Mandalay Palace

After a quick freshening up, I set off on foot for the remainder of my day's sightseeing, which was to eat, go to Mandalay Palace, visit the world's largest book at Kuthodaw Pagoda, and then climb Mandalay Hill.

The Mandalay Palace moat was only two blocks from my hotel, and it was a welcome relief when I got to the wonderful, clutter free sidewalk fringing the moat. I was on the southwest corner; foreigners were only allowed to enter the palace via the east gate, and the other sights I was headed to were all on the northeast corner, so it was still a trek to get there.

At the southeast corner of the moat, I veered off a little to look for a restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet. I could not find the restaurant, and I ended up eating in a local teahouse.

Mandalay Palace is set on a very large compound. The military uses most of the compound, which is why the public can only access the palace, which is in the center, via the one road from the east gate. The palace itself wasn't terribly interesting - there were throne rooms, lots of little buildings, and a cool watch tower. The buildings were all very dark inside. It was the military that made the place interesting. We had to surrender an ID or passport to enter (locals did not seem to have this restriction) and we had to wear a pass. At the front gate was a big sign that said that the army will crush those who threaten the union. It isn't every day that you go to a tourist attraction with armed soldiers patrolling the area.

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