The Roads from Mandalay

MANDALAY/BAGAN, MYANMAR- Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Crossing streets in Mandalay one takes their life their own hands. In most of central Mandalay there is a continuous, cluttered onslaught of tri-shaws, bikes, motorbikes and cars every time one ventures out. To be fair, it is very much the same in Yangon. The main difference is that in Mandalay there are few if any traffic lights. The second difference is that in Mandalay everything is more condensed- the buildings shorter and the streets more narrow. One would think that this would be an advantage when crossing the street. But in reality the narrow streets create a blind spot making it harder to see what’s coming up the road. This is made much worse at night time. Though there seem to be street lights in some areas, I’ve never seen them on. So vehicles, lightless bikes and pedestrians share the road virtually blind but for the occasional dim glow of a small roadside shop.
Most people here – whether they drive a bike, motorbike or car- seem to be defensive drivers. But they are not defensive as the vehicle codes in the US might describe it. They are defensive in that drive as if any rules that might exist will constantly be broken. They are driving unpredictably and they know everyone else will be driving unpredictably as well. So traffic is always fluid. Drivers don’t insist or expect rules to be followed. If a bike is crossing in front of you, you just drive around. If a car goes through an intersection, you just drive around.
Another oddity in Myanmar traffic is what vehicles and bikes will carry. Motorbikes will carry plastic pipe- sometimes lengthwise, sometimes width-wise. Tri-shaws will carry all sorts of boxes, truck wheels and miscellaneous supplies in the side seat. A bicycle will carry boxes piled 5 feet tall on top of the rear rack. Trucks piled high with bags of rice will carry workmen and monks on top of their freight. Anything in any amount seems fair game.
The same can be said for the cargo borne on humans (primarily women’s) heads. A small coiled-up cloth atop the head is usually to buffer the load. It is very common to see women walking the streets carrying three foot wide platters of finger foods, fruit or alms for sale. Water, baskets of all manner of things and boxes are also carried this way. On a construction site in Mandalay young women placed a board on top of the coiled up cloth. They then carried bricks three deep and three high on top of their heads and proceeded to carry them this way up a spiral staircase. No, I’m not kidding.
But now in here in Nuang U, all that frenetic pace and craziness seems to melt away. Nuang U is a bucolic, quiet town on the outskirts of Bagan, the largest site of Myanmar’s ancient temples. Horsecarts and bicycles can be seen meandering down the sleepy streets. Nuang U is a unique combination – simple, quiet and tourist-oriented.
I have decided to splurge and take a $15 room at the New Park Guest House. It’s a spacious room- king size bed, wood floors and best of all- a very clean bathroom with bathtub and shower separate from the sink and toilet. This is quite a luxury – even in mid-range priced guest house. Nuang U has many restaurants that cater to tourists. In Mandalay and Yangon I usually chose to go to traditional hole-in-the-wall eateries. But after a tasty but ill-fated trip to one such buffet left me with diarrhea, today I opt for the safe but somewhat bland tourist fare. Tomorrow I venture out to see some of the ancient temples of Bagan.