King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat were the last king and queen of Burma until being sent to exile in India. Khin Thibaw became king in 1878 apparently after 79 other candidates were brutally murdered by his wife and mother-in-law. The famous book "The Glass Palace" by Amitav Ghosh describes this period in detail and today we are going to visit the places linked to this period of Burmese royal history. We start by going inside the Mandalay fort and visit the remains and partly rebuilt palace that was designed by King Mindon. We will climb the watchtower, visit the so-called Glass Palace (Central Palace) and the museum which has some interesting pictures of royal life. From here we continue to visit the beautiful wood-carved Shwenandaw monastery just outside the palace in which King Mindon lived and died. King Thibaw later used this building for meditation. We continue to the lesser-known Setkyathiha pagoda with the 5-meter high bronze sitting Buddha statue that was brought by King Thibaw to Mandalay just before the beginning of the war. The royal family collected many religious artefacts and handicrafts made in Mandalay and we are visiting some of the old workshops where gold leaves are made, woodcarvings are produced and kalagas (tapestry) are made with silver or gold coloured thread. We finish the excursion with a royal meal of traditional homemade Mandalay curries – as the King used to enjoy it.

Inclusions:

• Private transfer during trip
• English speaking guide
• Lunch
• Water, snowtowels
• Entrance fees where mentioned

Exclusions:

• International and Domestic airfares and airport departure taxes
• Visa (visa is compulsory and must be arranged in advance)
• Any gratuities for guide and driver
• Meals if not specified in the itinerary
• Travel insurance (we highly recommend that you purchase adequate insurance)
• Personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, drinks etc.
• All other services which are not specified in the itinerary

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