Just outside of Mandalay, in the former capital of Amarapura (itself a former capital of Burma), is the U Bein Teak Bridge. Over a mile long, it bridges between two villages by providing a footpath across Taungthaman Lake.
U Bein Teak Bridge outside of Mandalay
A view of the teak pilings from underneath – seeming to go on for infinity
People flock to the bridge at sunset to see the endless silhouette of pilings against the golden sun. Tourists and locals alike will hire out a boat to view the sunset from the water.
Colorful boats ready to take the locals and tourists out for a short ride to view the sunset from the water
This is one of those special places that is already overrun by the new and unregulated tourist industry. Instead of a beautiful bridge silhouette, we had a row of parked tour buses and groups of people stopping to take their shot. On top of the bridge, instead of a few fisherman outlines, we see crowds of people, so much so, that they even blocked the setting sun from reflecting in the water.
With the aid of our tour leader, who shooed a few buses out of our line of sight, we were able to capture a the iconic shot of the setting sun.
The iconic shot of the U Bein Bridge at sunset
As you can see again, it is all about the light.
Leave A Comment