The City That Rises

A European man was seemingly excited consulting with a hotel staff in the uppermost story of an elegant hotel near Su-Le, downtown Yangon before checking out. He was apparently scheduling to tour the second largest city of Myanmar. It’s Mandalay the royal palace with an amazing diversity that can surely be changing fast.

     That change I myself witnessed a week later. It's no wonder you just took an eight-hour private drive from Yangon to Mandalay of around 600 kilometers, thanks to the new concrete hi-way linking the two cities. And even luxury buses are changing plans to transport passengers. Formerly they left Mandalay in late evening and arrived at the capital at the crack of dawn. Now you can leave Mandalay in the morning and reached Yangon well before dark. New entrance ways to Mandalay also emerge, passing near Ta-da-oo international airport and dome-like Sagaing Bridge.

     Near the traffic points at the junction of Mandalay hi-way terminal, straight north and on the right, there’s a sign of green background & white words, that reads Rice Brokers, Kywae-sae-kan, Mandalay, that stands between Kywae-sae-kan Streets 1 through 9. At the corner of Street 5, I sat at a popular teashop branch Unison, gleaming at the city that’s rising as different as last year. All were bustling streets at rush hours. New United Amara & Kambawza banks sat close to Yoma Bank on 78th hi-way Street. A big teashop chain Manmyodaw dumpling was seen crowded, with superb service. Shiny new SUVs are going to and fro; fast running LiteAce trucks hurrying with pilgrims or students; cargo lorries carrying loads of goods like packages of batteries, noodles, onions, heading towards downtown shops and department stores.

     In fact, Mandalay is a vast area and I’m only having a look around Kywe-se-kan and passengers terminal, which will be moved to more remote location soon, leaving the current areas more like midtown. One thing I felt uncomfortable is public transport with city buses and endangering hilux buses, among cramming motorbikes and bicycles in dusty daylight. Another uneasy look was the long queue of motorbikes for petrol quota.

     Some three new online cafés around the bus station are found to be offering services not falling short of those from Yangon. Trade in booming Mandalay includes restaurant, online and gaming services, real estate, banking and transfer of finance, etc. In an internet café I even had to queue some 15 minutes to get online.

     The European man I encountered at the Yangon hotel would take a delight in riding tricycles or bikes in busy Mandalay as for his new experience. However as for me, the next time my visit to the famous Maha Myat Muni Image, I suspect I’ll be able to take a seat along systematic public transport buses viewing more new roads and online cafes all around.