For four hundred years, this dusty island was the capital of Burma. This was during the ‘dark ages’ of Burmese history, a period that very little is known about. Today, only a handful of structures remain, and farms and village life has replaced what must once have been a majestic city.
To get there, hail a taxi or a pick up and have it take you to a boat dock 30 minutes outside Mandalay. Here, a rickety old barge (one dollar return) takes you to a stand of horse carts. This is the best way of catching Inwa’s sights – for five dollars (or less if you’re good at bargaining) you are taken to four different sites: two pagodas, a watchtower and a teak monastery. At two of the places, officials check for your ticket: a 10 dollar multi-sight ticket that cover most things in the Mandalay region. If you don’t have the ticket, you can bribe your way in for a dollar (we did).
The two pagodas offered a few photo ops, and the decrepit old watch tower was thrilling to scramble around on. The real keeper was the beautiful teak monastery: a dark wooden structure nestled into the surrounding jungle. It was nice enough that Wifey now wants a teak home (never mind that the material cost for a hut sized home would run in the millions-of-dollars range).
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You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
