Page 110 - Experience Thailand and More

WHAT TO DO The bridge is erected on 1086 posts. Originally, teakwood pounded two

meters into the lakebed, most have been replaced by concrete pillars.
During the dry season, they stand as many as four meters above the
shallow body of water and vegetable patches while during the monsoons,
AND SEE the lake rises so high that it laps the slats of the bridge. At any time of

year, it is a sight to behold.

U Bein Bridge
10 kilometres south of Mandalay’s city centre, to the east of the
prolongation of 84 Street, Mandalay, Myanmar
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At sunset, when the lighting is best, the mood along this, the world’s
longest teakwood footbridge, is one of romance as couples of all
ages stroll leisurely hand in hand caressed by the evening breeze. At
sunup, the foot traffic will be lines of monks leaving their monastery,
Maha Ganayon Kyaung, on the eastern shore to beg for alms while
villagers commute to work. Sweeping gently 1.2 kilometers across
Thaungthaman Lake, named for an ogre that came in search of
the Buddha, the bridge was built between 1849-1851 with wood
reclaimed from the former palace in Inwa. This was actually just
before King Mindon began to move his capital from Amarapura, “City
of Immortality”, now a quiet suburb of Mandalay.

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