Friday, May 18, 2007

Weekend Geography Quiz Question II


From these pictures, which city is this?




Clue: The following ancient city destroyed by the Mongols in the 1200s is down the great river that passes through the above city:



Think of a famous poem by Rudyard Kipling, and you will definitely know the answer. I'll post the answer in a couple of days.

1 comment:

Gabe said...

Could you guess from the Rudyard Kipling clue?

"By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,

There's a Burma girl a-settin', an' the temple bells they say:

'Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!'

Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?"

Great poem! Unfortunately, not many students are exposed to Rudyard Kipling these days. Kim, one of the best novels in British literature, deserves to be read in schools, but leftists hate that wonderful novel and have basically banned Kipling from the classroom.

I've visited Rangoon, Mandalay, and Bagan. Mandalay and Bagan are both on the Irrawaddy River. Rangoon has a spectacular golden temple called the Shwedagon Pagoda that is surely one of the wonders of the world.

Mandalay is a very atmospheric city. I visited in winter when it is very dry and dusty with warm afternoons and cool nights. This royal city is filled with temples and surrounded by ancient towns. It is famous for its arts and crafts.

Bagan surely is one of the greatest sites in the world: literally thousands of abandoned temples dating back to before 1200. You can bike all day from temple to temple. The sunset over the Irrawaddy is spectacular, and the ancient town is also famous for its crafts.

Burma is a mesmerizing country, and everyone should visit it.