Mingun is located about 6 miles up the Ayeyarwady River from Mandalay. The main attraction is the ruined Mingun Paya, a Buddhist temple with the remains of a massive stupa begun by King Bodawpaya in 1790. The temple was not completed, because an astronomer claimed that the King would die when the temple was finished.

A gigantic bell was cast to go with this huge stupa. The Mingun Bell weighs 90 tons, and is today the largest uncracked bell in the world.

You reach Mingun by ferryboats across the river. It takes an hour upriver and 40 minutes for the return. A little private boat was arranged for our transport and we walked across the larger tourist boats until we reached our canopy-covered boat. There were several lawn chairs to sit on, freshly made tea and cookies waiting for us. Unfortunately, the hot, sunny weather was changing to cool with possible rain and I just about froze to death. The lady boat-owner kept bringing bath towels and life vests to keep me warm.

crossing to our boat transport 

Sheila freezing on the way to Mingun
Once off the boat, I warmed up and browsed the stands filled with artwork and lots of hats for sale… The stalls led from the waterfront all the way to Mingun Paya (the Buddhist temple)….also devastated by an earthquake. You can climb to the top but have to do it barefoot over all these crumbled brick pieces.

let’s bargain for a hat
…very impressive

Mingun PayaMingun bellBell sign in Burmese
It started to rain in earnest and I think we headed to the Shwe Kyaung Monastery (where the monks made a vivid contrast to the dreary weather) after another delicious lunch at the Ayeyarwaddy Scene Restaurant. We were not going to lose any weight on this trip…

monks praying at Shwe Kyaung Monastery 

Tomorrow we were supposed to fly to Sittwe and start the more rigorous, less touristy part of this trip…