Mandalay, Myanmar

Mandalay is 668 km north from Yangon, and a very busy as well as very polluted city like Yangon too. My first reaction after my arrival to Myanmar was the quality of the air, visibility about two kilometers and a clear sky. You first thought you cannot breath this air. The green leaves of the trees are actually gray of dust, and seemingly many trees are not feeling well. I am mostly alone among Burmese people.
I have only seen very few foreigners, German, French and Japanese citizens.
I yesterday agreed with Yeye 36, a taxi driver that he could show me Mandalay and surroundings yesterday and today for about US$50. He did his best, and I did enjoy not just a city sightseeing but a lot more. Like Mandalay Hill, even with poor visibility, tens of magnificent mainly golden Pagodas, like those of Mahamuni, Kuthodaw and Kyauktawgyi among others. I was quite disappointed with the Royal Palace of the last dynasty. An empty museum
surrounded by a huge garden in critical condition. Also the cars here are mostly very old and in a shape, which could not be acceptable in any Western countries. The local special
transporter is a Chinese tractor motor without any hood with locally built freight levels, and somehow installed four wheels. Yeye had a Toyota Corolla, maybe 20 years old but much better than most other vehicles on the streets, and could even reach 60 km/h, which was a racer speed in those streets and roads. I was a little concerned about my stomach, but everything went well, and I could also enjoy the good local Myanmar Beer as well as pretty good food with very reasonable prices. Tomorrow I will continue to Bagan.