Myanmar

Myanmar (Burma) — Motorbikes in Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)

Nick Morris

Nick Morris

— 3 min read

Getting about by motorbike in Mandalay

March 2015

One thing that amazed me about Mandalay was the incredible number of motorbikes on the roads.

In Yangon, I saw no motorbikes as they are banned from the city centre.

Below are some of my favourite shots of the motorbikes of Mandalay doing their thing.

Three up.

Photo by Author — three up — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — three up — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — kid on a bike — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — kid on a bike — motorbikes of Mandalay

At least she looks happy about being in the middle.

Not a great shot, but I love the look on her face.

Photo by Author — a happy traveller — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — a happy traveller — motorbikes of Mandalay

And there was such creative use of motorbikes.

They weren’t for just moving people.

Photo by Author — motorbike delivery — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — motorbike delivery — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — race home from work — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — race home from work — motorbikes of Mandalay

The side-saddle sitting position was something new to me. I had not seen that before.

Photo by Author — riding side-saddle — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — riding side-saddle — motorbikes of Mandalay

I keep thinking of Bob the Builder. You are supposed to wear a helmet — it’s the law. But is a yellow-hard hat a helmet?

Photo by Author — Bob the Builder helmet — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — Bob the Builder helmet — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — night out — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — night out — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — riding around town — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — riding around town — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — three up at the lights — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — three up at the lights — motorbikes of Mandalay

Yep, motorbikes were everywhere.

Mandalay was full of them.

They are a cheap and easy form of transport. One local told me you could pick up a new Chinese motorbike for US$500.

Photo by Author — motorbike park — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — motorbike park — motorbikes of Mandalay

I love this next shot. I was panning the camera and got the speed just right. You can see the pan in the truck, yet the motorbike is in sharp focus.

The look on the woman’s face makes the shot for me.

Photo by Author — coming back from the shops — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — coming back from the shops — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — heading out for the evening — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — heading out for the evening — motorbikes of Mandalay

The kid looks cool.

Photo by Author — cool kid on a bike — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — cool kid on a bike — motorbikes of Mandalay

Some helmets are interesting.

Photo by Author — nice helmet — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — nice helmet — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — another nice helmet — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — another nice helmet — motorbikes of Mandalay

And this helmet was disturbing.

I saw several helmets with swastikas.

Interestingly, the swastika on the helmet above is going the wrong way — hence it may be called a sauwastika. But, the front of the helmet had similar Nazi emblems, so I think the direction was an error, not a religious statement.

Small bike, big load.

Photo by Author — small bike, big load — motorbikes of Mandalay
Photo by Author — small bike, big load — motorbikes of Mandalay

So, Mandalay was full of mad motorbikes.

If you visit the town, be careful when crossing the road as bikes are everywhere and can come at you from any direction.

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