u-bein BridgeMyanmar

The Twilight of the Bridge of Life


squatted friendship
Young people rest on a section of the U-Bein bridge
Raised keels
Typical boats on the shore of Lake Taungthaman
the sunset fleet
Traditional boats from Lake Taungthaman show the U-bein bridge to foreign visitors.
cyclist resident
Cyclist resident of the region in typical costume approaches one of the ends of the U bein bridge
twilight in sight
Cyclists and pedestrians cross the U Bein Bridge over twilight.
A rowing get-together
Group of Buddhist monks and friends get together at Lake Taungthaman.
Buddhist Duo
Buddhist monks cross the U Bein Bridge just before dusk.
Crossing with balance
Resident carries pots over her head, across the bridge.
end of school
Group of students returns to their village at the end of another day of classes.
almost underwater fishing
Fisherman immersed in the vicinity of the U Bein bridge.
catch of the day
Fishermen fish with rods in a nursery area of ​​the lake.
old tree
Dead tree silhouette stands out from Lake Taungthaman.
Buddhist Duo II
Buddhist monks approach one of the banks.
The Longest Wooden Bridge
Section of the U Bein bridge, the longest still in use wooden bridge in the world.
At 1.2 km, the oldest and longest wooden bridge in the world allows the Burmese of Amarapura to experience Lake Taungthaman. But 160 years after its construction, U Bein is in its twilight.

Once the rickshaw journey from Mandalay has been completed, the driver presents us with the final destination already settled with another long wait. “I imagine they want to stay until after sunset, right?, just ask us as a discharge of conscience.

We can still see him settling on a terrace run by acquaintances but we soon get lost in the profusion of crowded restaurants on the edge of the lake.

It had been two months since the monsoons had brought peace to Myanmar. Subject to the vagaries of weather, Lake Taungthaman was shrinking by the day.

We saw a line of colorful craft vessels, with curved keels that seemed to point out the responsibility of the always clear sky.

U bein bridge, Amarapura, Myanmar, service boats

Typical boats on the shore of Lake Taungthaman

“Boat ride?”, “A boat ride?” distinguished hosts ask us over and over again with the gentle persistence because the Burmese rule.

For a change, we had prepared the visit. We knew it wasn't time to give in yet. We calculate the length of the bridge and find its immediate end hidden behind other establishments.

The preface of that incursion to Amarapura was already long. Without the patience to prolong it, we make the crossing. Around 1859, U Bein, a sort of magistrate from the kingdom of Inwa responsible for the bridge project, had no time to waste.

Ponte u bein, Amarapura, Myanmar, resident

Cyclist resident of the region in typical costume approaches one of the ends of the U bein bridge

The Longest Wooden Bridge in the World Unraveled

At that time, the capital of Inwa oscillated between a village of the same name and Amarapura. A king by the name of Tharrawaddy decided to return her to the last. He also declared that the subjects' access to the opposite ends of the lake should be facilitated.

With the kingdom's treasury diminished by the Anglo-Burmese wars, U Bein had to resort to pragmatism. He resorted to the remains of the abandoned royal palace.

An estimated 10.000 men transported the timber along the Ayeyarwady River. Meter after meter, we advance through the nearly 1100 logs employed and see life unfold over that improbable structure.

U Bein Bridge, Amarapura, Myanmar

Section of the U Bein bridge, the longest still in use wooden bridge in the world, silhouetted by twilight

Side by side, the fishermen insist on casting the lines, despite already having their wicker baskets half-full and holding large bunches of fish around their waists.

We came across groups of Buddhist monks and nuns.

U Bein Bridge, Amarapura, Myanmar, Buddhist monks

Buddhist monks cross the U Bein Bridge just before dusk.

We give priority to successive dismounted cyclists and peasants afflicted with the weight of their agricultural and even livestock loads.

A century and a half later. The U Bein Bridge Shines with Life

The U Bein bridge is secular. Accordingly, for many hundreds of its basic pillars, we did not detect any sign of modernity. men and women wear longyis typical and colorful, combined with simple shirts or coats.

Other passersby emerge protected from the tropical sun with traditional hats or heavy trays on which they balance pots and pans with aromatic meals. The bridge itself spares the inhabitants the fatigue, heat and monsoon rains that make the lake overflow.

Ponte u bein, Amarapura, Myanmar, friends

Young people rest on a section of the U-Bein bridge

It was equipped with side porches raised at intermediate points and equipped with seats. Young people who are already free of school use them for socializing and flirting on occasion. One or another seller has also settled there and is trying to ship their merchandise.

We stopped at one of these extensions. Safe from disturbing traffic, we examined the surroundings and spotted a colony of caricature lake beings, fishermen stuck in the water up to mid-trunk or, in some cases, up to their necks with their bamboo poles in hand.

Ponte u bein, Amarapura, Myanmar, fisherman

Fisherman immersed in the vicinity of the U Bein bridge.

Farming and Fishing for Every Taste on Lake Taungthaman

We increasingly confirm the dependence of the Burmese on these parts of both the bridge and the lake. And your ingenuity to take advantage of them depending on the seasons. A farmer leads a pair of buffaloes. Thus, he tills back and forth an isthmus of land recently dispensed with by the dry season.

In amphibious areas, other entrepreneurs maintain fish ponds and duck farms.

Troubled neighbors and, in recent times, also the authorities believe that the first activity is responsible for the degradation of the lake's water and also for the worsening of the bridge's condition.

U Nyein Win, owner of one of the riverside restaurants we came from, Zegyo Thu, was so sure of this that he recently shuddered to complain to the Myanmar Times: “In recent decades, farmed fish has caused the decline of the diversity of aquatic species, vegetation and the beauty of the lake.

Before there were many species of fish, they weren't just voracious tilapia as they are now. Furthermore, the water is increasingly stagnant and the pillars rot. Many have already lost their foundations.

U bein bridge, Amarapura, Myanmar, fishermen

Fishermen fish with rods in a nursery area of ​​the lake.

They only remain in the structure because they are connected to others by sidebars. The bridge is still secure but that may not last.”

The New Era of the U Bein Bridge: Nurseries, Pollution and Mass Tourism

Last February, the Mayor of Mandalay ... he counter-declared, without ceremonies, to journalists that he had no intention of dealing with cleaning the water, so that the residents and most of the lake's workers were left to hope that the Ministry of Culture would intervene more assertively.

Meanwhile, they are dedicated to collecting as many kyats as possible. Practically on the opposite end of the bridge, some of them were counting on our contribution.

The mainland of this bank is also occupied by small terrace restaurants. Since the sun had gone down drastically, we only had time to refresh ourselves in them with fresh coconut water and follow the first boatman who had approached us.

Ponte u bein, Amarapura, Myanmar, woman with pots

Resident carries pots over her head, across the bridge.

Unfortunately, the oars of your boat squeak without appeal and corrupt the magical near-silence around you.

The Twilight Rowing on This Side of the U Bein Bridge

But the great star had painted the western sky a bright orange that was still reddening, and the U bein bridge and all the passers-by who crossed it stood out in stark black against the fiery firmament. We give directions to the boatman to go through it according to the frames we are pursuing.

In addition to the sizzle, you can now hear the clicks of the chambers like a machine gun, the technical resource we are forced to resort to in order to make the monks and other pedestrians stand out in the small gaps between pillars.

The boatman who propelled us spoke almost no English, he was limited to interpreting our wishes. On the verge of the opposite bank, short-term tourist excursions had chartered all the boats, and the waters in the vicinity of the bridge were more disputed than ever.

U bein bridge, Amarapura, Myanmar, boats with passengers

Traditional boats from Lake Taungthaman show the U-bein bridge to foreign visitors.

Coerced by patrons to forget his manners, another rower comes too close to the bridge. It infuriates part of the boatmen and visitors who kept their distance.

To our amazement, our quiet rower exalts himself. He lashes out at his rival in Burmese, until he finally surrenders to the evidence.

Oblivious to these worldly disputes, the ball of the Sun fits between the pillars. It soon disappears to the other side of the world. Meanwhile, the dozens of boatmen who avoided each other on the lake had already transferred their passengers to the waiting buses.

U Bein Bridge, Amarapura, Myanmar

Cyclists and pedestrians cross the U Bein Bridge over twilight.

With the complacency of ours, we were alone on the Taungthaman watching the wooden structure disappear into the shadows. Until the native decides to shorten his sentence and that of Mandalay's desperate rickshaw driver.

Speed ​​up the disembarkation and farewell to Amarapura and the U Bein bridge.

Yangon, Myanmar

The Great Capital of Burma (Delusions of the Military Junta aside)

In 2005, Myanmar's dictatorial government inaugurated a bizarre and nearly deserted new capital. Exotic, cosmopolitan life remains intact in Yangon, Burmese's largest and most fascinating city.
Inle Lake, Myanmar

A Pleasant Forced Stop

In the second of the holes that we have during a tour around Lake Inlé, we hope that they will bring us the bicycle with the patched tyre. At the roadside shop that welcomes and helps us, everyday life doesn't stop.
Chiang Khong - Luang Prabang, Laos

Slow Boat, Down the Mekong River

Laos' beauty and lower cost are good reasons to sail between Chiang Khong and Luang Prabang. But this long descent of the Mekong River can be as exhausting as it is picturesque.
Bagan, Myanmar

The Plain of Pagodas, Temples and other Heavenly Redemptions

Burmese religiosity has always been based on a commitment to redemption. In Bagan, wealthy and fearful believers continue to erect pagodas in hopes of winning the benevolence of the gods.
Mount Kyaiktiyo, Myanmar

The Golden and Balancing Rock of Buddha

We are discovering Rangoon when we find out about the Golden Rock phenomenon. Dazzled by its golden and sacred balance, we join the now centuries-old Burmese pilgrimage to Mount Kyaiktyo.
berry, Myanmar

A Journey to Bago. And to the Portuguese Kingdom of Pegu

Determined and opportunistic, two Portuguese adventurers became kings of Pegu's kingdom. His dynasty only lasted from 1600 to 1613. It has gone down in history.
Inle Lake, Myanmar

The Dazzling Lakustrine Burma

With an area of ​​116km2, Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar. It's much more than that. The ethnic diversity of its population, the profusion of Buddhist temples and the exoticism of local life make it an unmissable stronghold of Southeast Asia.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Okavango Delta, Not all rivers reach the sea, Mokoros
safari
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Not all rivers reach the sea

Third longest river in southern Africa, the Okavango rises in the Angolan Bié plateau and runs 1600km to the southeast. It gets lost in the Kalahari Desert where it irrigates a dazzling wetland teeming with wildlife.
Young people walk the main street in Chame, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 1th - Pokhara a ChameNepal

Finally, on the way

After several days of preparation in Pokhara, we left towards the Himalayas. The walking route only starts in Chame, at 2670 meters of altitude, with the snowy peaks of the Annapurna mountain range already in sight. Until then, we complete a painful but necessary road preamble to its subtropical base.
Visitors at Talisay Ruins, Negros Island, Philippines
Architecture & Design
Talisay City, Philippines

Monument to a Luso-Philippine Love

At the end of the 11th century, Mariano Lacson, a Filipino farmer, and Maria Braga, a Portuguese woman from Macau, fell in love and got married. During the pregnancy of what would be her 2th child, Maria succumbed to a fall. Destroyed, Mariano built a mansion in his honor. In the midst of World War II, the mansion was set on fire, but the elegant ruins that endured perpetuate their tragic relationship.
Aventura
Volcanoes

Mountains of Fire

More or less prominent ruptures in the earth's crust, volcanoes can prove to be as exuberant as they are capricious. Some of its eruptions are gentle, others prove annihilating.
Ceremonies and Festivities
Apia, Western Samoa

Fia Fia – High Rotation Polynesian Folklore

From New Zealand to Easter Island and from here to Hawaii, there are many variations of Polynesian dances. Fia Fia's Samoan nights, in particular, are enlivened by one of the more fast-paced styles.
Colored Nationalism
Cities
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

The Desired City

Many treasures passed through Cartagena before being handed over to the Spanish Crown - more so than the pirates who tried to plunder them. Today, the walls protect a majestic city always ready to "rumbear".
Lunch time
Markets

A Market Economy

The law of supply and demand dictates their proliferation. Generic or specific, covered or open air, these spaces dedicated to buying, selling and exchanging are expressions of life and financial health.
Sun and coconut trees, São Nicolau, Cape Verde
Culture
São Nicolau, Cape Verde

São Nicolau: Pilgrimage to Terra di Sodade

Forced matches like those that inspired the famous morna “soda” made the pain of having to leave the islands of Cape Verde very strong. Discovering saninclau, between enchantment and wonder, we pursue the genesis of song and melancholy.
combat arbiter, cockfighting, philippines
Sport
Philippines

When Only Cock Fights Wake Up the Philippines

Banned in much of the First World, cockfighting thrives in the Philippines where they move millions of people and pesos. Despite its eternal problems, it is the sabong that most stimulates the nation.
jet lag avoid flight, jetlag, turbulence
Traveling
Jet Lag (Part 1)

Avoid Post-Flight Turbulence

When we fly across more than 3 time zones, the internal clock that regulates our body gets confused. The most we can do is alleviate the discomfort we feel until it gets right again.
Tatooine on Earth
Ethnic
Matmata Tataouine:  Tunisia

Star Wars Earth Base

For security reasons, the planet Tatooine from "The Force Awakens" was filmed in Abu Dhabi. We step back into the cosmic calendar and revisit some of the Tunisian places with the most impact in the saga.  
portfolio, Got2Globe, Travel photography, images, best photographs, travel photos, world, Earth
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Portfolio Got2globe

The Best in the World – Got2Globe Portfolio

Glamor vs Faith
History
Goa, India

The Last Gasp of the Goan Portugality

The prominent city of Goa already justified the title of “rome of the east” when, in the middle of the XNUMXth century, epidemics of malaria and cholera led to its abandonment. The New Goa (Pangim) for which it was exchanged became the administrative seat of Portuguese India but was annexed by the Indian Union of post-independence. In both, time and neglect are ailments that now make the Portuguese colonial legacy wither.
Saona Island, Dominican Republic, Playa Palmilla Pool
Islands
Saona Island, Dominican Republic

A Savona in the Antilles

During his second voyage to the Americas, Columbus landed on an enchanting exotic island. He named it Savona, in honor of Michele da Cuneo, a Savoyard sailor who saw it as an outstanding feature of the greater Hispaniola. Today called Saona, this island is one of the beloved tropical edens of the Dominican Republic.

Horses under a snow, Iceland Never Ending Snow Island Fire
Winter White
Husavik a Myvatn, Iceland

Endless Snow on the Island of Fire

When, in mid-May, Iceland already enjoys some sun warmth but the cold and snow persist, the inhabitants give in to an intriguing summer anxiety.
Kukenam reward
Literature
Mount Roraima, Venezuela

Time Travel to the Lost World of Mount Roraima

At the top of Mount Roraima, there are extraterrestrial scenarios that have resisted millions of years of erosion. Conan Doyle created, in "The Lost World", a fiction inspired by the place but never got to step on it.
Dark day
Nature

Lake Cocibolca, Nicaragua

sea, sweet sea

Indigenous Nicaraguans treated the largest lake in Central America as Cocibolca. On the volcanic island of Ometepe, we realized why the term the Spaniards converted to Mar Dulce made perfect sense.

Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
El Tatio Geisers, Atacama, Chile, Between ice and heat
Natural Parks
El Tatio, Chile

El Tatio Geysers – Between the Ice and the Heat of the Atacama

Surrounded by supreme volcanoes, the geothermal field of El Tatio, in the Atacama Desert it appears as a Dantesque mirage of sulfur and steam at an icy 4200 m altitude. Its geysers and fumaroles attract hordes of travelers.
Solovetsky, Islands, Archipelago, Russia, Autumn, UAZ, Autumn road
UNESCO World Heritage
Bolshoi Solovetsky, Russia

A Celebration of the Russian Autumn of Life

At the edge of the Arctic Ocean, in mid-September, the boreal foliage glows golden. Welcomed by generous cicerones, we praise the new human times of Bolshoi Solovetsky, famous for having hosted the first of the Soviet Gulag prison camps.
Zorro's mask on display at a dinner at the Pousada Hacienda del Hidalgo, El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico
Characters
El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico

Zorro's Cradle

El Fuerte is a colonial city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. In its history, the birth of Don Diego de La Vega will be recorded, it is said that in a mansion in the town. In his fight against the injustices of the Spanish yoke, Don Diego transformed himself into an elusive masked man. In El Fuerte, the legendary “El Zorro” will always take place.
Machangulo, Mozambique, sunset
Beaches
Machangulo, Mozambique

The Golden Peninsula of Machangulo

At a certain point, an ocean inlet divides the long sandy strip full of hyperbolic dunes that delimits Maputo Bay. Machangulo, as the lower section is called, is home to one of the most magnificent coastlines in Mozambique.
Conflicted Way
Religion
Jerusalem, Israel

Through the Belicious Streets of Via Dolorosa

In Jerusalem, while traveling the Via Dolorosa, the most sensitive believers realize how difficult the peace of the Lord is to achieve in the most disputed streets on the face of the earth.
Chepe Express, Chihuahua Al Pacifico Railway
On Rails
Creel to Los Mochis, Mexico

The Barrancas del Cobre & the CHEPE Iron Horse

The Sierra Madre Occidental's relief turned the dream into a construction nightmare that lasted six decades. In 1961, at last, the prodigious Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad was opened. Its 643km cross some of the most dramatic scenery in Mexico.
Street Bar, Fremont Street, Las Vegas, United States
Society
Las Vegas, USA

The Sin City Cradle

The famous Strip has not always focused the attention of Las Vegas. Many of its hotels and casinos replicated the neon glamor of the street that once stood out, Fremont Street.
Fruit sellers, Swarm, Mozambique
Daily life
Enxame Mozambique

Mozambican Fashion Service Area

It is repeated at almost all stops in towns of Mozambique worthy of appearing on maps. The machimbombo (bus) stops and is surrounded by a crowd of eager "businessmen". The products offered can be universal such as water or biscuits or typical of the area. In this region, a few kilometers from Nampula, fruit sales suceeded, in each and every case, quite intense.
hippopotami, chobe national park, botswana
Wildlife
Chobe NP, Botswana

Chobe: A River on the Border of Life with Death

Chobe marks the divide between Botswana and three of its neighboring countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. But its capricious bed has a far more crucial function than this political delimitation.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.