Thursday, May 28, 2015

Mandalay, Part 3

Jade Market
We hop out of our cab at a chaotic corner and head down a lane lined with tables laden with hunks of raw jade in various sizes and colors. Gradually, they shift to smaller fragments; flashlights shine into the stones to look for flaws. A row of spinning wheels captures our attention: on both sides of the narrow row, young men work treadles with bicycle pedals, turning the wheels they are using to shape and polish small pieces of jade.





We head inside the main market area, and it’s a chaotic crush of people, so we stick to the perimeter at first. There are restaurants, a few shops selling bracelets, and workshops with whirring belts. Venturing farther in, we find an area where jade bracelets are being examined, women with no-nonsense looks examining green circles with flashlights. Further on, the goods under scrutiny are small rounded gems, ready to be fitted into rings and bracelets. There are restaurants packed with people, pool tables, backgammon games, and lots of waiting around between transactions. It makes for a fascinating walk, but we have to be careful not to fall into the narrow gutters on the floor or step into any red betel spit, or get crushed in the busy crossroads.

Soon we are ready to leave the chaos and walk down the road to the quiet Shwe In Bin Kyaung Monastery, whose main hall is a stunning teak structure. It was serene and quiet, with monks going about their daily business and only a few other tourists about.  The exterior carvings have been work away by the elements, creating fascinating shapes.











This monastery was a perfect last stop on our tour of Mandalay. The next morning we rose before dawn and heading to the docks for our boat down the mighty Irawaddy, to the temples of Bagan. 




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