2011, DEC 18: MYANMAR, AMARAPURA- U Bein’s Bridge

Eventually we came to the famous U Bein’s Bridge. This picturesque 1300-yard foot bridge is located about 6 miles south of Mandalay.

It was built by U Bein, in the mid-19th century when the capital of Innwa (Ava) Kingdom moved to the nearby Amarapura.

Reputed to be Burma’s most photographed sights, U Bein’s Bridge is the world’s longest teakwood bridge. It is supported by 1,060 posts.

There are five small, covered resting areas all along the bridge. Vendors also use them to hawk their wares.

The bridge spans across the shallow Taungthaman Lake. Indispensable to the daily life of local
people as hundreds of them use it as the main passage to go to the other side and to points in between.

Tourists add international touch to the local scene. They also are a source of additional income to the area’s pagodas, shops, hawkers, restaurants and transporters.

It

It gets more crowded around sunrise and sunset, when the local commuters use the bridge. Also tourists come at this time to welcome and say farewell to the sun for the day.

After the sunset, we headed back to our hotel.