The flight from Bagan to Mandalay was only 25 minutes, but the drive from Mandalay airport to the city over a short distance took another 1 hour or so ...

The road to Mandalay (as well as Mandalay itself) was like stuck in a time warp, dating back to British colonial times before WWII. This road from the airport to the city was narrow and dusty, and used by cars, buses, bicycles, carts, etc all at the same time. Nevertheless, it has a certain rustic charm and mood and atmosphere all of its own, as captured in this picture taken in Dec 06.

So I named this photo ‘On The Road To Mandalay', as appropriate ...

Which reminds me of the song ‘On The Road To Mandalay’ by Oley Speaks, sung here by Frank Sinatra - On The Road To Mandalay by Frank Sinatra.

The lyrics of the song is based on the poem “Mandalay” of 1890 by Rudyard Kipling, whose chorus begins with “On the road to Mandalay …”.

For a powerful public oral recitation of this poem, see here - Recital of ‘On the Road to Mandalay’ by Charles Dance.