A personal guide of the best things to see, eat and do in Mandalay by Myat Thander Tin, the managing director of the Thit Sar Yar Zar Institute and of Melody Solutions Co. Ltd.
For breakfast in Mandalay, the first thing you have to try is nan gyi thote, a rice noodle dish. Mandalay people call it “mote ti.” I go to a place called Shwe Yaung Lin on 32nd Street – it’s really yummy. If you are a beef lover, Daw Taw is very good. My family have been living in Mandalay for three generations; my grandma ate that kind of mote ti, then my father and now me.
Unique Mandalay Tea Room is my favourite teashop. The tea is very good and the coffee is very fresh and also you can order variety of Myanmar food, like mote pyit thalat and mote lat pyar.
For a cultural activity, we have the Royal Palace, Mya Nan San Kyaw Shwe Nan Taw. Cross over the moat to go inside and see how it was. To get out of the city I go to Nature’s Life where you can ride a horse. Just around the corner, there is the Ant Paintball Club. It is only a 30-minute drive from Mandalay.
The shopping is very good in Mandalay. I would recommend the Mingalar Mandalay. It is a shopping mall and there are all kinds of food as well as Mango, Lily, the Myanmar foot wear brand, as well as jewellery shops and a cinema. There’s also a spa and nail salon.
For an evening meal, Mandalay has a variety. If you want Myanmar cuisine, Daung Lann Gyi is wonderful. They serve the food on a lacquer table. ‘Daung Lan’ means ‘we eat together’, meaning that everyone who eats together can share good and bad things. MinGaLarBar and I Bar are also very good. Pioneer and Apex are good for a night out, and Ned Kelly is a new rooftop bar.
My favourite view is from Mandalay Hill. It’s really amazing, during the day or night. It’s best if you walk up the hill. Hiking lovers should go to Yankin Hill. The view at top is very green and you can enjoy the rural life and local people.
