Transfer from your hotel (or a destination of your choosing) at approximately 18:30 to Daung Lann Gyi, a restaurant that serves traditional Myanmar cuisine on large, drum-like circular trays.

Before tables and chairs, it was common for Myanmar people to gather around trays such as these with close friends and family, pile on top a mountain of food (grilled fish, curries, salads, soup and rice) and eat using only their hands. With nothing to separate the food, it was common for the items to mix together, with the soup usually being slurped up at the very end. Nowadays, the dishes are separated by smaller bowls and come with spoons for eating and serving; this may sound a little diluted but the communal feel of the meal is still the same. With generous portions sizes and a menu packed with mouth-watering Myanmar culinary classics, this really is a dining experience fit for a King (or Queen!).

Note: Unless requested otherwise, the cost of dinner is not included.

Conclude the evening in style with a marionette performance at a small theatre located close to the south side of Mandalay’s palace walls.

Elaborate operas performed using hand-carved wooden stringed puppets were once a popular art form in Myanmar, especially among royal circles and those of a higher class. Often lasting a whole night, the performers would recreate traditional tales to the backing of drums, brass gongs, harps, oboes and bamboo flutes. Although modern day performances are nowhere near as long or lavish, the team at the cosy Mandalay Marionette Theatre have done a great job of condensing the best parts and keeping one of Myanmar’s oldest forms of traditional entertainment alive.

Your royal carriage awaits; return to your hotel (or a destination of your choosing) in the comfort of a private vehicle.