Mandalay offers two unique sights.

Set in stone in the grounds of Kuthodaw pagoda at the foot of the Mandalay hill is the world's biggest book. It has 730 large marble tablets with the Theraveda Buddhist script. There are 1460 pages and each page is nearly 4 feet wide and 5 feet tall.

The upright stones are arranged in neat rows and work began in 1860 with the site opening eight years later. The writing was chiselled and originally filled with gold inlay.

Ubein bridge, a few miles from Mandalay was again built in the 1850s and is the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world. It is 1.2 kilometers in length, constructed from wood reclaimed from a nearby royal palace and spans the Taungthaman lake near Amarapura.

This is is the dry season and it is a spectacular sight especially as the sun sets. Ironically most tourists in boats and elsewhere leave before the very best time, when a few minutes after sunset, the horizon becomes a reddy glow. Perfect for iconic silhouette photos.

As my VSO colleague Phil and I spoke with a local monk about his role in a local village, a flock of geese flew overhead against the backdrop of the moon. Beautiful memories.