Take a journey between Burma’s two greatest ancient capitals - Bagan and Mandalay. Travel the great Irrawaddy River to discover a land rich in history and hidden beauty that few outsiders have seen.

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Discovering the Real Burma (part II)
The Road to Mandalay

In Burma, nothing is quite as it seems. For many visitors, Burma is only known through its disputed politics. Behind this, however, hides a country and a people that should not be forgotten, deeply religious and dignified. A country of ancient charms not yet infected by western values.

It's easy to lose your way on the time continuum here. No e-mail addiction, no Britney Spears, no trendy sunglasses worn indoors. Surreal? Definitely. But in a comforting way. The world beyond Burma soon begins to feel like a vaguely doubtful rumour...

The River that is a Road

The renowned "Road to Mandalay", made famous by everyone from Marco Polo to Bing Crosby, is no road at all, but a river.

The mighty Irrawaddy River runs through the heart and soul of Burma. For more than 2,500km, she courses through this vast and ancient country like an unfurled bolt of shimmering silk the colour of milk-coffee.

Navigable by steamer for 1,500km, the Irrawaddy has always provided access to the interior, for traders and invaders alike. Burma's history, fortune, and failures have ebbed and flowed to the pulse of this artery of life.

Even today, Burma is a country where roads are still scarce, rivers are a watery highway used daily by millions. Ferries, express boats, cruisers, barges, sampans, canoes and local village transport families, priests, produce and livestock across the river, around the next bend or across the country.

No surprise then that the best way to see this amazing country, lost in time, is by boat. There are plenty of services plying the popular Bagan-to-Mandalay route. Everything from decrepit, rusty steamers to the 6-star luxury aboard E & O's cruise ship, aptly named "The Road to Mandalay". I opt for the comfortable and largely empty 'tourist boat' which takes 14 hours to make the trip (the cost is US$16).

The Journey Between the Two Ancient Capitals of Burma

The best place to start your trip is from the fantastic ruins of the ancient city of Bagan.

Bagan is an other-worldly delight. Burma's first and oldest capital rivals Angkor Wat and Borobudur for its seductive beauty and mysticism - but is largely forgotten. Lying on the dusty Irrawaddy Plain, this 1,000 year-old centre of culture, with its hundreds of elegant temples, captivates the imagination with its immense scale.

It has been called "the most remarkable religious city in the world". And rightly so. To catch a sunrise from atop any of hundreds of temples is surely a highlight for all visitors to Burma.
in this world.