This will be my last email from Mandalay and it’s just a few odds and ends photos and stories.

1. This is a closer view of Mandalay Hill. Since this is the signature location in Mandalay, I thought I would send this photo. I took this from the bridge leading across the moat to the east gate of the Royal Palace.

2. Just to the left from the first photo is the east palace entrance. On the palace wall above the entrance area is this sign. We wondered what the heck it meant and asked our guide. Some people have asked me about the presence of the Military government in Burma. This was one of the few outward signs of their presence. The Royal Palace is an installation of the military government. Tatmadaw is the military organization of Myanmar. I guess they just want to let people know…

3. We saw women carrying goods on their heads all over Burma, but much more often in Mandalay. There weren’t many things that we didn’t see on women’s heads, including a flock of birds (for sale).

4. This was near the jade market and I’m just including it in case anyone ever wondered what a Hearse looks like in Burma.

5. Monks go out for food donations from the people every morning at dawn. Nuns only go out twice a week and they go out during the day. This was about noon in front of a restaurant in Mandalay.