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U Bein's Bridge.
We first visited Burma about 15 years ago, at that time there were few foreign visitors to the country as the imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi had made it clear that she felt foreign visitors would be seen as an endorsement of the military government. We thought long and hard before deciding to go to Burma and finally decided that isolating the Burmese people from outsiders was wrong and provided we did not use government accommodation, transport, guides etc we were making the right decision. We have never regretted our decision to visit then and on subsequent occasions. Aung San has said in a recent interview with The Lonely Planet ..... We are not in favour of group tourists, but we dont mind if individuals come to Burma. Foreign tourists could benefit Burma if they go about their travels in the right way, by using facilities that help ordinary people and avoiding facilities that have close links to the government. If tourists make the effort to meet people working for democracy, then it might help. Should you decide to go you will be stunned by the sights of the country, the warmth and gentleness of the people and the wealth of natural beauty. The following images were taken at U Beins bridge near Mandalay and confirm that the presence of the human form give perspective to a landscape .....
U Beins Bridge is said to be the longest teak bridge in the world. It was named after U Bein the mayor of Amarapura, after King Bodawpaya moved his capital there.
The bridge links Amarapura with an island in the middle of Lake Taungthaman, an intermittent body of water which dries up during winter.
U Bein Bridge is three quarter of a mile long. It was built in 1849 from old planks and timber posts salvaged from the houses in Sagaing and Inwa.
The bridge has 1086 posts and 482 spans. At 9 points were draw bridges that would allow boats to pass through towards the Irrawaddy River.
Copyright Paul Strawson - Blog ref: 55
