. Locals shop for vegetables, meat, Mekong fish and cooked or raw kaipenor (freshwater green algae).
Not far from the market is the royal palace museum on Sisavangvong Road. The palace was built in 1904 during the French colonial period as a residence for King Sisavang Vong. The museum still preserves old items of the royal family, their photos and portraits of the king.
A boat cruise along the Mekong to Pak Ou cave, also known as Tham Ting, to pay respect to thousands of Buddha images inside the cave is a must-see. Some of us try the "chi-chi" fortune sticks inside the cave. My fortune said that my wishes would come true and I will have a chance to return to the old capitals of Laos and Myanmar.
