My first time to Myanmar was more than 10 years ago. Last month, I went there again, as a tag-along-traveller following an unplanned itinerary.
The enchanting town, Pyin Oo Lwin, also known as The City of Flowers and the botanic garden, National Kandawgyi Gardens just knocked my socks off. I was overwhelmed by so much beauty to see!Pynn Oo Lwin is 71 kilometres away from Mandalay, the capital of Upper Myanmar and situated at 1,078 metres above sea level. Glimpses of the past could be seen through old colonial buildings and horse carriages ferrying passengers here and there.
I took too many pictures. If you have time, you can watch some of the pictures I took of the town
in slideshow below...For a shorter version, just click here to view my Facebook album.
And the below is a slideshow of the National Kandawgyi Gardens...
Or checkout the pics from my Facebook album here.
Formerly known as the National Botanical Gardens, the National Kandawgyi Gardens was established in 1915 by Mr Alex Rodger, the forest research officer with the help of Lady Cuffe a noted botanist from the famous Kew Botanical Gardens.
Originally just 12 hectares,
the botanic garden now occupies a huge area of more than 150 hectares, comprising a natural forest, a wildlife sanctuary, a walk-in aviary, lakes, recreational lawns and a number of gardens including a rock garden. The pic below is the first sight of the gardens proper of the botanic gardens.
My full story on The City of Flowers and the National Kandawgyi Gardens was published in the New Straits Times last Sat. You can read it here. My email address was unfortunately wrongly published in the article :-( Thwa dau mal (Goodbye)