Some crafts studios in Mandalay

We visited some more crafts studios, this time near Mandalay. There was a large weaving enterprise with many looms making very elaborate items, plus all the backup to wind the silk, and do some dyeing. I think these places also are schools for training people. Oddly in one corner of this place there was someone cleaning and trimming fish. There was a lot of sculpturing - some of large items.  There were several artists with a drawing style using brushes and other tools with ink, where they smushed around the ink rapidly to make nice pictures - see video below.

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Shwenandaw Monastery and the Kuthodaw and Kyaukdawgyi Pagodas

In the afternoon when we were back in Mandalay we visited the Shwenandaw Monastery, which is an ancient wooden building with intricate carvings - it was once King Mindon's home.  Also we went to the Kuthodaw and Kyaukdawgyi Pagodas. The Kuthodaw Pagoda contains what is the world's largest book: the Buddhist Scriptures inscribed on Marble slabs. Each slab is in its own small white stupa (729 of them) topped with a precious stone.

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