Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma) (Country Guide)

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© Lonely Planet Publications 13

Contents

Lonely Planet books provide independent advice. Lonely Planet does not accept advertising in guidebooks, nor do we accept payment in exchange for listing or endorsing any place or business. Lonely Planet writers do not accept discounts or payments in exchange for positive coverage of any sort.

The Authors

16

Should You Go?

17

Getting Started

27

Itineraries

30

Snapshot

34

History

35

The Culture

48

Environment

69

Food & Drink

74

Yangon

84

History Orientation Information Dangers & Annoyances Sights Activities Walking Tour Courses Tours Festivals & Events Sleeping Eating Drinking Entertainment Shopping Getting There & Away Getting Around

Around Yangon DELTA REGION Thanlyin & Kyauktan Twante

85 85 87 89 90 104 105 106 106 106 106 112 118 119 120 122 125

126 127 127 128

Around Twante Letkhokkon Beach Pathein Around Pathein Chaungtha Beach Ngwe Saung NORTH OF YANGON Taukkyan Bago (Pegu)

Southeastern Myanmar

129 129 130 135 135 138 140 140 140

147

Climate Dangers & Annoyances Getting There & Away MON STATE Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) Thaton Mottama (Martaban) Mawlamyine (Moulmein) Around Mawlamyine KAYIN STATE Hpa-an TANINTHARYI (TENASSERIM) DIVISION Dawei (Tavoy) Myeik (Mergui) Kawthoung

Northeastern Myanmar

148 148 148 148 149 152 153 153 158 160 161 162 162 164 166

170

Climate Dangers & Annoyances Getting There & Away THAZI TO INLE VIA KALAW Thazi Kalaw Aungban Pindaya Heho Shwenyaung INLE LAKE History & Culture Information Festivals & Events Nyaungshwe Around the Lakeshore Around Inle Lake KENGTUNG & BORDER AREAS

171 172 172 172 172 173 178 178 180 180 181 182 183 183 183 189 192 196

14

CONTENTS

Kengtung (Kyaingtong) Around Kengtung Mong La Tachileik PYIN U LWIN TO LASHIO Pyin U Lwin Around Pyin U Lwin Kyaukme Hsipaw Namhsan Lashio MYITKYINA TO KATHA Myitkyina Bhamo Mu-se & Namhkam Valley Katha THE FAR NORTH Putao

Mandalay

226

History Orientation Information Sights Activities Downtown Walking Tour Mandalay for Children Festivals & Events Sleeping Eating Drinking Entertainment Shopping Getting There & Away Getting Around

Around Mandalay History Climate Getting There & Around ANCIENT CITIES Amarapura Inwa (Ava) Paleik Sagaing Mingun UPPER SAGAING DISTRICT Monywa Around Monywa Shwebo Around Shwebo Kalaymyo

196 200 201 202 203 204 207 209 209 213 213 217 217 220 221 222 224 224

227 227 227 229 235 235 236 236 237 238 240 240 241 242 245

246 247 248 248 248 248 251 252 252 254 256 256 259 260 262 262

Bagan & Central Myanmar

264

History 266 Climate 266 Getting There & Around 266 BAGAN 266 Orientation 266 Information 268 Boat Trips 268 Tours 268 Getting There & Around 268 Nyaung U 269 Old Bagan 273 Myinkaba 275 New Bagan (Bagan Myothit) 275 AROUND BAGAN 277 Mt Popa 277 Salay 279 Pakokku 280 Myingyan 281 BAGAN TO PYAY 281 Magwe 281 Pyay (Prome) 283 Around Pyay 286 MEIKTILA TO TAUNGOO 287 Meiktila 287 Pyinmana 289 Taungoo 290

Temples of Bagan

293

History How Big is Bagan? OLD BAGAN Gawdawpalin Pahto Mimalaung Kyaung Pahtothamya Nathlaung Kyaung Thatbyinnyu Pahto Shwegugyi Pitaka Taik Palace Sites Tharaba Gate Mahabodhi Paya Bupaya NORTH PLAIN Ananda Pahto Ananda Ok Kyaung Upali Thein Htilominlo Pahto Buledi Gubyauknge Wetkyi-In-Gubyaukgyi

293 296 297 297 297 297 297 298 298 299 299 299 299 299 300 300 301 301 301 302 302 302

CENTRAL PLAIN 302 Shwesandaw Paya 303 Dhammayangyi Pahto 303 Sulamani Pahto 304 Thabeik Hmauk 304 Pyathada Paya 304 MYINKABA AREA 304 Mingalazedi 304 Gubyaukgyi 305 Manuha Paya 305 Nan Paya 306 Abeyadana Pahto 306 Nagayon 306 Somingyi Kyaung 307 NEW BAGAN AREA 307 Seinnyet Nyima Paya & Seinnyet Ama Pahto 307 Lawkananda Paya 307 Ashe (East) & Anauk (West) Petleik Paya 307 Sittana Paya 307 SOUTH PLAIN 308 Dhammayazika Paya 308 Leimyethna Pahto 308 Tayok Pye Paya 308 Payathonzu 308 Thambula Pahto 309 Nandamannya Pahto 309 NYAUNG U AREA 309 Shwezigon Paya 309 Kyanzittha Umin 310 North of Nyaung U 310

Western Myanmar People Climate Danger & Annoyances Getting There & Around SOUTHERN RAKHAING Ngapali Beach Thandwe Kanthaya Taunggok NORTHERN RAKHAING Sittwe Mrauk U Around Mrauk U CHIN STATE Tours

Directory Accommodation Activities

311 312 313 313 314 314 314 317 318 318 319 319 322 328 328 329

330 330 332

© Lonely Planet Publications C O N T E N T S 15 Business Hours Children Climate charts Courses Customs Dangers & Annoyances Disabled Travellers Discount Cards Embassies & Consulates Festivals & Events Food Gay & Lesbian Travellers Holidays Insurance Internet Access Legal Matters Maps Money Photography & Video Post Shopping Solo Travellers

334 334 335 335 336 336 338 339 339 340 342 342 342 342 342 343 343 344 346 346 346 349

Telephone Time Toilets Tourist Information Visas Volunteering Women Travellers

Transport

349 350 350 350 351 352 352

354

GETTING THERE & AWAY Entering the Country Air Land River & Sea Tours GETTING AROUND Air Bicycle Boat Bus Car & Motorcycle

354 354 354 357 358 358 358 358 360 361 363 364

Regional Map Contents Northeastern Myanmar p171

Around Mandalay Mandalay p247 p228 Western Myanmar Bagan & Central p312 Mandalay p265

Around Yangon p127

Yangon p90

Southeastern Myanmar p149

Hitching Local Transport Pick-up Trucks Tours Train

Health

365 365

366 366 366

369

BEFORE YOU GO Insurance Recommended Vaccinations Medical Checklist Internet Resources Further Reading In Transit Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Jet Lag & Motion Sickness IN MYANMAR Availability of Health Care & Costs Infectious Diseases Traveller’s Diarrhoea Environmental Hazards Travelling With Children Women’s Health Traditional Medicine

369 369 370 370 371 371 371 371 371 372 372 372 374 375 377 377 377

Language

379

Glossary

386

Behind the Scenes

389

World Time Zones

392

Index

395

Map Legend

404

© Lonely Planet Publications 17

Should You Go? We think it’s too early for either tourists or investment or aid... As long as new money comes in, the Slorc is under less and less incentive to change. Aung San Suu Kyi, 1995 I have so much respect for the Lady [Suu Kyi], but I disagree with her. If I had a chance to argue with her, I know she’d listen. A 100% boycott’s not possible. pro-NLD Yangon resident, 2004 ‘Should I go?’ is a question that Lonely Planet believes that all prospective travellers to Myanmar must ask, and answer, before setting foot in the country. The travel boycott – initiated by the Nobel Laureate for Peace, Aung San Suu Kyi, and endorsed by the British prime minister, Tony Blair, and some tour groups – began in 1996. Since then, much of the travel- and business-related world has been debating the pros and cons of the boycott amid an often-heated face-off. This section is a small stepping stone to understanding the main issues raised by both sides of the argument. As part of the debate, Lonely Planet is often asked why we publish this book. We believe that travel is one of the most powerful forces for tolerance, understanding and democracy the world possesses. We feel, in the case of Myanmar, it is particularly important to maintain an updated resource that helps those who do decide to go maximise the money reaching local hands in this impoverished country, while minimising the money reaching the ruling military junta. Aung Sang Suu Kyi said in 1995 that Myanmar wasn’t ready for tourism. Yet she also noted that ‘Tourists can open up the world to the people of Burma just as the people of Burma can open up the eyes of tourists to the situation in their own country if they’re interested in looking’. We agree.

‘As long as new money comes in, the Slorc is under less and less incentive to change’

THE BOYCOTT SPLIT Myanmar is a land of mystifying contradictions, a country whose spirited people have withstood centuries of oppression, from Kublai Khan to King George VI to the present military regime. Myanmar remains under the rule of the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC), formerly known as the State Law & Order Restoration Council (Slorc), an abominable military junta that has run Myanmar since 1962. After widespread peaceful protests in 1987 and 1988 and international pressure (see p43), the military conceded and announced there would be an election in 1990. Despite the 1989 arrest of a key member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD won a remarkable 82% of the vote. The junta never handed over power.

WHY A BOYCOTT? In the mid-1990s, the military regime readied the country for ‘Visit Myanmar Year 1996’, a massive campaign they believed could bring legitimacy to the battered government and a growing source of income. The government used forced labour to build up its tourism infrastructure – rebuilding tourist sites such as Mandalay Palace, re-paving roads, and

‘I disagree with her. If I had a chance to argue with her, I know she’d listen’

18 T H E B OYC OT T S P L I T • • T h e D e b a t e

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building airports and runways. Some say hundreds of thousands of locals were uprooted from their homes and sent to ‘new towns’ dozens of kilometres outside city centres (evident in Yangon, Mandalay and Old Bagan). The government, meanwhile, eased travel restrictions; from the 24-hour visa and the seven-day visa, to 14 days in 1990, and then 28 days in 1994. The government’s tourism campaign ushered in the tourism boycott. Eventually, the campaign had to be delayed by a few months and the government revised its goal from 500,000 tourists to 200,000, but eventually even that mark was not reached.

THE DEBATE Activist groups outside Myanmar – some made up of exiled Burmese – fight for international pressure to be applied to force the military junta to transfer power to the NLD. However, some supporters of the NLD stand on opposite sides regarding how the boycott should be applied. There are really two debates raging at present – one regarding tourism and the other concerning business dealings or aid.

Aung San Suu Kyi For many would-be travellers the most compelling reason to support a total boycott is that Aung San Suu Kyi says to, and most boycott supporters frequently quote her. Most of what she’s said on the issue dates from 1995 or 1996 – not surprising as, since before the 1990 election, she’s spent most of the time under arrest and unable to make statements. In 1995 Suu Kyi asked travellers to ‘visit us later’, insisting that visiting at that time was ‘tantamount to condoning the regime’. In 2002 she reportedly said TO GO OR NOT TO GO?

Reasons Not to Go Aung San Suu Kyi has asked tourists not to come. The government used forced labour to develop tourist-related sights and services. International tourists can be seen as a stamp of approval for the Myanmar government. It’s impossible to visit without some money going to the military junta (eg US$20 for a visa, US$10 departure fee, 7% to 10% tax on services and purchases). Activists claim that tourism dollars help fuel government repression directly. The government forbids travel to many areas, particularly in areas inhabited by minority groups, due to unrest.

Reasons to Go The vast majority of locals want you to come. Tourism remains one of the few industries accessible by ordinary locals that offers an income and communication with the outside world. Human-rights violations are less likely to occur in areas where international visitors are present. The government has stopped requiring that foreigners change US$200 into Burmese notes upon arrival. The majority (possibly over 80%) of a careful independent traveller’s expenses goes to the private sector. If tourists stop coming, the government may step up the oppression of its people.

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T H E B OYC OT T S P L I T • • T h e D e b a t e 19

the ‘situation has not changed’. That year, Suu Kyi told the BBC that ‘the people of Burma, in general, do not depend on...foreign visitors to bring them information’; instead they obtain knowledge of the international world via incoming radio broadcasts such as BBC, Radio Free Asia and Democratic Voice of Burma. One of Suu Kyi’s chief concerns of that time was that the country wasn’t ready for tourism because locals, so long isolated and crippled economically, hadn’t ‘had a chance to develop self-confidence’, as she told Alan Clements in The Voice of Hope (1997). ‘At such a time it is too easy for young people to grab at foreign ideas and values, simply because they think foreigners are better...and more successful.’ Despite her stance, Suu Kyi has noted the positive side of travel to Myanmar as well. She said during an interview in Yangon in 1995, ‘Visitors to the country can be useful, depending on what they do, or how they go about it.’ But she also expressed concern that tourists who ‘go around in air-conditioned taxis’ don’t see anything that’s going on in the country. She understood that, boycott or not, tourists will come, and even suggested that ‘an alternative guide’ be produced. We found this sentiment echoed to us at Lonely Planet in 2005 by members of the proboycott Open Society Institute’s Burma Project, and the pro-informed (ie protourism) organisation Voices for Burma. The London-based Burma Action Group (now called Burma Campaign UK) actually published Burma: The Alternative Guide in tandem with the government’s campaign, but the guide was more a detailed manifesto against any tourism, without any practical information for those who did go.

Some quotes of Myanmar residents presented in this chapter, and throughout the book, are not attributed in order to protect their identity.

Activist Groups Many proboycott activists interpret any visitor – whether they are either part of a package-tour group, a backpacker staying in US$4 guesthouses, or meditating in a monastery – as a symbolic and financial endorsement of the military junta, which built some tourist infrastructure and services off the backs of many locals through forced labour and prison labour. Some estimates put the figure of forced labourers as over one million, though in 2005 Amnesty International reported that forced labour, in general, had decreased over the last decade. Burma Campaign UK states on its website, ‘Nowhere else in the world have human rights abuses and tourism been so closely linked.’ Also the group doubts that travellers can make much of a contribution to the wellbeing of locals, saying only a small percentage of locals ever come in contact with travellers. BURMA OR MYANMAR? While questions are being raised on whether to visit, the very name of the country is another doozey. In 1989 the government changed the official name from the Union of Burma to the Union of Myanmar. The country has in fact been called ‘Myanma’ in local parlance since, at least, the time of Marco Polo in the 13th century. The term ‘Burma’ is a British-made moniker, based on the majority ethnic group, the Bamar (or Burmans or Burmese). Essentially all prodemocracy groups outside the country – as well as the NLD – still call the country Burma. The government, at least on the surface, prefers ‘Myanmar’ because it’s more inclusive of the many ethnic groups. More importantly, it distances the country from the colonial period. At the same time as the country was renamed Myanmar, many town and street names were changed as well (eg Rangoon returned to its precolonial name of Yangon). In this book we use ‘Myanmar’ for the country (in line with the locals’ usage and preference), and ‘Burmese’ for the language, food and the Bamar people.

20 T H E B OYC OT T S P L I T • • T h e D e b a t e

‘More isolation won’t fix the problems and sanctions push us backwards’

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Other groups against tourism suggest that the government’s restrictions on travel prevent access to trouble spots – places where insurgents fight the military, where forced labour lingers, and where poverty is strongest. Some locals worry that travellers who only see Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya will leave thinking the ‘whole country is covered in gold’. Proponents for travel point out that the majority of locals want independent international visitors – and travellers hear this often during hushed conversations in temples, taxis and teashops. Also, protravel advocates point out that the probability of human-rights abuse shrivels in places that foreigners frequent (one activist group suggests that tourists should expand the international influence by focusing on off-the-beaten-track areas). A popular question asked by some, is why antitourism advocates don’t include Tibet, Vietnam, Cuba, China (particularly) and even the USA in a boycott. Tibet shares some similarities with Myanmar – though travel in Tibet is actually more restricted – as the Chinese hope to gain legitimacy to their occupation of that country through positive reports from tourists. Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, however, encourages travellers to come and interact with the locals there. Canadian writer Karen Connelly took a passive role with Myanmar: ‘I just want to write about what I see here. That’s all. That will do whatever it can do.’ Thai monk Mettanando Bhikkhu believes first-hand accounts can be powerful catalysts for change, as he wrote in the Bangkok Post in 2005: ‘Tourists to Burma...are natural witnesses to events in that country, the eyes and ears through which the world is able to monitor the kinds of abuse that Tony Blair wants to sanction.’ Residents of other impoverished or boycotted nations provide an interesting perspective. A local in Cambodia pleaded with one Lonely Planet author, ‘Please don’t boycott Burma. We know what that’s like. The poor get poorer and the rich keep driving in their fancy cars.’ A Romanian filmmaker says that the boycott is a ‘no brainer’, recalling the days when he craved outside contacts during Ceaucescu’s dictatorship in the 1980s. While most Myanmar people love ‘the Lady’, many offer varied opinions on the issue. A one-time aide to Suu Kyi, who spent three years in Insein Prison in Yangon, wrote in the Far Eastern Economic Review in 1998: [Suu Kyi’s] approach has been highly moral and uncompromising, catching the imagination of the outside world. Unfortunately, it has come at a real price for the rest of us...More isolation won’t fix the problems and [business, tourism, aid] sanctions push us backward... We need to be a part of the world. Ma Thangeni Dr Zarni, the director of the Free Burma Coalition and a one-time proboycott activist, did an about-face in 2003 on this issue. On his online blog, he described the ‘absurdity and meaningless of further isolating and punishing the country’. He said, ‘We are burning down the barn

THE REGIME’S LINE For a fascinating glimpse into the world of propaganda (if not outright self-deception), check out the government’s take on Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD. On the ‘information sheet’ link on www.myanmar.com, there are frequent dicta updated – labelled as ‘The Truth’ – to see. In their 70-page Political Situation of Myanmar and the Role of the Region, available in Yangon, the government defends its motto (‘everybody’s friend, but nobody’s ally’) and makes an effort to blame the deaths following the 1988 marches (see p43) on the NLD.

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T H E B OYC OT T S P L I T • • T o u r i s m & t h e E c o n o m y 21

ACTIVIST WEBSITES Many groups have websites that outline Myanmar’s prodemocracy movement as well as provide details on human-rights abuses sustained since 1988. Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org) Regular updates on the status of 1300 political prisoners behind bars. Burma Campaign UK (www.burmacampaign.org.uk) One of the more outspoken proboycott groups, which has written numerous articles. Burma Project (www.burmaproject.org) It is proboycott, but stops short of saying travellers fuel human-rights abuses; its website has many links to other sites. Free Burma Coalition (www.freeburmacoalition.org) Reversed its proboycott stance in 2003; the online blog has many updates and links to Burma-related news and opinions. Voices for Burma (www.voicesforburma.org) Protourism, with many suggestions on how best to visit.

because we couldn’t catch all the mice.’ In 2004, Moustache Brothers’ leader Lu Zaw told us of his comedy troupe (p241), two-thirds of whom have been imprisoned for political jokes: ‘We are alive because of tourists. We want tourists to come. We want a Trojan horse.’ Exiled author Pascal Khoo Thwe, who narrowly escaped the clutches of the army via Thailand following the 1988 demonstrations, told us in 2004, ‘I follow the policies of Aung San Suu Kyi, but if travellers feel they can help, they should go...It’s been many years; we need people to really work – now – rather than keep arguing [about the boycott]’. Another opinion: From the point of view of ordinary Myanmar youth, boycott methods don’t work any more and they don’t affect the dictators much directly. If the country becomes isolated, can any exiled politician promise that we’ll be free? Member of the anonymous rap group Myanmar for Future Generations (MFG), 2005

TOURISM & THE ECONOMY Travellers’ Input

Some observers have wondered what makes a bigger impact: the estimated US$200 spent per backpacker, for example, that feeds mostly into the private sector on a two-week trip, or the US$65 of this amount that goes to the government through taxes, entry fees and the cost of a visa? It’s a difficult conclusion to make. The CIA reports Myanmar’s GDP per capita in 2003 was US$150 per month. The majority of locals are happy to get half that; in 2005 the Economist suggested that rural households in Shan State earned no more than US$400 per year. Aside from the resource leases, building permits and bribes that are all part of doing business in Myanmar, the government does get some money directly from tourists. For starters, it’s US$20 for a tourist visa, US$10 for departure tax, plus the 7% tax collected by restaurants, and 10% tax from guesthouses and hotels. Entry fees to some sights and the use of some services (see the list on p23) add more to the pot. One of the ‘least ambiguous links’ between tourism funding the government, as described by proboycott author Jeff Greenwald, was the requirement that foreigners exchange US$200 into local currency upon arrival in the country. Fortunately, the government stopped this practice in 2003. Of course, there are some bills to pay too. But sometimes the government

‘If the country becomes isolated, can any exiled politician promise that we’ll be free?’

22 T H E B OYC OT T S P L I T • • T o u r i s m & t h e E c o n o m y

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TOURISM NUMBERS

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T H E B OYC OT T S P L I T • • G o v e r n m e n t Fe e s 23

GOVERNMENT FEES

In 1994, 62,000 tourists visited Myanmar (including family visits and business travellers).

Entry Fees

In 2004, 202,000 tourists visited Myanmar.

Many places in Myanmar are free to enter and explore, but some places – including whole towns – require the payment of fees, as dictated by the Ministry of Hotels & Tourism in Yangon or local authorities. But, although fees go directly to the government, the situation is often not black and white; in some places, such as Bagan or Mrauk U, the fees are split with the apparently earnest Department of Archaeology, the only present means of preserving ancient temples and artwork. Here are the main fees: Alaungpaya Palace, Shwebo (K50) Amarapura See Mandalay Archaeological Zone Bagan Archaeological Zone (US$10) Bago sites (US$10) Chin State Must take MTT (government) tour; two-day tour US$300 per person Golden Rock, Kyaiktiyo (US$6) Hpo Win Daung Caves, near Monywa (US$2) Inle Lake Zone (US$3) Inwa See Mandalay Archaeological Zone Kachin State Cultural Museum, Myitkyina (US$2) Khamti Must take MTT tour; US$670/920 from Mandalay/Yangon Mandalay Archaeological Zone (US$10) Includes entry to Inwa and, technically, Amarapura; see p229 Mingun (US$3) Includes Sagaing Hill Mogok Must take MTT tour; US300 Mon Cultural Museum, Mawlamyine (US$2) Mrauk U (US$10) Putao Must pay government fee Rakhaing State Cultural Museum, Sittwe (US$2) Sagaing Hill (US$3) Includes Mingun Shwedagon Paya, Yangon (US$5) Taungoo elephant camp Involves some government fees Thanboddhay Paya, near Monywa (US$3) Thayekhittaya ruins, near Pyay (US$4) Yangon museums (US$2 to US$5) Youqson Kyaung, Salay (US$3)

About 61% of Myanmar’s tourists come from Asian countries (the top four being nationals of Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and China). Approximately 34% of Myanmar’s tourists travel independently, while 27% come on package tours. In 2003, US$116 million was brought into the country from ‘tourism’ (US$17 million more than in 2002). About US$25 million of 2003’s tourism revenue came from Western independent and package tourists. In general about 12% of the money collected by the private sector from tourism funds the regime, according to the Minister for Hotels & Tourism (source: Altsean, 2003) – this equates to potentially US$3 million in 2003 (ie 12% of US$25 million) coming from Western independent and package tourists.

Read www.icftu .org/displaydocument .asp?Index=991221173 &Language=EN for an overview on how the government’s ‘tentacles’ poke into most facets of the local economy.

doesn’t always get a windfall; insiders have suggested that ticket fares for Myanma Airways are unlikely to cover the government airlines’ costs. Looking at other government sources of revenue as a comparison, tourism is something of a general store among skyscrapers. It’s not known exactly what the government receives or spends in total – on foreign investment, tourism, oil and illicit trade (in gems, timber, heroin) across its borders. Myanmar earned US$655 million in 2003 in gas exports alone (according to Doing Business in Burma), and tourism drew US$116 million in 2003 (including the contributions of nearly two in five visitors who were business travellers or there to visit families). Comparatively, Myanmar is last among Southeast Asian countries in terms of the number of tourists, with roughly half of Laos’ draw and 1.4% of Thailand’s.

Foreign Businesses Following Aung San Suu Kyi’s third arrest in 2003, the USA and EU enforced full sanctions against Myanmar, prohibiting trade. But – unlike apartheid-era South Africa, which Tony Blair has likened Myanmar to – Myanmar’s neighbours didn’t follow suit, thus providing ‘leaky borders’ to the flow of cash and goods. If anyone or anything sustains the government, it’s China. Dr Mohan Malik of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies estimates that China controls 60% of the Myanmar economy; the annual trade exchange is in excess of US$1 billion. For example, China pumped in US$200 million to improve Myanmar’s infrastructure, not for tourism but with eyes on Myanmar’s offshore oil reserves. Yet sly General Than Shwe played the flirt by making the first Myanmar head-of-state visit to India in 25 years, the week after the ousting of proChina prime minister Khin Nyunt in 2004. A few months later, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement to build a highway, ultimately to link Yangon with India (with whom Myanmar has already traded half a billion dollars). Thailand, Singapore and Japan are also dollar-sign chums. Some critics point out that while sanctions against North Korea, Cuba, Haiti and Iraq have hurt these countries’ economies – in no instance have sanctions (on their own) changed a regime. Jai Singh summed it up in an article on Slate (www.slate.com) in 2005, ‘We’re stuck with Washington and Brussels trying one approach and much of Asia trying the other’.

Services Apart from the 7% tax on restaurants and 10% on accommodation, the government benefits from each of the following services: Beer Myanmar Beer is a joint-venture operation City buses From K5 a ride Golf Many courses are government controlled Inland Water Transport (IWT) Government ferries Internet As with electricity, post and telephone, the dial-up service is government-controlled; the broadband

Bagan Cybertech was formerly run by Khin Nyunt’s son Liquor licenses Require steeper payments than alcohol-free restaurants have to pay Myanma Airways Dodgy domestic airline Myanma Railways Myanmar Travel & Tours (MTT) Government-run tourist information service Newspapers Myanmar Times (K500) and New Light of Myanmar Post & Telephone All calls and faxes run by Ministry of Post & Telecommunications; international calls of US$5

or US$6 per minute

24 I F Y O U G O • • Av o i d G o v e r n m e n t H o t e l s

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IF YOU GO Don’t come in with your camera and take only pictures. We don’t need that kind of tourist. Talk to those who want to talk. Let them know of the conditions of your life. Pro-NLD Yangon resident, 2004

‘Don’t come in with your camera and take only pictures’

Lonely Planet suggests that visitors to Myanmar should try to maximise the positive effects of a visit among the general populace, while minimising any financial support of the government. It’s pretty clear that, in general, the less you spend, the less goes to the government. If you’re used to five-star comfort, consider settling for a little less when you’re here. We encourage everyone who goes to Myanmar to be an ‘informed tourist’ – read at least a couple books about recent events and look deeper into the argument. We do not encourage travellers to use a trip as an outright vehicle for political change, though. Those who have – by handing out leaflets – have been arrested; see p337 for more. We also ask that visitors treat locals with respect and p49 lists some basic do’s and don’ts to follow in Myanmar. The following measures outline how best to travel in the country.

AVOID GOVERNMENT HOTELS As much as possible, government-run hotels and higher-priced jointventure hotels are flagged throughout this book. See p332 for more on how hotels work in Myanmar. Here are ways to further help you identify government-run hotels: Government hotels are often named after the city or sight (eg Sittway Hotel, Mrauk U Hotel, Kyaiktiyo Hotel). Private hotels are less likely to have a Myanmar flag flying in front. Staff at government hotels are pretty upfront about ownership if you ask. Cheaper guesthouses and most midrange hotels are less likely to have government ties than more plush locally run hotels or joint-venture hotels.

SPREAD YOUR MONEY Critics of independent travel argue that travellers’ spending usually congregates at select places, even if those spots are privately run. Familiarity can be reassuring – such as your trishaw driver buddy, or the plate of noodles that didn’t get you sick – but try to mix it up a bit. Don’t buy all of your needs (bed, taxi, guide, rice) from one source. Be conscious that behind-the-scenes commissions are being paid on most things you pay for when in the company of a driver or guide; it doesn’t always affect your price, but if all travellers follow the same lead, the benefits only go to a select few; see p321 for an example. Minimise expenses that go to foreign-operated businesses. Mix up locations where you catch taxis and trishaws – and try to take ones from guys not lingering outside tourist areas. Try to eat at different family restaurants; if you’re staying at a hotel, eat out often; eg in Ngapali Beach, local restaurants are just across the road from the beach and hotels. Either buy handicrafts directly from the artisans, or, if not, don’t get all your souvenirs from one private shop.

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I F Y O U G O • • D o n ’ t C o m p r o m i s e L o c a l s 25

WHERE THE MONEY GOES Travel costs (and other economic transactions) in Myanmar come in many forms. This table gives estimated average breakdowns of how much the government actually gets from each type of traveller. Government taxes such as a visa, fees and a taxes on all purchases have been factored into these figures.

Amount of money

Type of economic input

US$0

The amount the government receives from potential tourists staying at home and reading about Myanmar

US$65

The part of a shoestringer’s US$250 to US$275 budget over a two-week trip (sticking with family guesthouses and public buses, and skipping fees at Shwedagon Paya, Bagan and Inle Lake)

US$85

The part of a shoestringer’s US$275 to US$300 budget, as above, but paying government fees at Shwedagon Paya, Bagan and Inle Lake

US$150-275

The amount of a traveller’s budget of US$1100 to US$2000 for a two-week trip that includes using a hired private car and staying at midrange hotels

US$300-500

The amount for a one-week trip – total budget US$2500 and up – staying at higher-priced hotels, taking several guided day trips, eating at hotels and taking three domestic flights

US$450

The part going to the government from a MTT-guided, three-day trip to restricted Chin State from Bagan

US$500 & up

The amount from a tourist on a seven- to 12-day luxury cruise on the Ayeyarwady – at a cost of US$3000 to US$4000

US$25 million

The total amount spent that reached both the government and private sources, by Western international package-tour and independent tourists in 2003

US$655 million

The amount the government raked in from natural gas exports in 2003 (source: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 2005)

DON’T COMPROMISE LOCALS In a country that imprisons its people for disagreeing with the government’s line, or sends them to forced labour camps, travellers need to ensure that they don’t behave in a way that will lead to locals being compromised in the eyes of the junta. Don’t raise political questions and issues in inappropriate situations; let a local direct the conversation and don’t come out with something like ‘did you protest against the government?’ anywhere where there are other people – even if you are riding on a trishaw. One exiled person suggested, ‘If you have questions for the NLD, don’t ask in the country – [the locals] could get imprisoned; try to ask NLD outside Burma.’ Asking a taxi driver to take you by Aung San Suu Kyi’s house or a NLD office could implicate him. Exercise care in handing over anything to a local that could carry political overtones (such as the New Yorker or the Economist or Myanmar-related books).

© Lonely Planet Publications 26 I F Y O U G O • • D I Y v s Pa c k a g e T o u r s

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DIY VS PACKAGE TOURS If you want to go, go. I just try to discourage people from taking package tours. Nothing goes to the people. I encourage people to go individually. Pascal Khoo Thwe, author of Land of the Green Ghosts, 2004

‘I encourage people to go individually’

Presently no tourist gets more criticism from proboycott and protourism activists than one who goes to Myanmar on a package trip. We’re not going to bad-mouth them, but independent travellers are usually able to ensure that less money makes it into the government’s pockets. Even if you’re looking for ease and comfort – having a ride waiting for you at a bus station or airport, and some confidence in your day’s agenda – you can do it without a package tour. You’ll not only save money, but spread your budget across more people. Many travellers in Myanmar follow roughly the following steps to set up some sort of itinerary. Pad the beginning of your trip with a couple of ‘research’ days in Yangon. Stay at a family-owned guesthouse in Yangon, where you can get some good info – but don’t depend on them alone for all your needs. Visit a few Yangon-based private travel agents (p89) and ask each for a list of good budget or private midrange hotels in Yangon they can recommend, as well as transport options. Tell travel agents clearly what you want, including avoiding any services run by the government, and try not to pay all fees up front, but ask to pay directly to hotels and other services. Talk with fellow travellers who’ve used particular travel agents. Visit the government-run MTT office for information on listings and costs so you can compare suggested hotels and transport fares with other travel agents, and listings in this guide. Consider sleeping with a few less amenities and a bit less style than you would go for in, say, Thailand, because the government is more likely to have its tentacles in upmarket hotels. Instead of flying, consider hiring a private driver for all or a portion of your trip; see p365 on tips on finding the right car. If you simply have to take a package tour of Myanmar, be sure to ask any prospective tour company what it does to minimise the amount of money going into the hands of the government.

BACK AT HOME Your trip to Myanmar doesn’t end once you’re back home. Alert us and fellow travellers via the Thorn Tree discussion board (www.lonelyplanet .com) if you’ve stumbled onto a new or changed government-operated service or have a suggestion on how to minimise money going to the government. Write to your local Myanmar embassy to express your views about the human-rights situation there; see p339 for a list of embassies.

© Lonely Planet Publications. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’

© Lonely Planet Publications 27

Getting Started Read the discussion on p17 regarding whether you should boycott Myanmar or not.

WHEN TO GO The best time to visit Myanmar is between November and February. During these months it rains least (if at all in places) and it is not so hot. March to May brings intense heat (TS Eliot described April as ‘the cruellest month’). At this time, Yangon’s daily temperatures often reach 40ºC, while areas around Bagan and Mandalay go a few digits higher. The cool hill towns of Shan State offer relief from the heat, though. The southwest monsoon starts between mid-May and mid-June, bringing frequent rains that dunk the country through till October, peaking from July to September. The dry zone (roughly the area between Mandalay and Pyay) gets less rain than the rest of the country, though roads anywhere (and particularly in the delta region south and east of Yangon) can become impassable. Rakhaing State bears the full force of the rains – often exceeding 500cm of rain annually. Check the ‘current weather’ link on the Myanmar section of www.asia travelinfo.com/myanmar/currentweather.asp for 22 temperatures across the country.

See Climate Charts (p335) for more information.

COSTS & MONEY Even though the government keeps a ‘foreigner price’ system very much in effect, causing transport, accommodation and entrance fees for foreigners to swallow the local price several times over, Myanmar is still very cheap to visit. For those looking for relative comfort, ‘midrange’ hotels start around US$20 in most places, while upmarket hotels may charge over US$100 in Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and Ngapali Beach. Shoestringers can often find a clean room for US$4 or US$5 – a bit more in Yangon or off-the-beaten-track places. Unless you eat meals at top-end hotels, or classier restaurants in some touristy areas, meals are much the same fare – rice or noodles, with meat or vegetables – and cost about US$1. If you don’t have to have a guide, consider arranging your own trips. A shared taxi (no guide) may cost as little as US$5 for a return trip to a site. By comparison, in Bagan for example, one hotel offers a day tour to Mt Popa for US$100 per person. DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT… The must-haves include US dollars for your whole trip, a passport that will expire more than six months after leaving the country, and a visa. Useful items include sunscreen lotion, insect repellent, a good torch (only cheapies are available here), tampons (unlikely to be found outside Yangon), disposable nappies (diapers), and a good waterproof poncho if you’re coming in the rainy season. Flip-flops or sandals are necessary for all the shoe-shedding you’ll be doing at Buddhist sites; inexpensive ones are available. The AA batteries in Myanmar may be cheap, but they only keep a CD player running for an hour. You’ll need a jumper (sweater) in the chillier hill towns and a blanket if you are going to do overnight trips (including by boat) in the area. See p49 for ideas on bringing gifts for the locals.

28 G E T T I N G S TA R T E D • • T o p Te n s

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TOP TENS

Festivals & Events „ Independence Day, 4 January (p340)

www.lonelyplanet.com

© Lonely Planet Publications G E T T I N G S TA R T E D • • T r a v e l L i t e r a t u re 29

If you’re travelling around by public transport and are OK with ricebased meals, you can get by on as little as US$15 or US$20 a day; those considering taking a couple of taxis and frequenting midrange local restaurants may spend US$35 to US$50. Staying at plush hotels and eating at classy restaurants will cost US$100 and more.

„ Kachin State Day (Myitkyina), 10 January (p218)

TRAVEL LITERATURE

„ Shwedagon Festival (Yangon), February/March (p340)

Few countries warrant more pretrip reading than Myanmar. In Andrew Marshall’s excellent The Trouser People: A Story of Burma in the Shadow of the Empire (2002), the British author retraces the steps of a gutsy Scot named Sir George Scott who traversed unmapped corners of British Burma in the late 1800s. Marshall compares the current day with Scott’s finds – much documented in Scott’s mammoth 1882 book The Burman – and finds that traditions have remained unchanged in the hills where ‘people are small and ghosts are big’. From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey (2002), by Pascal Khoo Thwe, is a self-told tale of a reluctant rebel of the government who escaped – unlike many of his friends – out of Myanmar. Thwe grew up in a hill tribe in Shan State. His book hops between following telltale traditions and his role in a changing Myanmar. There are many cultural traditions presented – including a recipe for smoked pigeons with marijuana sauce. The definitive reading on Myanmar continues to be George Orwell’s sweat-stained Burmese Days (1934), which takes place amid the last gasp of the fading British colonial period in northern Burma. Well-timed earthquakes and riots, and overly poetic birthmarks, can be forgiven as the lead characters’ appreciation for the Burmese way of life seeps into the story of a gang of British brutes – some of whom are so stereotyped it’s hard to distinguish them from one another. Amitav Ghosh’s excellent The Glass Palace (2001) faithfully recounts historical details (from King Thibaw’s fall in 1885 to the modern era) as experienced by a curious web of fictionalised families (Burmese, Indian, Chinese and American). Daniel Mason’s The Piano Tuner (2002) follows a London tuner on a strange trip to tune a piano deep in the Shan Hills. It’s similar to Heart of Darkness except that Kurtz has a piano (not necessarily a mind) out of whack. The story is good though, and descriptions of 19th-century sea voyages and Myanmar customs are spot on.

„ Buddha’s Birthday, full moon, April/May (p340) „ Water Festival (Thingyan) & Burmese New Year, mid-April (p341) „ Dawei Thingyan, April (p164) Few foreigners make it here to see local men don 4m bamboo

effigies and dance the streets to a drum beat. „ Nat Festival (Mt Popa), Nayon full moon, May/June (p278) „ Start of Buddhist Rains Retreat, full moon June/July (p341) „ Nat Festival, near Amarapura, after Wagaung full moon, August (p250) „ Tazaungmon, full moon October/November (p341) Taunggyi’s balloon festival (p195) is a

particular highlight.

Must Reads „ Burmese Days by George Orwell „ The Trouser People: A Story of Burma in the Shadow of the Empire by Andrew Marshall „ Living Silence by Christina Fink „ The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh „ From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey by Pascal Khoo Thwe „ Letters from Burma or The Voice of Hope by Aung San Suu Kyi „ Culture Shock! Burma by Saw Myat Yin „ The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason „ The Lady – Aung San Suu Kyi: Noble Laureate & Burma’s Prisoner by Barbara Victor „ The History of Burma by GE Harvey

Souvenirs „ Longyis (sarong-style lower garment) Found wherever a breeze might blow. „ Pathein’s paper parasols (p134) „ Myanmar’s best lacquerware at Myinkaba (p275) „ Traditional-style lacquerware in Kyaukka (p260) „ Delta-born glazed pots from Twante (p129), near Yangon „ Moustache Brothers T-shirt from Mandalay (p241) „ Cheap DVDs in Yangon (p122) „ Marionettes from Yangon’s Bogyoke Aung San Market (p121) or in Mandalay (p241) „ Jade from Mandalay’s local market (p242) „ Water buffalo in Kengtung (p198)

INTERNET RESOURCES Here are some of useful sites to refer to when planning your trip: Ayezay (www.ayezay.com) Bursts with links and info on Myanmar, including travel, human rights and geography.

Irrawaddy (www.irrawaddy.org) Website of a Bangkok-based publication, it focuses on political issues, but covers many cultural news topics. It has a huge archive.

Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree (www.lonelyplanet.com) Self-promotion aside, LP’s discussion board is the best resource to mix and mingle with fellow travellers. Mizzima (www.mizzima.com) A nonprofit news service organised in 1998 by Burmese journalists in exile. Myanmar Home Page (www.myanmar.com) Provides a funny government dictum, and two local English-language papers, including the useful Myanmar Times (for entertainment listings, flight schedules). Myanmar Travel Information (www.myanmartravelinformation.com) Includes train and airline schedules (though these date quickly). Online Burma/Myanmar Library (www.burmalibrary.org) Comprehensive database of books on Myanmar.

HOW MUCH? Ride on a Yangon city bus K5 Burmese all-you-can-eat buffet lunch K1000-1500 Overnight bus from Yangon to Mandalay K6000 Hired car with driver per day US$100 Visa extension in Yangon US$38

© Lonely Planet Publications 30

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Itineraries

I T I N E R A R I E S • • C l a s s i c R o u t e s 31

THE BIG-FOUR EXPANSION Four Weeks/Yangon to Mrauk U Take a few days in Yangon (p000), and see Shwedagon Paya (p000), Aung San’s old home (p000), and wander around downtown (p000). Take a bus or taxi to Bago (p000) to see a Buddha extravaganza by day, then continue on to Kyaiktiyo (p000) for the night; wake up by doing a truck/trek up to the balance-act that is the Golden Rock.From Kyaiktiyo, get to Kalaw (p000 ), for some treks in the Shan Hills, spend a day at Pindaya Caves (p000) to see their 8000 Buddha images and explore Inle Lake (p000) for a few days. In October/November, you can see the balloon festival in Taunggyi (p000 ), where you can catch a ride to Mandalay (p000), where youcan visit four ancient cities: Mingun (p000), Amarapura (p000), Inwa (p000) and Sagaing (p000). From Mandalay, take a boat to Bagan (p000), allowing three days to temple-hop and honour the nat (spirit) at Mt Popa (p000). Bus or taxi to Pyay (p000) to see the ruins of the ancient Pyu city by ox cart. Two options for the rest of your stay: add on three days from Kyaiktiyo, by bussing to Mawlamyine (p000) near the WWII ‘Death Railway’, then take Myanmar’s loveliest boat ride to Hpa-an (p000) for a mountain climb and lunch, with monkeys. Then, when in Mandalay, add on a three-day trip to refreshingly cooler Pyin U Lwin (p000), a flower-scented hill station with waterfalls, and do a DIY trek in Hsipaw (p000). Or scrap those two side trips, and take a six-day trip from Pyay firstly to Mrauk U (p000), the Rakhaing’s hillocky version of Bagan and then snorkel and eat seafood at Ngapali Beach (p000). From here, take a flight or a bus ride to Yangon. Yango

Yango/SihtswedPya

Yango/SihtsBykeAuanMm

Yango/WlkiTur–DwtnYago

AroundYag/Nthf Bo

CLASSIC ROUTES

SoutheasrnMym/StKaiko

Northeasn

NortheasnMym/TzioIleVaKwPndy

Myanmr/ThzitoIleVKwa

THE BIG-FOUR FRENZY Seven to Nine Days/Yangon to Inle Lake Starting in Yangon (p000), stretch your plane legs up the steps to the Shwedagon Paya (p000) at night, when its golden zedi (stupa) glows under the floodlights. Next day, wander around downtown (p000) ending at Bogyoke Aung San Market (p000), which has the country’s best selection of handicrafts and souvenirs. Hire a driver, fly, or take a train or an overnight bus to Mandalay (p000), where you can climb Mandalay Hill (p000), see the famed Mahamuni Paya (p000) and witness the Moustache Brothers (p000) one day, and on the next make a rushed day trip to zedi-studded Sagaing Hill (p000), then the leaning tower of Inwa (p000), and monk- and fisherfilled U Bein’s Bridge (p000) in Amarapura at sunset. The boat trip down the Ayeyarwady River to Bagan (p000) takes a day but is a relaxing way to take in life along one of Asia’s mightiest rivers. In Bagan, take a horse-cart or cycle around 42 sq km of 800-year-old temples. Next day, cool off in the Shan Hills to the east at Inle Lake (p000) – reached by bus, taxi or plane – where dug-out canoes can take you to floating markets under the flight path of egrets; after a day, consider a day trip to Pindaya Caves (p000) to see their 8000 Buddha images. Fly or take a bus back to Yangon. Yango

Yango /Si hts wed P ya

Yango/WlkiTur–DwtnYago

Yango/ShpiMrketsAuan

Mandly

Sights/MandlyH

Sights/ Ma mun P y

MoustacheBr–fmSlpiktoare

Around M a l y/ cie t C s S g n h / a i H l

AroundMaly/cietCsInw(av)Nmyi/

AroundMaly/cietCsAmrpuaSgh/UBein’d

Bag n & Ce tr l My m / a N ung U Get i Th r & Away/Bo

Nor theas n M y m /I l L k

NortheasnMym/TzioIleVaKwPndy

If time is short, you can still take in Yangon, Mandalay and a few nearby ancient cities, Bagan’s 3000 temples, and do a boat trip on Inle Lake.

BANGLADESH

NortheasnMym/IlLk

Northeasn

Myanmr/IleLkAoudaTngyi

Mandly

AroundMaly/cietCsngu

AroundMaly/cietCsInw

Bagn&CetrlMym/a

Bagn&CetrlMym/AoudBagntPp

Bagn&CetrlMym/aoP

SoutheasrnMym/Stawline

SoutheasrnMym/KiSteHpa-n

NortheasnMym/PiULwtoashyni

NortheasnMym/PiULwtoashHp

WestrnMyam/NohRkingMrauU

WestrnMyam/SouhRkingNaplBec

BANGLADESH INDIA

AroundMaly/cietCsAmrapu

AroundMaly/cietCsSgn

INDIA

CHINA

CHINA

Hsipaw Sagaing Inwa

Mingun

Pyin U Lwin

Mandalay

Sagaing

Amarapura

Inwa Amarapura

Bagan

Pindaya Caves Bagan

Inle Lake

LAOS

Mandalay Pindaya Caves

Mt Popa

Mrauk U

Taunggyi Kalaw

LAOS

Inle Lake

Pyay Ngapali Beach

Bago YANGON

Kyaiktiyo

YANGON

THAILAND

Hpa-an Mawlamyine

Andaman Islands (INDIA)

The Big-Four Fenzy

Andaman Islands (INDIA)

The Big-Four Expansion

THAILAND

Build more memories by doing the ‘Big Four’; then pick one seven-day or two threeday side trips (treks, boat rides, beaches, lesserseen towns) to fill your visa’s 28 days.

The Active Life 32 I T I N E R A R I E S • • R o a d s Le s s T r a v e l l e d

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ROADS LESS TRAVELLED

TAILORED TRIPS

AYEYARWADY HO! Three or Four Weeks/Myitkyina to Chaungtha

Fly to Myitkyina (p000), where you can wait for the next ferry by taking in Kachin culture; in January animal sacrifices are made to satisfy the nat. Get a deck ticket for the half-day trip to Bhamo (p000), a leafy town with a home-made helicopter inspired by James Bond. Hire a longboat for a sixhour ride to Katha (p000), where George Orwell based his Burmese Days. Although most prefer to stay aboard for the 24 hours south to Mandalay, for a fun four-day side trip, disembark at Kyaukmyaung, and pack into a pick-up for quiet Shwebo (p000), and then pleasant Monywa (p000), near a Buddha-shaped mountain (p000) and the carnivalesque Thanboddhay Paya (p000), brimming with over 500,000 Buddhas. Take a bus to Mandalay (p000), and spend three or four days visiting the ancient cities (p000) and cycling around pagodas and chapati stands; then get back on the Ayeyarwady to Bagan (p000), where you can cycle around 3000 temples. A couple of days south from Bagan by boat is ho-hum Magwe, near a gurgling mound of butane-gas sludge guarded by snakes at Minbu (p000); another night south is Pyay (p000), to see the ruins of the ancient city of the Pyu and the nearby spectacled Buddha, the Shwemyetman Paya (p000). Many travellers brave the bus ride from Pyay to Ngapali Beach (p000) for some relaxing beach life. Otherwise, get a bus back to Yangon (p000), and another one southeast to Chaungtha Beach (p000), a more accessible kick-back spot on the Bay of Bengal. Nor theas n My m / i k to K a h My n

Nor theas n My m / i k to K a h B

NortheasnMym/iktoKah

AroundMaly/UpeSgiDstrchwbo

AroundMaly/UpeSgiDstrcMonywa

AroundMaly/UpeSgiDstrcAoundMywa/HpWiDgCves

AroundMaly/UpeSgiDstrcAoundMywa/ThbP&Around

Mandly

Around Ma l y/ cie t C s

Bagn&CetrlMym/a

B a g n & C e t r l M y m / a o P gw e Si hts/ lud

Bag n & Ce tr l My m / a o P

Bagn&CetrlMym/aoPArundy/Shweag

WestrnMyam/SouhRkingNaplBech

Yango

AroundYag/DeltRiChunaBc

This may be Myanmar’s ultimate journey – from Myanmar’s top to bottom, mostly following the Ayeyarwady, hitting the offthe-beaten track and not missing Mandalay or Bagan, with opportunities to travel aboard ferries with locals who rarely see a foreign face.

© Lonely Planet Publications I T I N E R A R I E S • • Ta i l o re d T r i p s 33

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INDIA

THE ACTIVE LIFE Many activities take place under the hot Myanmar sun. More travellers are planning their own loops on treks in Shan State. Of the best, and certainly most popular, are the treks from Kalaw to Inle Lake (p000), while treks around Hsipaw (p000) take in Shan villages. Getting to some religious sites are hikes in themselves, famously up Mandalay Hill (p000), riverside Sagaing Hill (p000), and past monkeys up Mt Popa (p000), the spiritual centre of the 37 nat. It’s rewarding to explore the back lanes of Myanmar towns on a bike.Long-distance cyclists can take the popular trip from Mandalay Maykha River to Bagan (p000) via Myingyan – or take to the Ayeyarwady River hills along the road from Pyin U Lwin (p000), to Lashio Pyin U Lwin Hsipaw Sagaing Lashio (p000) via Hsipaw. Mandalay Bagan Kalaw You can take kickboxing classes at the YMCA Mt Popa Inle Lake in Yangon (p000), or go for a run (p000). Ngapali Beach Both Ngapali Beach (p000) and Chaungtha Beach YANGON Chaungtha (p000) offer snorkelling trips. The best diving, Beach by far, is off the islands near Kawthoung (p000 ), currently reached with diving operators from Phuket (see p000).Weeklong kayaking trips can also be arranged in Kawthoung. Kawthoung In the far north, at the foothills of the Himalaya, you can go white-water rafting serious rapids on the Maykha River (p000). TrekingAoudKalw

TopFiverkngAasINtheMynmr

Sights/MandlyH

AroundMaly/cietCsSgnh/aiHl

Bagn&CetrlMym/AoudBagntPp

Directoy/AvsClng

Directoy/AvsClng

NortheasnMym/PiULwtoash

Yango/CurseThi&MtalA

Yango/ActivesRu

WestrnMyam/SouhRkingNaplBec

AroundYag/DeltRiChunaBc

SoutheasrnMym/Ti(teasr)

Divson/Kawthug

Directoy/Avsng&Srkeli

Directoy/AvsRafng

Myitkyina

MYANMARVELS & THE OUTRIGHT ODD

BANGLADESH Bhamo

Katha

CHINA

Some aspects of Myanmar are a little ‘unusual’ – and certainly make for some memorable experiences. In Myingyan (p000) prized Buddha relics are housed in a remarkably unchanged British-colonial bank safe, while the remains of a famous monk have been in open view since 1951. Snake temples are another thing. Three pythons in Paleik (p000) are lovingly fed at 11am daily, and pose with frightened kids for photos. Another python in Bago (p000) is supposedly the reincarnation of the former head of a monastery. At Minbu (p000) you can dip your toe in a ‘volcano’ made of bubbling butane gas; and, hey, there’s a couple of snakes at the pagoda. You can pick up a water buffalo for mum at the market in Kengtung (p000); a cheapie costs US$200. Near the Chinese border, Mong Kalaymyo La (p000) is a casino town with transvestites Mong La Paleik and Chinese yuan for local currency. Near Myingyan Kengtung India, Kalaymyo (p000) is a half-Chin, halfMinbu Bamar town you can fly to, but don’t wander Shwedaung out of town. Bago Kyaiktiyo YANGON The unique spectacled Buddha of Shwemyetman Paya (p000) sits in a temple near Pyay. Any nat festival (p000) may evolve into people falling into trances and being possessed by spirits, sometimes led by men dressed as nat wives. Feast on wriggling larva at markets (p000). Bagn&CetrlMym/AoudBagniy

Kyaukmyaung Shwebo

AroundMaly/cietCsPk

Monywa

Mandalay

AroundYag/NthfBo(pegu)/OrAtacinsh o/SakeMnstry

Bagn&CetrlMym/aoPgweSihts/lud

Bagan

LAOS

Minbu

NortheasnMym/Kgu&BordeAasntg(kyio)/Shs&ActveCw

Pyay

NortheasnMym/Kgu&BordeAasMnL

Ngapali Beach

AroundMaly/UpeSgiDstrcKalymo

Chaungtha Beach

YANGON

Bagn&CetrlMym/aoPArundyShweag

THAILAND

TheCultr/RigonBdsmIMyar/The37NtFsival

Strenacks:WDYou

Ayeyarwady Ho!

Myanmarvels & the Outright Odd

© Lonely Planet Publications 34

Snapshot When you’ve been isolated from the international community for as long as Myanmar has, even a major government shake-up, as happened in October 2004, makes little more than a blip on the international media radar – if that. This particular shake-up came when Myanmar’s number FAST FACTS three in command, Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, was arrested and ‘perPopulation: 52 million mitted to retire for health reasons’. Hard-line leader General Than Shwe Population growth rate: accused Nyunt of ‘corruption’, but most commentators believe Nyunt’s removal had more to do with his overly pro-China business interests 0.47% and concerns over his military intelligence background. In the days Area: 676,577 sq km that followed, hundreds of intelligence officers, which Than Shwe also GDP: US$73.7 billion looked upon with suspicion, were arrested – and roadside checkpoints (60th in world) stood empty across the country. A couple of overly optimistic people GDP per capita: US$1733 believed Nyunt – with his declared ‘road map to democracy’ via a multiparty system – was something of a budding Gorbachev; others recall his (172nd in world) brutal response to the 1988 nonviolent demonstrations. Most locals – Number of refugees many of whom learned of Nyunt’s removal through CNN or BBC – are or displaced persons: wary of Than Shwe’s promise to continue with the roadmap. Comedian 600,000 to one million Lu Maw of the Mandalay-based Moustache Brothers called the change Internet users: ‘same wine, new bottle’. 28,000 (2003) After Nyunt’s ousting came reports of thousands of prisoners being released, including many political prisoners. Still, one notable absentee Estimated number on that list was Nobel Peace Prize–winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who reof people with AIDS: mains under house arrest (her third arrest since 1989). Locking her up 330,000 has provoked international condemnation of the regime. In July 2003, US Government’s selfPresident George W Bush enacted a full embargo of Myanmar, including proclaimed slogan: a ban on all financial transactions with the country. This sent credit-card ‘Everybody’s friend but companies and foreign-run banks in Myanmar packing. nobody’s ally’ Meanwhile, the EU introduced stronger sanctions including threatNumber of Bangkok ening not to approve Myanmar dignitaries’ visas; officials at the 2004 noodle carts named after Athens Olympics refused entry to representatives of the Ministry of Sport Aung San Suu Kyi: 100 from Myanmar; and in February 2005, Tony Blair approved a tourism boycott of the country. Even slow-to-criticise Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) officials publicly condemned Myanmar for keeping Suu Kyi under arrest, though it’s unlikely much will come of talks on the matter at the 2006 Asean summit, controversially scheduled to take place in Myanmar. Despite sanctions with the West, Myanmar’s trade with Singapore, China, Thailand and India remains unaffected, while Japan has flip-flopped back to environmental aid packages (and associated investment) with the ruling junta. In the meantime, General Than Shwe plays off China’s and India’s battling interests in the country (particularly regarding the country’s offshore oil reserves – believed to be Asia’s biggest) to the regime’s advantage. Reliable reports of the devastating December 2004 tsunami are few and far between. However, it appears that the country largely escaped the wrath of the disaster, though southeastern Myanmar saw 20 deaths when a bridge was washed out in Kawthoung.

© Lonely Planet Publications 16

The Authors ROBERT REID

Coordinating Author

Moulded by Oklahoma (USA) public schools, Robert moved to a crappy basement apartment in New York with his still-warm journalism degree. After that he lived in San Francisco, London and Ho Chi Minh City, where he worked at Vietnam News and travelled a lot around Southeast Asia. After Asia, Robert worked at Lonely Planet – as a commissioning editor then a publishing manager. He now writes full-time from a Brooklyn apartment with a view of the galaxy-famous Verrazano Bridge. Robert wrote the introductory chapters, Mandalay, Around Mandalay, Bagan & Central Myanmar, Temples of Bagan, Western Myanmar, Pyin U Lwin section, Directory, and Transport.

The Coordinating Author’s Favourite Trip I was a little worried about the bus trip between Ngapali Beach (p314) and Pyay (p283) – a bouncing, fish-filled, sure-fire vomit ride. My bus mate – a local in jeans and ballcap (little guy, maybe 37) – lets go a raspy laugh at anything uttered. ‘I paid US$15 to stay there.’ Ho ho ho! ‘Another passport check?’ Ho ho ho! A woman gets off in Taunggok snarling, ‘I don’t want my daughter to throw up all night’. Ho ho ho. At a 3am tea stop, Rasp buys me tea and cake and teases a heavy-set woman; ‘She looks like she’s 50.’ (Much laughter. Her too.) I’m asked how old she looks. ‘I would’ve swore 27.’ (More laughter.) Turns out she’s his wife. I wake him in Pyay at 5.30am and hand him an ‘I ♥ NYC’ T-shirt. Ho ho ho. Somehow we made the journey without even unfolding the vomit bag.

MICHAEL GROSBERG

Taunggok Ngapali Beach

Pyay

Yangon, Around Yangon, Southeast Myanmar & Northeast Myanmar

Michael was raised in the Washington DC area, studied philosophy in Michigan and Israel and then worked in business in the Northern Marianas. A long overland trip through Asia followed, finally ending in exhaustion, carrying his clothes in a laundry bag in Amman, Jordan, with his sanity still intact. After stints at journalism and NGO work in South Africa, Michael pursued graduate work in comparative literature in New York City and has since taught at various universities. Despite the long economy-class flights and his inherited distaste for air travel, he has continued to make repeated trips to Southeast Asia.

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© Lonely Planet Publications 35

History A preview of the past: life in Myanmar has rarely been smooth. Squabbling kingdoms plagued the area for centuries, till the British took it in three waves in the 19th century. For its own economic benefit, Britain managed the mountainous border regions (home to many ethnic groups) and the fertile plains and delta of central and lower Myanmar (where most Bamar live) separately, festering a rift between cultures that lingers in full force today. After a rocky independence from Britain from 1948, General Ne Win wrestled control in 1962 from the fracturing elected government and led the country to full isolation from the outside world. Ruined by a rapidly deteriorating economy and a major currency devaluation in the 1970s and ’80s, many thousands of locals flooded the streets – peacefully – on 8 August 1988 in prodemocracy marches that saw Aung San Suu Kyi emerge as a leader recognised worldwide. The violent reaction to this protest by the military was broadcast on international television screens and forced the administration to call a national election. The election was held in 1990, but the military has yet to hand over the government to Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy (NLD), which won a staggering percentage of votes.

WHERE HUMANS BEGAN? Virtually nothing is known of Myanmar’s prehistoric inhabitants, though archaeological evidence suggests the area has been inhabited since at least 2500 BC. Ancient Greeks knew of Burma. Going a bit further back in history: the Myanmar government is proud of recent finds that link the earliest primates – of which, theory goes, humans evolved – to Asia, or more precisely central Myanmar. A 45 million–year-old fossil (an anklebone of a primate) was supposedly found in central Myanmar in the late 1990s.

EARLY KINGDOMS Myanmar’s landscape – a broad expanse of fertile flatland cupped by protective mountain ranges along its present international borders and carved by long, very navigable rivers – explains a lot of how this land evolved once migrating ethnic groups decided to stick around. Four major precolonial ethnic groups peppered the flatlands with kingdoms for centuries, while smaller ethnic groups lived – mostly untouched – in the remote hills beyond. The first major kingdom of sorts started with the Pyu (who arrived from the Tibeto-Burman plateau or from India). The Pyu created city-states – Beikthano, Hanlin (p262), Sri Ksetra (Thayekhittaya; p286) – in central Myanmar between the 1st century BC and the 9th century AD. In the 10th century, Yunnanese invaders from China enslaved or scared off most Pyu (though some art of the Pyu remains, showing a blend of Hinduism and Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism). The Mon (Tailing), who may have originated from eastern India or mainland Southeast Asia, arrived in the 6th century, settling fertile lowlands on

TIMELINE 543 BC

Buddha’s death

History of Burma (1925), by GE Harvey, gives a chronological rundown of Myanmar’s kingdoms (from the Pyu era until 1824). Harvey almost audibly sighs at the kings’ blunders, and faithfully recounts many fanciful legends.

The Rakhaing claim the Buddha visited their kingdom in the 6th century BC.

1st century BC Possible founding of Beikthano, a Pyu town east of current-day Magwe

36 H I S T O R Y • • T h e ‘ Fi r s t B u r m a ’

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CAPITAL HOPSCOTCH It’s difficult to give a precise summary of overlapping historical periods, dynasties and locations of capitals in Myanmar due to a lack of accurate records. Here are general periods of key capitals of the Pyu, Rakhaing, Mon and Bamar people, although the kingdoms often jumped about as often as new kings breathed and died.

Pyu Beikthano

Inwa

Hanlin Thayekhittaya

1st century BC5th century AD 3rd-9th century 3rd-10th century

Rakhaing Dhanyawady Wethali Mrauk U

?-6th century AD 4th-9th century 13th-18th century

Mon Thaton (Dvaravati) Hanthawady (Bago) Bamar Bagan Sagaing

?-10th century 6th-16th century 1740-57 10th-14th century 1315-64

Taungoo Shwebo (Mokesebo) Konbaung Mandalay (Yadanapon) British Sittwe & Mawlamyine Mandalay Yangon

1364-1555 1636-1752 1765-83 1823-37 1486-1573 1758-65 1783-1823 1837-57 1857-85

1826-52 1852-86 1886-1947

the Ayeyarwady River delta across Thailand to Cambodia. They developed the area as Suvannabhumi (Golden Land), the capital either being near present-day Thaton in Myanmar, or in Thailand’s Nakhon Pathom. The Bamar people, or Burmans, arrived from somewhere in the eastern Himalaya in the 8th or 9th century, supplanting the vanquished Pyu in central Myanmar, and establishing the cultural heartland of Myanmar as it’s still known. Bagan (Pagan) is believed to have been founded by the Bamar in 849. Centuries of conflict with the Mon erupted after their arrival, and the end product – even with Bamar coming out on top – was really a merger of the two cultures. Sometimes linked with present-day Bangladesh, the Rakhaing (Arakanese) claim their kingdom was well underway by the 6th century BC. Certainly it was in full force by the 15th century, when – as a Buddhist kingdom based in Mrauk U – Rakhaing pirates controlled much of the Bay of Bengal.

THE ‘FIRST BURMA’ Nearly 200 years after Bagan was founded, Anawrahta took the throne in 1044 and ignited the so-called ‘golden period’ by consolidating the scattered kingdoms for the first time. Initially animists, the Bamar had picked up a hybrid form of Buddhism – part Tantric, part Mahayana – during their migration to Myanmar. When the Mon king Manuha of Thaton refused Anawrahta’s request for their Tripitaka (the holy canon of Theravada Buddhism), Anawrahta marched south and conquered

AD 754 Chinese Yunnan conquers the hill tribes in the north

6th–9th century The Mon, then the Bamar people settle in Myanmar

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H I S T O R Y • • S e c o n d B u r m e s e E m p i re 37

Thaton in 1057, bringing back both the scriptures and the king! The resultant injection of Mon culture in Bagan inspired a creative energy. It quickly became a city of glorious temples and the capital of the First Burmese Empire. For more on the history of Bagan see p293. In 1077, the kingdom took a steady slip downward when a lowly buffalo killed mighty Anawrahta. None of his successors (Kyanzittha, Alaungsithu and Htilominlo) had his vision, and the kingdom’s power slowly declined. In 1273 King Narathihapate gets the credit for carelessly offending the growing power of Kublai Khan and his Tartars (assassinating diplomats will do that), who invaded in 1287 but didn’t stay long. Shan tribes from the hills to the east – closely related with the Siamese – took the opportunity and grabbed a piece of the low country, while the Mon in the south broke free of Bamar control and established their own kingdom.

What is currently considered traditional ‘Burmese culture’ is really a fusion of Mon and Bamar cultures that came about at the height of the Bagan era.

SECOND BURMESE EMPIRE The 200 years following the collapse of Bagan were chaotic, with pieces of the puzzle ruled by varying factions. During this time, Marco Polo probably dropped by in the late 13th century, and the first actual record of European contact came in 1435, when Venetian trader Nicolo di Conti travelled along the coast. In the 13th century the Mon re-established Hanthawady as a fairly stable kingdom at Bago (Pegu) near Yangon. In 1472, Dhammazedi, the greatest of Bago’s kings, came to the throne; he prompted a Buddhist revival, set up diplomatic contact with Europe and set the first stones for the great Shwedagon Paya in Yangon. Meanwhile the Shan had taken over northern Myanmar and founded the Kingdom of Inwa (mistakenly called ‘Ava’ by the British) near present-day Mandalay in 1364, and the Rakhaing people flourished in western Myanmar, building fields of temples to rival Bagan. Amid the testosterone, the tiny settlement of Bamar refugees in central Taungoo (surviving between the Mon and Shan by playing the larger forces off against each other) managed eventually to egg on the so-called ‘Second Burmese Empire’. In the 16th century, a series of Taungoo kings extended their power north, nearly to the Shan’s capital at Inwa, then south, taking the Mon kingdom and shifting their own capital to Bago. In 1550 Bayinnaung came to the throne and reunified all of Myanmar and defeated the neighbouring Siamese so convincingly that it was to be many years before the long-running friction between the two nations re-emerged. As happened with Anawrahta, the union slipped into decline following the ruler’s death in 1581. The capital was shifted north to Inwa in 1636. Its isolation from the sea – effectively cutting off communication around the kingdom – ultimately contributed to their defeat by the British.

The Traveller’s History of Burma (2000), by Gerry Abbot, highlights interactions with Myanmar from foreign eyes from the 14th century to the end of the last millennium.

BURMA’S LAST KINGS King Alaungpaya kicked off the third and final Burmese dynasty by contesting against the Mon when the Mon took over Inwa in 1752. Some say Alaungpaya’s sense of invincibility deluded the Burmese into thinking they could resist the British later on. After Alaungpaya’s short bloody reign (see p38), his son, Hsinbyushin charged into Thailand and levelled the capital of Ayuthaya, forcing the Siamese to relocate their capital to

849 Bagan founded

1057 Ancient Mon city of Thaton conquered by Anawrahta’s Bamar forces from Bagan; First Burmese Empire emerges

38 H I S T O R Y • • B u r m a ’ s L a s t K i n g s

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BURMA’S GREATEST KING Mention ‘Alaungpaya’ to a Burmese person and you’ll often get a smile. The king with no royal ties put his hometown of Shwebo (then known as Mokesebo; p260) on the map, and kick-started Burma’s final dynasty by kicking more arse than all the rest of Burmese kings combined. During his reign, he mocked English dignitaries (‘like women with soft skin and no tattoos’) and shrugged off offers of assistance (‘I can crush 100 men such as the king of Bago’). Alaungpaya talked big, but backed it all up – plus some. As the Mon (Tailing) army of Bago conquered a passive Burmese capital of Inwa (Ava) in 1752, a furious Alaungpaya rallied to keep the Burmese kingdom alive. He readied his hometown (then home to 300) by digging a moat and building walls. When the Mon asked for Alaungpaya’s allegiance, he attacked. Word spread of this defiant bumpkin, and Alaungpaya found ready recruits – Burmese and Shan – who would accept the measly offerings for serving in his army: no pay (other than selling any Mon kidnapped) and a BYOBS policy (‘bring your own bamboo spear’ to fight with). Over the next few years, however, the army collected weapons from slain French soldiers (who aided the Mon) and gradually picked apart the Mon kingdom: taking Inwa in 1753, Pyay in 1755, Dagon later in 1755 (which he renamed Yangon, meaning ‘End of Strife’), and the Mon capital of Bago in 1757. At one point, so the story goes, Alaungpaya sent 1000 cut-off Mon heads on a raft to Bago as a gesture of ill will. After five years of battling the Shwebo king, the Mon fled to Siam where they were assimilated. Alaungpaya followed them. But he started so late in the year that rains sent him and his army on retreat. On 11 May 1760, not yet back home, Alaungpaya died at the age of 46. His body was cremated in Shwebo. His reign lasted only eight years, but his home is ever revered as ‘Victory Land’ to most Burmese.

what eventually became Bangkok. His successor, Bodawpaya (another son of Alaungpaya), looked for glory too, and brought the Rakhaing (Arakanese) under Burmese control, which eventually led to tension with the British (who had economic interests in Rakhaing territory) that the dynasty would not outlive. With eyes on Indochina, Britain wrestled all of the increasingly isolaSome of the first British tionist Burma from the kings in three swipes, named the First, Second and encounters with Burmese Third Anglo-Burmese Wars – picking up Tenasserim and Rakhaing in kings were in the early 1824, Yangon and southern Burma in 1853, and Mandalay and northern 18th century, when Burma in 1885. The first war started when Burmese troops, ordered by King Bodawpaya dressed up in Bagyidaw, crossed into British-controlled Assam (in India) from Rakhaing so much gold (to impress) to pursue refugees. General Maha Bandula managed some minor victories that he needed assistants using guerrilla tactics, but eventually was killed by cannon fire in 1824; to help move him to his Burmese troops then surrendered. The Treaty of Yandabo, helped by the throne. translator of missionary Adoniram Judson (whose name is on many Baptist churches in Myanmar still), gave Rakhaing and Tenasserim to the British. Two Burmese kings later, Bagan Min started his reign – as many did – with mass executions to rid the capital of his potential rivals. An 1852 incident involving the possible kidnapping of two British sea captains – some argue it never happened – gave the British a welcome excuse for igniting another conflict, and an opportunity for more land. The British

1270s Marco Polo pops by

1273 Burmese slay Tartar ambassadors; a peeved-off Kublai Khan invades 14 years later

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H I S T O R Y • • E n t e r B r i t a i n 39

quickly seized all of southern Burma, conquering Yangon, Pathein (Bassein) and they marched north to Pyay (Prome), facing little opposition. The unpopular Bagan Min was ousted in favour of Mindon Min, who moved the capital to Mandalay in 1857. Mindon Min built Mandalay, but unhappily didn’t adequately provide for his successor. After he died in 1878, the new (rather reluctant) king, Thibaw Min, was propelled to power by his ruthless wife and scheming mother-in-law. The following massive ‘massacre of kinsmen’ (79 of his rivals) made many British papers – previous kings hadn’t had to face the consequences of world media attention – which did little to support any move to question British power.

A couple of interesting titles (usually available in Yangon) include A History of Burma by Maung Htin Aung, and Deposed King Thibaw of Burma in India, 1885–1926, by WS Desai.

ENTER BRITAIN King Thibaw was totally ineffective and ruthless. Gangs of thugs replaced relative order in northern Burma. In 1885 it took Britain two weeks to take Mandalay, the final piece in the Burmese acquisition puzzle. Some locals today shake their heads stating that Ayeyarwady forts weren’t used adequately to repel the British ships; others call the conflict ‘the war over wood’, as Britain’s victory allowed it to secure rights to the growing teak industry. Focused on controlling the rice, gem, petroleum and (particularly) teak exports, England found Burma easier to control by applying direct rule only where the Bamar were the majority (ie in the central plains). ‘Hill states’ of the Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayin and Kayah were allowed to remain largely autonomous. This division would contribute to a rocky start when Myanmar became independent in 1948, due to ill-feeling between the groups. Division among the indigenous population was brought about in other ways too. As part of ‘British India’ after 1885, a flood of Indians (whom the Burmese traditionally looked down on) came into the country and became the ‘second colonisers,’ by building businesses and taking rare low-level government jobs. The less commercially experienced Burmese were unable to compete. By 1930, most of Yangon’s population was Indian. Chinese were also encouraged to immigrate and set up businesses to stimulate the economy. Cheap British imports poured in, fuelled by rice profits. At this time many old names got new British ones: Rangoon for Yangon, Prome for Pyay, Burma for Myanmar. Contrary to the romantic tone of modern English-language accounts of ‘Burma under the Raj’, much of Myanmar was considered a hardship posting by British colonial officials, who found the Burmese difficult to govern (and, to be fair, many of the British officials were insensitive and incompetent). The country had the highest crime rate in the British Empire. Along with railroads and schools, the British built prisons, including the infamous Insein prison, the Empire’s largest and still in use by the current government.

For an immensely readable fictionalised, but accurate, retelling of Burma’s days from the fall of King Thibaw to the modern era, read Amitav Ghosh’s The Glass Palace (p29).

RISE OF NATIONALISM Or course, many Burmese were not happy with the British presence, and nationalism burgeoned in the early days of the 20th century – often led by Buddhist monks. In 1919, at Mandalay’s Eindawya Paya (p236), monks evicted Europeans who refused to take off their shoes; one monk, U Kettaya, was given a life sentence. U Ottama, a Burmese monk who had

1364 Shan leaders found Inwa (Ava)

1435 Portuguese Nicolo di Conti visits; the first recorded European contact

40 H I S T O R Y • • R i s e o f N a t i o n a l i s m

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studied in India and returned to Myanmar in 1921, promoted religious liberation as way to bring the independence movement to the attention of the average Burmese Buddhist. After numerous arrests, U Ottama died in prison in 1939. Another monk, U Wizaya, died in prison after a 163-day hunger strike that began as a protest against a rule that forbade monks from wearing robes while imprisoned. University students in Yangon went on strike on National Day in 1920, protesting elitist entrance requirements at British-built universities; the students referred to each other as thakin (master), as they claimed to be the rightful masters of Burma. (Present leader General Than Shwe among them.) One thakin – a young man called Aung San – was expelled from university in 1936 for refusing to reveal who wrote a politically charged article. The British were eventually forced to make a number of concessions towards self-government. In 1937 Myanmar was separated administratively from India, but internally the country was torn by a struggle between opposing Burmese parties and sporadic outbursts of anti-Indian and anti-Chinese violence.

Aung San & WWII Irrawaddy Flotilla, by Alister McRae, highlights the British-bred fleet of steamers that continue to ply Myanmar’s many waterways, while The Longest War 1941–45, by Louis Allen, gives an excellent account of the WWII campaign in Burma.

More famous in the West as Aung San Suu Kyi’s father, Bogyoke Aung San is still revered as national hero No 1 by most Myanmar people – from prodemocracy activists to the military regime. His likeness is seen throughout Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was only two when he died, called him ‘a simple man with a simple aim: to fight for independence’. Born in 1915, Aung San was an active student at Rangoon University. He edited the newspaper and led the All Burma Students’ Union. At 26 years old, he and the group called the ‘Thirty Comrades’ looked abroad for support of their independence movement. After initially planning to seek it in China, they negotiated for military training in Japan, and returned as the first troops of the Burmese National Army (BNA) with the invading Japanese troops in 1941. By mid-1942, the Japanese had driven retreating British-Indian forces, along with the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT), out of most of Myanmar. But the harsh and arrogant conduct of the Japanese soon alienated the Myanmar people. Aung San complained at Japan’s 15th Army headquarters in Maymyo (now Pyin U Lwin): ‘I went to Japan to save my people who were struggling like bullocks under the British. But now we are treated like dogs.’

MAJOR WWII SITES IN MYANMAR Lashio (p215) Where the infamous Burma Road began Taukkyan War Cemetery (p140) Final resting place of over 33,000 allied soldiers ‘Death Railway’ terminus (p159) Western end of Japanese-designed Burma–Siam Railway (of Bridge over the River Kwai fame), built by Allied POWs and Asian coolies and which claimed over 100,000 lives British Colonial Diplomat House, Meiktila (p288) Former Japanese interrogation centre, now a hotel

1472 The great Mon King Dhammazedi takes the throne and sets up diplomatic contact with Europe

1550 Bayinnaung ascends to the throne and reunifies all of Myanmar; the Second Burmese Empire

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H I S T O R Y • • U N U & E a r l y W o e s 41

Aung San and the BNA switched allegiance to the Allied side. The British, helped by the imaginative ‘Chindit’ anti-Japanese operation, ultimately prevailed. The Allies suffered about 27,000 casualties, while nearly 200,000 Japanese perished during the campaign.

Footsteps to Independence In January 1947, Aung San visited London as the colony’s deputy chairman of the Governor’s Executive Council, and signed a pact (the Aung San– Attlee agreement) allowing self-rule within a year. Plans included an April election of a constituent assembly, made up of nationals of Burma only; also Burma would receive an interest-free loan of ₤8 million from Britain. A month later, Aung San met with Shan, Chin and Kachin leaders in Panglong, in Shan State. They signed the famous Panglong Agreement in February 1947, guaranteeing ethnic minorities the freedom to choose their political destiny if dissatisfied with the situation after 10 years. The agreement also broadly covered absent representatives of the Kayin, Kayah, Mon and Rakhaing. In the elections for the assembly, Aung San’s Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League (AFPFL) won an overwhelming 172 seats out of 225. The Burmese Communist Party took seven, while the Bamar opposition (led by U Saw) took three. The remaining 69 seats were split between ethnic minorities (including four seats for the Anglo-Burman community). Britain hoped to maintain influence and wanted a gradual transition. Aung San wanted immediate independence with a democratic, civilian government. He wouldn’t live to see it. On 19 July 1947, the 32-year-old Aung San and six aides were gunned down in a plot ascribed to U Saw. (Some speculate that the military was involved, due to Aung San’s plans to demilitarise the government.) Apparently U Saw thought he’d walk into the prime minister’s role with Aung San gone; instead he took the noose, when the British had him hanged in 1948.

‘Democracy is the only ideology which is consistent with freedom… It is therefore the only ideology we should aim for’ AUNG SAN

U NU & EARLY WOES While Myanmar mourned the death of a hero, Prime Minister Attlee and Aung San’s protégé, U Nu, signed an agreement for the transfer of power in October 1947. On 4 January 1948, at an auspicious middle-of-thenight hour, Burma became independent and left the British Commonwealth. As Aung San had promised, the national presidency was given to a representative from an ethnic minority group, and Sao Shwe Thaike, a Shan leader, became the first president of the Union of Burma. Almost immediately, the new government had to contend with the complete disintegration of the country – involving rebels, communists, gangs and US-supported anticommunist Chinese KMT forces. The hill-tribe people, who had supported the British and fought against the Japanese throughout the war, were distrustful of the Bamar majority and went into armed opposition. The communists withdrew from the government and attacked it. Muslims from the Rakhaing area also opposed the new government. The Mon, long thought to be totally integrated with the Burmese, revolted. Assorted factions, private armies, WWII resistance groups and plain mutineers further confused the picture.

1627 Dutch and English East India Company opens branches

1753–5 Burmese king Alaungpaya conquers Inwa, then Dagon, which he renames as ‘Yangon’

42 H I S T O R Y • • N e W i n & t h e R o a d t o S o c i a l i s m

Burma: Prospects for Political and Economic Reconstruction (1997), by David I Steinberg, written for the World Peace Foundation, gives a quick summing-up of the present woes and concludes that ‘The Burmese will determine their own fate’.

After being forced into exile, one-time leader U Nu vainly attempted to oppose the Ne Win government from abroad. In 1980 he returned to Yangon, where he translated Buddhist scripture most of the time. He died in 1995.

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In early 1949 almost the entire country was in the hands of a number of rebel groups, and there was even fighting in Yangon’s suburbs. At one stage the government was on the point of surrendering to the communist forces, but gradually fought back, and through 1950 and 1951 regained control of much of the country. Also, with the collapse of Chiang Kai-Shek’s KMT forces before Mao Zedong’s, the tattered remnants of the KMT withdrew into northern Burma and mounted raids from there into Yunnan, China. Being no match for the Chinese communists, the KMT decided to carve their own little fiefdom out of Burmese territory.

NE WIN & THE ROAD TO SOCIALISM By the mid-1950s, the government had strengthened its hold on the country, but the economy slipped from bad to worse. A number of grandiose development projects succeeded only in making foreign ‘advisors’ rather wealthy, and in 1953 the Burmese bravely announced that aid or assistance from the USA was no longer welcome, as long as US-supplied Chinese KMT forces were at large within the country. U Nu managed to remain in power until 1958, when he voluntarily handed the reins over to a military government under General Ne Win. Considering the pride most of the country had for the Burmese army – which helped bring independence and was founded by Aung San – this was seen as a welcome change. Freed from the ‘democratic’ responsibilities inherent in a civilian government, Ne Win was able to make some excellent progress during the 15 months his military government operated. A degree of law and order was restored, rebel activity was reduced and Yangon was given a massive and much-needed cleanup. In early 1960, elections were held and U Nu regained power with a much-improved majority, but once again political turmoil developed. His party threatened to break up into opposing groups and in early 1962 Ne Win assumed power again and abolished the parliament. He established his own 17-member Revolutionary Council, announcing that the country would ‘march towards socialism in our own Burmese way’. This time U Nu did not hand over power voluntarily, and along with his main ministers was thrown into prison, where he remained until forced into exile in 1966. ‘The Burmese Road to Socialism’ was a steadily downhill path. A rice-growing wonder fell into economic free fall. Nationalisation policies were extended right down to the retail shop level in 1966 when it was announced that a long list of items would only be available from ‘Peoples Shops’. The net result was frightening; many everyday commodities immediately became available only on the black market, and vast numbers of people were thrown out of work by the closure of retail outlets. A disingenuous ‘sock the rich’ measure demonetised the largest banknotes (K50 and K100). Anybody so unfortunate as to have these notes found them to be worthless. Many of the retail traders who became unemployed following the nationalisation of retail trade were Indians and Chinese – vestiges of the colonial era in Bamar eyes – and they were hustled out of the country with Draconian thoroughness. No compensation was paid for their expropriated businesses, and each adult

1826 England annexes Rakhaing and Tenasserim, following First Anglo-Burmese War

1852 Second Anglo-Burmese War gives Britain Bago

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was allowed to depart with only K75 plus K250 in gold. As many as a 250,000 people of Indian and Chinese descent left Burma during the 1960s. Anti-Chinese riots in Yangon in 1967 – spurred by fears that the Chinese were about to ‘import’ China’s Cultural Revolution – resulted in hundreds of Chinese deaths. In late 1974 there were serious student disturbances over the burial of former United Nations (UN) secretary-general and long-time Ne Win political foe, U Thant, yet overall the government appeared firmly in control and determined to continue its strange progress towards a Burmese Utopia. In late 1981 Ne Win retired as president of the republic (retaining his position as chair of the Burmese Socialist Programme Party, the country’s only legal political party at the time), but his successor, San Yu, and the government remained guided very much by Ne Win’s political will.

‘8-8-88’ With the standard of living in Burma on a continual downward spiral, something happened that no-one foresaw. In 1987 and 1988, the long-suffering Burmese people decided they had had enough of their incompetent and arrogant government and packed the streets in huge demonstrations, insisting that Ne Win go. Ne Win voluntarily retired from the chairmanship of the party in July 1988, but it was too late to halt the agitation of the people. The massive prodemocracy demonstrations, spurred by the further demonetisation of large notes and a prophecy that Burma would become a ‘free country’ on the auspicious date of 8 August 1988 (8-8-88), were brutally crushed by the government, with at least 3000 deaths recorded over a six-week period. Ne Win’s National Unity Party (NUP; formerly the Burmese Socialist Programme Party) was far from ready to give up control, and the public protests continued as two Ne Win stooges succeeded him. The third Ne Win successor came to power after a military coup in September 1988, which, it is generally believed, was organised by Ne Win. A newly formed State Law & Order Restoration Council (Slorc) established martial law under the leadership of General Saw Maung, commander in chief of the armed forces, and promised to hold democratic National Assembly elections in May 1989. The opposition quickly formed a coalition party called the National League for Democracy (NLD) and campaigned for all it was worth. The long-suppressed Burmese population rallied around charismatic NLD spokesperson Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of hero Aung San. Suu Kyi, conversant in Burmese, Japanese, French and English and married to an Oxford University professor, brought a hitherto-unseen sophistication to Burmese politics. Nervous, Slorc tried to appease the masses with new roads and adding a coat of paint to many buildings in Yangon, and then it attempted to interfere in the electoral process by shifting villages from one part of the country to another and by postponing the election. Perhaps the biggest surprise came with the announcement that the government was abandoning socialism in favour of a capitalist economy in all but a few industries. In July 1989 Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest.

1885 Third Anglo-Burmese War ends era of Burmese kings

In 1989, Slorc changed the country’s official name from the Union of Burma to the Union of Myanmar, claiming that ‘Burma’ was a vestige of European colonialism. Other name changes included Rangoon (back to Yangon).

1947–8 General Aung San assassinated; independence achieved

44 H I S T O R Y • • 1 9 9 0 E l e c t i o n & t h e N L D

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1990 ELECTION & THE NLD

Had the NLD been installed in government, Suu Kyi wouldn’t have been the leader. She may have been given a high position, though the constitution forbids those married to foreigners from holding high public office.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest three times (from July 1989 to July 1995; from September 2000 to May 2002; and from May 2003 to the present).

Feeling it had effectively dealt with the opposition, the government allowed an election in May 1990 (the first in 30 years). In spite of all its preventive measures, the NUP lost the election to the NLD, which took 392 of the 485 contested seats. Slorc barred the elected members of parliament from assuming power, however, decreeing that a stateapproved constitution had to be passed by national referendum first. In October 1990 the military raided NLD offices and arrested key leaders. Since that time over 100 elected parliamentarians have been disqualified, imprisoned, exiled or killed. Some observers wonder if the election was a ruse to get opposition out in the open, where they could be more easily crushed. Before her arrest in 1989, Suu Kyi had been appointed secretary general of the NLD. The main NLD candidates in line for any potential premiership that might have occurred if the 1990 election results had been recognised by the current regime were U Aung Shwe, U Tin Oo and U Kyi Maung, all ex-officers. It was widely acknowledged, even back in 1990, that Slorc would never allow a person of Aung San Suu Kyi’s background (an ex-resident of the country, and married to a Briton) to run for office; it was equally acknowledged that the candidates who stood the best chance of acceptance by the military dictatorship were those with a military background. It turned out that even this was not enough to make the ruling junta relinquish control. After the events of 1988–89, the world press at first gave amazingly little coverage to politics in the country that had been renamed Myanmar. In January 1991, Suu Kyi was awarded the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought by the European Parliament, and in October of the same year she was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize. Another international honour came her way in June 1992 when Unesco awarded Suu Kyi the Simón Bolivar Prize. In May 1995, Suu Kyi was honoured with a fourth international award when India presented the leader, in absentia, with the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding. As the world media began to follow events in Myanmar, prodemocracy elements, both within the country and abroad, proved themselves to be much more media savvy than the military junta. The democratisation of ‘Burma’, as most prodemocracy groups still call the country, soon became a cause célèbre for sundry activists and Hollywood celebrities. Much to the joy of the Burmese people and her supporters abroad, the government released Suu Kyi from house arrest in July 1995 after nearly six years. Suu Kyi’s detention was the most potent symbol of government repression and the biggest magnet for international attention, but many other high-level dissidents, including the NLD’s Tin U and Kyi Maung, were also released at this time – not from house arrest, but from prison. For several months Suu Kyi was allowed to address crowds of supporters from her residence. In May and September 1996, Suu Kyi held a congress of NLD members in a bold political gambit to demonstrate that the NLD was still an active political force. The junta responded by detaining hundreds who attended the congress and the street leading to Suu Kyi’s residence was blockaded, prohibiting her from making speeches at her residence.

1962 Ne Win establishes power after military coup

1975 Massive earthquake rocks Bagan

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THE WRITINGS OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI It takes very little reading to understand why so many people in Myanmar have a deep respect for ‘the Lady’, Aung San Suu Kyi. Her interviews with journalist Alan Clements, described in Voices of Hope (1997), often intermingle politics and Buddhism. Freedom from Fear (1991) is a collection of her writings on topics ranging from her father to winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Letters from Burma (1997) features a collection of letters Suu Kyi wrote on Burmese culture for a Japanese publication.

In 1998 18 foreign activists were arrested in Yangon in 1998 for distributing antigovernment leaflets. In the same year Suu Kyi attempted to leave Yangon to meet with supporters outside the city but was blocked by the military and forcibly returned to Yangon. In 1999 Suu Kyi’s British husband, Oxford professor Michael Aris, died of cancer shortly after Yangon denied him a visa to see Suu Kyi one last time in Myanmar. Although they hadn’t seen each other since January 1996, Suu Kyi felt she had no choice but to stay in Myanmar, fearing that if she left the country to visit her husband’s deathbed in England, she would be refused re-entry and forced into exile. Suu Kyi made a second attempt to leave Yangon to meet with supporters in September 2000, but was stopped at a military roadblock. After spending six days in her car by the roadside, Suu Kyi was once again placed under house arrest. In October 2000, secret talks began between Suu Kyi and the junta – the most significant step towards reconciliation since the elections. Brokered by Rizali Ismail, a former Malaysian diplomat and special envoy to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the talks resulted in the release of hundreds of political prisoners. A very noticeable result of the talks was the cessation of crude attacks against Suu Kyi in the Myanmar media. The NLD in return stopped its direct criticism of the Myanmar government. In May 2002 Suu Kyi was released from house arrest and immediately announced that her demands for political reform had not changed as a result of the talks with the junta. Her unconditional release promised the opposition leader freedom of movement for the first time in over 12 years. In the weeks following her release she visited NLD offices in townships in the Rangoon area, and in late June made a triumphant visit to Mandalay. It was Suu Kyi’s first trip to Myanmar’s second-largest city since 1989 (her September 2000 attempt to visit Mandalay was thwarted by the military). In May 2003, while touring Sagaing District outside Budalin (north of Monywa), Suu Kyi and a party of 250 NLD members were attacked. It’s believed as many as 100 people were killed. Many others were held in detention. Suu Kyi spent several months in jail – and underwent a hunger strike. She was eventually transferred to her house. She is still there.

Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma from Britain in 1998 to tend to her dying mother. At the time disquiet with the government was at a peak

THE WORLD & MYANMAR To improve its image, Slorc hired a Washington, DC public-relations firm for help, which suggested changing its name to the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC), which it did in November 1997.

1988 On 8/8 (8 August), huge prodemocracy nonviolent marches; army kills over 3000

1990 NLD earns 82% of votes in election but the military refuses to hand over power

46 H I S T O R Y • • T h e W o r l d & M y a n m a r

Although Ne Win had retired from all official positions in 1988, he was widely believed to call the shots for many years thereafter – possibly up till his death in December 2002.

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Initially after 1988, the West established embargoes on arms sales and most foreign aid to Myanmar. But some companies – such as the UK’s Premier Oil, France’s Total and USA’s Unocal – helped develop offshore gas fields. Stronger international sanctions were taken in 1997 by the USA, the regime’s harshest critic, when it banned new investment by American companies in Myanmar. Strong lobbying by activists and threats of consumer boycotts forced some major companies (including PepsiCo, Heineken, Carlsberg and Levi Strauss) to either pull out or decide against investing in the country. In November 1999, the UN International Labour Organization took the unprecedented step of recommending sanctions against Myanmar for its use of civilians for forced labour and treacherous tasks of porterage for the military (including serving as ‘human landmine detectors’). Its 174 member nations were advised to review their links with Myanmar and ensure they did not support forced labour there. In June 2001, UN agencies in Myanmar warned in a joint letter to their headquarters that Myanmar was facing a humanitarian crisis and that it was a ‘moral and ethical necessity’ for the international community to extend more aid. The letter stated that one-quarter of Burmese babies were born underweight and, as of the end of 1999, an estimated 530,000 people were HIV-positive. The letter also stated that Myanmar only receives annual foreign aid equivalent to about US$1 per capita, compared with US$35 for Cambodia and US$68 for Laos. In a controversial move in 2001, Japan broke ranks in the embargo on nonhumanitarian aid to Myanmar when it offered US$28 million in technical assistance to repair the Baluchaung hydroelectric power plant in Kayah State as an incentive for the regime to press ahead with reconciliation talks with Suu Kyi. The sanctions got stronger following Aung San Suu Kyi’s third arrest in 2003. US President George W Bush authorised full economic sanctions, which resulted in foreign banks in Myanmar packing up and leaving. The wording of EU’s sanctions, however, allowed France’s Total gas company to continue operating there. Much criticism has focussed on whether forced labour was used from 1995 to 1998 to build Total’s Yadana pipeline, which reportedly generates anywhere from US$150 million to US$400 million annually. Critics of the use of sanctions argue that these measures hurt the local workforce. After US sanctions, many garment factories, virtually all of which are privately owned, closed down, reportedly leading to the loss of 40,000 to 60,000 jobs. For more on the sanctions debate, see p17. Despite the Myanmar’s government’s human-rights record, a number of foreign investors – most of them Asian (particularly Chinese, but also Singaporean, Japanese, Indian and Thai) – continue to invest huge amounts of foreign currency into private development projects, especially in the Yangon to Mandalay corridor. See p22 for more on foreign investment. The land border between Myanmar and China stands wide open for legal and illegal trade, and acts as the main supply line for millions of dollars worth of Chinese weaponry destined for Myanmar’s military, along with another estimated US$1 billion in consumer goods annually. A

1996 The Government’s ‘Visit Myanmar Year’ prompts ongoing tourism boycott

1997 Myanmar joins Asean

© Lonely Planet Publications H I S T O R Y • • T h e W o r l d & M y a n m a r 47

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1994 visit to Yangon by Chinese Premier Li Peng – the man who ordered the Tiananmen Square massacre one year after Myanmar’s bloody 1988 putdown – reaffirmed China’s firm approval of Myanmar’s government. Meanwhile the repression of free speech and other human rights continues under the SPDC leadership. A report commissioned by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Geneva describes systematic human-rights violations, including arbitrary arrests of anyone opposed to the junta, the torture of detainees, severe media restrictions, forced relocation of 500,000 urban dwellers, and forced conscription of civilians to serve as anything from porters to human minesweepers for the military. (See p56 for examples of media restrictions, and p65 for how censorship even affects rock music albums.) The government also frequently requests ‘volunteer beautification’ labour (in effect, forced labour) from city, town and village residents, requiring them to paint their houses, dig drainage ditches, build walls and weed the roadside. (Apparently forced labour has decreased since the early 1990s, according to Amnesty International, but is still very much in use. See www.amnesty.org or www .irrawaddy.org, among other sites, for updates on this issue.) Myanmar gained some international muscle with its controversial membership of Asean, which it joined in 1997. Despite some murmurs of discontent regarding the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, no Asean officials have directly confronted the generals on the issue. Some commentators wonder whether the 2006 Asean summit, scheduled for Yangon, will go forward if Suu Kyi isn’t free by the time. In 2004 Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, a disciple of Ne Win, who sought to re-create himself after Ne Win’s death in 2002 with the seven-step ‘Roadway to Democracy’ programme, was ousted by hard-line Than Shwe, who claims he will continue the roadway. See p34 for more on recent events in Myanmar.

2003 Aung San Suu Kyi placed under house arrest (for third time); USA and EU impose tougher sanctions

Considering the US renewal of ‘Most Favoured Nation’ trade status for China, and China remains a foreigntrade hub for Asia, Myanmar’s government believes it need not fear trade sanctions with the West.

2004 Myanmar opens world’s largest tiger reserve, ousts prime minister

© Lonely Planet Publications 48

The Culture NATIONAL PSYCHE

Living Silence: Burma under Military Rule (2001), by Christina Fink, sums up Myanmar’s military years and how the military affects various aspects of life – all peppered with fascinating quotes from a wide cross-section of Myanmar people.

Although isolated, subjugated and poor, the Myanmar people can be as proud of their country and culture as any nationality you’ll meet. Locals gush over past kings, pwe (festivals), mohinga (noodles with chicken or fish) breakfasts, great temples and, for many, Theravada Buddhism itself. Of course Buddhism here comes with a heavy dosage of bamahsan chinn (Burmeseness) – a Buddhism-influenced complex word describing the gentle personality of many, which includes undying respect for elders, modesty in dress, and a preference for subtlety rather than loudness or directness. Another trait is ah har de, a sense of not wanting to ‘make waves’ or pass on unpleasant news. Perhaps telling is Pico Iyer’s great piece on hanging out with Myanmar students in Video Nights in Kathmandu (1988); though released on the eve of the explosive prodemocracy marches of that year, students talk of moonwalking, and do not even show a glimpse of the bubbling discontent. Even small-scale open dialogue is not an everyday aspect of life. One exiled Myanmar man explained: ‘The most important thing I got out of being in England was watching political TV shows, where people were arguing, explaining different viewpoints. That never happens at home.’ It tends to surprise locals if an American tourist vocalises disapproval of George W Bush’s policies, for example. Locals here tend to cheer for Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea.

LIFESTYLE Exiled writer Pascal Khoo Thwe writes that, growing up in Myanmar’s hills, traditional family life meant that ‘Earth is round at school and flat at home’, meaning some aspects of modern life are left, along with your shoes, outside the door at home. Families in Myanmar are big, and the birth – of a boy or girl – is a big occasion. While boys are coddled more, girls are equally welcomed, as they’re expected to look after parents later in life. You might find three or four generations of a family living in a two- or three-room house. Some thatched huts in the countryside have generators pumping life into the TV a couple hours a night. Running water outside the cities and bigger

TOP FIVE FIRST QUESTIONS ASKED

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T H E C U LT U R E • • L i fe s t y l e 49

towns is rare. Many families put coconut symbols of the house guardian nat (spirit) inside (see p000). The bulk of village life revolves around the farm. Here Yangon’s politics or dreams of wealth can pale in importance to the season, the crop, the level of the river (where they bathe, clean and get their drinking water) and Buddha. One local outside Shwebo told us, ‘All I want is K2000 a day for rice to feed my family.’ TheCultr/RigonBdsmIMyar/The37Nt

DO’S & DON’TS

Etiquette Many locals are too kind to mention to a traveller when they’re being insensitive. So, let it be your role to (politely) tell fellow travellers when they’re acting inappropriately. Here are the basics: When visiting a Buddhist sight, don’t wear shoes, shorts, short skirts, or have exposed shoulders. Don’t thrust a camera into a monk’s (or anyone’s) face for a photo. Don’t pose with, sit on, or strike Buddha images. Take your shoes off (not necessarily socks) when entering private homes. Don’t touch somebody on the head (including patting a child’s head). Don’t point your feet at anybody or anything – apologise if you accidentally brush someone with your foot. When shaking hands or handing over something, do so with your right hand, while touching your right elbow with your left hand. Don’t step over somebody who is sitting or lying on the floor (such as on a boat deck).

What to Give Many travellers are prone to give gifts to locals in this impoverished country. Gifts can be big thrills – and are often asked for by children around the country – but foreigners should exercise care when deciding what and where and to whom they give things to. One way to discourage kids from begging, and to show respect, is giving toys or kid-related gifts either directly to their parents or to schools or monasteries. Here are a few gift suggestions: Donate school supplies – such as cheap pens and pencils bought locally – all of which are highly sought. Bring self-made or bought English-language tapes to give out to villagers who can’t afford English classes. Bring some popular English-language magazines and books; locals love to read, and material is hard to find in cash-poor Myanmar; exercise care in handing over any that could carry political overtones (such as the New Yorker or the Economist or Myanmar-related books); hand discreetly over to new friends in their homes.

Burma or Myanmar? Britain renamed ‘Myanma’ as Burma (after the majority Bamar, or Burmese, people); the junta restored the original name of Myanmar in 1989; ‘Burmese’ in this book refers to the food, the Bamar and the language.

Other popular gifts include Western T-shirts, lipstick, toys, baseball-style caps, stickers and chocolates (though heat ruins them in a hurry).

Men in skirts? Most Myanmar men wear longyi (saronglike wraparound ‘skirts’); it’s easy to understand why when the heat hits you.

Instantly appearing images on digital cameras’ viewfinder screens draw much applause from locals.

Mud on face? Women, kids and some men sprinkle, stripe or blotch their faces with tan thanakha (powdered bark) as make-up.

If asked, make simple suggestions of what tourists might be interested in, to prompt grassroots entrepreneurship (eg ‘night market walking tours’ etc).

Is that blood? No. The red droplets in corners and sidewalks are relinquished bits of betel, made from the chopped nut and a paste of slaked lime; you’ll see betel sold from streetside stands, wrapped into small leaves.

Donate to villages seeking aid for health clinics (about 0.4% of the national budget goes to health care); at research time, we bumped into a Swiss tourist who contacted the Bagan Department of Archaeology seeking to fund placing a glass shield over unprotected 800year-old murals.

How to say ‘thanks’? ‘Cè-zù-bèh’.

Bring photographs of your city, home, family – or postcards you can leave.

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In the cities, large apartment blocks are connected to more-or-less around-the-clock electricity. Residents are better educated, sometimes working as lawyers, doctors, clerks and officials – that is, they work in buildings. They’re a bit more internationally aware, and likely to speak more English. Where electricity exists, it invariably clicks off frequently – when it does listen up for the ‘ahhhs’ and laughter that good-naturedly follows. For Buddhists, especially, the acquisition ofspiritualmerit – by giving to monks, adding gold-leaf layers to Buddha images – helps worshippers achieve enlightenment. This is why locals in towns that lack a health clinic may bang alms bowls on the side of the road for donations to help build a new pagoda, for example. Death is a big deal, though mourned for less time than in much of the West. To miss a funeral is an unimaginable faux pas. If a heated argument goes too far, the ultimate capper is to yell, ‘Oh yeah? Don’t come to my funeral when I die’. Cemeteries are not well tended, and rarely visited, as many consider it bad luck to go near the dead (often the widowed aren’t invited to wedding parties, and we’ve seen fishers do their thing while ignoring a floating body no-one dares to touch).

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200 km 120 miles

CHINA (TIBET)

BHUTAN

KACHIN STATE

INDIA

Myitkyina

CHINA

BANGLADESH

SAGAING DIVISION

Hakha

POPULATION About 11% of Myanmar’s 52 million people live in the capital, Yangon. In Myanmar’s tain It’s estimated, though, that seven in 10 people are involved in agriculture. (divisions) the Bamar Unlike many developing-world countries, there isn’t a massive flocking (Burman) people are in to the big cities: jobs are scarce in the capital with inflation soaring at 50% the majority (Yangon, Ay- and international banks (and their potential credit) fleeing in 2003 due to eyarwady, Bago, Magwe, economic sanctions imposed by the international community. Mandalay, Sagaing, Historically, the diverse ethnic make-up of the country has been sepaTanintharyi) but in the pyi rated by its topography. The broad central plain, with the Ayeyarwady (states) the non-Bamar River and Myanmar’s most fertile soil, has been run by whichever group are in the majority (Shan, was strongest (usually the Bamar, or Burmese, in the past few hundred Kachin, Chin, Rakhaing, years). Most ethnic groups continue to live in some sort of isolation in Kayah, Kayin, Mon). the mountains lining much of Myanmar’s international borders, notably the Shan, Kayah and Kayin (Karen) in the east; the Kachin to the north; and the Chin and Rakhaing to the west. There are roughly 71 people per sq km (compared to 939 per sq km in neighbouring Bangladesh), and outside Yangon or Mandalay, there’s Laos-like elbow room.

0 0

STATES & DIVISIONS OF MYANMAR

Sagaing

Mandalay SHAN STATE

CHIN STATE

MANDALAY DIVISION

Taunggyi

Magwe

Sittwe

MAGWE DIVISION

LAOS Loikaw KAYAH STATE

RAKHAING STATE BAGO DIVISION

KAYIN STATE

Bago Pathein AYEYARWADY DIVISION

YANGON YANGON DIVISION

Hpa-an Mawlamyine

MON STATE

THAILAND

ETHNICITY Ethnologists have suggested that there are actually some 135 distinct ethnic groups living in Myanmar.

One of the more exciting aspects of travel in Myanmar is getting the opportunity to experience a corner of Asia that in many ways has changed little since British colonial times. Due to its isolation – self-imposed and otherwise – Myanmar has yet to be completely overwhelmed by outside clothing influences. Nowhere else in Southeast Asia will you see so many sarongs, turbans and other exotic apparel. Of course, differences in dress are just a hint of the distinctions between Myanmar’s diverse ethnic populations. Officially Myanmar’s 50-plus million residents (not including Chinese, Indian, Nepalese and other groups) are divided into eight nationalities – the Bamar, Shan, Mon, Kayin, Kayah, Chin, Kachin and Rakhaing – but the Myanmar government further subdivides these eight groups into 67 subgroups. We’ve made a list of the 10 groups visitors to Myanmar are most likely to encounter or read about. As in many other ethnically (and religiously) diverse countries, feelings

Dawei TANINTHARYI DIVISION

Andaman Islands (INDIA)

ANDAMAN SEA

Gulf of Thailand

52 T H E C U LT U R E • • E t h n i c i t y

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MYANMAR: ETHNO-GEOGRAPHY

           INDIA

CHINA

Myitkyina

Lashio

Hakha

Sagaing

Mandalay

LAOS

Taunggyi Loikaw

Sittwe

THAILAND

Bay of Bengal

        Bago

Hpa-an

YANGON Pathein

Chin

Mawlamyine

Kachin

Dawei

Shan

Bamar (Burman)

Rakhaing

Kayin (Karen)

Mon

Kayah

ANDAMAN SEA

of pride and prejudice cause friction between Myanmar’s ethnic groups. Ask a Bamar (or a Shan or a Kayin) their opinion about their countrymen of different ethnic or religious backgrounds to get an idea of what kinds of challenges governments in Myanmar have faced in their efforts to keep the peace and preserve the borders. In recent years, there’s been a massive influx of Chinese people into northern Burma, evident in Mandalay and certainly in border towns such as Mong La, where the yuan is the local currency.

Bamar The Bamar – also known as Burman or Burmese – make up the majority (68%) of the population and, not surprisingly, rule the country. Thought to have originally migrated from the Himalaya, the Bamar ruled much of what is now Myanmar from Bagan by the 11th century. When the British conquered Myanmar in the 19th century, it was the Bamar who had to relinquish the most. Many ancient court customs and arts were lost as the Bamar monarchy was abolished. Devout Theravada Buddhists, the Bamar – from the top military generals to trishaw drivers – believe that being Buddhist is a key aspect of being Bamar, and the Myanmar media reports daily on the merit-making of top officials at the country’s principal Buddhist places of worship. Government nationbuilding efforts have included establishing the Bamar language (Burmese) as the language of instruction in schools throughout Myanmar. So most non-Bamar speak Burmese as a second language.

Chin

The Chin inhabits the mountainous region (mostly corresponding with Chin State) that borders on India and Bangladesh to the west. In the past, the Chin, as with most highland dwellers, led labour-intensive lives and their relatively simple traditional dress reflected this. Men wore loincloths in the warmer months and draped blankets over themselves when the weather turned cool. The women wore poncholike garments woven with intricate geometric patterns. These garments and Chin blankets are highly sought-after by textile collectors today. The most extraordinary Chin fashion of old was the custom of tattooing the women’s faces. Chin facial tattoos cover the whole face – starting at just above the bridge of the nose and radiating out in a pattern of dark lines that resemble a spider’s web. Even the eyelids were tattooed. The tattooing was traditionally done to girls once they reached the age of 12 or 13. Legend has it that this practice was initiated to keep young Chin maidens from being coveted by Rakhaing princes whose kingdom bor-

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SUBJUGATION With the complete takeover of Myanmar by the British in 1886, new borders were drawn. As with so many of the boundaries superimposed on maps during the European colonisation of the world, these borders had little to do with ethnic groupings, and there were many old rivals and enemies within the borders of British Burma. The colonisers managed to keep animosity between ethnic groups under controlby utilising the carrot of semi-autonomy or the stick of arrest and imprisonment. Over a century later, despite a different bunch of rulers, little has changed. Acts of insurgency between Bamar-majority government troops and minority ethnic groups that smouldered for four decades after independence have been largely quelled. Groups that signed ceasefire agreements with the government (the Kachin, Kayah etc) have been granted limited economic autonomy. Those groups that continue to fight the government (some Shan and Kayin) are dealt with severely. In rebel-controlled areas, government troops have been accused of using rape as a weapon and adopting a scorched-earth policy that regularly sends groups of refugees fleeing across the borders into Thailand and Bangladesh. Some observers of politics in Myanmar predict that, given a choice, many of Myanmar’s ethnic groups would opt for independence and break away from Bamar-controlled Myanmar.

dered the southern Chin Hills. The practice died out after WWII, but in many Chin villages (particularly in the more traditional southern areas) you can see a few tattooed grannies going about their daily chores. Many Chin, particularly in the north, are Christian, following the efforts of American missionaries during the British colonial period. Chin State is restricted to travellers, but can be visited with government permission (p000). Kalaymyo (p000) is a half-Chin town that can be reached, by air, without permit. WestrnMyam/ChiS

AroundMaly/UpeSgiDstrcKalymo

Kachin The Kachin (who call themselves Jingpaw) were heavily targeted by Christian missionaries during British colonial times. The Baptists seemed to have been the most successful, with the Catholics following close behind. As much of the Kachin State lies above the tropic of Cancer, the climate is more extreme – stifling hot in the summer months and downright cold in the winter – and the Kachin seem to have abandoned their traditional dress for Western clothes that can be easily changed to suit the seasons. About the only vestige of Kachin dress that foreign visitors are likely to encounter are men’s longyi (saronglike lower garment) of indigo, green and deep-purple plaid. During festive occasions Kachin dress is quite impressive. Women sport finely woven wool skirts decorated with zigzag or diamond patterns and dark blouses festooned with hammered silver medallions and tassels. These exotic blouses are admired by the Bamar and until fairly recently it was not uncommon for photo studios in Bamar-majority towns as far south as Pyay to keep a few Kachin blouses on hand so that Bamar women could wear them while posing for photographs.

Travellers can visit the Kachin in Myitkyina (p000), home to the Kachin State Cultural Museum, Bhamo (p000 ) and – with a permit – Putao (p000). NortheasnMym/iktoKahMyn

Myanmr/itkoKhBam

Kayah Also known as the Karenni or Red Karen, the Kayah are settled in the mountainous isolation of Kayah State – an area completely closed off to travellers. As with many of Myanmar’s ethnic groups that traditionally practised animism, the Kayah were targeted for conversion to Christianity by Baptist and Catholic missionaries during the colonial period. The name

NortheasnMym/TFNorthPua

Northeasn

54 T H E C U LT U R E • • E t h n i c i t y

Presently the only place in Kayin State that travellers can visit is Hpa-an (p000). SoutheasrnMym/KiSteHpa-n

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‘Red Karen’ refers to the favoured colour of the Kayah traditional dress, and the fact that their apparel resembles that of some Kayin (Karen) tribes – a resemblance that caused the Kayah to be classified by colonisers and missionaries as ‘Karen’. Today the Kayah make up a very small percentage of the population of Myanmar – perhaps less than 1% – and the vast majority lead agrarian lives within Kayah State, much as their ancestors have done for centuries. A significant number of Kayah also live in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province.

of this experiment was a feeling of unity among the many Naga tribes, which led to an organised Naga independence movement. The Naga sport one of the world’s most exotic traditional costumes. Naga men at festival time wear striking ceremonial headdresses made up of feathers, tufts of hair and cowry shells, and carry wicked spears, giving them a look that somehow seems vaguely African, Polynesian and Amazonian – like some fantasy ensemble cooked up by Hollywood.

Kayin

The Rakhaing (formerly called Arakanese), who make up about 4% of the population of Myanmar, are principally adherents of Buddhism. Their ancient capital was centred at Mrauk U in what is now the northern Rakhaing State, which borders Bangladesh. Their language is akin to Bamar but, due to their geographical location, they have absorbed a fair amount of culture from the Indian subcontinent. In the eyes of most Bamar, the Rakhaing are a Creole race – a mixture of Bamar and Indian – a perception that Buddhist Rakhaing strongly resent. Rakhaing State also has a minority population of Muslim Rakhaing, who refer to themselves as Rohingya. The Rakhaing are skilled weavers and are known in Myanmar for their eye-catching and intricately patterned longyi.

The Kayin (also known as Karen) are a large and diverse group, divided into numerous subgroups. They were originally animists, but some Kayin villages were heavily targeted by Christian missionaries in the 19th and early 20th centuries, while other villages converted to Buddhism. The Kayin are an independent-minded people but the sheer diversity of the many Kayin subgroups has made it impossible for them to achieve any real cohesion for achieving greater political power. To this day Buddhist Kayin often side with the Buddhist Bamar against their Christian Kayin kin. The recruitment of child soldiers for rebel groups is not uncommon in this neck of the woods. This came to the world’s attention most recently when a Christian Kayin group calling itself ‘God’s Army’ made headlines with its brief armed struggle against the Myanmar government. The group was led by young twin brothers who reputedly had magical powers and took up arms when they were only nine years old. The typical dress of both the Kayin men and women is a longyi with horizontal stripes (a pattern that is reserved exclusively for women in other ethnic groups). The Kayin are thought to make up about 7% of the total population of Myanmar.

Mon The Mon (also called the Tailing by Western historians) were one of the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar and their rule stretched into what is now Thailand. As happened with the Cham in Vietnam and the Phuan in Laos, the Mon were gradually conquered by neighbouring kingdoms and their influence waned until they were practically unknown outside present-day Myanmar. As in Thailand, which also has a Mon minority, the Mon have almost completely assimilated with the Bamar and in most ways seem indistinguishable from them. In the precolonial era past, Mon Buddhist sites – including Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya – were appropriated by the Bamar (though the Golden Rock is still in Mon State), and Mon tastes in art and architecture were borrowed as well. Today the Mon make up just over 2% of the population of Myanmar, but Mon art and culture have influenced that of the Bamar quite thoroughly, as a trip to the Mon Cultural Museum (p000) in Mawlamyine will attest.

Rakhaing

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Naga The Naga are mainly settled in a mountainous region of eastern India known as Nagaland, but significant numbers live in the western Sagaing Division between the Indian border and the Chindwin River. When the British arrived in the mid-19th century, the Naga were a fragmented but fearsome collection of tribes. Headhunting was a tradition among them and for many decades they resisted British rule, though a lack of cooperation between the tribes hindered their efforts to remain independent. A turnaround came about during WWI when the British recruited nearly 17,000 Naga to fight in Europe. The unexpected result

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Shan The Shan call themselves Tai (‘Shan’ is actually a Bamar word derived from the word ‘Siam’). The name they call themselves is significant, as the Shan are related ethnically, culturally and linguistically to Tai peoples in neighbouring Thailand, Laos and China’s Yunnan Province. In fact, if you’ve spent some time in northern Thailand or Laos and learned some of the respective languages, you’ll find you can have a basic conversation with the Shan. The Shan are also Theravada Buddhists and at one time they fought the Bamar for control of Myanmar. Today they make up about 9% of the population. Traditionally, the Shan wore baggy trousers and floppy, wide-brimmed sun hats, and the men were known for their faith in talismanic tattoos. Nowadays Shan town-dwellers commonly dress in the Bamar longyi and are mostly indistinguishable from the Bamar, except on festival occasions when they proudly sport their ethnic costumes. In former times the Shan were ruled by local lords or chieftains called sao pha (sky lords), a word that was corrupted by the Bamar to sawbwa. The Shan are said to be very fond of gambling and festivals, and Shan women are admired throughout Myanmar for their beauty and light complexions.

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It is only possible to visit the Naga during their New Year celebrations in January, held near Khamti, by taking a costly government-sponsored tour (p000).

Besides the ruins at Mrauk U (p000), the most visible vestige of the Rakhaing’s illustrious past is the Mahamuni Buddha image (p000), now in Mandalay. Sittwe is home to a Rakhaing State Culture Museum (p000).

Wa During British-colonial times the Wa (who come from the still-remote northeastern hills of Shan State) were hated and feared. The British distinguished two groups of Wa according to how receptive they were to the coloniser’s attempts to control them. The ‘Wild Wa’ were headhunters, and decorated their villages with the severed heads of vanquished enemies to propitiate the spirits that guarded over their opium fields. (Apparently they only stopped the practice in the 1970s!) The so-called ‘Tame Wa’ allowed the colonisers to pass through their territory unimpeded, yet the area inhabited by the Wa – east of the upper Thanlwin (Salween) River in northern Shan State – was never completely pacified

Many parts of Shan State (Myanmar’s largest) are restricted to travellers, but it’s possible to get to many areas, including around Inle Lake (p000 ), Kengtung (p000) and Hsipaw (p000). NortheasnMym/Il

Lake

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With a guide, you can visit Wa villages outside Kengtung (p000). NortheasnMym/Kgu&BordeAasnKgtu

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by the British. Nowadays rumours abound of the 20,000-strong United Wa State Army, led by Bao Youxiang (aka ‘Chairman Bao’); an army supposedly highly militarised producers of opium and methamphetamine. They often make headlines in neighbouring Thailand due to frequent border skirmishes with Thai military and police forces.

the U Nu period, Buddhism functioned as a state religion of sorts – as embodied in such catch phrases as ‘the Socialist Way to Nibbana’. Nowadays there is complete freedom of religion, though within the government Buddhists tend to attain higher rank more easily than non-Buddhists.

MEDIA

EARLY HISTORY

Though media sources have proliferatedin recent years – 15 new domestic journals and papers in the first few years of this century – very little objective ‘hard news’ gets splashed on their pages. Much of Myanmar, for example, learned about the ousting of their prime minister Khin Nyunt in 2004 via international TV channels or the BBC website. You can get the flavour of media’s (enforced) censorship from the pages of the government’s voice piece in English, the New Light of Myanmar, whose repertoire includes anti-West poems. There’s also an agenda in place where even the slightest of strayers get arrested. Apparently novelists can’t use the name ‘Suu’ in books because ofits association with Aung San Suu Kyi. When Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, the story was censored because the prize could be associated with Aung San Suu Kyi. In 1999 documentary filmmakers Aung Pwint and Thaung Tun were arrested for videotaping grim details of everyday life, including footage of forced labour. They remain in prison. In 2003 troubles arose from a football article on a team fined for not appearing in a tournament! Loose links between the fine and the government, plus questions surrounding the government’s handling of US$4 million from an international grant to foster football programs, was enough to land the four writers in jail, one of whom briefly faced a death sentence. The 9.15pm national news broadcast nightly is read by a no-smiles woman (often sporting a 1968 beehive do) in front of a mural of a power plant. She mostly gives national news on the government’s achievements. Some locals get their news from fascinating grainy newsreels that precede all cinema showings, which show General Than Shwe overseeing new construction projects.

RELIGION About 87% of the people of Myanmar are Buddhist. Locals are proud of their religion and keen to discuss it. Knowing a little about it is a prerequisite for outsiders wishing to better understand the Burmese mind. During HOW MANY DID YOU SAY? The Myanmar people may seem, to outsiders, to have an imaginative understanding of maths. We had a resident of Mrauk U tell us, in all earnestness, the local area had six million temples; a Sittwe resident insisted the largest minority group in the city of 150,000 were the ‘800,000 Muslims’, and a trishaw driver in Mandalay suggested that to start a guesthouse you’d need – after spending several minutes tabbing it up by pen and paper – about US$400 million. Minimum. Locals count 4000 islands in the Mergui Archipelago, while detailed British surveyors found only 804. Historical accounts include hundreds of thousands of soldiers marching to battle; numbers often contradictory to later British accounts. The age of the ‘antique’ you’re holding is often wildly, um, optimistic too. Nothing to fuss over, though. Locals are more accustomed to counting with the lakh (equal to 100,000) than a million, so it’s possible a zero or two gets added there. Also, Myanmar’s largest bill is just K1000 (worth about US$1.05 at research time), and many people are happy to earn K3000 a day. For nearly everyone, US$40,000 is about as likely to fall into their laps as US$400 million.

Buddhism in Myanmar The Mon were the first people in Myanmar to practise Theravada Buddhism. King Asoka, the great Indian emperor, is known to have sent missions here (known then as the ‘Golden Land’) during the 3rd century BC. A second wave is thought to have arrived via Sinhalese missionaries from present-day Sri Lanka, sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries. By the 9th century the Pyu of northern Myanmar were combining Theravada with elements of Mahayana and Tantric Buddhism brought from their homelands in the Tibetan Plateau. During the early Bagan era (11th century), Bamar king Anawrahta decided that the Buddhism practised in his realm should be ‘purified’ from all non-Theravada elements, a task he set for Mon monks captured by his armies in Thaton, in southern Myanmar. However, Buddhism here has never completely shed Tantric, Hindu and animist elements, but remains predominately Theravada (only 1% of the Buddhists, most of whom are of Chinese descent, practise Mahayana Buddhism today). THERAVADA & MAHAYANA

Theravada Buddhism (also followed in Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand) differs from Hinduism, Judaism, Islam or Christianity in that it is not centred around a god or gods, but rather a psycho-philosophical system. Today it covers a wide range of interpretations of the basic beliefs, which all start from the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, a princeturned-ascetic, and referred to as the Buddha, in northern India around 2500 years ago. Neither the Buddha (which means ‘The Enlightened’) nor his immediate pupils ever wrote the dhamma (Buddhist teachings) down, so after Gautama’s death a schism developed and today there are two major schools of Buddhism. The Theravada (Doctrine of the Elders) school holds that to achieve nibbana (nirvana), the eventual aim of every Buddhist, you must ‘work out your own salvation with diligence’. In other words, it is up to each individual to work out their own fate. The Mahayana (Large Vehicle) school holds that individuals should forego the experience of nibbana until all humankind is ready for salvation. The goal is to become a Bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be), rather than a fully enlightened Buddha. The Mahayana school does not reject the other school, but claims it has extended it. The Theravadins, on the other hand, see Mahayana as a misinterpretation of the Buddha’s original teachings. Of the two, the Theravada is more austere and ascetic, and, some might say, harder to practise. TENETS

Buddha taught that the world is primarily characterised by dukkha (unsatisfactoriness), anicca (impermanence) and anatta (insubstantiality), and that even our happiest moments in life are only temporary, empty and unsatisfactory. The ultrapragmatic Buddhist perception of cause and effect – kamma in Pali, karma in Sanskrit, kan in Burmese – holds that birth inevitably

Many visitors come to Myanmar to meditate; see p000 for a list of monasteries. Directoy/CusMdan

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leads to sickness, old age and death, hence every life is insecure and subject to dukkha. Through rebirth, the cycle of thanthaya (samsara in Pali) repeats itself endlessly as long as ignorance and craving remain. Only by reaching a state of complete wisdom and nondesire can one attain true happiness. To achieve wisdom and eliminate craving one must turn inward and master one’s own mind through meditation, most commonly known to the Burmese as bhavana or kammahtan. The Buddha taught four noble truths: 1 Life is dukkha. 2 Dukkha comes from tanha (selfish desire). 3 When one forsakes selfish desire, suffering will be extinguished. 4 The ‘eightfold path’ is the way to eliminate selfish desire. The eightfold path is divided into three stages: sila (morality), samadhi (concentration), and pañña (wisdom and insight). It consists of: 1 Right thought 2 Right understanding 3 Right speech 4 Right action 5 Right livelihood 6 Right exertion 7 Right attentiveness 8 Right concentration

At many stupas, worshippers pour one glassful of water for every year of their age (plus one) over the Buddha image to ensure long life.

Devout Buddhists in Myanmar adhere to five lay precepts, or moral rules (thila in Burmese, sila in Pali), which require abstinence from killing, stealing, unchastity (usually interpreted among laypeople as adultery), lying and intoxicating substances. In spite of Buddhism’s obviously profound truths, the most common Myanmar approach is to try for a better future life by feeding monks, giving donations to temples and performing regular worship at the local paya (Buddhist monument). For the average person, everything revolves around the kutho (merit), from the Pali kusala (wholesome), one is able to accumulate through such deeds. MONKS & NUNS

There are as many as 500,000 monks in Myanmar. Socially, every Myanmar male is expected to take up temporary monastic residence twice in his life: once as a samanera (novice monk) between the ages of 10 and 20 and again as a hpongyi (fully ordained monk) sometime after the age of 20. Almost all men or boys aged under 20 participate in the shinpyu (novitiation ceremony) – quite a common event since a family earns great merit when one of its sons ‘takes robe and bowl’. All things possessed by a monk must be offered by the lay community. Upon ordination a new monk is typically offered a set of three robes (lower, inner and outer). Bright red robes are usually reserved for novices under 15, darker colours for older, fully ordained monks. Other possessions a monk is permitted include a razor, a cup, a filter (for keeping insects out of drinking water), an umbrella and an alms bowl. In Myanmar, women who live the monastic life as dasasila (‘10-precept’ nuns) are often called thilashin (possessor of morality) in Burmese. Myanmar nuns shave their heads, wear pink robes, and take vows in an ordination procedure similar to that undergone by monks. Generally speaking, nunhood isn’t considered as ‘prestigious’ as monkhood. This is mainly because nuns generally don’t perform ceremonies on behalf of

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NUMBER NINE, NUMBER NINE Myanmar astrology, based on the Indian system of naming the zodiacal planets for Hindu deities, continues to be an important factor deciding proper dates for weddings, funerals, ordinations and other events. Burma became independent at 4.20am on 4 January 1948, per U Nu’s counsel with an astrologer. Numerology plays a similar role in Myanmar. Nearly everyone in Myanmar reveres the number nine, which is thought to have an inherent mystic significance. The Burmese word ko (nine) also means ‘to seek protection from the gods’. General Ne Win, too, was fascinated with numerology, especially that relating to the cabalistic ritual Paya-kozu (Nine Gods). He replaced common currency with 45-kyat and 90-kyat notes, because their digits’ sum equalled nine. It is considered no accident that the prodemocracy marches were staged on 8 August 1988 (8-8-88); for many, eight is considered an ‘unlucky’ number.

laypeople, and keep only 10 precepts – the same number observed by male novices. MONASTERIES

Monastic communities are called kyaungtaik, hpongyi-kyaung, or simply kyaung for short. There are over 50,000 in Myanmar. The most important structure on the monastery grounds is the thein (a consecrated hall where monastic ordinations are held). Kyaung may also be associated with one or more zedi or pahto (temple). An open-sided resthouse or zayat may be available for gatherings of laypeople during festivals or pilgrimages. RECOMMENDED READING

Some of the following books are available in Yangon: Essential Themes of Buddhist Lectures Given by Ashin Thittila, Department of Religious Affairs (DRA), Yangon The Initiation of Novicehood and the Ordination of Monkhood in the Burmese Buddhist Culture by Sao Htun Hmat Win, DRA, Yangon Religion and Legitimation of Power in Thailand, Laos, Burma, edited by Bardwell L Smith Things as They Are, by Maha Boowa Nyanasampanno A few online sources: Access to Insight (www.accesstoinsight.org/index.html) Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (www.dharma.org/bcbs.htm) Buddha Net (www.buddhanet.org) DharmaNet International (www.dharmanet.org) THE 37 NAT

One of the great things about Myanmar is the ongoing worship of the nat (spirit) – a link to the pre-Buddhism era when animism (associated with hills, trees, lakes) held undisputed dominion over the land. Though some Buddhist leaders downgrade the nat, the nat are very much alive in the lives of the people of Myanmar. History

The powerful nat of Myanmar has evolved into a spirit that may hold dominion over a place (natural or human-made), person, or field of experience. Orthographically, the written Burmese word nat is likely derived from the Pali-Sanskrit natha (lord or guardian).

‘I worship Buddha, but I make friends with the nat’ – PAKOKKU LOCAL

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Many locals split their devotion between Buddha and the nat: Buddha is for their future lives, and the nat for problems in this life.

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Separate, larger shrines were built for a higher class of nat, descended from actual historic personages (including previous Thai and Bamar kings) who had died violent, unjust deaths. These suprahuman nat, when correctly propitiated, could aid worshippers in accomplishing important tasks, vanquishing enemies and so on. In Bagan, King Anawrahta stopped animal sacrifices (part of nat worship at Mt Popa) and destroyed nat temples. Undeterred, many of his subjects simply rebuilt nat shrines in their homes. Realising he may lose the case for making Theravada Buddhism the national faith, Anawrahta wisely conceded the nat’s coexistence with Buddha. He himself led the way by placing images of the 36 nat from Mt Popa at the base of the sacred zedi of Shwezigon. To these universally recognised 36, Anawrahta sagely added a 37th, Thagyamin, a Hindu deity based on Indra, who he crowned ‘king of the nat’. Since, in traditional Buddhist mythology, Indra paid homage to Buddha on behalf of the Hindu pantheon, this theistic insertion effectively made all nat subordinate to Buddhism. Anawrahta’s scheme worked, and today the commonly believed cosmology places Buddha and his teachings at the top, with the Hindu and Bamar nat in second and third place. Worship & Beliefs

In many homes, you may see the most popular nat in the form of an unhusked coconut dressed in a red gaung baung (turban), which represents the dual-nat Eindwin-Min Mahagiri (Lord of the Great Mountain who is in the House). Another widespread form of nat worship is exhibited through thered-and-white cloths tied to a rear-view mirror or hood ornament; these colours are the traditional nat colours of protection. Some of the more animistic guardian nat remain outside home and paya. A tree-spirit shrine, for example, may be erected beneath a particularly venerated old tree, thought to wield power over the immediate vicinity. These are especially common beneath larger banyan trees (Ficus religiosa), as this tree is revered as a symbol of Buddha’s enlightenment. A village may well have a nat shrine in a wooded corner for the propitiation of the village guardian spirit. Such tree and village shrines are simple, dollhouselike structures of wood or bamboo; their proper placement is divined by a local saya (teacher or shaman), trained in spirit lore. Such knowledge of the complex nat world is fading fast among the younger generations. Those with a general fear of nat will avoid eating pork, which is thought to be offensive to the spirit world. The main fear is not simply that spirits will wreak havoc on your daily affairs, but rather that one may enter your mind and body, and then force you to perform unconscionable acts in public – acts that would cause others to shun you. Spirit possession – whether psychologically induced or metaphysical – is a phenomenon that is real in the eyes of the people of Myanmar.

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The nat like loud and colourful music, so musicians at a nat pwe bang away at full volume on their gongs, drums and xylophones, producing what sounds like some ancient form of rock and roll. Every nat pwe is accompanied by a risk that the invited spirit may choose to enter, not the body of the medium, but one of the spectators. One of the most commonly summoned spirits at nat pwe is Ko Gyi Kyaw (Big Brother Kyaw), a drunkard nat who responds to offerings of liquor imbibed by the nat-gadaw. When he enters someone’s body, he’s given to lascivious dancing, so a chance possession by Ko Gyi Kyaw is especially embarrassing. Once possessed by a nat, the only way one can be sure the spirit won’t return again and again is to employ the services of an older Buddhist monk skilled at exorcism – a process that can take days, if not weeks. Without undergoing such a procedure, anyone who has been spiritpossessed may carry the nat stigma the rest of their lives. Girls who have been so entered are considered unmarriageable unless satisfactorily exorcised. Though nat pwe are commonly held with festivals throughout Bamar Myanmar, the grandest of all occur during the annual nat festival in Taungbyone, about 20km north of Mandalay. Held each August (more specifically for six days up to and including the full moon of Wagaung, the fifth lunar month) since Anawrahta’s reign, the Taungbyone festival honours the so-called Muslim Brothers, Byat-wi and Byat-ta, two of the most famous nat from the Bagan era. Another nat festival, rather smaller than the one at Taungbyone, follows immediately afterwards at Yadana-gu, a paya south of Amarapura. This one revolves around the ritual bathing of nat images on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River; many festival-goers arrive here by sampan from Amarapura.

Other Religions Among the non-Buddhist people of Myanmar, 1% are animist, 4% Christian, 4% Muslim and 1.5% Hindu. Most Muslims and Hindus, as well as many Christians, are of Indian descent and live in the larger towns and cities. Most other Christians in Myanmar are found among the tribal minorities, though the majority of the tribal people remain animist. Baptist, Catholic and Anglican missionaries have been active in Myanmar for over 150 years. Ethnic groups that traditionally practised animism were more receptive to conversion, especially the Kayin, Kachin and Chin. Myanmar had 2500 Jews before the wake of nationalism encouraged most to leave; today Myanmar has only about 50 Jews; the best Jewish site to visit is Yangon’s 19th-century Moseah Yeshua Synagogue (p000). With such religious diversity, it’s not surprising that there is sometimes friction between religious groups. In October 2001, riots between Buddhists and Muslims caused the government to impose temporary curfews in Taungoo and Pyay. Many Muslims endure restrictions on their ability to travel, and often can stay only at family homes, not hotels. Yango/SihtsOerPy,Tmpl&Sins/Moeah

Nat Festivals

WOMEN IN MYANMAR

On certain occasions, the nat cult goes behind simple propitiation of the spirits (via offerings) and steps into the realm of spirit invocation. Most commonly, this is accomplished through nat pwe (spirit festivals), special musical performances designed to attract nat to the performance venue. Nearly all indigenous Burmese music is designed for this purpose.

In most respects Myanmar women enjoy legal rights equal to those of Myanmar men; for example, they own property and aren’t barred from any profession. Unlike in the West, females do not traditionally change any portion of their names upon marriage; in the event of divorce, they are legally entitled to half of all property accumulated during the marriage. Inheritance rights are also equally shared. Aung San Suu Kyi wrote

To lure a nat to a loud pwe takes the work of a spirit medium, or nat-gadaw (nat wife), who is either a woman or a male transvestite who sings and dances to invite specific nat to possess them.

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MYANMAR BEAUTY SECRETS Women rarely touch alcohol or cigarettes; the cheroots puffed by country women are mild. High humidity helps, as sweating keeps the pores active and flushed. Most locals wash with cold water (often straight from the river) two or three times daily with unscented soap. Thanakha paste is a combination of moisturiser, sunscreen and perfume that’s smeared on the face (some women apply it to their whole bodies at night); it’s made from the ground bark of the thanakha tree. Plumpness is a sign of health; to say ‘wa-laiq-ta!’ (‘how fat you’re looking!’) is quite a compliment!

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Jataka (life story of the Buddha) while the yamazat picks a tale from the Indian epic Ramayana. Classical dance-drama is occasionally performed at the National Theatre in Yangon (p000), where around a dozen amateur theatre groups regularly practise and perform yamazat. In Mandalay, yamazat performers even have their own shrine. Since Myanmar classical dancing emphasises pose rather than movement, and solo rather than ensemble performances, it can soon become a little boring for TV-hyped Western tastes. By contrast the less common, but livelier, yein pwe features singing and dancing performed by a chorus or ensemble. Most popular of all is the a-nyeint pwe, a traditional-variety pwe somewhat akin to early American vaudeville (see p000 for a description). Yango/EterimNalTh

Enteraim/ MoustacheBr

The literacy rate for men is 88%; for women it is 78%.

that a baby girl is equally celebrated as a baby boy, as they’re believed to be ‘more dutiful and loving than sons’. Girls are educated alongside boys and, by university age, women outnumber men in university and college enrolment. Most white-collar professions grant women a paid maternity leave of six weeks before birth and one or two months afterwards. Religion is one arena in which women perpetually take a back seat, though. Any man is seen as possessing the potential, regardless of desire, of becoming a Buddha; women cannot. A small number of Buddhist shrines, for example Mandalay’s Mahamuni Paya, have small areas around the main holy image that are off-limits to women. Many people in Myanmar – women as well as men – believe the birth of a female indicates less religious merit than the birth of a male, and that it is easier for males to attain nibbana. A small but devoted minority of men and women refute this view, pointing out that the actual suttas, or sayings of the Buddha, do not support this assumption. Just as boys between the ages of five and 15 usually undergo a prepuberty initiation as temporary novice monks, girls around the same age participate in an initiatory ear-piercing ceremony (often called ‘earboring’ in Burmese English). Some also become temporary nuns at this age. Saw Myat Yin, the insightful author of Culture Shock! Burma, expresses a viewpoint common among the majority of Myanmar women, who see their role as equal but ‘supportive and complementary…rather than in competition’ and that ‘if they accept a role a step behind their menfolk they do so freely and willingly’.

ARTS

Dance & Theatre Myanmar’s truly indigenous dance forms are those that pay homage to the nat. In special nat pwe, one or more nat is invited to possess the body and mind of a medium; sometimes members of the audience are possessed instead, an event greatly feared by most locals. As with music, most of Myanmar’s classical dance styles arrived from Thailand. Today the dances most obviously taken from Thailand are known as yodaya zat (Ayuthaya theatre), as taught to the Burmese by Thai theatrical artists taken captive in the 18th century. The most Myanmar of dances feature solo performances by female dancers who wear strikingly colourful dresses with long white trains, which they kick into the air with their heels – quite a feat, given the restrictive length of the train. A zat pwe involves a re-creation of an ancient legend or Buddhist

Marionette Theatre Youq-the pwe (Myanmar marionette theatre) presents colourful puppets up to a metre high in a spectacle that many aesthetes consider the most expressive of all the Myanmar arts. Developed during the Konbaung period, it was so influential that it became the forerunner to zat pwe as later performed by actors rather than marionettes. As with dance-drama, the genre’s ‘golden age’ began with the Mandalay kingdoms of the late 18th century and ran through to the advent of cinema in the 1930s. The people of Myanmar have great respect for an expert puppeteer. Some marionettes may be manipulated by a dozen or more strings; certain nat may sport up to 60 strings, including one for each eyebrow. The marionette master’s standard repertoire requires a troupe of 28 puppets including Thagyamin (king of the gods); a Myanmar king, queen, prince and princess; a regent; two court pages; an old man and an old woman; a villain; a hermit; four ministers; two clowns; one good and one evil nat; a Brahmin astrologer; two ogres; a zawgyi (alchemist); a horse; a monkey; a makara (mythical sea serpent); and an elephant. These days it’s rare to see marionette theatre outside tourist venues in Yangon, Mandalay or Bagan.

Music Much of classical Myanmar music, played loud like the nat like it, features strongly in any pwe, and its repetitive, even harsh, harmonies can be hard on Western ears at first. This harshness likely comes from the fact that Myanmar scales are not ‘tempered’ as Western scales have been since Bach. Traditional Myanmar music is primarily two dimensional in the sense that rhythm and melody provide much of the musical structure, while repetition is a key element in developing this structure. Subtle shifts in rhythm and tonality provide the modulation usually supplied by the harmonic dimension in Western music. CLASSICAL MUSIC

The original inspiration for much of Myanmar’s current musical tradition came from Thailand (then Siam) during the reign of King Hsinbyushin, particularly after the second conquest of Thailand in 1767 when musicians and dancers were brought to Myanmar to effect ‘cultural augmentation’. Interestingly, the Thais had acquired these styles themselves from Cambodian musicians after conquering Angkor centuries earlier. Myanmar classical music as played today was codified by Po Sein, a colonial-era musician, composer and drummer who also designed the hsaing waing (the circle of tuned drums, also known as paq waing) and formalised classical dancing styles. Such music is meant to be played as

Myanmar dance scholars have catalogued around 2000 dance movements, including 13 head movements, 28 eye movements, nine neck movements, 24 ways of moving only one hand and 23 using both hands, 38 leg movements, eight body postures and 10 walking movements.

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T H E C U LT U R E • • A r t s 65

TRADITIONAL BURMESE MUSIC CDS

ROCK & RAP CDS

These music CDs can generally be found outside Myanmar:

These are five highlights, generally only found (for K1200 or K1500) in Myanmar. (Sincere regrets go to the one-time Rakhaing band Evil Elf, who sadly never recorded.)

Mahagita, Harp & Vocal Music from Burma (2003; Smithsonian Folkways) Green Tea Leaf Salad, Flavors of Burmese Music (2001; Pan Records)

Lay Phyu & Iron Cross, Butterfly (2003) Myanmar’s most popular rock singer

White Elephants & Golden Ducks, Musical Treasures from Burma (1997; Shanachie)

Ah Nge & Iron Cross, Khu Hnit Tway Ah Ka (2003) Iron Cross’ number two (a little more talented than Mr Lay, actually)

Pat Waing, The Magic Drum Circle of Burma (1998; Shanachie)

Myanmar Future Generations Free-download album (www.mm-fg.net) of 11 politically charged rap tracks (and counting)

U Ko Ko, Performs on the Burmese Piano (1995; Ummus)

The Ants, Colourful Chocolate (1998) Alternative-rock trio from Shan State

At the National Museum in Yangon (p101) you can view an exhibit of Burmese traditional music

an accompaniment to classical dance-dramas that enact scenes from the Jataka or from the Ramayana. Musical instruments are predominantly percussive, but even the hsaing waing may carry the melody. These drums are tuned by placing a wad of paq-sa (drum food) – made from a kneaded paste of rice and wood-ash – onto the centre of the drum head, then adding or subtracting a pinch at a time till the desired drum tone is attained. In addition to the hsaing waing, the traditional hsaing (Myanmar ensemble) of seven to 10 musicians will usually play: the kye-waing (a circle of tuned brass gongs); the saung gauq (a boat-shaped harp with 13 strings); the pattala (a sort of xylophone); the hneh (an oboe-type instrument related to the Indian shanai); the pa-lwe (a bamboo flute); the mi-gyaung (crocodile lute); the paq-ma (a bass drum); and the yagwin (small cymbals) and wa-leq-hkouq (bamboo clappers), which are purely rhythmic and are often played by Myanmar vocalists. FOLK

Older than Myanmar classical music is an enchanting vocal folk-music tradition still heard in rural areas where locals may sing without instrumental accompaniment while working. Such folk songs set the work cadence and provide a distraction from the physical strain and monotony of pounding rice, clearing fields, weaving and so on. You’ll hear this type of music most readily in the Ayeyarwady Delta between Twante and Pathein. ROCK & RAP

Modern music has taken off in Myanmar in recent years, with a host of rap and rock bands influenced with the introduction of MTV Asia. Western music’s influence first came in the 1970s, actually, when singers such as Min Min Latt and Takatho Tun Naung sang shocking things such as Beatles cover versions or ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon around the Old Oak Tree’. This led to long-haired, distorted-guitar rock bands such as Empire and Iron Cross in the 1980s. Iron Cross still makes a huge impact, as does the band Lazy Club, which you may see on videotapes in teashops or aboard all-night buses. Bands such as these (all of whom sing in Burmese, even if they have English names) have a stable of half a dozen singers who share the stage with the same backing band. Iron Cross, for example, features one of Myanmar’s ‘wilder’ singers, Lay Phyu, whose recent Butterfly album has him done up like the insect. Then Iron Cross also tones it down as a backing band for the poppier stuff of other singers. One local aficionado explained: ‘There’s no competition between a band’s many singers. They

Big Bag, Don’t Talk About Punk (2004) Includes cover of Green Day’s Longview, in Burmese Myo Kyawt Myaing, The Troubles of Being Human (2004) Rap pioneer, features My Name is Myo Kyawt Myaing

help each other. Our rock singers don’t throw TVs out the windows. On stage they jump around and all, but offstage they’re very good natured.’ Sone Thin Par and actress Htu Eindra Bo are female singers who win fans for their melodies – and looks. Rap is the latest trend, with Min Min Latt’s son, Anega, now busting beats with other big-name rappers Barbu, Myo Kyawt Myaung and (hear the girls sigh…) Sai Sai. Songs often deal with gossip, or troubles between parents and kids. One rap band, 9mm, was briefly detained in 2004 for performing political songs written by an anonymous prodemocracy group of exiled and local rappers called Myanmar Future Generations (MFG). A famed exiled singer, Mun Awng (a Kachin singer) has recorded political songs, including his Battle for Peace album, which is available through the underground only. Look out for posters advertising shows. Yangon’s Strand Hotel and Mya Yeik Nyo Hotel are popular venues. You might bump into one of Myanmar’s more popular musicians at Yangon’s Mr Guitar Cafe (p000 ).

Yango/DrikBsM

Guitar

Architecture It is in architecture that one sees the strongest evidence of Myanmar artistic skill and accomplishment. Myanmar is a country of zedis, often called ‘pagodas’ in English. Wherever you are – boating down the river, driving through the hills, even flying above the plains – there always seems to be a hilltop zedi in view. It is in Bagan (p000) that you see the most dramatic results of this national enthusiasm for religious monuments. TemplsofBagn

PAYA, ZEDI OR PAHTO?

The paya (pa-yah), the most common Myanmar equivalent to the oftenmisleading English term pagoda, literally means ‘holy one’ and can refer to people, deities and places associated with religion. Often it’s a generic term covering a stupa, temple or shrine. There are basically two kinds of paya: the solid, bell-shaped zedi and the hollow square or rectangular pahto. A zedi or stupa is usually thought to contain ‘relics’ – either objects taken from the Buddha himself (especially pieces of bone, teeth or hair) or certain holy materials. Both zedi and pahto are often associated with kyaung (Buddhist monasteries). The term pahto is sometimes translated as temple, though shrine

All lyrics must pass the government’s censor board. In 1998 blues singer Nyi Pu had to rename his debut Everything’s Going to Be Good to Everything’s Good; a few years later, Iron Cross’ Myo Gyi changed his Very Wild Wind album to a tamer Breeze.

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High above you in a zedi you can hear the wind bells tinkling from the hti, the decorative metal ‘umbrella’ that tops the structure.

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would perhaps be more accurate as priests or monks are not necessarily in attendance. The so-called Mon-style pahto is a large cube with small windows and ground-level passageways; this type is also known as a gu or ku (from the Pali-Sanskrit guha; cave). The overall Bamar concept is similar to that of the Mayan and Aztec pyramids of Mesoamerica: worshippers climb a symbolic mountain lined with religious reliefs and frescoes. If all this seems too confusing, just remember that the generic Myanmar term for all these structures is paya. The famous Mon zedi in Yangon is called Shwedagon Paya (p000), and Bagan’s greatest pahto is often called Ananda Paya (p000).

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of styles and materials, from the rustic wood-and-plaster Tudor villas of Pyin U Lwin to the thick-walled, brick-and-plaster, colonnaded mansions and shop houses of Yangon, Mawlamyine and Myeik. An interesting example of a fusion of Burmese and European styles is the City Hall building in Yangon. Until recently scant attention was paid to preserving colonial architecture – for political as well as economic reasons. Nowadays some are being restored, but many have been demolished and replaced by new structures in recent years.

Yango /Si hts wed P ya

TemplsofBagn/NrthPiAdo

ZEDI STYLES

Early zedi were usually hemispherical (the Kaunghmudaw at Sagaing near Mandalay) or bulbous (the Bupaya in Bagan), while the more modern style is much more graceful – a curvaceous lower bell merging into a soaring spire, such as the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon. Style is not always a good indicator of a zedi’s original age as Myanmar is earthquake-prone and many (including the Shwedagon) have been rebuilt over and again. Around the base of a zedi people are meditating, strolling around and chatting. This makes zedi tranquil places to visit. OTHER BUILDINGS

Traditionally, only the zedi, gu and pahto have been made of permanent materials; until quite recently all secular buildings – and most monasteries – were constructed of wood, so there are few old ones to be seen. Even the great palaces were made of wood, and with the destruction of Mandalay Palace during WWII there is no remaining wooden Myanmar palace. A few surviving examples are in Mandalay (p000), Inwa (p000), Salay (p000) and near Pakokku (p000). Although so little remains of the old wooden architectural skills, there are still many excellent wooden buildings to be seen. The people of Myanmar continue to use teak with great skill, and a fine country home can be a very pleasing structure indeed. Buildings erected during the British colonial period feature a variety Sights/ wenadKyug

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AroundMaly/cietCsInw(av)Sgh

Sculpture & Painting Early Myanmar art was always a part of the religious architecture – paints were for the walls of temples, sculpture to be placed inside them. Remarkably little research has been carried out on Myanmar religious sculpture other than that from the Bagan and Mandalay eras. Many pieces, formerly in paya or kyaung have been sold or stolen. Mandalay’s Mahamuni Buddha image, a Rakhaing sculpture, is the country’s most famous image of any age. Unfortunately, you’ll easily find more Myanmar religious sculpture for sale or on display in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, San Francisco and London than in Myanmar. In the immediate aftermath of the 1988 demonstrations, the government forbade ‘selfish’ or ‘mad art’ that didn’t have clear progovernment themes. One artist, Sitt Nyein Aye, spent two months in custody for sketching the ruins of the former student union, which New Win had blown up in 1962. Things seem to have relaxed a little, evident in national galleries – though most works are rather predictable tourist-oriented works. The government’s social posters – anti-AIDS, antidrugs, or just progovernment! – are interesting pieces of propaganda posted on many main streets.

Bagn&CetrlMym/AoudBagnPk

BUDDHA’S HAND SIGNS Of the hundreds and hundreds of Buddha images you’ll see in Myanmar, the Buddha will be in one of four postures: standing, sitting, walking and reclining. The first three are associated with the daily activities of the Buddha, while the later represents Buddha’s dying moments when he attained parinibbana (ultimate nirvana). Look out for the following hand signs, which have difference meanings: Abhaya Both hands are extended forward, palms out, to symbolise Buddha’s offer of protection or freedom from fear. Bhumispara The right hand touches the ground, which symbolises the point in the Buddha’s life when he sat in meditation beneath the banyan tree and vowed not to budge from the spot until he gained enlightenment. Dana One or both hands extended forward with palms up, which symbolises the offering of dhamma (Buddhist teachings) to the world. Dhyana Both hands rest palm-up on the Buddha’s lap, signifying meditation. Vitarka or Dhammachakka Thumb and forefinger of one hand forms a circle with other fingers curving outward (somewhat like an ‘OK’ gesture), symbolising the first public discourse on Buddhist doctrine.

Literature Religious texts inscribed onto Myanmar’s famous kammawa (lacquered scriptures) and parabaik (folding manuscripts) were the first pieces of literature as such, and began appearing in the 12th century. Until the 1800s, the only other works of ‘literature’ available were royal genealogies, classical poetry and law texts. A Burmese version of the Indian epic Ramayana was first written in 1775 by poet U Aung Pyo. The first printed books in the country were produced by missionaries; the American Baptist Mission was responsible for virtually all publishing until the late 19th century, when the first press owned by a Burmese began printing a Burmese-language newspaper. Today the people of Myanmar are great readers, as you’ll realise from the piles of books in the street at every night market.

SPORT

Martial Arts Myanmar has a tradition of kickboxing that’s said to date back to the Bagan era, although the oldest written references are found in chronicles of warfare between Burma and Thailand during the 15th and 16th centuries. Myanma let-hwei (Myanmar kickboxing) is very similar in style to muay thai (Thai kickboxing), although not nearly as well developed as a national sport. The most common and traditional kickboxing venues are temporary rings set up at paya pwe rather than sports arenas. However, in recent years occasional championships are held at Aung San Stadium in Yangon. Yangon’s YMCA is a good place to ask about upcoming events.

When royal palaces ceased to be built, woodcarving skills rapidly declined. There has been a small renaissance in recent years, mostly seen in hotels.

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As with Thai boxing, almost anything goes in the ring. All fighters are bare-fisted. All surfaces of the body are considered fair targets and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent. Common blows include high kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs and low crescent kicks to the calf. Punching is considered the weakest of all blows and kicking merely a way to ‘soften up’ one’s opponent; knee and elbow strikes are decisive in most matches. Competition isn’t nearly as formalised in Myanmar as in Thailand; in fact you probably won’t find two people anywhere in the country who agree on the rules! In the simplest rural matches, fought in a dirt circle, there’s no time limit and a fighter loses once he has wiped blood from his face or body three times (or gets knocked out cold!). In more organised amateur matches, boxers fight in square rings (5.8m by 5.5m), for three to five rounds of three minutes each, usually with two minutes’ rest between. Professional matches in larger towns and cities begin with five rounds but may increase round by round to 12 rounds when the scoring is tight – even longer if no clear winner emerges earlier in the match. Before the match begins, each boxer performs a dancelike ritual in the ring to pay homage to Buddha and to Khun Cho and Khun Tha, the nat whose domain includes Myanmar kickboxing. The winner repeats the ritual at the end of the match.

Chinlon Often called ‘cane ball’ in Burmese English, chinlon refers to games in which a woven rattan ball about 12cm in diameter is kicked around. It also refers to the ball itself, which resembles the takraw of Thailand and Malaysia. Informally any number of players can form a circle and keep the chinlon airborne by kicking it soccer-style from player to player; a lack of scoring makes it a favourite pastime with locals of all ages. In formal play six players stand in a circle of 22ft (6.6m) circumference. Each player must keep the ball aloft using a succession of 30 techniques and six surfaces on the foot and leg, allotting five minutes for each part. Each successful kick scores a point, while points are subtracted for using the wrong body part or dropping the ball. A popular variation – and the one used in intramural or international competitions – is played with a volleyball net, using all the same rules as in volleyball except that only the feet and head are permitted to touch the ball.

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Environment THE LAND A bit bigger than France and slightly smaller than Texas, Myanmar covers 678,500 sq km, though it sometimes jockeys with neighbouring Thailand for a hectare or two more along its eastern extremes. Its land borders with (clockwise from west) Bangladesh, India, Tibet, China, Laos and Thailand, covers 5876km, and 1930km of coastline faces the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Geographically, Myanmar’s south is similar to Malaysia, the north to northern India or China, and the centre is an overlap of the two – each producing unique ‘zones’ manifested in the scenery and creatures that hop by it. The area southwest of Yangon is a vast delta region. There is a central broad flat heartland, where much of the country’s history was played out and lots of rice is currently grown. This is surrounded by protective mountain and hill ranges. Most notable are: the rugged Kachin Hills, which serve as the first steps into the Himalaya to the north; Khakabo Razi, on the Tibetan border, is Southeast Asia’s highest mountain at 5889m; and Mt Victoria, west of Bagan in Chin State, which rises 3053m. Three major rivers – fed by monsoon downpours and melted Himalayan snows from Nepal and India – cut north to south through the country. The 2000km-long Ayeyarwady River, one of Asia’s most navigable big rivers, feeds much of the country’s rice fields. It connects lower Myanmar (based around Yangon) with upper Myanmar (around Mandalay). North of Mandalay, the Chindwin River connects the hills to the north; while the Thanlwin River leads from China to the Gulf of Mottama through Myanmar’s east. Also, the Mekong River passes by on the short border with Laos. Politically, the land is divided into seven tain (divisions) and seven pyi (states) as shown on the map on p51.

WILDLIFE Myanmar’s rich wildlife benefits from its diverse habitats – brackish waters and mangrove along the coast, bizarre mixes of tropical forests and cooler mountain habitats up north. The central plains (the dry zone) are home to more rice fields than wildlife.

Animals When Marco Polo wrote about Myanmar in the 13th century, he described ‘...vast jungles teeming with elephants, unicorns and other wild beasts.’ Though Myanmar’s natural biodiversity has no doubt altered considerably since that time, it’s difficult to say by just how much. It’s estimated that Myanmar is presently home to 251 mammals, 687 birds, 203 reptiles and 70 amphibians – 32 of which are endangered, including the tiger, two species of rhinoceros and the red panda (see p70). The most comprehensive wildlife survey available was undertaken by the Bombay Natural History Society between 1912 and 1921 and published as the Mammal Survey of India, Burma and Ceylon. In Myanmar The Wild Animals of Burma, published in 1967, is the most ‘recent’ work available and even this volume simply contains extracts from various surveys carried out by the British between 1912 and 1941, with a few observations dating to 1961.

From the local perspective, the 3000kmlong Himalaya mountain chain begins in Myanmar. This is true enough, as one end of the chain, formed when the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided 140 million years ago, extends to Myanmar’s northern Kachin State.

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Possession of a sacred ‘white (albino) elephant’ supposedly ensured Burmese kings a prosperous reign. In 1885 Burma’s last royal white elephant died during the reign of King Thibaw. Shortly thereafter British colonial forces took over the country.

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As with Myanmar’s flora, the variation in Myanmar’s wildlife is closely associated with the country’s geographic and climatic differences. Hence the indigenous fauna of the country’s northern half is mostly of IndoChinese origin while that of the south is generally Sundaic (ie typical of Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java). In the Himalayan region north of the Tropic of Cancer (just north of Lashio), the fauna is similar to that found in northeastern India. The area extending from around Myitkyina in the north to the Bago Mountains in the central region is one where there is overlap between geographical and vegetative zones – which means that much of Myanmar is a potential habitat for plants and animals from all three zones. Distinctive mammals – found in dwindling numbers within the more heavily forested areas of Myanmar – include leopards, fishing cats, civets, Indian mongooses, crab-eating mongooses, Himalayan bears, Asiatic black bears, Malayan sun bears, gaur (Indian bison), banteng (wild cattle), serow (an Asiatic mountain goat), wild boars, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, tapirs, pangolin, gibbons and macaques. Sea mammals include dolphins and dugongs. Some 10,000 Asiatic elephants – roughly a third of all those on the planet – are distributed throughout Myanmar. Among these are 6000 working elephants, most of which are used in logging and agriculture. It’s encouraging that this number exceeds by a thousand that tallied by English scholar FT Morehead in his 1944 treatise The Forests of Burma. Reptiles and amphibians include four sea turtle species along with numerous snake varieties, of which an astounding 52 are venomous. These include the common cobra, king cobra (hamadryad), banded krait, Malayan pit viper, green viper and Russell’s viper. Myanmar is rich in birdlife, with an estimated 687 resident and migrating species. Coastal and inland waterways of the delta and southern peninsula are especially important habitats for Southeast Asian waterfowl. One of the best birding spots is at Mt Victoria, which requires taking an expensive government guide (p329). ENDANGERED SPECIES

Currently, 32 species are endangered in Myanmar, including the flying squirrel, tiger, three-striped box turtle and blue whale. The main threats to the country’s wildlife are deforestation and poaching (see p72 for more details). As recently as the mid-1990s, an estimated 2000 tigers (about 40% of Southeast Asia’s total, some suggest) were thought to inhabit the primary forests, but some sources claim that numbers have dropped dramatically due to poaching and the illicit trade in tiger parts. Both the one-horned (Javan) rhinoceros and the Asiatic two-horned (Sumatran) rhinoceros are believed to survive in very small numbers near the Thai border in Kayin State. The rare red panda (or cat bear) was last

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INTRODUCING…THE LEAF DEER In the 1990s, the ‘leaf deer’ – a 0.6m-tall tall deer – amazed scientists in northern Myanmar just by existing. Locals called it ‘leaf deer’ because it’s so small they could wrap it in a leaf. Genetically ancient, and considered the most primitive deer species, it offers insight into evolution. The New York–based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) was the first to bring the leaf deer to the attention of the world. The WCS also broke ground by becoming, in 1993, the first international NGO to work with the junta to set up wildlife reserves in Myanmar in three decades.

sighted in northern Myanmar in the early 1960s but is still thought to live in Kachin State forests above 2000m.

Plants As in the rest of tropical Asia, most indigenous vegetation in Myanmar is associated with two basic types of tropical forest: monsoon forest (with a distinctive dry season of three months or more) and rainforest (where rain falls more than nine months per year). It’s said there are over 1000 plant species endemic to the country. Monsoon forests are marked by deciduous tree varieties, which shed their leaves during the dry season; rainforests are typically evergreen. The area stretching from Yangon to Myitkyina contains mainly monsoon forests, while peninsular Myanmar to the south of Mawlamyine is predominantly a rainforest zone. There is much overlapping of the two – some forest zones support a mix of monsoon forest and rainforest vegetation. In the mountainous Himalayan region above the Tropic of Cancer, Myanmar’s flora is characterised by subtropical broadleaf evergreen forest up to 2000m; temperate semi-deciduous broadleaf rainforest from 2000m to 3000m; and, above 3000m, evergreen coniferous, subalpine snow forest and alpine scrub. Along the Rakhaing and Tanintharyi coasts, tidal forests occur in river estuaries, lagoons, tidal creeks and along low islands. Such woodlands are characterised by mangrove and other coastal trees that grow in mud and are resistant to seawater. Beach and dune forests, which grow along these same coasts above the high-tide line, consist of palms, hibiscus, casuarinas and other tree varieties that can withstand high winds and occasional storm-sent waves. The country’s most famous flora includes an incredible array of fruit trees, over 25,000 flowering species, a variety of tropical hardwoods, and bamboo. Cane and rattan are also plentiful.

Myanmar may possibly contain more species of bamboo than any country outside China. One pure stand of bamboo forest in Rakhaing State extends over 7770 sq km.

RESPONSIBLE ECOLOGICAL TRAVEL TIPS Here are some simple tips for helping Myanmar’s environment. „ Avoid using nonbiodegradable goods. „ If you do use nonbiodegradable items deposit them in rubbish bins in the nearest town.

CARING FOR YOUR ELEPHANT One of my favourite Burmese books is Burmese Timber Elephant by U Toke Gale. It could be subtitled ‘selection, care and use of your pet elephant’, for it tells you everything you need to know and many things you don’t about timber elephants – even what to do when your elephant is in musth. There’s a chart of 90 nerve centres to use to control an elephant or get it to do things. But don’t press 13, 25, 60, 61 or 63 or ‘the animal will be infuriated’! Tony Wheeler

Make an effort to carry out rubbish left by others. „ Never bury your rubbish: digging disturbs soil and ground cover, and encourages erosion.

Buried rubbish will likely be dug up by animals, which may be injured or poisoned by it. „ Avoid restaurants serving ‘exotic’ wildlife species, if you should find them (eg barking deer, bear). „ Ask boat drivers not to lower anchors onto coral formations, if on a trip in the vicinity of coral

reefs.

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Myanmar holds 75% of the world’s reserves of Tectona grandis, better known as teak (kyun in Burmese). This dense, long-wearing, highly prized hardwood is one of Myanmar’s most important exports, for which the biggest consumers are China, Singapore and India.

NATIONAL PARKS Alan Rabinowitz’s Beyond the Last Village: A Journey of Discovery in Asia’s Forbidden Wilderness (2001) describes the rolled-up-sleeve efforts by himself and the Wildlife Conservation Society to set up reserves and parks in Myanmar’s northern areas.

Most of Myanmar’s protected areas are off-limits for travellers. See a list of wildlife sanctuaries at www .myanmars.net/travel /ecotourism.htm.

By an optimistic account, about 7.2% of Myanmar’s land area (48,981 sq km) is made up of national parks and national forests, wildlife sanctuaries and parks and other protected areas. Other accounts estimate the percentage of protected areas as more like 2.1% (and this tally takes in zoos and the like). Regardless, the government has pledged to expand the area, much to the credit of the efforts of the New York–based Wildlife Conservation Society. In 2004 the government expanded the Hukuang Valley Tiger Reserve (p225) in Kachin State to 8400 sq km (and it may grow to 12,000 sq km), making it the largest tiger reserve in the world. When set up in 2001, a mere 150 tigers roamed the area; hunting (for the Chinese market) has been a major cause of the decline. Most of the ‘ecotourist’ sights touted by the government (ranging from the zoo in the capital to the world’s largest tiger reserve in Kachin State) are in remote areas and require special permission to visit. The most visited national park is Mt Popa (p277), which receives 150,000 visitors annually. By one account, Myanmar sports more forest in general than any South or Southeast Asian country apart from India, and has 75% of the same area of forest as India, despite its much smaller size. That said, only 1.2% of Myanmar’s forests are protected – by one estimate; others have it at about 3% – so Myanmar’s forests remain the most unprotected in the region. The government apparently plans to expand, in increments, to protect 5%, then 10%, of the country at some point. We’ll see.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

A conservative estimate is that 500,000 cu metres of timber heads to China annually. Myanmar’s forest cover is currently about 50%, but apparently the percentage drops by 1.4% annually – one of the 10 worst deforestation rates in the world.

Essentially no environmental legislation was passed from the time of independence until after 1988, and unsurprisingly most of the government’s acts – such as recent efforts to ‘green the Dry Zone,’ protect wildlife etc – have been ineffective. At the moment, deforestation by the timber industry poses the greatest threat to wildlife habitats. In areas where habitat loss isn’t a problem, hunting threatens to wipe out the rarer animal species. Wildlife laws are seldom enforced, which hardly helps matters. Poaching remains a huge problem in Myanmar, where tiger, elephant, python, turtle and eagle is frequently sold in Mandalay (en route to China usually). Of the protected areas, 13 of 16 wildlife sanctuaries are smaller than 350 sq km – not big enough to make much of a difference. Marine life is threatened by a lack of long-range conservation goals. Myanmar’s move to industrialise means that the release of pollutants into rivers and the sea is steadily increasing, and overfishing, especially in the delta regions, is also a growing problem. The country must also deal with illegal encroachment on national fisheries by Bangladeshi, Thai and Malaysian fishing boats. Though most locals recycle nonbiodegradable material as a matter of course (disposability is still only a luxury for the rich here), and despite government’s plans to expand ‘protected’ areas, there is no ‘environmental movement’ in the country as such. About 70% of the population are farmers, and much of Myanmar’s forests have fallen to the axe – for fuel sources, or legal/illicit timber

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exports. One of the most troubled areas is the so-called ‘Dry Zone’, made up of heavily populated Mandalay, lower Sagaing and Magwe divisions. Little of the original vegetation remains in this pocket (which is about 10% of Myanmar’s land, but home to one-third of the population) due to growth in the area’s population and deforestation. The problem isn’t new. Much of Britain’s 19th-century industrialisation, as well as the train tracks made here in Myanmar, were built from cut Burmese timber. Following the 1988 putting down of the prodemocracy protests, the government relaxed timber and fishing laws for short-term gains, causing more long-term problems.

Myanmar is the world’s second-leading producer of heroin, with many poppy farms in the Golden Triangle area of Shan State. The UN’s Office of Drugs & Crime reported, however, that poppy cultivation fell by 29% in 2004.

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Food & Drink STAPLES & SPECIALTIES

When you’re served a bowl of hìn (curry), you’re not expected to consume all the oil; just spoon out the ingredients from underneath the layer.

One of the seminal works on Myanmar cuisine is Cook and Entertain the Burmese Way, by Mi Mi Khaing.

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(rice noodles with chicken or fish), which is eaten with a spoon and tu (chopsticks). Another popular noodle dish, especially at festivals, is oun-no hkauq-sweh, rice noodles with pieces of chicken in a spicy sauce made with coconut milk.

Burmese Cuisine

REGIONAL CUISINE

Mainstream Burmese cuisine represents an intriguing blend of Bamar, Mon, Indian and Chinese influences. T’ǎmìn, also written as htamin (rice) is the core of any Burmese meal, to be eaten with a choice of hìn (curry dishes), most commonly fish, chicken, prawns or mutton. Very little beef or pork is eaten by the Burmese – beef because it’s considered offensive to most Hindus and Burmese Buddhists, and pork because the nat (spirits) disapprove (see p60). Many Burmese Buddhists in fact abstain from eating the flesh of any four-legged animal, and, during the Buddhist rain retreat around the Waso full moon may take up a ‘fire-free’ diet that includes only uncooked vegetables and fruit. Nearly all butchers in Myanmar are either Muslim or Chinese. Unlike many Chinese dishes, Burmese food takes a long time to prepare, and is often best eaten either at lunch in restaurants when it’s fresh, or in homes. Bamar curries are the mildest in Asia in terms of chilli power – in fact most cooks don’t use chillies at all in their recipes, just a simple masala of turmeric, ginger, garlic, salt and onions, plus plenty of peanut oil and shrimp paste. Heat can be added in the form of balachaung, a table condiment made from chillies, tamarind and dried shrimp pounded together, or from the very pungent, very hot ngapi jaw (shrimp paste fried in peanut oil with chilli, garlic and onions). Curries are generally cooked until the oil separates from all other ingredients and floats on top. Some restaurants will add oil to maintain the correct top layer, as the oil preserves the underlying food from contamination by insects and airborne bacteria while the curries sit in open, unheated pots for hours at a time. Lots of dishes are flavoured with ngapi, which is a salty paste concocted from dried and fermented shrimp or fish, and can be very much an acquired taste. A thin sauce of pressed fish or shrimp called ngan-pya-ye may also be used to salt Bamar dishes. One of the culinary highlights of Burmese food (or Bamar food) is undoubtedly dhouq or thouq (also lethouq) – light, spicy salads made with raw vegetables or fruit tossed with lime juice, onions, peanuts, chillies and other spices. Among the most exquisite are maji-yweq dhouq, made with tender young tamarind leaves, and shauk-thi dhouq, mixed with pomelo, a large citrus fruit similar in appearance to grapefruit, but sweeter. T’ãmìn let-dhouq are savoury salads made with cooked rice. A popular finish to Bamar meals is la-hpeq dhouq (a saladlike concoction of pressed, moistened green tea leaves mixed with a combination of sesame seeds, fried peas, dried shrimp, fried garlic, peanuts, toasted coconut and ginger, and other crunchy flavourings). The ‘slimy-looking’ mass of leaves puts some foreigners off, but it’s actually quite tasty once you get beyond the dish’s exotic appearance. A common side dish is Indian-influenced peh-hìn-ye (lentil soup, or dahl); the classier restaurants may serve dahl fortified with chunks of boiled turnips, potatoes and okra. A hìn-jo (mild soup) of green squash may also be available. Once you’ve ordered one or more curries at an authentic t’ãmìn zain (rice shop), rice, dahl, soup, side dishes and Chinese tea come automatically for no charge. Noodle dishes are most often eaten for breakfast or as light meals between the main meals of the day. By far the most popular is mohinga

In Mandalay and around Inle (Kalaw, Pindaya, Nyaungshwe and Taunggyi) it is also fairly easy to find Shan cuisine, which is very similar to northern Thai cuisine. Popular dishes are k’auk sen (Shan-style wide rice noodles with curry) and various fish and meat salads. Large maung jeut (rice crackers) are common throughout Shan State. Shàn k’auk swèh (Shan-style noodle soup) – thin wheat noodles in a light broth with chunks of chilli-marinated chicken – is a favourite all over Myanmar but is most common in Mandalay and Shan State. A variation popular in Mandalay is made with rice noodles and called myi shay. Another Shan dish worth seeking out is t’ãmìn chin (‘sour rice’, a turmeric-coloured rice salad). Mon cuisine, most readily available in towns stretching from Bago to Mawlamyine, is very similar to Bamar food with a greater emphasis on curry selections. While a Bamar restaurant might offer a choice of four or five curries, a Mon restaurant will have as many as a dozen, all lined up in curry pots to examine. Mon curries are also more likely to contain chillies than in other cuisines. Rakhaing food most resembles dishes found in Bangladesh and India’s Bengal state, featuring lots of bean and pulse dishes, very spicy curries and flatbreads. Because of Rakhaing State’s long coastline, seafood is common in the larger towns. Seafood is also available and popular in Tanintharyi Division, which has a similarly lengthy sea coast.

Food is so enjoyed in Myanmar that standard greetings to friends and foreigners include: sar pyi bi lar? (‘have you eaten your lunch yet?’) and bar hìn ne sar le? (‘what curry did you have for lunch?’)

Chinese & Indian Cuisines In towns large and small throughout Myanmar you’ll find plenty of Chinese restaurants, many of which offer regional specialities that are a world (well, half of China anyway) away from the Chinese food found in Western countries. For example, there are Muslim-Chinese restaurants that serve Yunnanese specialities. Indian restaurants are also common, although much more so in Yangon than elsewhere. Most are run by Muslim Indians, a few by Hindus. Excellent chicken dan bauk (biryani) as well as all-you-can-eat vegetarian thali served on a banana-leaf is easy to find in the capital. The Myanmar people call Indian restaurants that serve all-you-can-eat thalis ‘Chitty’ or ‘Chetty’ restaurants. Many Indian places outside of Yangon can be very basic.

Fruit Myanmar has a wide variety of tropical fruits (watermelon, grapefruit lychee, pomelo, banana, tangerine etc) and in season you can get delicious strawberries in Pyin U Lwin, Mandalay and even Yangon. Don’t miss the huge avocados if you’re in the Inle Lake area. Bago is known for its tasty pineapples, and Hsipaw has the most delicious papayas we’ve ever sampled. Mangoes are available from March through July, jackfruit from June to October.

DRINKS

Nonalcoholic Drinks Only drink water in Myanmar when you know it has been purified – which in most restaurants it should be. You should be suspicious of ice

Half of Ba Than’s fun little book Myanmar’s Attractions & Delights (2003) features snippets of background on various dishes and food-related customs. The book is available in some Yangon bookshops.

76 F O O D & D R I N K • • D r i n k s

For more tips on drinking water, see p375.

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although we’ve had lots of ice drinks in Myanmar without suffering any ill-effects. Many brands of drinking water are sold in bottles and are quite safe. A 1L bottle, usually kept cool by ice or refrigerator, costs about K150 or K200. Burmese tea, brewed in the Indian style with lots of milk and sugar, is cheap. If this is not to your liking, ask for Chinese tea, which is weak and comes without milk. Many restaurants, the Chinese ones in particular, will provide as much weak Chinese tea as you can handle – for free if you order some food. It’s a good, safe thirst quencher and some people prefer it to regular Burmese tea. You can always buy some little snack if you’d like some tea but not a meal. Teashops (p79) are a good place to drink safely boiled tea and munch on inexpensive snacks such as nambya, palata (kinds of flat breads) or Chinese pastries. Soft drinks are more costly but reasonable by Asian standards. Since the privatisation of industry there has been a boom in new made-inMyanmar soft-drink brands, including Fantasy, Max, Star, Fruito and Crusher. They taste pretty much the same as a Coke and are not frequently found outside Yangon or touristy areas. Local soft drinks costs about K150 per bottle, while a Coke can be K700 or more because it can only be brought into the country via the black market. Coffee drinkers will find themselves growing disturbingly attached to the ‘three-in-one’ packets of instant coffee (the ‘three’ being coffee, milk and sugar), which you can have in teashops for about K200. Shops sell them for K100 each in stores.

Alcoholic Drinks In the past the Burmese were not big drinkers. This was partially due to the general lack of disposable income but also because alcohol-drinking is looked down upon by the many Burmese Buddhists who interpret the fifth lay precept against intoxication very strictly. However, with the advent of ‘beer stations’ – places that serve cheap draught beer – the number of urban Burmese who can afford a few glasses of beer after work is on the rise. In fact, beer stations seem to be giving the traditional Burmese teashops some stiff competition. Any place selling beer or alcohol must pay (sometimes relatively expensive) ‘alcohol licence fees’ to the government. See p79 for information on drinking venues. BEER

Apart from international brands such as Tiger, ABC Stout, Singha, San Miguel, Beck and other beers brewed in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia (typically costing K800 to K1200 for a 375mL can or bottle), there are a couple of Myanmar brews. These include long-established Myanmar Beer, which is very similar to Indian or Sri Lankan beer – and equal to Tiger, to the palate of at least a couple of researchers. A more watery beer is Mandalay Beer. If you order it, some waiting staff may double-check to see if you meant ‘Myanmar’ beer. Some bottles contain a layer of sediment on the bottom resulting from inadequate filtration. Founded in 1886, Mandalay Brewery, in Yangon, also produces the New Mandalay Export label, which is the best-tasting local beer. Some fine, newer, brands brewed in Myanmar include Dagon and Skol. All these cost about the same as Mandalay Beer but taste a lot better. Also worth a try is the new Mandalay Strong Ale, which packs a punch with a 7.5% alcohol content. Among the locals, Myanmar draught is the favourite; a glass of it will only set you back K250.

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F O O D & D R I N K • • C e l e b r a t i o n s 77

TODDY

Throughout central Myanmar and the delta, t’àn ye (or htan ye; palm juice) or toddy is the farmer’s choice of alcoholic beverage. T’àn ye is tapped from the top of a toddy palm, the same tree – and the same sap – that produces jaggery, or palm sugar. The juice is sweet and nonalcoholic in the morning, but by midafternoon ferments naturally to a weak, beerlike strength. By the next day it will have turned. The milky, viscous liquid has a nutty aroma and a slightly sour flavour that fades quickly. Villages in some areas have their own thatched-roof toddy bars where the locals meet and drink pots of fermented toddy. The toddy is sold in the same roughly engraved terracotta pots the juice is collected in and drunk from coconut half-shells set on small bamboo pedestals. Favourite toddy accompaniments include prawn crackers and fried peas. Some toddy bars also sell t’àn-ayeq (toddy liquor, also called jaggery liquor), a much stronger, distilled form of toddy sap. OTHER LIQUORS & WINES

Very popular in Shan State is an orange brandy called shwe leinmaw, with prices decreasing depending on how close to the source you buy it. Much of it is distilled in the mountains between Kalaw and Taunggyi. It’s a pleasant-tasting liqueur – sort of a poor man’s Grand Marnier – and packs quite a punch. In Pyin U Lwin, there are several sweet strawberry-based wines you can pick up. There is also a variety of stronger liquors, including ayeq hpyu (white liquor), which varies in strength from brandylike to almost pure ethyl; and taw ayeq (jungle liquor), a cruder form of ayeq hpyu.

CELEBRATIONS Burmese meals are made not with servings, but giant shareable portions, and feasts often spill into grand family-and-friends affairs. For some birthdays, when a child ‘takes the robe’ and joins a monastery, and certainly funerals (or anniversaries of deaths), monks are invited to eat with Buddhist families, who offer blessings to the family. Those who can afford it arrange large parties to eat at Chinese restaurants or hotel restaurants for weddings or birthdays.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK Myanmar has essentially three dining/drinking scenarios: what’s in Yangon; what’s in other oft-visited places (Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake, Ngapali Beach); and then everywhere else. Food can be quite cheap (from K1000 for a full stomach) if you stick to the roadside restaurants with their curry-filled pots or pick-and-point rice dishes. On the other hand, the restaurants of big hotels or Yangon's expat-oriented scene are predictably expensive; some only accept US dollars. Other oft-visited towns have restaurants that cater to travellers, though they are not as upmarket as some restaurants in Yangon. Because almost all accommodation options include a free breakfast of eggs – or, on occasion, mohinga – many travellers don’t venture out in the morning.

Quick Eats By far the bulk of eateries throughout Myanmar are basic with concrete floors, wide-open front for ventilation and often a menu in English. Burmese eateries are busiest (and many say freshest) at lunch. No menus

Many festivals in Myanmar involve celebrations. For more information, see p340.

78 F O O D & D R I N K • • W h e re t o E a t & D r i n k

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STREET SNACKS: WE DARE YOU Myanmar thăye-za (literally ‘mouth-watering snack’) come in an eye-popping array of cheap bitesized snacks that line ‘night markets’ all around the country. Most of the stuff isn’t threatening – multicoloured sticky-rice sweets, poppy-seed cakes, dried salt fish split open and de-boned, and banana or potato puddings. A bag of the sweet offerings can be taken to a restaurant for a cheap BYO dessert. Other options, though, are a little more of a challenge to Western stomachs. Some locals boast that ‘anything that walks on the ground can be eaten’, the following list is testimony to that saying: items at a wek thaa douk htoe (barbecue stand) – these stands are a few tiny plastic stools around a boiling pot and a circular grill filled with various sliced-up pig organs (liver, intestine, lung, pancreas, heart, head, lip, ears, nose, tongue); grab and grill and dip in the spicy sauce for about K20 per piece. pa-yit kyaw (fried cricket) – like the ol’ adage goes, there’s nothing like a 10-pack of fried crickets for K400 to kick off an evening; sometimes they are sold on a skewer – one local explained how to eat them: ‘take off the head, peel off the wings and gulp it’. bi-laar (beetle) – prepared like crickets, except diners ‘suck the stomach out, then chew the head part’. thin baun poe (larva) – these thick, cocoonlike insect larvae, freshly taken from bamboo poles, are lightly grilled and served still wriggling; a vendor explained, ‘It’s best to eat raw because it’s good for your stomach’, apparently there’s a big demand in China for these, so eat them while you can.

are necessary at most; just go to the line of curries and point to what you want. A meal comes with a tableful of condiments, all of which are automatically refilled once you finish them. An all-you-can-eat meal is about K1000 or K1500. Some basic eateries operate as long as restaurants (roughly 7am to 8pm or 9pm). Another abundant option is the (usually) hole-in-the-wall Indian curry shop, which generally serves veggie dishes only and no beer. You can recognise Muslim (halal) restaurants by the numeral 786 over the door, sometimes flanked by the star-and-crescent symbol. This number represents the Arabic phrase ‘In the name of Allah the most beneficent and merciful’. Like most Southeast Asians, the people of Myanmar are great graband-go snackers; stands at night markets, selling a host of sweets and barbecued meals and noodles, get going around 5pm to 8pm or later, and are generally the liveliest and cheapest eating in Myanmar. Generally you can get some fried noodles, a few pieces of pork, or sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf for K100 to K250. Street and market stalls tend to provide the regional dishes, but you’ll need to be a little wary of cleanliness.

Restaurants Most restaurants keep long hours daily, usually from 7am to 9pm or until the last diner wants to stumble out – belly full of curry or beer. Chinese restaurants are found in most towns, and can be quite appealing after a week or so of Burmese food. Most have similar sprawling menus, with as many as 50 rice or noodle chicken, pork, lamb, fish, beef or vegetable dishes. Veggie dishes start at around K500 or K600; meat dishes about K1000. SWISHY EATS

More upmarket restaurants – sometimes serving a mix of Asian foods, others specialising (Italian, Thai etc) – can be found in Bagan, Mandalay,

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F O O D & D R I N K • • W h e re t o E a t & D r i n k 79

Inle Lake and (especially) Yangon. Also, most top-end hotels, too, offer plusher eating places, sometimes set around the pool. Such comfort is rarer to come by off the beaten track. In Yangon, a dish at a Japanese, Korean or Italian restaurant, for example, can cost up to US$10. A hot pizza at Nyaung U, in Bagan, is about K1200 or K1500. Upscale hotel restaurants usually have a few Bamar dishes on their menus but these will be toned-down versions of the real thing, with less chilli and seasonings, and they’ll usually come with fewer accompanying dishes.

Drinking Venues Outside Yangon, drinking gets done at restaurants or open-air barbecue restaurants sometimes called in Burmese-English, cutely, ‘beer stations’. Opening hours are therefore the same as for restaurants. All but Indian restaurants keep cold bottles of Tiger and Myanmar beer handy (charging from K1000 to K1200 in basic restaurants, upwards to K3000 in swankier ones). It’s perfectly fine to linger for hours and down a few beers. Men and women don’t often intermingle at restaurants, so in many places you may see red-faced men lingering over a slowly amassing number of empty bottles, with full ones always kept nearby by waiting staff. More upmarket restaurants will serve foreign wines and mix cocktails. For information on Yangon’s lively drinking scene, including expat hang-outs and places where many famous Myanmar musicians go to get blitzed, see p118.

Teashops At all times of day you’ll see locals sitting in teashops, where the tea flows freely and the assorted pastries are very inexpensive. Teashops are an important social institution in Myanmar, serving as meeting places for friends, family and business associates, as well as a source of cheap nutrition and caffeine. The shops come in all shapes and sizes, indoor and outdoor, morningoriented and evening-oriented. The morning teashops are typically open from 5am to 5pm, and generally serve the best-quality tea; many will also serve Burmese-style coffee. Evening teashops open from 4pm or 5pm and stay open till 11pm or later – even all night in some places, particularly near train or bus stations that have late-night activity. MYANMAR’S TOP FIVE RESTAURANTS Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine, Yangon (p112) If you’re tired of streetside stalls serving mohinga (noodles and chicken/fish), this stylish colonial building serves excellent Burmese fare on its outdoor patio overlooking Kandawgyi Lake. Grilled squid at a private open-air restaurant, Ngapali Beach (p316) Fresh squid dunked in chilli/garlic sauce is probably Myanmar’s best meal. Seik Tie Kye Restaurant (p199) You and three pals can share a giant steaming hotpot of chicken and beancurd then order fresh ice-cream chasers – for about K2000 each. Aroma 2, Nyaung U (p271) Fresh Indian curries – fish, mutton, veggie – come on banana-leaf plates; the best stuff needs to be ordered a day ahead. Burmese Cuisine, Hsipaw (p212) Sure the name’s obvious, but this hole-in-the-wall fills a host of pots with tasty curries; best is the pumpkin – for K300 a plate.

80 F O O D & D R I N K • • Ve g e t a r i a n s & Ve g a n s

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The quality of tea can vary dramatically from one teashop to the next. The best use only fresh, top-quality Indian-style tea for every brewing cycle, while the worst recycle tea leaves until the flavour and colour are gone. A cup of tea, served with condensed milk, is K100 to K200. You can get hot Chinese-style tea at many restaurants for free with food; most restaurants do not serve ‘Indian tea’ (aka ‘Burmese tea’) with milk.

EAT YOUR WORDS

F O O D & D R I N K • • E a t Y o u r W o r d s 81

For some general Burmese phrases and pronunciation guidelines see the Language chapter on p379.

Useful Phrases FINDING FOOD

Is there a ... near here? Myanmar’s teashops are often excellent places to go for breakfast.

ORDERING DELICIOUS TEA

Getting tea with milk at a teashop can be one of the country’s great challenges. Some servers know the English word ‘tea’, but you may end up with Chinese-style tea (and no milk) unless you’re willing to point-andnod at fellow sippers’ tables, or learn a couple of phrases. lǎp’eq·ye – tea water, will come with a dollop of condensed milk cho bouk – less sweet version of lǎp’eq·ye kyauk padaung – very sweet, the phrase comes from a famous sugarpalm–growing region near Bagan

VEGETARIANS & VEGANS Vegetarians will be able to find fare at most restaurants in Myanmar. Even meaty barbecues have a few skewered vegetables that can be grilled up. The easiest way to convey your needs is saying ‘I can’t eat meat’ (ãthà mãsà-nain-bù). In some cases, saying ‘no chicken, no pork, no fish’ in English gets the point across. Some Indian or Nepali restaurants are vegan. Throughout the regional chapters, we highlight some particularly good vegetarian options or restaurants.

EATING WITH KIDS You won’t find children’s menus in Myanmar restaurants, but staff will be happy to serve kids and can offer smaller portions on request. Some more traveller-oriented restaurants have bonus features such as puppet shows or live music that may add to the fun.

HABITS & CUSTOMS At home, most families take their meals sitting on reed mats around a low, round table about 30cm in height. In restaurants, chairs and tables are more common. The entire meal is served at once, rather than in courses. In basic Bamar restaurants, each individual diner in a group typically orders a small plate of curry for himself or herself, while side dishes are shared among the whole party. This contrasts with China and Thailand, for example, where every dish is usually shared. Traditionally, Bamar food is eaten with the fingers, much like in India, usually with the right hand (but using the left doesn’t seem to be a taboo as it is in India). Nowadays, it’s also common for urban Myanmar people to eat with a k’ăyìn or hkayin (fork) and zùn (tablespoon). These are always available at Bamar restaurants and almost always given to foreign diners. DO’S & DON’TS A fork is held in the left hand and used as a probe to push food onto the spoon; you eat from the spoon. If you’re invited to a home, it’s common for the hostess and children to not eat at the table. Locals tend to focus on the flavours, not table talk, during meals. If you’re asked to join someone at a restaurant, they will expect to pay for the meal.

... di·nà·hma shí·dhǎlà?

Chinese restaurant food stall restaurant Shan noodle stall

... dIn;"mH;rHiol;"> tǎyouq·s’ain sà·thauq·s’ain sà·daw·s’eq shàn·k’auk·swèh·zain

trut'zui=' c;"eo;k'zui=' c;"et;'zk' rHm'"ex:k'zâEzui='

ORDERING

I can’t eat meat. ǎthà mǎsà·nain·bù.

ao;" mc;"Nui='.U">

Do you have any drinking water? thauq·ye shí·dhǎlà?

eo;k'errHiol;">

What’s the best dish to eat today? di·né ba·hìn ǎkaùn·zoùn·lèh?

dIen¾.;h='"aek;='"zu®"lE>

Please bring (a) ... ... yu·pè·ba ... yUep"p:> chopsticks tu fork k’ǎyìn spoon zùn knife dà glass p’an·gweq plate bǎgan·byà bowl bǎgan·loùn cup k’weq I didn’t order this. da mǎhma·bù

tU xk'r='" jân'" /:" fn'xâk' pn'"kn'¨p;" pn'"kn'lu®" xâk'

d: mmH;.U">

Food Glossary MEALS

breakfast lunch dinner snack/small meal

mǎneq·sa né·leh·za nyá·za móun/thǎye·za

mnk'c; en¾l–''c; –c; mun'¾àoerc;

TYPICAL BURMESE DISHES

ǎmèh·hnaq ceq·thà·ǎc’o·jeq ceq·thà·gin ceq·thà·jaw hìn ãmèh-dhà-hìn ceq-thà-hìn hìn·dhì·hìn·yweq·hìn/ thì·zoun·hìn hìn·jo s’an·hlaw·hìn·jo s’eh·hnǎmyò·hìn·jo móun·di móun·hìn·gà

amENHp' äkk'o;"axYiŸxYk' äkk'o;"k=' äkk'o;"eäk;' h='" amEo;"h='" äkk'o;"h='" h='"oI"h='"râkh ' ='"à oI"cu®h='" h='"xYiŸ zn'elH;'h='"xYiŸ zy'¾NHc'mYiŸ"h='"xYiŸ mun'¾tI mun'¾h='"x:"

beef in gravy sweet chicken grilled chicken (satay) fried chicken curry beef curry chicken curry vegetable curry soup (clear or mild) sizzling rice soup ‘12-taste’ soup Mandalay mount-ti (noodles & chicken/fish) mohinga (noodles and chicken/fish)

82 F O O D & D R I N K • • E a t Y o u r W o r d s

móun·s’i·jaw móun·zàn ngà·dhouq ngà·baùn·(douq) t’ǎmìn kauk·hnyìn·baùn oùn·t’ǎmìn t’ ǎmìn-gyaw t’àn·thì·móun weq·thà·ni

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mun'¾zIeäk;'' mun'¾zn'" =:"ou=' =:"ep:='"(qup') qm='" ek;k'–H='"ep:='" aun'"qm='" qm='"eäk;' qn'"oI"mun'¾ vk'o;"nI

sweet fried-rice pancakes sticky rice cake with jaggery (palm sugar) fish salad steamed fish (in banana leaves) rice steamed sticky rice coconut rice fried rice toddy-palm sugar cake red pork

amEo;" äkk'o;" xru =:" =:"xU =:"rH„'¾ p='ly'c;àerotËv: ¨p–'äkI"=:" oel;k'ep:='" vk'o;"

beef chicken shellfish fish catfish eel seafood squid carp pork

.U"oI" äkk'oân'nI egòfIqup' h='"oI"h='"râk' mîi‘ =Hk'epY;fU" kul;"pE xrm'"oI" xrm'"xYw'oI" mun'l;wv: pn'"egòfI fru®oI" pEoI" e¨p;='"fU"

zucchini/gourd onion cabbage vegetables mushrooms banana flower chick peas eggplant/aubergine tomato carrot cauliflower pumpkin beans corn (cob)

äoj;oI" äkk'em;k'oI" kâJEek;oI" dU"r='"oI" lui='xYI"oI" liemμ;'oI" mk'mn'"oI" mn'kY–'"oI" n;nt'oI" =Hk'epY;oI" aun'"oI" pn'"oI" ep:='mun'¾oI" erH;k'oI" eq;pt'oI"

custard apple (‘influence fruit’) rambutan (‘cocksomb fruit’) pomelo durian lychee orange plum (damson) tamarind pineapple banana coconut apple (‘flower fruit’) breadfruit lemon avocado (‘butter fruit’)

MEAT & SEAFOOD

ǎmèh·dhà ceq·thà k’ǎyú ngà ngǎk’u ngǎshín pin·leh·za/ye·thaq·tǎwa pyi·jì·ngà thǎlauq·paùn weq·thà VEGETABLES

bù·dhì ceq·thun·ni gaw·bi·douq hìn·dhì·hìn·yweq hmo hngǎpyàw·bù kǎlǎbèh k’ǎyàn·dhì k’ǎyàn·jin·dhì moun·la·ú·wa pàn-gaw·p’i p’ǎyoun·dhì pèh·dhì pyaùn·bù FRUIT

àw·za·thì ceq·mauq·thì cwèh·gàw·dhì dù·yìn·dhì lain·c’ì·dhì lein·maw·dhì meq·màn·dhì mǎjì·dhì na·naq·thì ngǎpyàw·dhì oùn·dhì pàn·dhì paun·móun·dhì shauq·thì t’àw·baq·thì

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than·bǎya·dhì thiq·thì/a·thì thǎyeq·dhì thìn·bàw·dhì

F O O D & D R I N K • • E a t Y o u r W o r d s 83

o®pr;oI" oc'oI"àaoI" ork'oI" oe.¿;oI"

lime fruit mango papaya (‘boat-shaped fruit’)

SPICES & CONDIMENTS

ceq·thun·byu gyìn hnàn hnìn·ye kalà t’àw·baq kùn·ya meiq·thǎlin mye·bèh·(jaw) nan·nan·bin ngan·pya·ye ngǎyouq·thì ngǎyouq·ye oùn·nó p’a·la·zé pèh·ngan·pya·ye t’àw·baq tha·gu t’oùn s’à s’ǎnwìn sha·lǎka·ye thǎjà tó·hù/tó·p’ù

äkk'oân'¨f† gY='" NHm'" NH='"r–' kul;"eq;pt' kâm'"y; mit'ol=' e¨mpE(eäk;') n®n®p=' =®¨p;r–' =rut'oI" =rut'r–' aun'"Niu¾ f:l;ec¾ pE=®¨p;r–' eq;pt' o;gU qu®" z;" zNâ='" rH;lk;r–' oäk;" t¾uihU"àt¾uif"

garlic ginger sesame rose syrup ghee betel quid galangal (white gingerlike root) peanuts (fried) coriander fish sauce chilli chilli sauce coconut cream cardamon soy sauce butter sago/tapioca lime (for betel) salt turmeric vinegar sugar tofu (beancurd)

ark' .ilp'r–'àefY;'r–' .Iy; äk®r–' liemμ;'r–' Nâ;"Nui¾ aun'"r–' zuid: qn'"r–' o®pr;r–' er on'¾er erea" erxYk'ea" ereNâ"

alcohol soft drink beer sugarcane juice orange juice milk coconut juice soda water toddy lime juice water bottled water (‘clean water’) cold water boiled cold water hot water

ek;'fI oäk;"nE¾ Nui¾zInE¾ Nâ;"Nui¾nE¾ lk'fk'r–'äkm'"à ereNâ"äkm'" lk'fk'r–'

coffee with sugar with condensed milk with milk green tea (plain)

COLD DRINKS

ǎyeq bí·laq·ye/p’yaw·ye bi·ya/tăbălìn can·ye lein·maw·ye nwà·nó oùn·ye s’o·da t’àn·ye than·bǎya·ye ye thán·ye ye·è ye·jeq·è ye·nwè HOT DRINKS

kaw·fi dhǎjà·néh nó·s’ì·néh nwà·nó·néh lǎp’eq·ye·jàn/ ye·nwè·jàn leq·p’eq·ye

tea (Indian)

© Lonely Planet Publications 84

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Yangon

HISTORY

r n ' .un ' Yangon (formerly Rangoon) gives the impression of picturesque dishevelment, a half-finished work in progress, and is the most multiethnic, cosmopolitan, and interesting city in Myanmar. Located in the fertile delta region of central Myanmar on the wide Yangon River, this city more than anywhere else in the country exudes an entrepreneurial energy, at least as much as the government allows; commuters shuttle between work, home and school on recycled Chinese ferries, and Western-style shopping centres teem with a new generation of mall rats. Crumbling decrepit buildings such as the impressive colonnaded ministries that line Strand Rd, the tall glass Chinese-style office towers and the glittering gold-topped stupas make up an untidy, irregular jumble teeming with life. From above, rooftop orchards of satellite dishes look like they are being swallowed by a sea of telephone wires, creeping through the patchwork quilt of disparate architecture. Packs of kids in spotless green school uniforms, teenagers in jeans and T-shirts, saffron-robed monks and longyi-clad men and women navigate the thronging, crumbling sidewalks of the city centre, dodging the miniature furniture of the ubiquitous teahouses and street vendors peddling everything imaginable, from knock-off sunglasses and second-hand clothes, to glossy posters of Burmese models and movie stars. Parts of the city look like they’re recovering from a strong quake, parts are rich in greenery, and parts are like mushrooming industrial appendages seen the world over. In Yangon, despite the contradictions of modern urban life, flip-flops are the footwear of choice, and the vibe is more easygoing than frenetic. It’s one of the most exotic and striking cities in Southeast Asia. HIGHLIGHTS The one stupa not to be missed, golden Shwedagon Paya (p90) lives up to the hype

Shwedagon Paya

Kandawgyi Lake

Bogyoke Aung San Market (p121) is a bargain-shoppers paradise Everything and everyone is waiting for you at Yangon’s downtown street life (p121) Wander around the architectural hodge podge of downtown (p105) where glittering, ancient payas (Buddhist monuments) share the streets with colonial old Rangoon From corner teashops to night-time grill shops to international haute cuisine, dining out (p112) in Yangon is a treat; and cuisines come together in filling harmony TELEPHONE CODE: 01

Bogyoke Aung San Market

Downtown Yangon

Yang

POPULATION: 5 MILLION

on Riv

er

ELEVATION: 14M

As Myanmar’s capital city, Yangon is comparatively young – it only became the capital in 1885 when the British completed the conquest of northern Myanmar and Mandalay’s brief period as the centre of the last Burmese kingdom ended. Despite its short history as the seat of national government, Yangon has been in existence for a long time – although very much as a small town, in comparison to places such as Bago (Pegu), Pyay or Thaton. In 1755 King Alaungpaya conquered central Myanmar and built a new city on the site of Yangon, which at that time was known as Dagon. Yangon means ‘end of strife’: the king rather vainly hoped that with the conquest of central Myanmar, his struggles would be over. In 1756, with the destruction of Thanlyin (Syriam) across the river, Yangon also became an important seaport. In 1841 the city was virtually destroyed by fire; the rebuilt town again suffered extensive damage during the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. The British, the new masters, rebuilt the capital to its present plan and corrupted the city’s name to Rangoon. Yangon’s early history as Dagon is tied very closely to its grand Buddhist stupa, the Shwedagon Paya. It doesn’t stand in the city centre, rather about 3km to the north – yet it totally dominates the Yangon skyline. In 1988 around 15% of Yangon’s city centre population – all squatters – were moved to seven myo thit (new towns) northeast of the city centre. Many of the old colonial buildings once occupied by the squatters have now been refurbished for use as offices, businesses and apartments. The government rationalised the imposed relocations as being an effort to distribute the city population more evenly, to impose order on development and to insure space for industrial parks planned for the city’s edge. The city has changed dramatically following the 1989 banishment of socialism. Starting in the early 1990s, the government began sprucing up the city’s appearance by cleaning the streets and painting many public buildings. Since 1992, when the relatively moderate, procapitalist General Than Shwe took power, new cars and trucks have taken to city roads, mobile phones are com-

YA N G O N • • H i s t o r y 85

monly seen in the city centre and satellite dishes dot the horizon. To try and keep blood-red spittle off the streets, the selling of betel nut was banned in 1995. As with many such decrees, the results have been negligible.

ORIENTATION The city is bounded to the south and west by the Yangon River (also known as the Hlaing River) and to the east by Pazundaung Chaung (Pazundaung Canal), which flows into the Yangon River. The city is divided into townships, and street addresses are often suffixed with these names (eg 126 52nd St, Botataung Township – or Botataung t/s). North of the centre, the city opens up like the top of a funnel and spreads along a network of long, curving avenues. At the northern end, most businesses and hotels are found along Pyay Rd, Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd or Insein Rd – long thoroughfares running south from the airport area to the city centre. Addresses in this northern area often quote the number of miles from Sule Paya – the landmark paya (stupa or pagoda) in the city’s centre. For example, ‘Pyay Rd, Mile 8’ means the place is 8 miles (13km) north of Sule Paya on Pyay Rd. Two of the most important townships outside the central area are Dagon – where you’ll find Shwedagon Paya, People’s Park and several embassies – and Bahan, site of YANGON STREET NAMES The English terms of street and road are often used interchangeably in Yangon for the single Burmese word làn. Hence, some local maps may read Shwe Gone Daing St, while others will say Shwe Gone Daing Rd; in Burmese, it’s simply Shwe Gone Daing Làn. This chapter uses the most common English version that travellers encounter. Just to make matters a little more confusing, different maps present the actual names of streets differently, for example Shwe Gone Daing Rd is Shwegondaing Rd on some local maps. Similarly, U Wi Za Ra Rd may appear as as U Wizara Rd, Dhamma Zedi Rd as Dhammazedi Rd, and Sule Paya Rd as Sule Pagoda Rd, and there are many other differences.

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ὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ Ὀ B

To Bago (78km); Pyay (286km); Mandalay (644km)

C

43

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North Okkalapa

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University

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Ha

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Kokkine Rd

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K

Rd

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rR

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Thuwunna Bridge

Ayer Won Main Rd

Sanchaung

Rd

Ahlone

Sule Pagoda Rd

6

Yangon

Stra

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Thaketa Bridge Pazundaung Mahabandoola Bridge Botataung

Min Yan nan Pya da e St Rd Ma n Py My ae S in t Taw Taw St My in T aw Shuk Tha St hinthar r St

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INFORMATION DHL Express Mail...............................(see 34) Diethelm Travel..................................(see 34) IInsein General Hospital..........................1 A2 International SOS Medical Centre......(see 34) Israeli Embassy.......................................2 B4 Philippines Embassy................................3 B3 Sangha Hospital.....................................4 B3 Women and Children Hospital............... 5 D3 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Ah Lain Nga Sint Paya...........................6 American Club.......................................7 Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre...8 City Golf Resort Club..............................9 Insein Market........................................10 Insein Prison..........................................11 Insein Park............................................12 Kaba Aye Paya.....................................13 Kyaikkasan Paya...................................14 Kyaikwaing Paya..................................15

A2 B3 C3 A1 A2 A2 A2 C3 D4 B3

Maha Pasan Guha................................16 C3 Me La Mu Paya...................................17 C2 Myaing Haywun Park...........................18 B3 Myanma Gems Museum & Market......19 C3 Myanmar Golf Club..............................20 B2 Na-Gar Glass Factory............................21 B3 Naga Cave Paya...................................22 C2 Nagayon Paya......................................23 B2 Nandawun Market...............................24 C3 Pinlon Market......................................25 D3 Sailing Club........................................(see 31) Shan Kyaung Paya................................26 B2 South Okkala Paya.............................. 27 D3 State Pariyatti Sasana University.........................................28 C3 Swe Taw Myat Paya (Buddha Tooth Relic Pagoda).......... 29 C2 Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium.... 30 D5 Yangon Boat Club................................31 B4 Yangon Institute of Technology...........32 A2 Yone Yang Antique Shop..................... 33 C4

many of the city’s midrange and top-end hotels and inns. Kandawgyi lake interrupts the flow of traffic from north to south, roads extend from it like spokes in a wheel, and it is a convenient landmark from which to orient yourself. Central Yangon is a relatively simple area to find your way around, and pleasant enough to explore on foot. The main central streets are laid out in a grid pattern, with the minor north-south streets numbered in the North American fashion. Many of the major roads were renamed after independence.

n n Ga

30

Tamwe

Bahan

YA N G O N • • I n f o r m a t i o n 87

INFORMATION

ng Rd

Creek

Yangon River

ar

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38

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33

ar aN Ya D 14

in

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To Yau Kyaw Paya (2km)

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42

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ain

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Rd

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South Okkala

24

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23

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To Hliang Thar Yar Bus Station (10km); Nyaung Tone (61km)

3

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Yangon International North Airport Okkalapa

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SLEEPING Dusit Inya Lake Resort........................(see 34) Renaissance Inya Lake Hotel................34 C4 Royal White Elephant Hotel..................35 B4 Shwe Hinthar Inn ................................36 B3 EATING L’Moliere Restaurant ...........................37 B3 L’Opera Restaurant..............................38 C4 Silom Village Restaurant ......................39 B4 ENTERTAINMENT Asia Point Bowling Centre................... 40 D6 Nawaday Cinema.................................41 C3 SHOPPING Royal Rose...........................................42 C4 TRANSPORT Aung Mingalar Highway Bus Station....43 C1 Saw Bwar Gyi Gone Bus Station...........44 A2

the western arch. There is no public library system in the country. Alliance Francaise (Map p98; %282 122; Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Rd; hTue & Fri) Attached to the French embassy; try here for French-language material. American Center (Map p98; %223 140; 14 Taw Win St; h9am-4pm Mon-Fri) Behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also has a collection of books and magazines, which can be perused. British Council Library (Map p102; %295 300; Strand Rd; h8.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-4.30pm Sat) A very modern and plush facility connected to the British embassy. It has a small library of English-language magazines, books and videos and one of the most complete collections of English-language history books on Myanmar.

Bookshops

Emergency

It’s worth checking out the many bookstalls around Bogyoke Aung San Market (see p121; formerly known as Scott Market) or along 37th St. Several stalls have small selections of novels and nonfiction books in English, French and German. Bagan Bookshop (Map p102; %377 227; 100 37th St;

Your home embassy (see p339) may be able to assist with advice during emergencies or serious problems. It’s a good idea to register with your embassy upon arrival or, if possible, online before you arrive, so that the embassy staff will know where to reach you in case of an emergency at home. There isn’t always an English-speaking operator on the following numbers; you may have to enlist the aid of a Burmese speaker to make these calls. Ambulance (%192) Fire department (%191) Police (%199) Red Cross (%295 133)

h9am-5.30pm, closed Mon) It has the most complete selection of English-language books on Myanmar and Southeast Asia. The front gate pulled across the entrance doesn’t necessarily mean the place is closed unless the door inside the gate is closed too. The Bagan even has a photocopier so you can copy rare, out-of-print books on Myanmar. Inwa Bookshop (Map p102; Sule Paya Rd) This bookshop next to the Nay Pyi Daw Cinema sells old issues of foreign magazines such as Newsweek and Der Spiegel as well English-language airport paperbacks and romance novels.

Cultural Centres & Libraries At Shwedagon Paya, you can visit the Library & Archives of Buddhism, located in

Internet Resources Most top-end hotels and many midrange ones offer Internet access, as do a steadily growing number of small businesses and cafés. Several of the larger shopping centres in the city have Internet cafés as well.

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GREATER YANGON

R ha rat aw An

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86 YA N G O N • • G re a t e r Ya n g o n

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Money

YANGON IN…

Two Days Start the morning with a traditional Myanmar breakfast of fish soup and tea. No matter how early you begin the city will already be up and buzzing. Before the sun gets too high in the sky and the heat becomes oppressive take a walk around Chinatown (p117), the bustling markets (p121) in the surrounding blocks and Sule Paya (p97), the geographic heart of the city. Lunch in one of the Indian eateries nearby before doing some cruising around some temples north of the city centre, including the Chaukhtatgyi Paya (p99) and nearby Ngahtatgyi Paya (p100). Then take a stroll around Kandawgyi (p102), and maybe stop in for a drink at one of the lakeside restaurants or hotels. Now, move on to the main event: the Shwedagon Pagoda (p90), the highlight of any tour in Yangon, deserves time, attention and the perfect light of a Yangon sunset. Dine at one of the excellent restaurants – Bamar, Thai, Korean, Japanese, French or Italian – in the immediate vicinity. The second day can begin much like the first at a street side teashop. Morning is the best time for a ferry back and forth to Dalah (p125) on the other side of the Yangon river to provide a little taste of delta life. Back on dry ground, the Botataung Paya (p97) near the jetty is the next logical stop. Take a walk along Strand Rd for the British colonial-era architecture or head directly to lunch at one of the restaurants around Bogyoke Aung San Market (p121). Then there’s the market itself, a bargain-shoppers Shangri-la, a maze of deals just waiting to be had. If your bags are too heavy, you might want to return to your hotel, otherwise the street stalls (p117) in Chinatown are a good way to meet locals while dinning in the city centre. If you still have some get-up-and go, head to a teashop or one of the roof-top clubs nearby to squeeze as much as you can out of the Myanmar capital.

Rates are by the hour – usually pro rata if under an hour – and you can send and receive however many messages you want and access whatever websites you like, assuming they haven’t been banned by the government. A few hotels still charge per page to send or receive messages to their private email account. Server speeds tend to be frustratingly slow. Bee Internet Café (Map p98; 23A Na Wa Day St; per hr K750; h8am-11pm)

Cyber World I (Map p98; 4th fl, La Pyat Wun Plaza, 37 Ah Lan Paya Pagoda Rd; per hr K800; h9am-9pm) Faster than most. Cyber World II (Map p102; ground fl, Nay Pyi Daw Cinema, 246-248 Sule Paya Rd; per hr K1000; h9am9pm) Busy and frequented by foreigners because of its central location. Internet Café (Map p102; 3rd fl, Myanmar Shopping Mall, 143-149 Sule Paya Rd; per hr K1000; h10am-9pm) Modern and plush with café attached. Planet Internet Café (Map p98; 5th fl, 220-222 Bo Ta Taung Pagoda Rd; per hr K1000; h8.30am-9pm) Close to several midrange hotels.

Laundry Almost all of Yangon’s budget and midrange guesthouses and hotels offer inexpensive laundry services including ironing

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(load about K1000). Rates at the top-end hotels are not cheap. Another option is Ava Laundry (Map p98; %245 575; 305 Mahabandoola Rd, btwn 41st & 42nd Sts; h8am-8pm) though it’s no quicker than the guesthouses and is expensive.

Medical Services There are several private and public hospitals in Yangon, but the fees, service and quality may vary. There are also some useful pharmacies in town. AA Pharmacy (Map p102; %253 231; 142-146 Sule Paya Rd; h24hr) Just north of Sule Paya. City Mart Supermarket (Map p98; cnr Anawrahta Rd & 47th St) Well-stocked place (tampons available) that includes a pharmacy. Global Network Co (Map p102; 155-161 Sule Paya Rd; h24hr) Pharmacy just north of Sule Paya and opposite AA Pharmacy. International SOS Clinic (Map p86; 24hr alarm centre %667 879; 37 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd; h24hr) On the ground floor of the Renaissance Inya Lake Hotel, this is your best bet in Yangon if you want medical attention. May Pharmacy (Map p102; 542 Mahabandoola Rd; h24hr) Near the SOS, on the northwest corner of Pansodan St. Pacific Medical Centre & Dental Surgery (Map p90; %548 022; 81 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd) Recommended.

Because you can pay for your taxi from the airport to the city in US dollars there’s no reason to change money in the terminal. Most hotels and guesthouse sell kyat for rates slightly lower than the usual street rate. One hotel in particular known to offer competitive rates is the Central Hotel (Map p102; 335-357 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) near Bogyoke Aung San Market. The market itself has a fair number of moneychangers who generally offer the highest rates; odds are you’ll be approached by one of them if you wander down the centre aisle. Ask around before you go to establish the going rate. You should not pay any commission or tip for their services. A few of the top-end hotels including the Sedona Hotel (Map p90; 1 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd) and Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel (Map p98; 33 Ah Lan Paya Pagoda Rd) accept credit cards; Visa and MasterCard more likely than others. And a few will give guests cash advances on their cards. Any transaction with plastic involves commissions from 3% to 12%. Traveller’s cheques are even less likely to be recognised as legal tender. Again, only a few hotels accept them, and they charge a hefty commission.

Post DHL (Map p102; Traders Hotel, 1st fl, 223, Sule Paya Rd; h8am-6pm Mon-Fri) Main post office (Map p102; Strand Rd; h7.30am6pm Mon-Fri) A short stroll east of the Strand Hotel. Stamps are for sale on the ground floor but go to the 2nd floor to send mail.

Tourist Information Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; Map p102; %275 328, tourist information %282 075; 77-91 Sule Paya Rd; h8.30am-5pm) is a government-run travel

agency on the corner of Mahabandoola Rd and across the street from Sule Paya, which seems modern compared to the MTT’s offices. The staff is as enthusiastic as Soviet bureaucrats though they will provide basics such as schedules for Myanma Airways (MA) and the Yangon–Mandalay railway. It’s not uncommon to be steered towards a private travel agency if your questioning becomes too demanding and involves venturing away from the main tourist quadrangle. Free decent city and country maps are available; information from here,

YA N G O N • • D a n g e r s & A n n o y a n c e s 89

like most other places, should be doublechecked.

Travel Agencies Most visitors to Myanmar only use private domestic travel agencies to book a tour, hire a car or book a domestic flight (air ticket prices are usually cheaper through a private travel agency). However, of the more than 100 enterprises in Yangon calling themselves travel agencies, only a handful can be considered full-service, experienced tour agencies. Among the more reliable agencies are the following: Columbus Travels & Tours (Map p98; %229 245; www.travelmyanmar.com; 586 Strand Rd) It’s on the corner of Strand Rd and 7th St. There’s also a branch office on the 3rd floor of the Sakura Tower across from the Traders Hotel. Diethelm Travel (Map p86;%527 110; leisure@ diethelm.com.mm; 37 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd) Exotissimo Travel (Map p102; %255 266; www .exotissimo.com; 3rd fl, Sakura Tower, 339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Free Bird Tours (Map p102; %245 489; www.freebird tours.com; 357 Bo Aung Gyaw St) Good News Travel (Map p102; %09-511 6256; [email protected]; 4th fl, FMI Centre, 380 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) The owner, William Myatwunna, is extremely personable and knowledgeable. Recommended. Gulliver Tours & Travel (Map p90;%526 100; [email protected]; 51B Inya Maing Rd) Insight Myanmar Tourism (Map p98; %297 798; [email protected]; 85-87 Thein Byu Rd, Botataung Township) Myanmar Himalaya Trekking (Map p90; %227 978; www.myanmar-explore.com; Rm 226, Summit Parkview Hotel) New Horizons Travels & Tours (Map p90;%542 949; [email protected]; 64 B2R Shwe Gon Plaza) Santa Maria Travel & Tours (Map p102; %254 625; www.myanmartravels.net; 195-B 32nd St) Tour Mandalay (Map p98; %294 729; www.tour mandalay.com; 2nd fl, 194-196 Mahabandoola Rd) Woodland Travels (Map p98; %202 071; www .woodlandtravels.com; 422-426 Strand Rd, 7 FJV Commercial Centre)

DANGERS & ANNOYANCES Many travellers report being overcharged double or triple the correct amount when buying bus tickets from the kiosks around Aug San Stadium in Yangon. No doubt it’s not uncommon elsewhere, but it seems

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Pagoda Rd

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particularly egregious here where fares are not posted and ticket sellers routinely claim there are only a few seats left for any particular route. The truth is, as mentioned in the Getting There & Away section (see p123) there are almost always several bus companies leaving at about the same time for any destination. If the ticket sellers refuse to sell you the ticket at or close to the correct price you can always simply show up at the bus station before the scheduled departure.

SIGHTS

Shwedagon Paya erátig®u.ur;"

Much like the Statue of Liberty in New York City or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the

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Tamwe Thin Gan Rd Gyan

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YA N G O N • • S i g h t s 91

INFORMATION Alliance Francaise...................................1 B2 Cambodian Embassy...............................2 C1 German Embassy....................................3 C2 Gullivers Tours & Travel..........................4 B2 Italian Embassy.......................................5 B2 Japanese Embassy..................................6 C2 Kandawgyi Hospital...............................7 D3 Korean Embassy......................................8 B1 Myanmar Himalaya Trekking.............(see 56) Nepalese Embassy..................................9 D3 New Horizons Travels & Tours..............10 C2 Pacific Medical Centre & Dental Surgery.................................11 C1 Vietnamese Embassy............................12 B2 Yangon General Hospital......................13 A3

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47 53 68 62 t 96 37 S 72 Kyemyindaing d Shwe Gone Daing iR 79 60 Bargayar Rd ed Z 77 a 25 m A 65 am 34 20 Za Dh rN Rd Resistance Shwedagon i St Park 30 Pu Paya 38 aw People's Panhlaing in S Park Sh 31 33 taung Bo St UH 32

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Shwedagon Paya (Map p90; admission US$5; h5am10pm) has achieved iconic status for Yangon and, along with Bagan, for the country as a whole. However, unlike the monuments of those Western cities, the majority of the pilgrims visiting Shwedagon are local, its meaning deeply religious and rather than being a beacon of the modern, it proudly stands for the ancient and timeless. To a foreigner maybe the most exotic element of this huge gold bell-shaped temple is how casually it stands amid the modern and familiar, or how Burmese who live literally in its shadow go about their everyday lives without seeming to register amazement or awe in its existence. If Bagan is special in part because of its isolation, Shwedagon

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Bogyoke Aung San Museum................14 Chaukhtatgyi Paya...............................15 Hledan Zei............................................16 Institute of Medicine.............................17 Institute of Myanmar Traditional Advanced Boxing.............................18 Judson Church......................................19 Kohtatgyi Paya.....................................20 Kokine Swimming Pool.........................21 La Source Beauty Spa............................22 Maha Wizaya (Vijaya) Paya..................23 Mahasi Meditation Centre....................24 Martyrs’ Mausoleum.............................25 Mogok Meditation Centre....................26 Myanmar Book Centre..........................27 Myanmar TV & Radio Department.......28 Ngahtatgyi Paya...................................29 People's Park........................................30 People’s Square....................................31 Planetarium..........................................32 Pyithu Hluttaw (National Assembly)......33 Resistance Park.....................................34 St Augustine’s Church...........................35

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Sanpya Zei............................................36 Seri Beauty & Health.............................37 Shwedagon Paya..................................38 Tatmadaw Boat Club............................39 Yangon International School................40 Yangon University Swimming Pool........41 Yangon Zoological Gardens..................42 Yuzana Plaza........................................ 43

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SLEEPING Aurora Inn............................................44 Bagan Inn.............................................45 Beauty Land Hotel................................46 Guest Care Hotel..................................47 Hotel Nikko Royal Lake Yangon...........48 Kandawgyi Palace Hotel.......................49 Liberty Hotel.........................................50 Motherland Inn 2................................. 51 Mya Yeik Nyo Royal Hotel...................52 Savoy Hotel..........................................53 Sedona Hotel........................................54 Summer Palace Hotel............................55 Summit Parkview..................................56 Winner Inn...........................................57 Yoma Hotel 2........................................58

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EATING Ashoka Indian Restaurant.....................59 B3 Aung Thuka..........................................60 B2 Café Dibar............................................61 B2 Furusato Japanese Restaurant ..............62 C2 Green Elephant Restaurant...................63 A1 Han Il Kwan..........................................64 B1 Hla Myanma Htamin Zain.....................65 B2 Karaweik Palace Restaurant..................66 D3 Le Planteur...........................................67 C2 Maharaja Indian Restaurant...............(see 42) Onyx Restaurant...................................68 B2 Padonmar Restaurant............................69 B1 Royal Garden Restaurant.......................................70 D3

seems all the more exotic because of the way it has been domesticated and intertwined in the physical and mental geography of the city. In the heat of the day, the stupa glitters bright gold. When the sun sets it casts its last rays on the soft orange dome, and a swarm of sparrows migrates from the Shwedagon grounds until their return the following morning. It can be quiet and contemplative, or colourful and raucous. Kipling called it ‘a golden mystery…a beautiful winking wonder’. For Myanmar Buddhists, it is the most sacred of all Buddhist sites in the country, one which all Burmese hope to visit at least once in their lifetime. The great golden dome rises 98m above its base. According to legends, this stupa – of the solid zedi (stupa; bell-shaped monument) type – is 2500 years old, but archaeologists suggest the original stupa was built by the Mon, sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries. In common with many other ancient zedi in earthquake-prone Myanmar, it has been rebuilt many times and its current form dates back only to 1769.

Royal Taj Restaurant.............................71 Sabai Sabai Thai Restaurant..................72 Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine....................73 Sei Taing Kya Teashop.........................74 Sharkey’s..............................................75 Vietnam House Restaurant...................76 World Cup............................................77 Yadana Garden Restaurant...................78 Yin Dee Thai Restaurant.......................79 Yin Fong Seafood Restaurant...............80

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DRINKING Actor’s Corner Café............................(see 86) Captain's Bar......................................(see 53) Frenz Bar & Grill...................................81 C2 Mr Guitar Café.....................................82 C2 ENTERTAINMENT Dolphin Seafood Restaurant.................83 C3 LakeView Theatre Restaurant.............(see 49) Lone Ma Lay Restaurant.......................84 C3 SHOPPING Blazon Centre.......................................85 Dagon Centre.......................................86 Excel Treasure......................................87 Golden Valley Art Centre......................88 Inya Gallery of Art.................................89 Mingala Zei..........................................90 Nandawun............................................91 San Pya Fish Market.............................92 Thirimingala Zei....................................93 Traditions Gallery..................................94 Wingaba Gallery..................................95

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TRANSPORT Air Mandalay........................................96 B2 Hsimmalaik Bus Station......................................97 A1 Htee Dan Jetty (Passenger Ferry to Dalah).............. 98 A2

Visible from almost anywhere in the city, Shwedagon is located to the north of central Yangon, between People’s Park and Kandawgyi. The admission fee includes an elevator ride to the raised platform of the stupa. Of course, like most Burmese, you may walk up one of the long graceful entrances. There’s also a US$5 camera fee, not always enforced. The north gate is especially photogenic at night. HISTORY

During the Bagan period of Myanmar’s history (10th to 14th century), the story of the stupa emerges from mists of legend (p92) to become hard fact. Near the top of the eastern stairway you can see an inscription recording the history of the stupa to 1485. In the 15th century, the tradition of gilding the stupa also began – Queen Shinsawbu, who was responsible for many improvements to the stupa, provided her own weight (40kg) in gold, which was beaten into gold-leaf and used to gild the structure. Her son-in-law, Dhammazedi, went several

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THE LEGEND OF SHWEDAGON PAYA The legend of Shwedagon Paya tells of two merchant brothers meeting the Buddha, who gave them eight of his hairs to take back to be enshrined in Myanmar. With the help of a number of nat (spirits), the brothers and the king of this region of Myanmar discovered the hill where relics of previous Buddhas had been enshrined. When the chamber that would house the hairs was built and the hairs were taken from their golden casket, some quite amazing events took place: …there was a tumult among men and spirits…rays emitted by the Hairs penetrated up to the heavens above and down to hell…the blind beheld objects…the deaf heard sounds… the dumb spoke distinctly…the earth quaked…the winds of the ocean blew…Mount Meru shook…lightning flashed…gems rained down until they were knee deep…all trees of the Himalaya, though not in season, bore blossoms and fruit. Fortunately, hairs of the Buddha are not unveiled every day. Once the relics were safely enshrined, a golden slab was laid on their chamber and a golden stupa built on it. Over this, a silver stupa was built, then a tin stupa, a copper stupa, a lead stupa, a marble stupa and finally, an iron-brick stupa. Or so the legend goes. Later, the legend continues, the stupa at Dagon fell into disuse and it is said the great Indian Buddhist emperor Asoka came to Myanmar, finding the site only with great difficulty, and subsequently had the encroaching jungle cleared and the stupa repaired.

better, by offering four times his own weight and that of his wife’s in gold. He also provided the 1485 historical inscription on the eastern stairway. The zedi suffered from a series of earthquakes that caused great damage during this time. In 1612 Portuguese renegade adventurer Philip De Brito raided the stupa from his base in Thanlyin and carried away Dhammazedi’s great bell, with the intention of melting it down for cannons. As the British were to do later, with another bell, he dropped it into the river. During the 17th century, the monument suffered earthquake damage on eight occasions. Worse was to follow in 1768, when a quake brought down the whole top of the zedi. King Hsinbyushin had it rebuilt to virtually its present height, and its current configuration dates from that renovation. British troops occupied the compound for two years immediately after the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1824. In 1852, during the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the British again took the paya, the soldiers pillaged it once more and it remained under military control for 77 years, until 1929. In 1871 a new hti (the umbrella-like decorative top of a paya), provided by King Mindon Min from Mandalay, caused considerable head-scratching for the British, who were not at all keen for such an association to

be made with the still-independent part of Myanmar. During the 20th century, the Shwedagon Paya was the scene for much political activity during the Myanmar independence movement. The huge earthquake of 1930, which totally destroyed the Shwemawdaw in Bago, only caused minor damage to Shwedagon. Less luck was had the following year when the paya suffered from a serious fire. After another minor earthquake in 1970, the zedi was clad in bamboo scaffolding beyond King Mindon’s 100-year-old hti, and was refurbished. DESIGN

There are four covered walkways up Singuttara Hill to the platform on which Shwedagon stands. The southern entrance, from Shwedagon Paya Rd, is the one which can most properly be called the main entrance. Here, and at the northern entrance, there are lifts available, should you not feel fit enough for the stroll up the stairs. The western entrance features a series of escalators in place of stairs, and is the only entrance without vendors. The eastern stairway has the most traditional ambience, passing adjacent kyaung (monasteries) and vendors selling monastic requisites. Two 9m-high chinthe (legendary halflion, half-dragon gurardian figures) loom

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over the southern entrance. You must remove your shoes and socks as soon as you mount the first step. Like the other entrances, the southern steps are lined with a series of shops, where devotees buy flowers – both real and beautifully made paper ones – for offerings. Buddha images, ceremonial paper umbrellas, books, golden thrones, incense sticks, ivory combs and antiques are also on sale. However hot it may be outside, you’ll find the walkway cool, shady and calm. It’s this quiet, subdued atmosphere on the entrance steps that makes the impact so great as you arrive at the platform. You emerge from semi-gloom into a visual cacophony of technicoloured glitter – for Shwedagon is not just one huge, glowing zedi. Around the mighty stupa cluster an incredible assortment of smaller zedi, statues, temples, shrines, images and tazaung (small pavilions). Somehow, the bright gold of the main stupa makes everything else seem brighter and larger than life. Stupas, indeed all Buddhist structures, should be walked around clockwise, so turn left at the top of the steps and, like the crowds of locals, start strolling. During the heat of the day, you’ll probably have to confine yourself to the mat pathway laid around the platform – unless your bare feet can take the heat of the uncovered marble paving. The hill on which the stupa stands is 58m above sea level and the platform covers over five hectares. Prior to the British takeover of southern Myanmar, there had been Burmese defensive earthworks around the paya, but these were considerably extended by the British, and the emplacements for their cannons can still be seen outside the outer wall. The main stupa, which is completely solid, rises from its platform in a fairly standard pattern. First there is the plinth, which stands 6.4m above the clutter of the main platform and immediately sets Shwedagon above the lesser structures. Smaller stupas sit on this raised platform level – four large ones mark the four cardinal directions, four medium-sized ones mark the four corners of the basically square platform and 60 small ones run around the perimeter. From this base, the zedi rises first in three terraces, then in the ‘octagonal’ terraces and then in five circular bands – together these elements add another 30m to the stupa’s height. A standard architectural problem

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associated with stupas is how to change from the square base to the circular upper elements? Here, as in many other zedi in Myanmar, that transition is achieved with the help of the octagonal sections, which make a transition from the horizontal design of these lower elements to the smooth vertical flow of the bell. The shoulder of the bell is decorated with 16 ‘flowers’. The bell is topped by the ‘inverted bowl’, another traditional element of stupa architecture, and above this stand the mouldings and then the ‘lotus petals’. These consist of a band of down-turned petals, followed by a band of up-turned petals. The banana bud is the final element of the zedi before the hti tops it. Like the lotus petals below, the banana bud is actually covered with no less than 13,153 plates of gold, measuring 30 sq cm each – unlike the lower elements, which are merely covered with gold-leaf. The seven-tiered hti is made of iron and again plated with gold. Even without the various hanging bells, it weighs well over a tonne. The hti tiers descend in size from bottom to top, and from the uppermost tier projects the shaft which is hung with gold bells, silver bells and various items of jewellery. The topmost vane, with its flag, turns with the wind. It is gold- and silver-plated and studded with 1100 diamonds totalling 278 carats – not to mention 1383 other stones. Finally, at the very top of the vane rests the diamond orb – a hollow golden sphere studded with no less than 4351 diamonds, weighing 1800 carats in total. The very top of the orb is tipped with a single 76-carat diamond. AROUND THE STUPA

The mighty central zedi, regilded every year, is only one of many structures on the hilltop platform. Reaching the platform from the southern stairway (47), you encounter the first shrine (15), which is to Konagamana, the second Buddha. Almost beside the shrine stand the planetary posts for Mercury (31 and 32). If you were born on a Wednesday morning (as was the Buddha), then this is your post, and the tusked elephant is your animal sign. Continuing around the plinth, you pass a double-bodied lion with a man’s face, a laughing necromancer with his hands on his head, and an earth goddess. At the southwestern corner

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Banyan Tree.................................1 Chinese Merchants' Tazaung....... 2 Chinese Prayer Hall......................3 Curio Museum.............................4 Dhammazedi Inscription...............5 Eastern Shrine Hall....................... 6 Eastern Stairway Landing............. 7 Eight Day Stupa............................8 Golden Elder Stupa...................... 9 Guardian Nat............................. 10 Hair Relics Well..........................11 Hintha Prayer Post..................... 12 Izza-Gawna Pavilion...................13 King Tharawaddy Min's Bell.......14 Konagamana Shrine...................15 Large Pavilion.............................16 Low Pavilion.............................. 17 Maha Ganda Bell....................... 18 Mahabodhi-Style Temple...........19

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Mai Lamu & King of the Nats..... 20 Northern Adoration Hall............. 21 Northern Stairway Landing......... 22 Northwestern Corner.................. 23 Pavilion (where hti was placed)... 24 Pavilion (with Indian figures)...... 25 Pavilion (with tall columns)........ 26 Pavilion (with woodcarvings)..... 27 Pavilion (with woodcarvings)..... 28 Planetary Posts for Jupiter.......... 29 Planetary Posts for Jupiter........... 30 Planetary Posts for Mercury.........31 Planetary Posts for Mercury........ 32 Planetary Posts for the Moon.......33 Planetary Posts for the Moon......34 Planetary Posts for Venus........... 35 Planetary Posts for Venus........... 36 Planetary Post for Mars...............37 Planetary Post for Saturn............ 38 Planetary Post for the Sun...........39

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Planetary Post for Yahu..............40 Prayer Hall (with reclining Buddha)................................. 41 Prayer Pavilion........................... 42 Prayer Post Bell.......................... 43 Rakhaing Tazaung..................... 44 Shan Umbrellas.......................... 45 Small Gilded Zedi....................... 46 Southern Stairway Landing.........47 Stairs to Zedi Plinth.................... 48 Student Monument....................49 Tawa-gu Image......................... 50 Trustees' Office......................... 51 Two-Pice Tazaung..................... 52 Two-Pice Tazaung..................... 53 U Nyo Pavilion........................... 54 Western Adoration Hall..............55 Wish-Fulfilling Place...................56 Wonder-Working Image............ 57

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of the plinth, you reach the planetary post for Saturn (38). Come here if you were born on a Saturday; your animal sign is the naga (serpent being). The pavilion (42) directly opposite has 28 images to represent the 28 previous Buddhas. Back towards the southwest corner of the platform is a monument (49) with inscriptions in four languages, recounting a 1920 student revolt against British rule. Continuing around the platform, you come to a glass case with two figures of nat (10) – one is of the guardian nat (spirits) of Shwedagon Paya. Close to these figures is a prayer hall (44), quite bare inside, but with fine woodcarving on the terraced roof. It is known as the Rakhaing Tazaung, as it was donated by brokers from the Rakhaing (Arakan) coast bordering Bangladesh. An 8m-long reclining Buddha can be seen in the next prayer hall (41). Next to this is the Chinese Merchants’ Tazaung (2), with a variety of Buddha figures in different poses. On the plinth opposite this prayer hall are figures of Mai Lamu and the king of the nat (20), the parents of King Ukkalapa who, according to the legend, originally enshrined the Buddha hairs here. The figures stand on top of each other. The western adoration hall (55) was built in 1841, but was destroyed in the fire that swept the zedi platform in 1931. The planetary posts for the Thursday-born (29 and 30) stand to the right and left of this pavilion: your planet is Jupiter and your animal sign is the rat. A figure of King Ukkalapa can be seen further to the left, on the zedi plinth. Directly opposite the west adoration hall is the Two Pice Tazaung (52) located at the head of the western stairway. The low pavilion (17) next to the entrance was built by manufacturers of monastery requirements – in contrast to the rather Chinese-looking roof. Next along is a pavilion (26), with tall columns and the pyatthat (wooden, multiroofed pavilion) rising from the upper roof. Almost opposite this tazaung, at the northwestern corner of the main zedi, is the planetary post (40) for those born on Wednesday afternoon, whose animal symbol is the tuskless elephant, and whose planet is Yahu (Rahu, a mythical planet in Hindu astrology that allegedly causes eclipses). A small stupa with a golden spire (8) has eight niches around its base, each with

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a Buddha image. Between the niches are figures of animals and birds – they represent the eight directions of the compass and the associated sign, planet and day of the week. To get over the small complication of having an Eight Day Stupa and a seven day week, Wednesday is divided into Wednesday morning and Wednesday afternoon. The eight days, which can also be found with their corresponding planetary posts around the main stupa are (from the southern entrance): Direction Day

Planet

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tusked elephant naga (dragon serpent) rat tuskless elephant guinea pig or mole garuda tiger lion

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Close to this small Eight Day Stupa stands the bell pavilion (18) housing the 23-tonne Maha Ganda Bell. Cast between 1775 and 1779, it was carted off by the British after the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1825. The British dropped it into the Yangon River while trying to get it to the port for shipping to England; after repeatedly trying to raise it from the river bottom, they gave up and told the Burmese they could have the bell back if they could get it out of the river. The Burmese placed logs and bamboo beneath the bell until it eventually floated to the surface. Venturing back into the open area of the platform, you come to the star-shaped ‘wish-fulfilling place’ (56), where there will often be devotees, kneeling down and looking towards the great stupa, praying that their wishes come true. The large pavilion (16) across from the bell pavilion houses a 9m-high Buddha image and is often used for public meetings. Behind this pavilion stands a small shrine (57) with a highly revered ‘wonderworking’ Buddha image covered in gold leaf. From the northwestern corner of the platform (23), you can look out over some of the British fortifications and the country to the north of the hill. There are also two banyan trees growing here, one of them

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grown from a cutting from the actual tree at Bodhgaya in India, under which the Buddha sat and was enlightened. Among the cluster of buildings on this side of the platform is the Chinese prayer hall (3), with good woodcarvings and Chinese dragon figures on the sides of the zedi in front of it. The adjacent pavilion (25) has life-size figures of Indians guarding the side and front entrance doors. No-one quite understands their relevance or that of the very British lions that guard the next pavilion. In 1824 a force of Burmese ‘Invulnerables’ fought their way up the northern stairs to the entrance (22) of the platform before being repulsed by the better-armed British forces occupying the paya. The crocodilelike stair bannister dates from 1460. The Martyrs’ Mausoleum of Bogyoke Aung San and his compatriots stands on the western side of the hill reached from this stairway. Walking back towards the stupa, you pass the pavilion (24) built on the site where the great zedi’s hti, provided by King Mindon Min, was placed before being raised to the zedi summit. The Hair Relics Well (11) was located at the position of the Sandawdwin Tazaung (28) and is said to reach right down to the level of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River and to be fed from it; the Buddha hairs were washed in this well before being enshrined in the zedi. In the northern adoration hall (21), the main image is of Gautama, the historical Buddha. On either side of the hall stand planetary posts for Friday (35 and 36), domain of the planet Venus, and the guinea pig or mole. Modelled after the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, India, the temple (19) a few steps away is distinctly different from the general style of buildings on the platform. A small gilded zedi (46) stands next to this temple, and next again is another ‘two-pice’ tazaung (53) enshrining a 200-year-old Buddha image. An opening behind this image is, according to legend, the entrance to a passage that leads to the chamber housing the Buddha hair relics. Although seen from the ‘two-pice’ tazaung, the Buddha image is actually in the adjacent stupa. Izza-Gawna (which means ‘goat-bullock’) was a legendary monk whose powers enabled him to replace his lost eyes with one from a goat and one from a bullock. In his

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pavilion (13), the figure off to the left of the main Buddha image has eyes of unequal size as a reminder of this unique feat. The golden Elder Stupa (9) is built on the spot where the hair relics were first placed before being enshrined in the great zedi. A straight line drawn from the centre of this stupa to the centre of Shwedagon would pass through the small stupa reputed to be the entrance to the passage that leads to the relic chamber. Women are not allowed to ascend to the platform around the Elder Stupa, which is also known as the Naungdawgyi Stupa. Back in the corner of the platform is the Dhammazedi inscription (5), which dates from 1485 and was originally installed on the eastern stairway. It tells in three languages – Pali, Mon and Burmese – the story of Shwedagon. Cast in 1841, King Tharawaddy Min’s bell is housed in an elegant pavilion (14). The Maha Titthadaganda (three-toned bell) weighs 42 tonnes. Note the ceiling made of lacquer inlaid with glass. If you look closely, you can also discern red-billed green parrots nearly hidden in the scrolling among the devas (celestial beings). The adjacent small pavilion (27) has some good panels of woodcarvings. Back on the main platform the planetary post (39) for those born on Sunday (the sun) stands at the northeastern corner of the stupa platform. The bird-like creature beneath the post is the garuda of Hindu-Buddhist mythology, called galoun by the Burmese. Further around you will see golden Shan umbrellas (45) among the plinth shrines; there is also one over the Friday planetary post near the northern pavilion. Facing the eastern stairway, the eastern shrine hall (6) is said to be the most beautiful on the platform. It was renovated in 1869, but destroyed by the 1931 fire and subsequently rebuilt. The main image is that of Kakusandha, the first Buddha. The eastern stairway (7) is the longest and is lined with shops selling everyday articles as well as religious goods and antiques. On either side, the people who were born on Monday worship at the planetary posts (33 and 34) ruled over by the moon and the tiger. The graceful U Nyo pavilion (54), beside the eastern entrance, has a series of interesting woodcarved panels illustrating events

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in the life of Gautama Buddha. The prayer post (12) close to the southeastern corner of the zedi is topped by a mythological hintha bird. An interesting bell (43) hangs near this prayer post. Opposite these on the zedi plinth is the planetary post for Tuesday (37), presided over by the lion and the planet Mars. In the corner of the platform stands another sacred banyan tree (1), also said to be grown from a branch of the original tree under which Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment in India. There is a good view from this corner of the platform over Yangon and across the Yangon River towards Thanlyin. On a clear day, you can see the Kyaik-khauk Paya, just beyond Thanlyin. The paya trustees have their office (51) on this side of the platform, and there’s also a small curio museum (4). In front of the museum is a pavilion (28) with very fine woodcarvings. There is also a revolving hti and a telescope, possibly for looking at the real hti on top of the zedi. Beside the southern shrine (15), the first stop on this circular tour, stairs (48) lead up onto the zedi plinth. With permission from the paya trustees, men only are allowed to climb up to the plinth terrace. Men come up here to meditate; the terrace is about 6m wide – a circular walkway between the great zedi and its 68 surrounding zedi. Behind the eastern shrine is a Buddha image (50) known as the Tawa-gu, which is reputed to work miracles.

Sule Paya

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It’s not every city whose primary traffic circle is occupied by a 2000-year-old golden temple. Surrounded by government buildings and commercial shops, the tall zedi at Sule Paya (Map p102; cnr Sule Paya & Mahabandoola Rds; admission free) is another example of the strange incongruity of the Yangon cityscape. It’s not everywhere you check the Internet and visit a shrine said to contain a hair of the Buddha in the space of a few blocks. The central stupa’s name, Kyaik Athok, translates in the Mon language as ‘the stupa where a Sacred Hair Relic is enshrined’. As with many other ancient Myanmar shrines, it has been rebuilt and repaired many times over the centuries, so no-one really knows exactly when it was built.

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The golden zedi is unusual in that its octagonal shape continues right up to the bell and inverted bowl. It stands 46m high and is surrounded by small shops and all the familiar nonreligious activities that seem to be a part of every zedi in Myanmar. Besides its significance as a landmark and meeting place, maybe its most mundane function is as a milestone from which all addresses to the north are measured.

Botataung Paya

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One of Yangon’s ‘big three’ payas, and said to contain hair relics of the Buddha, the Botataung Paya (Map p98; Strand Rd; admission US$2) was named after the 1000 military leaders who escorted relics of the Buddha to Myanmar from India over 2000 years ago (Bo means leader, usually in a military sense and tataung means 1000). For one six-month period this paya is said to have harboured all eight strands of the Buddha’s hair before they were distributed elsewhere. Of course it’s not breathtaking like Shwedagon or striking for being so out-of-place like Sule Paya, however Botataung’s spacious riverfront location and elements of kitsch make it worth visiting. It’s proximity to fresh air and the Yangon wharves were less fortuitous when a bomb from an Allied air raid in November 1943 scored a direct hit on the unfortunate paya. After the war, the Botataung was rebuilt in a very similar style to its predecessor, but with one important and unusual difference: unlike most zedi, which are solid, the Botataung is hollow, and you can walk through it. There’s a sort of mirrored maze inside the stupa, with glass showcases containing many of the ancient relics and artefacts, including small silver-and-gold Buddha images, which were sealed inside the earlier stupa. Reconstruction also revealed a small gold cylinder holding two small body relics and a strand of hair, said to be that of the Buddha’s, which is reputedly to still be in the stupa. Above this interesting interior, the golden stupa spire rises to 40m. To the western side of the stupa is a hall containing a large gilded bronze Buddha, cast during the reign of King Mindon Min. At the time of the British annexation, it was kept in King Thibaw Min’s glass palace, but after King Thibaw was exiled to India, the

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Mya Yar Gon St

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101st St

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Bogalay Zay St

Mingala Taung Nyunt

46th St 47th St 48th St

0 0

Bo Myat Tun St

Daw Thein Tin St

49th St 50th St 51st St 52nd St Bo Ta Htaung Pagada Rd

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INFORMATION Alliance Francaise...............................(see 11) American Center.....................................1 B1 Ava Laundry...........................................2 E3 AWB Bank..............................................3 B3 Bee Internet Café...................................4 D2 Central Women’s Hospital......................5 A1 Chinese Embassy....................................6 A1 City Mart Supermarket............................7 F3 Columbus Travel & Tours........................8 B3 Cyber World I....................................(see 78) East Yangon General Hospital.................9 F3 FJV Commercial Centre.........................10 F4 French Embassy.....................................11 B1 Indonesian Embassy..............................12 B1 Insight Myanmar Tourism.....................13 E4 Lao Embassy.........................................14 B1 Malaysian Embassy...............................15 B1 Myanma Agricultural Bank....................16 B3 New Yangon General Hospital..............17 B2 Pakistani Embassy.................................18 B1 Planet Internet Café..............................19 F3 Police Station........................................20 F4 Rubyland Tourism................................21 D2 Sri Lankan Embassy...............................22 B1 Tour Mandalay...................................(see 66) Woodland Travels..............................(see 10) Yangon General Hospital......................23 C2 Yoma Bank.......................................... 24 D2 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Amusement Park..................................25 Botataung Paya....................................26 Defence Services Museum....................27 Ein Daw Yar Paya..................................28 English Methodist Church.....................29 Golden Express Ltd...............................30 Kheng Hock Keong..............................31 Ministry of Communication..................32

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs.....................33 Ministry of Railway Transportation................................ 34 Ministry of Transport............................35 National Museum..................................36 Salvation Army Church.........................37 Shwe Pon Pwint Paya...........................38 Sikh Temple..........................................39 Sri Devi.................................................40 Than Zei (Market).................................41 Theinbyu Zei (Market)..........................42 Yangon Swimming Pool.......................43

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SLEEPING Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel...............44 Haven Inn.............................................45 Lai Lai Hotel..........................................46 Ocean Pearl Inn....................................47 Panda Hotel..........................................48 Pansea Yangon.....................................49 Queen's Park Hotel...............................50 Sakhantha Hotel.................................. 51 Thamada Hotel.................................... 52 Three Seasons Hotel.............................53 YMCA..................................................54 Yoma Hotel..........................................55 Yuzana Garden Hotel........................... 56

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EATING 50th Street Bar & Grill...........................57 Aung Mingalar Shan Noodle Shop....... 58 Chinese Street Stalls.............................59 Feel Myanmar Food..............................60 Ginza Pan Food Centre........................61 Golden Dragon Teashop.......................62 Home Sweet Home Restaurant.............63 Ichiban-Kan..........................................64 Indian Street Stalls................................65 Lashio Lay Shan Restaurant...................66

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British shipped the image to London. In 1951 the image was returned to Myanmar and placed in the Botataung Paya. Also on the grounds is a nat (spirit) pavilion containing images of Thurathadi (the Hindu deity Saraswati, goddess of learning and music) and Thagyamin (Indra, king of the nat) flanking the thoroughly Burmese nat Bobogyi. A short walk from Botataung Paya at Botataung jetty, you can watch ferryboats and oared water taxis cross the Yangon River.

Chaukhtatgyi Paya e¨x;k'qp'äkI".ur;"

Good thing he’s resting because when magnified to this size the placid features of the Buddha in repose can start to seem somewhat eerie, especially if you begin to imagine what he would look like standing above you. Monstrous fantasies of the Buddha aside, the reclining Buddha at Chaukhtatgyi (Map p90; Shwe Gon Daing Rd; admission free), almost as large as the enormous figure in Bago, is impressive. Housed in a large metal-roofed shed, only a short distance northeast beyond the Shwedagon Paya, this huge figure is surprisingly little known and hardly

Lucky Seven Teashop............................67 F3 Maharaja Indian Restaurant..................68 D1 Maw Shwe Li Restaurant......................69 A3 Night Market......................................(see 75) Singapore’s Kitchen..............................70 B3 Western Park Restaurant......................71 A2 DRINKING J's Bistro & Bar...................................(see 77) Ritz Café..............................................72 C2 ENTERTAINMENT National Theatre...................................73 C2 Pioneer Club.......................................(see 56) Thamada Cinema................................. 74 D2 SHOPPING Iron Bazaar...........................................75 Ivy Gallery.............................................76 J's Irrwaddy Dream...............................77 La Pyat Wun Plaza...............................78 Lucky 7................................................79 Twenty One.........................................80 TRANSPORT Botataung Jetty.....................................81 City Bus Ticket Offices (Long Distance Buses).....................82 Hledan St Jetty......................................83 Inland Water Transport Office............................................. 84 Kaingdan St Jetty..................................85 Lan Thit Jetty........................................86 Myanma Five Star Line..........................87 Myanma Five Star Line (MFSL) Cargo Jetty......................................88 Pongyi St Jetty......................................89 Sin Oh Dan St Jetty (Vehicle Ferry to Dalah).................. 90

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publicised at all – if you can’t get to Bago to see the Shwethalyaung, then don’t miss this colossal image. Fortune-tellers on the surrounding platform offer astrological and palm readings.

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The ‘world peace’ zedi was built for the 1954–56 Sixth Buddhist Synod. The 34mhigh stupa (Map p86) also measures 34m around its base. It stands about 11km north of the city centre, a little beyond the Renaissance Inya Lake Hotel. This attempt to construct a modern paya was not terribly successful – it does not have the same visual appeal of Myanmar’s older, more graceful stupas. The interior of the monument, however, is hollow and contains some nice Buddhist sculptures, including a lei-myet-hna (four-sided Buddha sculpture).

Maha Pasana Guha mh;p:snliu,'gU

The ‘great cave’ (Map p86) is a totally artificial one, built close to the Kaba Aye Paya. It was here that the Sixth Buddhist Synod was held in 1954–56 to coincide with the 2500th

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anniversary of the Buddha’s enlightenment. The cavern measures 139m by 113m. This enormous cave, which can accommodate up to 10,000 people, took only 14 months to build; it helps if you have 63,000 labourers. The cave is still used to hold grand religious ceremonies.

Maha Wizaya ( Vijaya) Paya mh;vIjy

Linked by a pedestrian bridge to the Shwedagon complex southern gate, the Maha Wizaya (Map p90; admission K200) is unavoidably dull in comparison. It’s a rather plain but wellproportioned zedi built in 1980 to commemorate the unification of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar. The king of Nepal contributed sacred relics for the zedi’s relic chamber and Burmese military strongman Ne Win had it topped with an 11-level hti – two more levels than the hti at Shwedagon. Foreign media and some locals often refer to the monument as ‘Ne Win’s paya’, due to Ne Win’s involvement in the project (a common practice among top military figures). However, many Myanmar citizens resent this phrase, pointing out that as the zedi was built by donations from the people, it should rightfully be called the ‘people’s paya’.

Other Paya, Temples & Shrines South of the Chaukhtatgyi Paya, there’s a huge seated Buddha image at the Ngahtatgyi Paya (Map p90). It’s appropriately known as the five-storey Buddha and is located in the Ashay Tawya monastery. In Kyemyindaing (also called Kyimyindine and Kemmedine), in the west of the city, there’s another huge seated Buddha over in the Kohtatgyi Paya (Map p90; Bargaryar St); it stands (or sits) 20m high. There are many monasteries in the vicinity. Kyemyindaing also has a busy night market. Near the airport, the Me La Mu Paya (Map p86) has a series of images of the Buddha in his previous incarnations, and a reclining Buddha image. The paya is named after the mother of King Ukkalapa, the founder of the city of Dagon. In Insein, west of the airport, you'll find the five-storey Ah Lain Nga Sint Paya (Map p86). Near the International Buddhist University, between Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd and Thudhamar St, is wedding-cake shaped Swe Taw Myat Paya (Buddha Tooth Relic Pagoda; Map p86;

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Swedaw St). Not that you’d ever know it nor

should it affect your appreciation of the paya architecturally but it contains not just another tooth relic from the Buddha, but a replica of a relic brought from China in 1997 by pilgrims. The Yau Kyaw Paya is a 30-minute drive northeast of the city centre, past the Kyaikkasan Paya. It’s an interesting complex of buildings with tableaux depicting Buddhist legends, pet monkeys, deer and peacocks and an interesting museum crammed full of Burmese antiques. The paya is beside the Pazundaung Chaung in a rural setting. At the time of writing, construction was underway on a replica of the Thatbyinnyu Paya, in the North Okkalapa section of Yangon; the Thatbyinnyu is the tallest structure in Bagan. Kheng Hock Keong (Map p98; Strand Rd) is the largest Chinese temple in Yangon. Supported by a Hokkien association, the 100-year-old temple is most lively from around 6am to 9am when it’s thronged with worshippers offering candles, flowers and incense to the Buddhist and Taoist altars within. Old men play Chinese checkers in the temple compound throughout the day. The Moseah Yeshua Synagogue (Map p102; 85 26th St), near Mahabandoola Rd, was founded over 100 years ago by Sephardic Jews. In the classic Sephardic style, it contains a bimah (platform holding the reading table) in the centre of the main sanctuary and a women’s balcony upstairs. The wooden ceiling features the original blue-and-white Star of David motif. Myanmar had around 2500 Jews – a combination of B’nai Israel, Cochin (Indian) and Iraqi heritages – until nationalisation in the 1960s and 1970s, when many began leaving the country. Today there are no more than 50 or so Burmese Jews left in Myanmar, but surviving trustees maintain the synagogue for the occasional special service given by visiting rabbis from India or Israel. Caretaker Moses Samuels is happy to talk with visitors and show them the nearby Jewish cemetery, with over 700 graves dating back to 1856. Look for the Jewish star above the shops on Mahabandoola Rd. The entrance, sandwiched between small shops, is around the corner on 26th St. Several colourful Hindu temples can be found in the centre of the city, including

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Sri Sri Siva Krishna (Map p102; 141 Pansodan St), Sri Kali (Map p102; Anawrahta Rd), between 26th and 27th Sts, and Sri Devi (Map p98; cnr Anawrahta Rd & 51st St). These are the centres for the city’s annual Murugu Festival, famous for colourful street processions featuring acts of ritual self-mutilation.

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TIP Ride the lift to the top of the Sakura Tower (map p102), an office building across from Traders Hotel, for the best 360 degree views of the city.

National Museum

Martyrs’ Mausoleum

About 1km north of Bogyoke Aung San Rd, and just south of the Indonesian embassy is the National Museum (Map p98; %282 563; Pyay Rd; adult/child/student US$5/10/10; h10am-4pm), an unspectacular, cavernous and quite sparsely labelled collection. Nevertheless, you can find a number of interesting exhibits, especially the 8m-high Sihasana (Lion Throne), which belonged to King Thibaw Min, the last Burmese king. There is also a fair range of royal regalia, much of which was plundered by the British but later returned (in fact you’ll find a more impressive Burmese collection in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum). Also worth a look are some extraordinarily intricate examples of 19th-century Burmese woodcarving. Upstairs you’ll find Burmese archaeological finds as well as traditional musical instruments. The 4th floor features about 40 mannequins dressed in the traditional dress of various ethnic groups in the country. There are also some excellent old maps and modern Burmese paintings.

Close to Shwedagon, on a hill offering a good view over the city, stands this memorial (Map p90; Ar Za Nir St; admission US$3; h9am-4pm) to Bogyoke Aung San and his fellow cabinet officers who were assassinated with him. It was also here that a bomb set off by North Koreans killed a number of South Korea’s top government officials in late 1983. The mausoleum itself is only open one day a year – 19 July.

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Mahabandoola Garden mh;bNμŸlpn'"¨x®

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Just southeast of the Sule Paya, this square urban park (Map p102; admission K50) offers pleasant strolling in the city centre’s heart, especially in the early morning when the Chinese come to practise tai chi, and the air hasn’t yet filled with traffic fumes. Occupying the centre of the northern half of the park is the Independence Monument, an obelisk surrounded by two concentric circles of chinthe. For a year or two following the 1988–90 prodemocracy uprisings, the park was occupied by Burmese soldiers; many of the more violent events of the time took place nearby.

Located in Bahan Township, the quiet and secluded Bogyoke Aung San Museum (Map p90;

Yangon Zoological Gardens

Bogyoke Aung San Museum

%541 359; Bogyoke Aung San Museum St; admission US$3; h10am-3.30pm Tue-Sun) is the former home of

General Aung San and his wife Daw Kin Kyi, and contains remnants of another era. The house itself dates from the 1920s and the rooms, stairway, railings and furniture are fairly intact. There are several old family photos, which of course include daughter Suu Kyi as a little girl. A glass-encased English-language library reveals the general’s broad interests; titles range from Cavalry Training, Armoured Cars, a History of the US, Left-wing Democracy in the English Civil War and Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations.

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The monkey pen looks like a concrete cyclodrome and the elephants are tethered in place by heavy chains, nevertheless the zoo (Map p90; %72 2134; admission incl gardens K1500; h6am-4pm) and connecting 0.7-hectare gardens (Map p90; %274 244; Kan Yeik Thar St) make a popular outing for Myanmar families. The entrance is opposite the Dolphin Seafood Restaurant on Kandawgyi. Originally developed in 1906 by the British, the sparsely landscaped grounds include a couple of artificial lakes, a playground and a miniature train circuit for kids, and English and Latin labels (even on many of the trees).

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Tigers and lions and a fair selection of both common and scarce Asian animals (including sambar, leopard, serow, Eld’s deer, Malayan sun bear, goral, Indian muntjac, great hornbill, python, cobra and the huge marsh crocodile) are on display. Unchained elephants carry passengers on three-minute rides for K500. A row of large pens in the back house a massive Himalayan giffon, and a few great hornbills among other large birds.

Kandawgyi kn'etÉäkI"

Occupying prime Yangon real estate, this natural lake (Map p90) close to the city centre is a good place for a stroll. Don’t expect

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INFORMATION AA Pharmacy.........................................1 C2 Australian Embassy................................ 2 D4 Bagan Bookshop....................................3 D3 Bookstalls................................................4 B1 Bookstalls...............................................5 D3 British Council Library...........................(see 6) British Embassy...................................... 6 D4 Camera/Film Shops................................7 C2 Central Bank of Myanmar......................8 C3 Central Telephone & Telegraph Office...9 C2 Cyber World II......................................10 C1 DHL...................................................(see 55) Exotissimo Travel................................(see 37) Fire Station...........................................11 C2 Free Bird Tours.....................................12 D1 Global Network Co...............................13 C2 Good New Travel...............................(see 95) Indian Embassy.....................................14 C3 Internet Café......................................(see 98) Inwa Bookshop.....................................15 C1 Main Post Office.................................. 16 D4 May Pharmacy.....................................17 C2 Myanma Foreign Trade Bank................18 C3 Myanmar Oriental Bank........................19 B2 Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT)..........20 B3 New Zealand Embassy..........................(see 2) Santa Maria Travel & Tours...................21 B1 US Embassy..........................................22 C3 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Cholia Jama Mosque.............................23 City Hall...............................................24 Customs...............................................25 High Court Building..............................26 Holy Trinity Cathedral...........................27 Immanuel Baptist Church.....................28 Immigration Office...............................29 Independence Monument....................30 Law Court............................................31 Methodist Telugu Church.....................32 Moseah Yeshua Synagogue..................33 Mosque................................................34 Narsapuri (Moja) Mosque.....................35 St Mary’s Cathedral..............................36 Sakura Tower.......................................37 Sri Kali..................................................38

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Sri Siva Temple.....................................39 A2 Super One Department Store................40 B1 SLEEPING Central Hotel.........................................41 City Star Hotel......................................42 Daddy’s Home.....................................43 Garden Guest House............................44 Golden Smiles Inn.................................45 Mahabandoola Guest House.................46 May Fair Inn.........................................47 Mayshan Guest House.........................48 New Aye Yar Hotel..............................49 Okinawa Guest House..........................50 Panorama Hotel....................................51 Strand Hotel......................................... 52 Sunflower Hotel....................................53 Tokyo Guest House.............................. 54 Traders Hotel........................................55 White House Hotel...............................56

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EATING 999 Shan Noodle Shop.........................57 C2 Adorns Kitchen.....................................58 B1 APK Kitchen Thai Food.........................59 B1 Bharat Restaurant.................................60 D2 Golden City Chetty Restaurant.............61 C1 Golden Duck Restaurant.......................62 B3 Grand Mee Ya Hta.............................(see 58) J Donuts...............................................63 C2 J Donuts.............................................(see 59) MacBurger...........................................64 D2 Mandarin Restaurant............................65 C3 Nan Yu.................................................66 C3 New Delhi Restaurant...........................67 B2 Nila Biryani Shop...................................68 B2 Nilar Win’s Cold Drink Shop.................69 D2 Okinawa Restaurant.............................70 B3 Palei Kywe Restaurant..........................71 D4 Pizza Corner..........................................72 B1 Shami Food Centre...............................73 C2 Shwe Htoo Restaurant..........................74 B2 Tokyo Fried Chicken.............................75 B1 Tokyo Fried Chicken.............................76 C2 Var Lunch Home..................................77 B2 Yakiniku Japanese Barbeque.................78 B1 Yatha Teashop..................................... 79 D3

DRINKING ABC Country Pub.................................80 C2 Café Aroma..........................................81 C1 Da Best 69 Entertainment.....................82 A2 Diamond White Bar............................(see 41) Emperor Entertainment.........................83 A2 Golden Triangle Bakery.........................84 B3 Mr Brown Café.....................................85 C2 Silver Oak Café....................................86 D3 Strand Bar..........................................(see 52) Theingi Shwe Yee Tea House...............87 D1 Zawgyi’s Café.......................................88 B1 Zero Zone Rock Restaurant..................89 A2 ENTERTAINMENT Aladdin Recreation Centre................... 90 D3 Cinemas...............................................91 C1 Nay Pyi Daw Cinema............................92 C1 SHOPPING Ava Tailoring........................................93 Bogyoke Aung San Market....................94 FMI Centre............................................95 Global Tailoring.....................................96 Morning Market...................................97 Myanmar Shopping Mall......................98 Theingyi Zei (Market)...........................99

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TRANSPORT Air France...........................................100 C1 Air Nippon Airways..........................(see 100) Birman Bangladesh.............................101 D3 Indian Airlines.....................................102 C2 Japan Airlines.....................................(see 95) KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines.................. 103 D4 Malaysia Airlines.................................104 B1 Myanma Airways.............................(see 103) Myanma Five Star Line (MFSL) Passenger Jetty............................................... 105 C4 Myanma Port Authority..................... 106 D4 Myanmar Airways International.......(see 102) Pansodan St Jetty...............................107 C4 Pick-ups to Thanlyin...........................108 C2 Silk Air..............................................(see 100) Thai Airways....................................(see 100) Train Ticket Office..............................109 C1 Yangon Airways Office...................... 110 C4

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untamed nature or meditative quiet here as the sidewalk surrounding the circumference of Kandawgyi also runs alongside a busy road. Also known by its literal translation, Royal (Dawgyi) Lake (Kan), the lake seems at its most attractive at sunset, when the glittering Shwedagon is reflected in its calm waters; you’ll find the best sunset view from the lake’s eastern edge. Several of the city’s embassies, clinics and smaller hotels are in the lake’s vicinity, the majority north of the lake. Just east of the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel, on the southern side of the lake, floats a Shin Upagot shrine. Upagot is a Bodhisattva or Buddhist saint who is said to protect human beings in moments of mortal danger.

The eastern side of the lake is dominated by a very expensive government-financed project including a small park and playground for children as well as the fanciful or monstrous – depending on your taste – Karaweik, a reinforced concrete reproduction of a royal barge. Apart from being something of a local attraction in its own right, the Karaweik (Sanskrit for garuda) – the legendary bird-mount of the Hindu god Vishnu – is also the name of a government-owned restaurant nearby. Traditional dance performances are held here in the evenings.

Inya Lake

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Inya Lake itself is hidden from street level view – a shame as a walk or drive around the perimeter reveals only that something is probably on the other side of the earthen berms. The lake (Map p86) is roughly five times larger than Kandawgyi but to see actual water you must explore on foot and

brave the powerful sun. There aren’t many opportunities for shade, really only scattered umbrellas, popular with young couples sneaking a little alone time. Inya is north of the city, stretching between Pyay Rd to the west and Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd to the east; certain areas along the lakeshore – occupied by state guesthouses and ministerial mansions – are off-limits to the general public. Before reclusive dictator Ne Win died in December 2002, he resided on University Ave at one end of the lake while Aung San Suu Kyi, who at the time of research was still under house arrest at No 54, was at the other end. For years these two important figures in contemporary Myanmar history had resided like powerful nat locked in a battle of wills.

Myanmar Gems Museum & Gems Market

¨mn'm;¾ekY;k'mYk'¨ptiuk'NH='¾ aer;='"¨pxn'" Just north of Parami Rd, this museum (Map p86; %665 365; 66 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd; admission US$3;

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102 YA N G O N • • S i g h t s

Most top-end hotels offer professional traditional Myanmar massage. Maybe the most decadent is the Strand Hotel (p109) where sessions (US$75, 90 minutes) are preceded by a soak in a rose-petal–sprinkled tub. Silk pyjamas are provided. Also try: La Source Beauty Spa (Map p90; %512 381; 1 Shwe

11

Merchant St

Mahabandoola Rd

Merchant St

Ban

k S t

8

7

Stra

Yango

n Riv er

nd

Rd

6 Strand Rd

42nd St

41st St

Bo Aung Kyaw St

39th St

40th St

5

Seikkan Thar St

4

37th St

9

Rd

Bo Aung Kyaw St

35th St

3

Mahabandoola Garden

Strand

36th St

34th St

2

200 m 0.1 miles

38th St

1

Pansodan St

31st St

0 0

Maha Bandoola Garden St

27th St

Mahabandoola Rd 10

32nd St

29th St

Shwe Dagon Pagoda Rd

Train Ride More in the category of sightseeing rather than transportation, the Yangon Circle Line (Yangon train station: %274 027; US$1) is a slow moving, not particularly comfortable threehour trip around Yangon and the neighbouring countryside. However, for US$1, it’s a great way to get a quick overview of the sprawling capital. There are actually two trains, one clockwise and one counterclockwise, and it takes about three hours to complete the loop in either direction. You can always hop off at any station and take a taxi back to the city centre. The first train leaves around 6am from platform 6/7 at the

ὈὈ ὈὈ

Anawrahta Rd Theingyizi Plaza

Maha Bandoola Garden St

Li Rd) Body scrubs, facials, hair salon, and special bridal packages. Seri Beauty and Health (Map p90; %534 493; 103 Dhama Zedi Rd; upper body massage US$3) Skilled and friendly. Every eighth massage is free.

33rd St

Sule Paya Rd

Bogyoke Aung San Rd

Bo Sun Pat Rd

Traditional Myanmar Massage

30th St

An informal group does a 3km and 6km run between the Traders Hotel and the Zoological Garden/Kandawgyi area every Sunday. Inquire at the Traders Hotel (see p110).

28th St

Running

Shwe Bontha St

U Wi Za Ra Rd) Attached to the He & Me Food Centre & Music Pub, which offers snacks and drinks in an open-air setting. Yangon University Swimming Pool (Map p90; %531 889; Inya Rd)

26th St

Opposite the Shwedagon Paya to the west, the People’s Park (Map p90; admission US$3; h7am7pm) is a huge expanse of grass and trees that is bisected by People’s Square, a wide, socialist-style pedestrian promenade. Near a set of fountains just to the south of People’s Square is a children’s playground area, and in the southeastern corner of the park there are a couple of armoured tanks on display. The entrance to the park is on the eastern side, by the Shwedagon Paya’s western gate.

Yangon Swimming Club Pool (Map p98; %278 550;

Start your tour of downtown at the 2200year-old Sule Paya (1; see p97) the geographic and commercial heart of the city, and where the British-designed grid street pattern was centred. After a complete rotation or two and visit inside, cross the busy traffic circle to the east and you’ll find the twice rebuilt City Hall (2). On the next corner further east on Mahabandoola Rd is the Immigration Office (3), once one of the largest department stores in all of Asia. Across the street is the Immanuel Baptist Church (4) originally built in 1885. Continuing east on Mahabandoola, take the next right onto Pansodan St where you’ll see the High Court Building (5) on your

Kon Zay Dan St

Other Attractions

Sa Ya San St)

right, in name at least, the highest legal authority in the land. Continue south on Pansodan St, past Merchant Rd to Strand Rd, the last east-west thoroughfare before the Yangon River. On your left is the Strand Hotel (6; p109), whose restored façade evokes another era and whose air-conditioned lobby, café and bar make a good rest-stop along the way. Ready to brave the heat and uneven sidewalks again, walk west along Strand Rd for a block past Pansodan St where you’ll see the Customs House (7), built in 1915, on one corner and the Law Court (8), an impressive looking colonnaded building on the other – both institutions best admired (figuratively) from afar. Turn north up Mahabandoola Garden St or the less pedestrian friendly Sule Paya Rd. On the other side of Merchant St, you can’t miss the 50m obelisk, a monument to the country’s independence standing in the middle of popular Mahabandoola Garden (9; p101). This brings you back to the Sule Paya from where you can continue on west down Mahabandoola Rd through the chaotic Indian and Chinese quarters (10) of the

WALKING TOUR – DOWNTOWN YANGON

25th St

explore, with lots of hand-blown glass on display, in a surprisingly pleasant indooroutdoor setting. It was this place that provided the huge, mesmerising eyes of the reclining Buddha at Chaukhtatgyi Paya (see p99). Unusual wine glasses, small vases and the like are also for sale at very reasonable prices here. It’s well worth your while paying a visit. The friendly, giggly owner is usually on hand to give you a tour of the workshop. The factory isn’t signposted, and is well hidden down a jungly driveway. Most taxi drivers in the downtown area aren’t familiar with the factory, and it definitely helps if you tell them it’s located in Hlaing (pronounced lie-eng) Township. A taxi from the downtown area should take about 15 minutes one way and cost around K3000 for a return trip.

Most of the top-end hotels have pools and many are open to the public for a few dollars. Admission to some includes access to the hotels’ gyms and saunas. The nicest of these are the Sedona (US$5), the Kandawgyi Palace (US$5) and the Nikko Royal Lake (US$5). Three public pools in Yangon charge fees (usually US$3) for daily use and are generally open from 6am to 8pm: Kokine Swimming Club (Map p90; %550 034; 34

YA N G O N • • W a l k i n g T o u r – D o w n t o w n Ya n g o n 105

Central Train Station (Map p98; Bogyoke Aung San Rd) and the last trip of the day departs around 5pm. Trains depart approximately every 30 minutes though not all do the full circuit. The train is least crowded on weekends. To buy tickets look for the ticket window next to an oval track map at the eastern end of the station.

23rd St

ng:"fn'e¨mmHn'e¨mck'Tu® The glass factory (Map p86; %526 053; 152 Yawgi Kyaung St, Hlaing Township; admission free; h 9.3011am & 12.30-3.30pm) is an interesting place to

Swimming

24th St

Na-Gar Glass Factory

ACTIVITIES

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22nd St

h9am-5pm Tue-Sun) is meant to impress – starting with the world’s largest sapphire that comes from Mogok to the northeast of Mandalay. The sapphire measures 17cm in height, and is nearly 12kg in weight; this somehow translates to 63,000 carats. The museum also boasts the world’s largest jade boulder, rough ruby, and star sapphire. Other not-so-impressive claims include the only mineral with ‘imperial’ in its name. The Gems Market is spread over three floors. In a currently poor country famous for valuable resources, the museum offers an unintended lesson in beauty, politics and money.

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104 YA N G O N • • A c t i v i t i e s

city. Every block along the way is crammed with shops and street vendors selling everything under the sun. Anywhere along the way you can turn right, or north, for several blocks until you hit Bogyoke Aung San Rd. It shouldn’t be hard to determine where the Bogyoke Aung San Market (11; p121) is from here; a nice place to end your walk and begin a new sort of tour, a slightly more difficult one that involves walking and shopping at the same time.

COURSES

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Kawthoung area (p167 for kayaking and boat trips and p333 for diving trips) Putao area (see p225) For hiking in the far north of the country.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS Crowds of pilgrims descend on the Shwedagon for a paya pwe (pagoda festival) from 29 February to 7 March, one of the more important Myanmar holidays. Other major festivals in Yangon include the following: Independence Day (4 January) Includes a seven-day fair

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exact percentage of ownership – whether the government is a majority or minority shareholder and exactly what this means – is difficult to ferret out (see p331). The obvious appeal of the hotels just north of the city centre in the Kandawgyi area are the breathtaking views of the Shwedagon Pagoda, especially at night. The lake itself provides a peaceful backdrop for several clustered hotels around its shores. The city becomes more suburban and spread out the further north you go towards Inya Lake.

Meditation

at Kandawgyi; see p340.

Several monasteries in Yangon welcome foreigners to meditation courses. For more information see p335.

Water Festival/Thingyan (April) The Myanmar New

City Centre

Year is celebrated by a wet pandemonium. See p340 for more details. Buddha’s birthday (April/May) See p340 Martyrs’ Day (19 July) Commemorating the assassination of Bogyoke Aung San and his comrades. See p341 Murugu Festival Held at Yangon’s Hindu temples (see p101), it involves colourful processions.

The author’s choice for this price range can be found on p108.

..

Thai Chi & Martial Arts The art of Tai Chi is practised daily at dawn at Mahabandoola Garden, near the Sule Paya. Burmese kickboxing instruction for beginners is offered on the ground floor of the YMCA (Map p98; %294 128, 296 435; Mahabandoola Rd, near Thein Byu Rd; hbeginners 7-9am Tue, Thu & Sat, experienced 3-5pm Mon, Wed & Fri). There’s usually

someone around who can translate the essentials, though you should mostly expect to learn by example. Techniques taught here incorporate some moves borrowed from Thai and international boxing. Visitors are welcome to participate in boxing upon becoming members; if you’re staying at the YMCA, you’re welcome to use the facilities for a small donation. Inquire at the main office on the upper floor for more information. Saya Pan Thu, founder of the Institute of Myanmar Traditional Advanced Boxing (Map p90; 15 Aung Chan Tha St, Hledan Rd, Kamayut Township) teaches a more traditional Burmese kickboxing style on most Saturdays at 4pm at the Yangon University campus. Pan Thu doesn’t speak much English, nor apparently do any of his students.

TOURS Yangon is a good place to organise tours to some difficult-to-reach places, including the following. The operators are listed in the referenced pages. Chin State (p329) Includes hikes and bird-watching on Mt Victoria in the west of the country.

..

SLEEPING Judging by the number of large top-end business-style hotels cropping up all over the city, the hospitality industry in Yangon is alive and well. Low occupancy rates, though, belie the wisdom of the hotel building boom and heavy rebates are to be had by the savvy traveller. Practically all of the budget options are located in the busy city centre area but room rates are high and the quality low when compared with budget accommodation in Mandalay. It’s worth considering spending a few extra bucks and taking the jump to midrange accommodation if you’re only in the capital for a night or two. Many of the midrange and top-end hotels provide airport pick-ups and offer Internet access and full-service business centres. Only a few accept credit cards in person so it’s worthwhile booking and paying for reservations online where rates are often heavily discounted anyway. Even if you do just show up unannounced you’ll rarely have to pay the advertised price. Some of the top hotels add on an additional 10% service charge and 10% government tax. Almost all hotels, even the mostly lowly budget place, will store luggage while you’re away up country. Note: most of the top-end hotels are joint ventures with the government although the

BUDGET

Prices quoted generally include a rudimentary eggs-and-toast breakfast. Payment is accepted in US dollars, and sometimes kyat. Street noise, especially in the early morning, is a nuisance at many of the options. Motherland Inn 2 (Map p90-1; %291 343; www.myan marmotherlandinn.com; 433 Lower Pazundaung Rd; r US$713; ai) While the Motherland Inn 2 (the

original Motherland has since closed) is a long walk or a short taxi ride from the centre itself, it’s one of the best value options in this category and is deservedly popular with the backpacker set. This well-managed hotel’s modern and green façade is easily noticeable on this quiet residential street. The rooms themselves are simple but exceptionally clean; several triples with fan or air-conditioning are also available. A complimentary airport shuttle runs twice a day and breakfast is outstanding for this category. The pricier rooms have private bathrooms. Okinawa Guest House (Map p102;%374 318; 64 32nd St; dm US$5, s/d with bathroom US$10/15; a)

The only downside to the Okinawa’s six beautifully furnished all-wood rooms is the erratic power supply, which means no hot water and air-conditioning only at night. If neither are concerns, this distinctive guesthouse just a short walk from Sule Paya is an excellent option; even the attic-level dormitory room is attractive. Just look for the red roof and brick exterior on this otherwise nondescript street. White House Hotel (Map p102; %240 780; white house@ mptmail.net.mm; 69-71 Kon Zay Dan St; r US$5-

YA N G O N • • S l e e p i n g 107

14; a) It’s a good thing the White House rooftop has hammocks and swings and that the views are so spectacular because the steep climb to get here is an aerobic workout. Some of the rooms are weirdly shaped and the design scheme is somewhat funky – shards of glass and mirrors and tiles – but things are kept clean and the common areas at the top are crowded with potted plants. Breakfast is better than average and the front desk is a one stop shop for all your bus and tour information. Golden Smiles Inn (Map p102; %373 589; mya [email protected]; 644 Merchant St; r US$5-12; a)

Golden Smiles is centrally located, up a flight of stairs from a grubby street-level entrance. There’s nothing outstanding about the eight basic rooms and lighting can be dim despite the sunny balcony hangout/breakfast area. All the rooms have air-con, the more expensive rooms have private bathroom and the staff is helpful and friendly. May Fair Inn (Map p102;%384 183; mayfair.inn@ mptmail.net.mm; 57 38th St; r US$9; a) This inn between Merchant and Strand has several clean, carpeted rooms. The modern bathrooms make up for the slight inconvenience of night-time–only air-con and hot water. The May Fair isn’t the place to meet other travellers and there is no welcoming common area or extra domestic touches despite the fact that it is family owned. YMCA (Map p98; %294 128; 263 Mahabandoola Rd; r US$8-19; a) At the time of writing a new nine-story wing was in the works, three floors dedicated to accommodation. Rooms in the original building are large, sparse and decorated only with concrete but they do have windows – a plus in the budget category. Free transport to/from the airport is available. Both men and women are welcome here, although double rooms are ostensibly for married couples. Sunflower Hotel (Map p102; %240 014; sunflower [email protected]; 259/263 Anawrahta Rd; r US$8-15; a) Located in the heart of the busy Indian

quarter on the corner of Shwe Bontha St and Anawrahta Rd, the Sunflower offers a variety of neat if airless and character-free rooms. The pricier rooms with air-con also have TV. Tokyo Guest House (Map p102; %287 143; 200 Bo Aung Kyaw St; r US$6; a) Though rooms in this 2nd floor guesthouse are barely large enough for a bed and are windowless, they

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THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE Haven Inn (Map p98; %295 500; phyuaung@

is an especially quiet block at night so you should be able to sleep undisturbed. Ocean Pearl Inn (Map p98; % 297 007; www

Panorama Hotel (Map p102; %253 077; panorama@ mptmail.net.mm; 294-300 Pansodan St; s/d US$22/30; ai) Within walking distance of the train

mptmail.net.mm; 216 Bo Myat Tun St; s/d US$10/ 15; a) There’s no more homey and invit-

.oceanpearlinn.com; 215 Bo Ta Taung Pagoda Rd; s/d US$10/ 15; ai) In the same neighbourhood as the

ing place to retire to after a busy day of sightseeing in Yangon. The Haven Inn, announced only by a small neon sign, is located on a relatively quiet street east of the city centre. The five well-furnished rooms are often all booked in high season. Each has air-con, minifridge, large private bathroom and comfortable mattresses though all are window-free. Room 101 is surprisingly large and includes a desk and separate sitting area. The 1st-floor living room area and 2nd-floor breakfast space are all dark wood. Dr Htun, the friendly owner of this family-run retreat, is an excellent source of information.

Haven and Three Seasons, the newly opened Ocean Pearl is another high-value option. While the rooms don’t have as much charm as the other two, there is satellite TV and it’s kept so clean you can see your reflection in the floor. Not only are the willing-to-please front desk staff able to book air, bus and train transport but there is 24-hour room service for those with late night cravings. Mayshan Guest House (Map p102; %252 986; may-

station and the Bogyoke market, the aptly named 10-storey Panorama’s rooms offer good views of downtown Yangon. Its wide marble atrium lobby seems slightly dated and in some of the rooms the carpets are fraying and the paint is peeling. However, location and professional and attentive service offset these flaws. Yoma Hotel (Map p98; % 297 725; yoma.one@

are clean and well-kept and there is a sunny breakfast area filled with plants and books. Bathrooms are shared. The following are bare-bones and only last resorts: Daddy’s Home (Map p102; %252 169; 107 Kon Zay Dan St; r per person US$4-10) Only a few doors from the White House. Garden Guest House (Map p102; %253 779; 441-445 Mahabandoola St; s/d from US$4/6) Fronting Sule Paya. Mahabandoola Guest House (Map p102; %248 104; 93 32nd St; s/d US$3/5) Also fronting Sule Paya.

[email protected]; 115-117 Sule Paya Rd; s/d US$15/22; ai) It’s hard to top the Mayshan’s loca-

tion, a half a block north of Sule Paya. The vibe is less family and intimate than others, nevertheless the small, tiled modern rooms are well-kept and have satellite TV, a good way for new arrivals to pass the early morning jet-lagged hours. There’s a lift and a lobby and breakfast area, both good halfway points between the privacy of your room and the crunch of the outside streets. The Mayshan is also one of the few places where you can access personal hotmail email accounts (30 minutes for US$3). New Aye Yar Hotel (Map p102; %256 938; newayar@ mptmail.net.mm; 170-176 Bo Aung Kyaw St; s/d US$18/20; a) One of the best high-rise entries in this

Yangon’s accommodation options in this price category have expanded rapidly. Some hotels will accept credit cards. Almost all offer discounts in the low season and if you stay for an extended period of time. The two best value choices, as well as the author’s choice (see above), are within a few blocks of one another. Three Seasons Hotel (Map p98; %293 304; phy-

category, the New Aye Yar has a regal looking lobby fronted by two stone lion statues guarding the entrance. Unusual in this price range, you get spiffy uniformed porters and a selection of foreign newspapers for perusal. All of the large rooms have satellite TV, fridges and big, inviting bathrooms. Lower priced rooms have carpeting, while for a few dollars extra you can get one of the much nicer, newer all wood (floors and furniture) rooms; some have panoramic views of the city. Thamada Hotel (Map p98; %243 639; thamada

[email protected]; 83-85 52nd St; s/d US$12/20; a ) Similar in style and appeal to the

[email protected]; 5 Signal Pagoda Rd; s/d US$25/30; a) Rooms in this six-storey hotel just

Haven Inn, the Three Seasons is owned by the same family. If one is full they’ll escort you to the other. High ceilings and spotless wooden floors are complimented by modern bathrooms and tasteful furnishings. Friendly staff serves up an outstanding breakfast – part Western, part Burmese – in the sunny 2nd-floor sitting area. This

across from the train station and next to the cinema of the same name, are surprisingly luxurious. Everything in the bedrooms is done in teak with a few special touches such as local artwork and photography. But it’s the spacious bathrooms that are the real standout. Some rooms have baths and those in the back are quieter.

MIDRANGE

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mptmail.net.mm; 146 Bogyoke Aung San Rd; s/d US$15/18; ai) Not as nice as its Yoma 2 counterpart

(p112), the Yoma gets by on its central location and the business-friendly professionalism of its staff. The quality of the rooms themselves varies; some with low ceilings have seen better days while there are nicer, newer ones too. There are five floors and no lift. Monthly rates are available on request. Queen’s Park Hotel (Map p98; %296 447; qphotel@ mptmail.net.mm; 132 Anawrahta Rd; s/d US$15/22; a i) The very small lower priced rooms in

YA N G O N • • S l e e p i n g 109

this 11-storey hotel on the corner of Bo Myat Tun St are decidedly not good value. The larger, higher priced ones have the standard amenities in this category. There’s a generator to cover frequent power outages and free airport transfer for groups of six or more. Central Hotel (Map p102; %241 007; www.myan mars.net.central; 335-357 Bogyoke Aung San Rd; s/d US$30/ 35; ai) Next to the Traders Hotel and

just across the road from Bogyoke Aung San Market, the Central offers large and clean, if unremarkable, standard rooms and larger suites. All rooms have air-con with private bathroom, fridge and phone. The hotel has a good Chinese restaurant and a very popular bar/café, the Diamond White Bar (p118), adjacent to the large lobby. The Central is a good place to change dollars for kyat. Sakhantha Hotel (Map p98; %249 518; Yangon Central Train Station; s/d US$15/25; a) Basically a wing of the train station, the Sakhantha’s rooms are so big and the ceilings so high that a train carriage could probably fit inside. You don’t really need all this space and there

THE STRAND HOTEL Strand Hotel (Map p102; %243 377; www.ghmhotels.com; 92 Strand Rd; superior ste US$425, Strand ste US$900; ai) Royalty, both the Hollywood kind and the more traditional, make the Strand their home away from home in Yangon. Mick Jagger, Oliver Stone, the King of Tonga, George Orwell, Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham all slept here. ‘When in Singapore stay at the Raffles’, the saying used to go. (Actually it was ‘feed at the Raffles’ and stay somewhere else, but never mind.) Similarly, when you are in Yangon, the place to stay, if you can afford it, is this property located between 38th and Seikkan Thar Sts. The Strand was originally constructed by the Sarkies brothers, of Raffles fame, in 1896, and was one of those glorious outposts of the British empire early in the 20th century. During WWII it was forced to close, only to reopen in 1948, under the auspices of London’s Steel Brothers Co. Ne Win nationalised the property in 1963 and in its latter-day socialist role the Strand became a run-down shadow of its former self – certainly no competition for the well-kept likes of Raffles or The Oriental in Bangkok. Yet somehow, the old colonial era lived on at the Strand. All of this changed again in 1991, when Dutch-Indonesian resort impresario Adrian Zecha and his company began spending US$36 million to renovate the grande dame. By the beginning of 1995, 32 rooms had been totally redone and opened to the public. Though well beyond the budget of many visitors to Myanmar as a place to spend the night, the Strand is well worth a visit for a drink in the bar, high tea in the lobby lounge or a splurge lunch at the café. Unlike the Oriental or Raffles, the hotel isn’t appended to touristy shopping malls and souvenir shops. The décor doesn’t bowl you over with a surplus of ornamentation either, and the staff is more laid-back and less snobbish to nonguest visitors. Each suite here is elegantly finished in the colonial style, with plenty of brass and teak and all the amenities expected at hotels of this calibre. The renovated guest rooms are divided into eight superior suites, 23 deluxe suites and one apartment-like Strand Suite. To all rates, add the mandatory 20% tax and service. Among the public facilities are a dinner-only restaurant, an opulently finished bar decorated with local art, a café and a small business centre. All guests are met at the airport.

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isn’t enough furniture to justify its size but this plus its colonial-era style makes it a unique choice. Both the City Star Hotel (Map p102; %250 291; www.citystarhotel.com; 169/171 Mahabandoola Garden St; s US$20-25, d US$25-30; a) and the Lai Lai Hotel (Map p98; %227 878; fax 227 342; 783 Mahabandoola Rd; s/d US$15/25; a) are modern Chinese-style

high rises in the heart of Yangon. Higher priced rooms have windows with good views of the chaos below.

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rooms have balconies facing the front. The Pioneer (p120), a popular nightclub is at the rear of the building.

Shwedagon & Kandawgyi Area This area of the city is generally quieter than central Yangon. It’s also convenient for walking to Shwedagon Paya, the zoo and Kandawgyi. It’s not a place to seek out budget accommodation. MIDRANGE

TOP END

Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel (Map p98; %250 388; www.grandplaza.yangon.parkroyalhotels.com; 33 Ah Lan Paya Pagoda Rd; s/d US$60/70; ais) A swanky

350-room hotel just north of the city centre, it comes complete with wood and rattan furnishings, Japanese and Chinese restaurants, café, disco/pub, business centre, fitness centre and tennis court. Rooms here are exceptional value, especially if on one of the floors with a combo business centre, library and lounge. At the time of research the Grand Plaza Park Royal was accepting Visa cards, and was also allowing guests to withdraw cash with their cards for 8% commission; traveller’s cheques are changed for only 3% commission. Traders Hotel (Map p102; %242 828; fax 242 800; www.shangri-la.com; 223 Sule Paya Rd; r US$70-75, ste US$110; ais) Because of its imposing

22 storeys and 500 rooms, and because it’s anchoring one of the busiest street corners in the city, Traders has achieved landmark status. This hotel, part of the Shangri-La chain, enjoys a reputation for good service and is popular with conferences and business meetings. It has a very decent book/gift shop, business centre, fitness centre and excellent restaurant and bar facilities. All rates include breakfast, airport transfer, laundry and local phone calls. Traders also has a free laundry service and a generous check-out time of 6pm. Significant discounts can be found online. Yuzana Garden Hotel (Map p98; %248 944; 44 Signal Pagoda Rd; s/d US$36/48; ais) From a distance the colonial façade looks grand and impressive but, like an ageing movie star, reveals it’s wrinkles and cracks upon closer inspection. The lobby was probably elegant in its day and the oversized rooms are attractive though some are a little mildewy and need a touch-up. More expensive

Winner Inn (Map p90; %535 205; www.winnerinn myanmar.com; 42 Than Lwin Rd; r US$20-25; ai) The Winner is a low slung building that’s attached to a four-storey wing between Inya Lake and Shwedagon Paya. Rooms are very good value, complete with private bathroom, fridge and satellite TV; there is a dining room overlooking the garden. Higher priced rooms are larger. Guest Care Hotel (Map p90; %511 118; www.guest carehotel.com; 107 Dhama Zedi Rd; s/d US$24/32; ai)

All guests at the Guest Care have access to the top floor viewing area with spectacular unobstructed views of the nearby Shwedagon Pagoda. Rooms at this hotel are kept spick and span. Larger rooms have sitting areas and some touches of antique furniture; all have satellite TV and minifridges. Mya Yeik Nyo Royal Hotel (Map p90; %548 310; www.myayeiknyo.com; 20 Pa-le Rd; r US$35, r in old bldg US$100; ais) There are two very dif-

ferent Mya Yeik Nyos right next to one another. One is a modern, slightly kitschy looking four-storey building, the other is a stately, old mansion built by the British as an office for the legendary Irrawaddy Flotilla Company (IFC). The rooms in the former are large and comfortable though the furniture is mismatched and feels like a 70s-era suburban living room. Grand restoration plans for the latter include six massive incredibly unique rooms filled with local handicrafts and sculptures and lit by elegant chandeliers. The MYN Royal’s landscaped grounds afford clear views of the Shwedagon Paya. Bagan Inn (Map p90; %541 539; pinegrp@mptmail .net.mm; 2 Nat Mauk Ln – 29 Po Sein Rd; s/d US$40/60; a) This is a well-managed place sitting

in its own large, landscaped compound on a quiet street, just north of Kandawgyi. Owned by Hong Kong Chinese, the inn’s 25 rooms, in three separate two-storey

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buildings, are large and nicely decorated. All rooms feature fridge, TV and phone; there are also more expensive suites. Rates include laundry service. Summer Palace Hotel (Map p90; %527 211; fax 525 424; 437 Pyay Rd; s/d US$20/25; ais) The Summer Palace, set back from the road near the Myanma TV and radio broadcast station, is a diminutive version of one of the larger top-end hotels in the city. It’s only six-storeys and 56 rooms but has an efficient business centre, professional service and a small swimming pool and bar at the rear. Panda Hotel (Map p98; %212 850; www.myanmars

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to walk from your room to the bar or one of the excellent restaurants on the 2nd floor (see p117). Most of the rooms have windows that open out onto the pool area. Kandawgyi Palace Hotel (Map p90; %249 255; www.kandawgyipalace.com; Kan Yeik Tha Rd; s/d US$80/90; ais) Architecturally, the Kandawgyi

city centre, is another high quality businessoriented midrange hotel in a residential area. Rooms have all the standard amenities, plus some have excellent views and there’s a small gym. It offers free airport transfers.

Palace looks like an extension of the nearby Shwedagon Paya, blending seamlessly into the fairytale vistas from the lake shore. Rooms are mostly teak and wicker and if you stay in one of the paya-side suites the windows frame the scene like a picture postcard. The hotel has several fine restaurants with Burmese, Asian and also European fare (see p116), including a nightclub and 24hour coffee shop. There is also a business centre and a beautiful outdoor swimming pool guarded by a giant stone dinosaur. For those with royal fantasies, there are several amazing bungalows with private Jacuzzi, pool and butler service. Summit Parkview (Map p90; %211 888; www

TOP END

.summityangon.com; 350 Ahlone Rd; s/d US$50/55, studio ste US$220/230; ais) A top choice among

.net/pandahotel; 205 Wadan St; s US$20-25, d US$25-30; ai) This 13-storey high-rise west of the

Pansea Yangon (Map p98; %229 860; www.pansea .com; 35 Taw Win St; s/d US$150/170; ais) To truly be pampered and live like a sovereign on holiday, this elegant teak mansion in the leafy embassy district is for you. The Pansea was once a guesthouse for important nationals of the Kayah ethnic group visiting the city, but now after a masterful restoration it’s a foreigners ideal of colonial luxury. In the 2nd-floor open-air lounge area with bar and pool table, and most especially the rooms, everything is wood and handicrafts and paintings set off with soft plush cushions and bright colours. It’s a feast for the senses and is worth a visit even if you’re not an overnight guest. There’s an excellent restaurant, Mandalay (p116), serving French and Asian cuisine in a pond-side setting. Savoy Hotel (Map p90; %526 289; www.savoy -myanmar.com; 129 Dhama Zedi Rd; s/d US$90/135; ais) Everything inside the Savoy is

done so perfectly that it’s easy to forgive the fact that it’s situated right on a busy street corner with heavy traffic. A cross between the Pansea and a smaller version of the Strand, the Savoy is excellent value in this category. Hallways, rooms and even the lavish bathrooms are stocked with photographs, antiques, handicrafts and sculptures, all of museum quality and it’s a pleasure just

business travellers, it stands within walking distance of Shwedagon Paya. The voluminous marble lobby is designed to impress; the hotel’s 252 rooms come with satellite TV, in-house movies and 24-hour room service; suites and studio suites cost more. In addition to a useful hotel clinic and dispensary, the Summit features a fitness centre, newsstand, hair salon, shopping arcade, several travel agents, a bakery/café and also a restaurant. Hotel Nikko Royal Lake Yangon (Map p90; %544 500; www.nikkoyangon.net; 40 Nat Mauk Rd; superior s/d US$90/100, deluxe US$120/140; ais) This

large, imposing hotel overlooking Kandawgyi has none of the charm or character of other hotels in this price range. It does have all the amenities you’d expect: a business centre with secretarial service, a fitness centre and large pool (K1500 for nonguests), a grand ballroom, a very good Japanese restaurant and a brasserie serving excellent Bamar, Mediterranean and Thai cuisine.

North & Inya Lake Area The remainder of the hotels are well north of the city centre; the majority are along or just off Insein Rd or Pyay Rd, which are both long avenues running north to south.

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MIDRANGE

s) The Renaissance is a 239-room com-

Aurora Inn (Map p90; %525 961; fax 525 400; 37A Thirimingalar St; s US$10-15, d US$20-30; a) Hidden down a narrow street off Pyay Rd, this French-managed place encompasses two older buildings; the one at the back is decorated with antiques and contains a snack bar. Rooms are spacious, and the more expensive rooms have air-con. The attached restaurant serves good French cuisine. Yoma Hotel 2 (Map p90; %531 065; 24A Inya Rd; s/d US$21/28; ai) A small, 17-room hotel that, like its Yoma 1 counterpart, it is very service-oriented and a popular spot in this price range with business travellers. Lower long-term rates are available. Shwe Hinthar Inn (Map p86; %533 295; roswin

plex, about 6km north of the city centre on 37 acres of landscaped grounds near Inya Lake. It’s not much to look at from the outside but the facilities and rooms are fairly sumptuous and elegant. There’s an excellent fitness centre, tennis courts, business centre and several restaurants and cafés. The Dusit Inya frequently hosts conferences and banquets. Room rates are excellent value for a top-end Yangon hotel.

[email protected]; 51 Pyay Rd; s/d US$30/40; as)

It’s a converted colonial building offering 18 well-appointed rooms on spacious grounds; rates include continental breakfast. There is a large garden and poolside bar on the grounds. It’s near the northern end of Inya Lake, next to the Philippine embassy. Royal White Elephant Hotel (Map p86; %503 986; [email protected]; 11/15 Kan St, 6 miles; s/d US$20/ 24; a) This place is near Inya Lake off Pyay

Rd. It’s a four-storey building with elevator and receives raves for its friendly service. However, the spacious, carpeted rooms are beginning to wear around the edges. Liberty Hotel (Map p90; %525 974; fax 524 144; 343 Pyay Rd; s/d US$24/28; a) Near the Hanthawady roundabout in an elite residential neighbourhood is this two-storey colonial mansion converted to a hotel. The rooms are large and high-ceilinged, and there’s also a much larger family room. There’s a nice garden out back. TOP END

Sedona Hotel (Map p90; %666 900; www.sedona myanmar.com; 1 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd; r US$75; ais)

Towering over Inya Lake, the Sedona is a big conventional hotel. There are no real special touches or acknowledgments that this is indeed Yangon, however the rooms are very comfortable and good value. Discounts are usually available for stays of three nights or more. The hotel boasts a popular fitness centre, large outdoor pool, sauna, tennis courts, business centre, good bookshop and several restaurants including the Orzo (see p116). Dusit Inya Lake Resort (Map p86; %662 857; www.dusit.com; 37 Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd; r US$70; ai

EATING Yangon is the culinary capital of the country. From street food, to cheap Bamar and Indian eateries, to high-end restaurants with creative chefs serving European, Thai, and Japanese cuisine, eating is an unexpected highlight of a visit to the city. Eat early – by 10pm all but a couple of 24-hour places, a few large hotel cafés and the Strand will be ready to close. There are also a few music clubs/cafés that serve food until 11pm.

Bamar Eating options outside Yangon are limited to mostly Bamar cuisine so many travellers take advantage of the relative diversity and hold off on Bamar cooking until they leave the capital. While this is an understandable strategy to keep the taste buds guessing, it would be unfortunate as there are several Bamar restaurants more interesting than those upcountry. THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE Sandy’s Myanmar Cuisine (Map p90; %525

195; 290 U Wi Za Ra Rd; vegetable entrees K1500, meat entrees K3000) There’s no better place to try Bamar cooking than at Sandy’s overlooking serene Kandawgyi. The colonnaded colonial building and outdoor patio seating heighten the surprisingly affordable dining experience. Try the Be’Ou-PazunAhsar-Thoor-Gyaw – just pronouncing it is a mouthful – duck eggs filled with minced prawns (K3000), pumpkin soup (K1500) and meat-filled clay pot (K4500). The mohinga (rice noodles with chicken or fish) breakfast here, compared with the same meal served in the average teashop, is like the difference between haute couture and sweat pants.

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The more humble-looking the restaurant appears, the more locals probably frequent it. Figure on spending no more than K1000 per person for a full spread, not including beverages: Feel Myanmar Food (Map p98; %725 736; 124 Pyihtaungsu Yeiktha St; meals K2000) The Feel does heavy lunch-time business; a mixed crowd of locals and foreign embassy staff pack the all-wood dining room that resembles a private home in northern Myanmar. Choose from a great looking array of dishes laid out buffet style in the back. There are a few other Feel Myanmar outlets in the city; this is the nicest, though. Aung Thuka (Map p90; 17A 1st St; venison curry K1000; h10am-7pm) On a small side street between Shwe Gon Daing and Dhama Zedi Rds near the Shwedagon Paya, Aung Thuka features a simple dining room decorated with Myanmar calendars and movie posters, and furnished with linoleum-top tables and wooden chairs. Along one side of the room are dozens of pots containing the day’s curries and special dishes; you’ll automatically receive soup, dhal, rice and side dishes. Hla Myanma Htamin Zain (Beautiful Myanmar Rice Shop; Map p90; 27 5th St; curries K1000; h10am-7pm)

Near the Aung Thuka restaurant, this place is sometimes called Shwe Ba because a famous Burmese actor of that name once had his house nearby. Like Aung Thuka it’s a very simple, plain restaurant, where the food is served from rows of curry pots. There are also some Chinese and Indian dishes. Green Elephant Restaurant (Map p90; %535 231; www.elephant-house.com/restaurant; 519A Thirimingalar St; dishes K2500) Tour groups make this restau-

rant down a narrow side street off Pyay Rd part of their Yangon itinerary. If you don’t mind rubbing elbows with other foreigners, the upmarket and slightly Westernised Bamar curries, salads, meat and seafood dishes are quite satisfying. Service is very good and the restaurant includes an upmarket craft shop.

Shan Aung Mingalar Shan Noodle Restaurant (Map p98; Bo Yar Nyunt St; dishes K1000) Opening onto the busy corner of Nawady St, Aung Mingalar is an excellent place to simultaneously indulge in people watching and the sweet sound of noodle sipping. Waiters are uniformed in Aung Mingalar T-shirts and

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it’s probably the most modern of the Shan noodle shops. 999 Shan Noodle Shop (Map p102; 130B 34th St; most noodle dishes K400) Four or five tables are crammed into this tiny eatery behind City Hall a short walk from Sule Paya. The menu, printed in English and Burmese, includes filling Shàn k’auq swèh (thin rice noodles in a slightly spicy chicken broth), and myi shay (Mandalay-style noodle soup). Noodle dishes are served with fried tofu triangles and jars of pickled cabbage. The kitchen may sell out of some items by early evening. Maw Shwe Li Restaurant (Map p98; %221 103; 316 Anawrahta Rd, Lanmadaw Township; curries K1000) This is another good Shan eatery west of the city centre. The small, friendly, out-of-the-way place is usually crowded with locals, and the curries are excellent and cheap; Shan specialities include pei pot kyaw (sour bean condiment) and hmo chawk kyaw (fried mushrooms). Lashio Lay Shan Restaurant (Map p98; %259 015; 71 51st St; mains under K1000) A popular, simple little place near the corner of Mahabandoola and 51st Sts, it serves excellent Shan mains.

Thai Yinn Dee Thai Restaurant (Map p90; %526 526; 126 Dhama Zedi Rd; freshwater catfish salad K2200; a) Thumbing through the small phonebooksized menu is an exercise in gustatory masochism. Fortunately, the food comes quickly and when it comes it tastes as good as the photos look. Yinn Dee Thai’s menu is more creative than its competitors and its dining room more elegant. Sabai Sabai Thai Restaurant (Map p90; %544 724; 232 Dhama Zedi Rd; dishes K000; a) One of the more popular restaurants in Yangon, Sabai Sabai is in a new location but the extensive menu and homey, welcoming atmosphere remain the same. The menu isn’t as interesting as that in the Yinn Dee Thai’s but the portions are large. Prices are in US dollars and kyat. Padonmar Restaurant (Map p90; %536 485; 78 Inya Rd; dishes K1800; a) The menu here is a mix of Thai- and Bamar-influenced Thai dishes (or is it Thai-influenced Bamar dishes)? Whatever it is, the ground nut and tomato curry (K800) is especially good. Open late, the curiously decorated garden dining area is a good place for a late, leisurely dinner;

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French and Australian wines and mixed drinks are available. Silom Village Restaurant (Map p86; %527 448; 647A Pyay Rd; K2000; a) Just north of Inya Rd in Hlaing township, this large bustling openair restaurant does very good Thai classics. The atmosphere is fun – although the service can be spotty when they’re busy. APK Kitchen Thai Food (Map p102; %250 437; 369 Shwe Bontha St; dishes K1200; a) Attached to the grocery of the same name, you can watch shoppers through the window in the restaurant while you eat. The food is better than you’d expect from the fast-food style bench seats, and it’s easy to pick out favourites from the big photo-filled menu.

Chinese You can sample the whole range of Chinese cuisine in Yangon – from the familiar Cantonese to the less well known Shanghai, Sichuan, Beijing or Hokkien dishes. Singapore’s Kitchen (Map p98; %226 297; 524 Strand Rd; dishes K1500; h10am-1am; a) This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in town. It offers excellent food and good service with a choice of upstairs or down, fresh fish on display, an open kitchen and tables that spill onto the footpath during fair weather. At night it’s a bright and busy place, and even better is the late closing time. Besides seafood, it does a good job of crispy-fried duck, as well as lots of veggie and noodle dishes. A 10% service charge is added to the bill. Golden Duck Restaurant (Map p102; %241 234; 222-224 Strand Rd; duck mains K1800; h10am-10pm)

The Golden Duck is a busy, popular little place offering seafood and, of course, duck. It doesn’t have the ambience of the nearby Singapore’s Kitchen, but it serves excellent food and is good value. Yin Fong Seafood Restaurant (Map p90; %546 149; Kan Yeik Tha Rd; dishes K4500; a) This restaurant directly across from the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel is deservedly popular. A few of the specialties are squid with garlic sauce (K4600), wasabi cuttlefish (K4800), shark congee (K4800), and also medicinal eel soup (K4200). Western Park (Map p98; %225 143; Thakhin Mya Rd; dishes K1800) Near Thakhin Mya Park and the bus terminal at the corner of Strand Rd, the Western Park is a big banquet style hall. Its menu lists a wide variety of styles and dishes but the specialty is the juicy duck.

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Palei Kywe Restaurant (Map p102; %296 094; 44 Bo Aung Gyaw St; dishes K800; h10am-9pm) This restaurant is in the city centre near the main post office, between Strand Rd and Merchant St. It serves excellent northern Chinese fare at reasonable prices. The roast duck is a speciality. Mandarin Restaurant (Map p102; %272 960; 126 Mahabandoola Garden St; dishes K800) Near the corner of Mahabandoola Rd, just across from the park, this place is owned by the same family that runs the Mayshan Guest House. The Mandarin offers the usual assortment of northern Chinese dishes, vegetarian fare and fresh fish in a clean and fan-cooled setting. Nan Yu (Map p102; %252 702; 81 Pansodan St; dishes K1200; a) The Nan Yu has all the usual Cantonese specialities. For noodles, fried rice and other quick Chinese meals, try the night market (Map p98; Madaw Rd) in Chinatown, around the corner from the Cantonese temple.

Indian Along Anawrahta Rd, west of Sule Paya Rd towards the Sri Kali temple, are a number of shops serving Indian biryani (kyettha dan bauk in Burmese), and at night the roti and dosa (a thin crepe filled with potato; spelt toeshay on menus) makers set up along the pavement on the side streets. Indian food is probably the cheapest way of eating in Yangon, particularly at places that serve thali (all-you-can-eat meals of rice and vegetable curries piled on a fresh banana leaf or stainless-steel plate), which often cost only K200. Biryani costs a bit more, around K300. New Delhi Restaurant (Map p102; Anawrahta Rd) It does a variety of North and South Indian dishes for as little as K200. The selection includes puris (puffy breads), idli (rice ball in broth), dosa and banana-leaf thalis and a variety of curries for lunch and dinner. Overhead fans keep the swarms of bugs attracted by the ceiling lights from dive bombing your food. No tea here, only coffee, South Indian style. The restaurant opens onto the street between 29th and Shwe Bontha Sts. Shwe Htoo Restaurant (Map p102; cnr Anawrahta Rd & 30th St) This restaurant is open later than most and is good for a quick palata (fried flatbread) or biryani plate; it’s between the New Delhi and Nila Biryani. Nila Biryani Shop (Map p102; Anawrahta Rd) Although it's always crowded, and deservedly

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so, the service is snappy, so the wait for delicious biryanis isn’t long. It’s between 31st and 32nd Sts in the city centre. Shami Food Centre (Map p102; Anawrahta Rd) A block east on the same side of Anawrahta Rd, this place serves fare similar to the Nila Biryani and is owned by the same family. Both offer vegetarian biryani, as well as the usual chicken. Bharat Restaurant (Map p102; %281 519; 356 Mahabandoola Rd; mains from K600) On the corner of Seikkan Thar St, this place is dependable and cheap; it’s similar to the New Delhi with more of a focus on South Indian flavours. Bharat’s marble-topped tables make a nice change from the long cafeteria-style tables at the Indian places on Anawrahta Rd. Golden City Chetty Restaurant (Map p102; 170 Sule Paya Rd) Just north of the Sule Paya, on the eastern side of the street, this place follows the usual pattern for Yangon’s Indian restaurants – white-tiled walls and bright fluorescent lights; it’s one of the few citycentre Indian places open after 7pm. Var Lunch Home (Map p102; Shwe Bontha St) Two doors south of Anawrahta Rd and the Sunflower Hotel, Var Lunch serves tasty dhal as well as chicken, mutton and veggie curries – all on banana leaves, South Indian style. Good, cheap and authentic – it costs about K800 for two people. There are some very good upmarket Indian restaurants north of the city centre. Ashoka Indian Restaurant (Map p90; %555 539; 28B Pho Sein Rd; mains from US$5; a) Up the road from the Nikko Hotel in a nicely restored old home is the Ashoka serving up excellent, mostly North Indian cuisine. Portions are small but that justifies ordering several courses including piping hot breads and filling samosas. The dining room is large and service formal and attentive. Royal Taj Restaurant (Map p90; %542 899; 138C University Ave Rd; mains from US$4) Another very good North Indian eatery just east of Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd and Inya Lake with excellent tandoori dishes and veggie curries. Prices are moderate. Maharaja Indian Restaurant (Map p98; %720 126; Amusement Park, Zoological Garden Compound; mains US$5) Another very good choice.

Japanese Furusato Japanese Restaurant (Map p90; %556 265; 137 West Shwegondine Rd) Fursato, a traditional

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Japanese restaurant (no shoes, floor seating) enjoys a stellar reputation because of its high quality sushi and sashimi. The hot pot and barbeque dishes are also excellent. Ichiban-Kan (Map p98; %245 027; 17-18 Aung San Stadium; noodle dishes US$3-10; a) This small old school–style Japanese restaurant is in the northwest corner of the stadium. The small menu focuses on soup and noodle dishes. Yakiniku Japanese Barbeque (Map p102; %374 738; 357 Shwe Bontha St; bbq dishes K1000; h10am10pm; a) Yakiniku is just down the block

from the Bogyoke Aung San Market. Tables here have small gas-fired grills built into them, and you’re responsible for cooking your own raw meat and fish. Okinawa Restaurant (Map p102; 32nd St; K1000) Owned by the same family as the Okinawa Guest House down the block, this casual restaurant does good Singapore-style fried rice.

Korean Han Il Kwan (Map p86; %533 898; 46 Inya Rd; mains K4000-8000). For genuine Korean and the best kimchi (salted, pickled vegetables) to be found in Yangon, look for the large red Han Il Kwan sign on the left side of 6½ miles on Pyay Rd. Along with a main dish, you get a small vegetable salad and at least eight side dishes with various kinds of kimchi. Various noodle and Chinese and Japanese dishes fill out the menu. Wash it all down with Korean soju (K5000), a delicious rice liquor that packs a punch. World Cup (Map p90; Dhama Zedi Rd; mains K30005000) Diagonally opposite the Savoy Hotel on Dhama Zedi Rd, World Cup is another Korean favourite. It serves galbi tang (a delicious rich beef soup) as well as marinated meat (usually pork rib) to eat with the kimchi. Pictures of World Cup footballers decorate the walls.

Vietnamese Vietnam House Restaurant (Map p90; %554 957; 287 Shwe Gon Daing Rd; dishes K800) Between Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd and Chaukhtatgyi Paya, this place has an excellent local reputation, and the prices are moderate.

French Le Planteur (Map p90; %549 389; 16 Sawmaha St; mains US$15-25; a) Widely considered the best restaurant in Yangon, the cost of a meal

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at Le Planteur matches its exalted reputation. A list of just a few of the delicacies will whet the appetite of foodies: boneless frog leg appetizers, chowder of Japanese scallops with black truffles and Myanmar white beans, and locally caught filet of parrot fish. The all-you-can-eat barbecue – ribs, steak, chicken, seafood and vegetables – comes with free drinks for the first two hours of the barbecue – with drinks including wine, beer, Johnnie Walker and soft drinks – every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. It costs a reasonable K18,000. To find Le Planteur, follow the signboard on Nat Mauk St, next to Kandawgyi near the Hotel Nikko. L’Moliere (Map p86; %501 558; 49 Pyay Rd; mains US$12;a) Opened in 2004, L’Moliere is picturesquely set right on Inya Lake. The chef specialises in fish and seafood, but meat dishes, especially the lamb cutlets with dauphinoise potato are also excellent. Fantastic chocolates round out the meal. J’s Bistro & Bar (Map p98; %220 284; 59 Taw Win Rd; soups K3500; a) Connected to the boutique J’s Irwaddy Dream in the same elegant teak building, J’s is popular with foreign embassy staff on lunch breaks. Besides a few French dishes, plus several Thai and Bamar inspired ones, the menu includes good cheeses, desserts and bread.

Italian L’Opera Restaurant (Map p86; %566 662; 20 Thukha Waddy Rd; pizzas US$9; a) One of the better and more elegant restaurants in Yangon, L’Opera boasts well-trained and smartly dressed wait staff but more importantly is the Italian owner and chef’s meticulous preparation. L’Opera is east of Inya Lake, just south of Kanbe St, in a pretty little residential cul-de-sac. The outdoor garden seating is a bonus in good weather. Lunch is even more affordable, including delicious seafood pizza. Café Dibar (Map p90; %006 143; 14/20 Than Lwin Rd; mains K3000; a) Around the corner from the Savoy Hotel, in a strip mall of a few other restaurants, Café Dibar is an informal and less expensive Italian bistro. The seafood pizza and lasagne are excellent.

Other Western Onyx (Map p90; sandwiches K2000; a) Not entirely sure of what it wants to be yet, the Onyx

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is hip and stylish inside, outside it’s hidden behind a cement wall at the corner of Dhama Zedi and Inya. The décor is minimal but the pop music is loud. Service is slow but friendly, a few of the dishes are inventive while the burgers are only basic. 50th Street Bar & Grill (Map p98; %298 096; 9-13 50th St; pizzas US$7; a) No detail or cliché is missing, from the pool table to the newspapers to the overpriced Cokes (US$2) to the mediocre pizzas, pastas and sandwiches. Everything it’s assumed an expat misses. The 50th Street, near the corner of Merchant St is a popular hang-out with both expats and locals alike. Prices are in US dollars, though you may pay in kyat as well. Lunches are half-price Monday to Friday.

Hotel Restaurants Most of the hotel restaurants stay open until 11pm. Strand Grill (Map p102; %243 377; 92 Strand Rd; h6-11pm) The Grill is one of Yangon’s most expensive restaurants, with changing continental dinners starting at about US$25. Less formal (and less expensive) is the hotel’s Strand Café (entrees from US$9; h6.30am-11pm), which offers well-prepared soups, salads and sandwiches, as well as a number of Burmese and Asian-inspired dishes. There is also a proper and filling high tea, from 2pm to 5pm daily. The cost is US$14 per person. La Maison du Lac (Map p90; %249 255) The Swiss chef at this restaurant in the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel prepares special set French dinners (US$15) every Friday and Saturday. Shiki-Tei (Map p98; %250 388) This elegant and modern Japanese restaurant in the Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel is one of the best in the city. The set lunch (US$5) is a good deal. Mandalay Restaurant (Map p98; % 221 462; 35 Taw Win St; mains US$10) At the ritzy Pansea Yangon, this is a serene restaurant serving outstanding French- and Burmese-style cuisine; it’s a perfect place to splurge. Adorns Kitchen (Map p102; %256 355; dishes K2500) Consistently rated as the top Chinese restaurant in Yangon, Adorn’s can be found in the Grand Mee Ya Hta Executive Residences next to the FMI Centre. Orzo (Map p86; mains K8000) Downstairs in the Sedona with a view of the pool, this Italian restaurant serves good pizza and pastas.

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Traders Hotel Restaurant (Map p102; %242 828; 223 Sule Paya Rd; brunch US$12, dinner US$18) In the Traders Hotel, this restaurant serves international, Cantonese, Japanese and Burmese cuisine and elaborate buffet dinners. The Gallery Bar on the 2nd floor does a lavish brunch, which includes well-prepared Bamar curries, Chinese steam pot, roast duck, soufflés and desserts. Parkview Café (Map p90; 350 Ahlone Rd; mains K6000, buffet K8500) At the Summit Parkview Hotel, it is another good place for Sunday brunch; this one with both veggie and nonveggie Indian cuisine. Buffet dinners from around the world are served Thursday to Sunday nights. Kipling’s Restaurant (Map p90; %526 289; mains K9000-17,000, 4-course dinner K17,000) Kipling’s has a German chef but mostly Italian fare; the Bierstube (beer, wine and German food) and the Captain’s Bar (happy hour from 6pm to 8pm daily and Wednesday from 8pm to 11pm) are both in the Savoy Hotel on Dhama Zedi Rd. Travellers keen to avoid governmentowned places should bypass the Karaweik Palace Restaurant, which is a remarkable looking structure on Kandawgyi.

Teashops Yangon’s numerous teashops are not just places to have cups of milk tea or coffee or tiny pots of Chinese tea. They are great places for cheap Burmese, Chinese and Indian snacks. For breakfast, in fact, you’re often better off spending a few kyat in a teashop, rather than eating the boring toast, egg and instant-coffee breakfasts provided by many hotels and guesthouses. Sei Taing Kya Teashop (Map p90; 53 Za Ga War St; h7am-5pm) This is the most famous teatippling spot in Yangon. It has six branches and the most happening branch is near the Israeli embassy. It serves top-quality tea, samosa, palata, mohinga (rice noodles with chicken or fish and eggs) and ei-kyakwe (deep-fried pastries). A branch east of the city centre is at 103 Anawrahta Rd, on the corner of 51st St. There’s another just south of the Theinbyu Playground and by Kandawgyi, on Thein Byu Rd. Yatha Teashop (Map p102; %349 341; 353 Mahabandoola Rd; h7am-5pm) Mahabandoola Rd has a couple of more modest establishments that typify the general division between

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Chinese-influenced and Indian-influenced teashops. This place, between Seikkan Thar and 39th Sts, represents the latter, providing fresh samosas and palata. The Golden Dragon Teashop (Map p98) and Lucky Seven Teashop (Map p98) are lively teashops serving good snacks and are in the vicinity of several good midrange guesthouses east of the city centre.

Street Food Lit up like Times Square, little makeshift grills and small plastic tables line 19th St between Mahabandoola and Anawrahta Rds in Chinatown. To order, point to what you want – a selection of meat and fish skewers (K150), artichokes and bean curd. It’s a bit of a men’s club, though there’s no reason to think women aren’t welcome. Another good Indian stall (selling good barbecued fish) is nearby on Latha St, just south of Mahabandoola Rd, next to Vilas Beauty Salon. Snack places for dessert are around the corner on Mahabandoola Rd. The noodle stalls on 32nd St, near the Sule Paya, are very cheap and very good. Food stalls serving curries and rice – for experienced stomachs only – can be found along the eastern side of Bo Galay Zay St.

Fast Food If you’re seeking more of a café-style atmosphere, see p118. Sharkey’s (Map p90; 4B Golden Valley) A favourite with the expat community, it sells locally made cheese, yogurt, pizzas (part cooked – you need your own oven to finish it off), pesto, olives, sundried tomatoes, as well as home grown roquette and other vegetables and fresh herbs. The Burmese owner, who acquired his cheese-making skills in Europe, also cures his own hams and chorizo, and makes pâté to die for. Sharkey’s is found in Bahan township close to the Australian embassy. Pizza Corner (Map p102; %254 730; 397 Shwe Bon Thar St; pizza K2000-2800; a) This Pizza Hut– style joint is a block from Bogyoke Aung San Market. The lights are bright and the décor is American fast-food to the hilt but the veggie and meat pizzas are tasty. Pasta and fried chicken are also on the menu. Ginza Pan Food Center (Map p98; %379 234; 29 Gyo Phyu Rd; a) The Ginza Pan, across from Aung San Stadium, suffers from an identity crisis.

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Is it a café, a fast-food joint, a full-service restaurant, Myanmar or Thai, or a bakery? It’s actually a combination of all of the above and doing all of them adequately. Tokyo Fried Chicken (Map p102; 156 Mahabandoola Garden St; h8am-9pm; a) There are several outlets of TFC, Yangon’s very own version of KFC. One is just north of Mahabandoola Rd and the other is across the street from Bogyoke Aung San Market. Nilar Win’s Cold Drink Shop (Map p102; %278 364; 377 Mahabandoola Rd; h8am-11pm) This long established clean little café is four blocks east of Sule Paya (between 37th and 38th Sts). You can get yogurt, lassi (a delicious Indian yogurt drink, plain or blended with fruit) as well as fruit salad, toast and egg (just K80), French toast and other traveller delicacies. J’ Donuts (Map p102; Shwe Bontha St) is just south of Bogyoke Aung San Rd, while MacBurger (Map p102; Pansodan St) and another J’ Donuts (Map p102; Pansodan St) are opposite each other between Mahabandoola and Anawrahta Rds. All are open 8am to 9pm daily.

DRINKING Apart from the bars and cafés listed below, Yangon abounds in teashops, where cups of milk tea or coffee, followed by endless tiny pots of Chinese tea and cheap snacks, are available. As these places are a good choice for breakfast, we have included them on p117.

Bars Most of the city goes dark around nine. Burmese night owls head to one of the clubs listed opposite. A lively expat scene rotates around the city during the week: Wednesday nights are for the Savoy, Thursday nights Traders, and Friday night the Strand. Strand Bar (Map p102; %243 377; 92 Strand Rd; h11am-11pm) Though it’s primarily an expat scene, this classic bar inside the Strand Hotel has any foreign liquors you may be craving behind its polished wooden bar. Occasionally there’s someone around to play the baby grand. Friday afternoon and early evening is a two-for-one happy hour (there’s a standard happy hour all other days from 5pm to 7pm). The bar is pleasantly relaxed and comfortable despite the price of the rooms above. Mr Guitar Café (Map p90; %550 105; 22 Sayasan St;

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h6pm-midnight) Founded by famous Burmese vocalist Nay Myo Say, this dark café/bar features live folk music from about 7pm to midnight nightly. Well-known Burmese musicians drop by frequently to sit in with the regular house group. The clientele is a mix of locals and expats. Along with music and drinks, Asian and European food is available. Foreign beers such as Corona will set you back K4400. Frenz Bar & Grill (Map p90; %547 324; Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd; hnoon-late) A sleek place, especially for Yangon, Frenz keeps the décor minimalist and, like trendy bars everywhere, risks style over substance. Live music, mostly covers, is on offer every night apart from Sunday. Burgers (K3800), pizza, pastas, Indian cuisine, steaks and seafood make up the culturally diverse menu (K2200 to K5000). 50th Street Bar & Grill (Map p98; %298 069; 913 50th St, h11am-10.30pm) Popular with local Burmese and expats on Friday and Saturday nights, this bar has a pool table and brickoven pizza. There are half-price drinks from 5pm to 8pm Monday to Thursday, 4pm to 9pm Friday and all day Sunday. Silver Oak Café (Map p102; 83/91 Bo Aung Kyaw St; %299 993; hnoon-late) This place, a few blocks from the Strand is one of the few centres of gay nightlife in the city. In front is a hair salon and behind is the club with live music most nights. Captain’s Bar (Map p90; %526 289; 129 Dhama Zedi Rd; huntil midnight) At the Savoy Hotel, this bar is popular with both local Burmese and expats, especially on Wednesday nights when there’s live jazz. Diamond White Bar (Map p102; %241 007; Bogyoke Aung San Rd; hearly morning-late) It’s a popular drinking hole and café on the ground floor of the Central Hotel. There’s a steady stream of satellite TV sport, and prices are good and low.

Cafés Zawgyi’s Café (Map p102; %256 355; 372 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Zawgyi’s is next to the FMI Centre, one of the best people watching spots in the city. In addition to ice cream, shakes and juices the café menu includes noodle and rice dishes and sandwiches as well. The shop inside sells high-priced handicrafts and textiles. Ritz Café (Map p98; %243 934; 296 Shwedagon Pagoda Rd; h10.30am-10.30pm; a) A hip stylish

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café near the Defence Services Museum with interesting glass tables, it has international newspapers and magazines free for perusal while downing a burger (K780) or cappuccino (K750). CDs are sold here as well. Café Aroma (Map p102; Sule Paya Rd; h8am-11pm; a) The Starbucks of Yangon, this café has several outlets around the city. The Sule Paya Rd branch, next to the cinema, is the most central, and offers fine, freshly brewed coffee and fruit smoothies (from about K500) in a stylish setting. Pasta and pizza dishes are also available for K800 to K1400. Other Café Aroma outlets are at the Yuzana Plaza, just east of Kandawgyi and at the La Pyat Wun Shopping Centre. Golden Triangle Bakery (Map p102; %378 869; 641 Merchant St; h8am-5pm; a) It has three locations throughout the city including one across the street from the Golden Smiles Inn and another in the British Library. The bakery does delicious cheese cake (K850), biscuits and special order cakes, not to mention cappuccinos (K500) and other hot and cold drinks. Actor’s Corner Café (Map p90; %504 932; 1st fl, Dagon Centre; h8am-7pm; a) Far from Hollywood, this café is still advertised as the place where stars hang out, and while you may not be able to spot them, the modern roomy café is good enough for the hoi polloi. Mr Brown Café (Map p102; Mahabandoola Garden St; a) Another place to get a break from the heat and sip a cold drink even if the décor is more fast food than café.

ENTERTAINMENT Nightlife and Yangon aren’t usually used in the same sentence. The main form of local recreation is hanging out in teashops or ‘cold drink’ shops. While Bangkok makes an evening in Yangon seem quaint and provincial, entertainment can be found in far-flung places around this sprawling city, unfortunately much of it in large hotels catering to foreigners. On festival days (some are listed on p106), local bands occasionally organise live outdoor concerts. During the water festival in April, sizable rock-music shows are set up along Inya Rd and University Ave Rd and feature local underground rockers.

National Theatre The Yangon government revived the per-

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formance of Burmese classical dance-drama at the National Theatre (Map p98; Myoma Kyaung Rd), a government-sponsored facility, northwest of Bogyoke Aung San Market. Scenes from Ramayana – called Yama Thagyin in Burmese – are only occasionally held. Check at the theatre itself or try asking staff at the larger hotels.

Dinner Shows There are a few large, banquet-style restaurants with floorshows in Yangon. Heavily used by the visiting business community, these dining spots are typically Chineseowned and feature extensive Chinese menus plus a few Burmese dishes. Entertainment is provided by Burmese bands that perform a mixture of Burmese, Western, Chinese and Japanese pop songs. Some places also feature Burmese classical dance and/or marionette theatre. LakeView Theatre Restaurant (Map p90; %249 255; [email protected]; Kan Yeik Tha Rd; dinner & show K7200) Attached to the Kandawgyi Palace

Hotel, the entertaining show includes 10 traditional Burmese dances; one involves a woman balancing on one foot on a chair while juggling a cane ball. The buffet dinner of Thai and Burmese favourites starts at 6.30pm, before the show. Lone Ma Lay Restaurant (Map p90; %550 357; Nat Mauk St, Kandawgyi; dishes K1000) This is among the best of the bunch of restaurants at Kandawgyi that offer entertainment. Shows focus on Burmese classical and folk dance early in the evening, and pop later on. Dolphin Seafood Restaurant (Map p90; %250 240; Kan Yeik Thar St) Near the aquarium, also on the lake, the Dolphin Seafood is less formal and known for employing the best Burmese pop singers in town. A recent addition to the restaurant is karaoke in English, Burmese and Chinese.

Clubs Yagon’s own interpretation of club culture involves competitive fashion shows and mostly listless groups of men sipping bottles of Myanmar beer. It’s not clear whether an 11pm curfew is de facto or de jure, either way it’s only periodically and unevenly administered, dependent on both power supply and politics. Most clubs have a nominal cover charge that includes the first drink. A word of warning: prostitutes are a regu-

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lar feature at many of Yangon’s hot night spots. Though the government keeps them on the move, there is little concern for their health or safety, or that of their clients. There are several rooftop clubs in Thein Gyi Zay Plaza, on Shwedagon Paya Rd in Chinatown. Access is provided by lifts open to the street. They tend to be open from early evening until late. You might find yourself straining to hear the gentle lap of ocean waves at Zero Zone Rock Restaurant (Map p102; %373 384; 2nd fl, 2 Thain Gyi Zay) whose bamboo shelters seem more appropriate for a beach club than Yangon rooftop. It’s the most appealing of the bunch offering up live music nightly, views of the city, cheap beer and Myanmar, Chinese and Indian food. Da Best 69 Entertainment (Map p102; City Centre Plaza, Shwedagon Pagoda Rd) and Emperor Entertainment (Map p102; %240 600; 5th fl, City Centre Plaza, Shwedagon Pagoda Rd) are on the same block. Pioneer Club (Map p98; %240 995; 44 Alanpya Pagoda Rd, Yuzana Garden Hotel), a disco popular with US Marines, and other primarily male expats and Burmese hosts a ‘supermodel’ show.

Cinemas There’s no better city for Myanmar cinephiles than Yangon. By a conservative estimate there are over 50 theatres, a half-dozen or so found along Bogyoke Aung San Rd, east of the Sule Paya. Tickets are K800 or less per seat. Critically acclaimed films are in short supply; rather there is a succession of syrupy Myanmar dramas, Bollywood musicals, kung-fu smash-ups, plus a few Hollywood blockbusters. Nay Pyi Daw Cinema (Map p102; %276 555; Sule Paya Rd; a) This cinema across from Traders Hotel and next to the Aroma Café has showings throughout the day. It’s one of the busiest cinemas in the city. Thamada Cinema (Map p98; %246 962; 5 Alaung Paya St; a) Easily the best cinema for foreigners, it is comfortable and shows fairly recent American and international films. American Center (Map p98; 14 Taw Win St) Behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this centre shows free American movies at noon every Monday.

SHOPPING It’s unfortunate that shipping goods from Myanmar is either prohibitively expensive for most or simply not possible because of

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political reasons; travellers are therefore limited to whatever can fit in their carry-on baggage. Yangon isn’t the shoppers’ mecca that Bangkok is, it does however offer a more manageable alternative as there are fewer and smaller outlets and prices tend to be even cheaper all around.

Arts & Handicrafts A small but thriving local gallery scene exists in Yangon, the majority spread around the relatively posh Golden Valley neighbourhood. Several painters have achieved recognition abroad and prices in general are not inexpensive. Wingaba Art Gallery (Map p90; %549 376; [email protected]; 29 Wingaba St) Contemporary paintings, lacquerware and tapestries are on display in this colonial residence. Nandawun (Map p90; %221 271; cnr Baho & Ahlone Rds) It deals with rare books on Myanmar, ethnic minority costumes, lacquerware and gems. Daw Mya Mya Sein (%542 505; 11 Thiri Zeyar St) This is an antique lacquerware shop in the house of the proprietor, who is a former Shan princess. Traditions Gallery (Map p90; %513 709; 24 Inya Myaing Rd) Quality reproductions of traditional Myanmar handicrafts are sold here. The director is Claudia Saw Lwin. Ivy Gallery (Map p98; %297 654; 159 45th St) Between Bogyoke Aung San and Anawrahta Rds, Ivy is run by the director, Myat Min. It features a fine collection of modern Burmese art. Ivy also has a shop in Bogyoke Aung San Market at 438 West Row. Both Golden Valley Art Centre (Map p90; %513 621; 54(D) Golden Valley), and Inya Gallery of Art (Map p90; %530 327; 50(B) Inya Rd) feature exhibits by contemporary Burmese painters.

Malls There are a number of modern Westernstyle shopping malls with air-con, restaurants, cafés and a wide selection of stores selling everything from hipster T-shirts to flat screen TVs. The largest and most convenient are these: Blazon (Map p90; 72 U Wi Za Ra Rd) Dagon Centre (Map p90; 262-264 Pyay Rd) Excel Treasure (Map p90; Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd) FMI Centre (Map p102; 380 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Just east of Bogyoke Aung San Market.

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La Pyat Wun Plaza (Map p98; Ah Lan Paya Pagoda St) Not far north of the train station.

Markets

Shopping at the zei (markets, often spelt zay) in central Yangon can be fun, educational and a chance to interact with the locals. The long southern stairway at Shwedagon Paya is lined with small shops catering to pilgrims and tourists alike. Popular items include sandalwood bracelets, small drums, papier mache animals etc. Bargaining is expected here. Bogyoke Aung San Market (Map p102; Bogyoke Aung San Rd; h8am-6pm Tue-Sun) A half-day could easily be spent wandering around this 70year-old sprawling – with over 2000 shops – market (sometimes called by its old British name, Scott Market). Besides the fact that it has the largest selection of Burmese handicrafts you’ll find under several roofs, the market is a fantastic opportunity to smile, laugh and haggle alongside Burmese shoppers. Along the maze-like aisles you’ll find a whole variety of interesting Burmese souvenirs, from lacquerware and Shan shoulder bags to T-shirts and puppets. Pick-up some nice slippers here, convenient for all the on and off demanded by paya protocol. Gems and jewellery are also on hand. To store all this booty, several shops in the market, across the street along Bogyoke Aung San Rd and in the New Bogyoke Market, which caters more to the household needs of Burmese, sell an extensive variety of backpacks of all sizes and brands, some more authentic than others. Some of the more interesting shops in Bogyoke Aung San Market include: Depi Store (39 West Block) For cheroots and cigars. Eastern Queen (1st fl, 18 Face Wing) Rattan furniture. Jing Phaw Mai Lay (Myanma Silk & Cotton Wear; 93 Central Arcade) & Mya Malar (137 West Wing) At least 20 other places in the market also specialise in longyi (saronglike lower garments). Maung Maw & Brothers (115 Inner West Wing) Modern and traditional musical instruments. Myanmar Lacquerware (1-2 East Wing) Lacquerware. Myat Sanda (138 West Wing) Lapheq (pickle tea).

Super Star Antique & National Traditional Goods Shop (15 West Wing) Theingyi Zei (Map p102; Shwedagon Paya Rd) The biggest market in Yangon, this is especially good for locals who find Bogyoke Aung San Market a little too pricey. Most of the merchandise is ordinary housewares and

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textiles, but the market is renowned for its large selection of traditional Burmese herbs and medicines. A snake section features the fresh blood and organs of various snakes, some live ones are disembowelled on-thespot for medicinal consumption. Traditional Burmese herbal shampoo, made by boiling the bark of the tayaw shrub with big black kin pun (acacia pods) is sold in small plastic bags; this is the secret of Myanmar women’s smooth, glossy hair. A new mall-like section on Shwedagon Paya Rd, Theingyizei Plaza, contains less-interesting modern shops. Thirimingala Zei (Map p90; Yangon River bank, Ahlone Township) Off the northern end of Strand Rd (about 1km west of People’s Park), is a labyrinth of vendors selling fresh foodstuffs, vegetables, fruits and meat – it’s worth a stroll for the amazing sights and smells, not all of them especially pleasant. San Pya Fish Market (Map p90; Nat Sin St) Catch even more of an aroma further north along the riverfront. Mingala Zei (Map p90) A little southeast of Kandawgyi, this market proffers textiles, clothes, electrical appliances, plastic ware, preserved and tinned foodstuffs, modern medicines, and even cosmetics from China, Thailand and Singapore. Iron bazaar (Map p98; cnr Mahabandoola & Madaw Rds) Located in Yangon’s Chinatown – you can find all the items that are used in Chinese cooking here. Itinerant vendors set up along Anawrahta Rd east and west of Sule Paya Rd from about 6pm to 10pm nightly, selling everything from Chinese toothbrushes to fresh fruit and shish kebab. Chinatown (Map p98) itself extends east-west between Madaw and Shwedagon Paya Rds, and north-south between Mahabandoola and Strand Rds.

Speciality Shops J’s Irrawaddy Dream (Map p98; %221 695; 59 Taw Win St; h9am-8pm) A block north of the Pansea Hotel, this is a handsome shop featuring high-quality Burmese textiles, clothes, lacquer and other handicrafts. It’s an especially good place to find stylish women’s dresses. Royal Rose (Map p86; %662 576; www.kyolone .com; Inya Yeiktha St) East of Inya Lake and north of L’Opera, Royal Rose sells handbags and beautifully crafted women’s slippers, better than the kind sold in Bogyoke Aung San Market.

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If your prescription spectacles should go missing, optometry stores (Map p102) line both sides of Shwe Bontha St between Bogyoke Aung San and Anawrahta Rds. The Morning market (Map p102; cnr 38th St & Bogyoke Aung San Rd) has fresh flowers at cheap prices. Also try the back entrance to Bogyoke Aung San Market, or on early mornings/evenings at Hledan, Myaynigone or Kyimyindaing markets. Yangon is a surprisingly good place to find DVDs of American, British, French and Hong Kong films. Be aware that a number of DVD shops deal in pirated copies. Here’s a disclaimer for liability purposes: the ones in the following places look genuine. As well as films, Lucky 7 (Map p98; %371 410; 61 Latha St) sells an extensive variety of DVDs of popular American and British TV shows including the Simpsons and the Office; Twenty One (Map p98; %245 295; 168 Mahabandoola Rd, cnr 21st St), a much smaller shop nearby, sells the usual Hollywood blockbusters. Most of the malls listed on p120 have small shops selling DVDs. The ones on the 2nd floor of Excel Treasure and the 4th floor of La Pyat Wun Plaza are the best.

Tailors Yangon isn’t a place you would usually think of for tailor-made clothes, but prices for tailoring are among the lowest in Southeast Asia. The selection of fabrics at tailor shops, however, is mostly restricted to synthetics. Cotton lengths in prints, plaids, solids and batiks can easily be found in the larger markets, so you may do better to buy cloth at a market and bring it to a tailor shop for cutting and sewing. J’s Clothes (Map p98; %220 284; 59 Taw Win Rd) This part of J’s Irrawaddy Dream works with high-quality Myanmar and imported fabrics. Ava Tailoring (Map p102; %2481 56; 124 Pansodan St) If you want a traditional, Mandarin-collar Myanmar shirt (for men), try this place near the train station at the Anawrahta Rd intersection. Globe Tailoring (Map p102; %273 416; 367 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Well regarded by local expats for women’s and men’s tailoring.

GETTING THERE & AWAY Air

See p354 for information on international

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air travel, and p358 for details on domestic air travel, to/from Yangon.

Boat

Along the Yangon River waterfront, which wraps around the south of Yangon, are a number of jetties with boats offering longdistance ferry services. The four main passenger jetties (Pongyi, Lan Thit, Kaingdan and Hledan) service long-distance ferries headed up the delta towards Pathein or north along the Ayeyarwady River to Pyay, Bagan and Mandalay. Named after the respective streets that extend north from each jetty, all four are clustered in an area just south of Lanmadaw township and southwest of Chinatown. When you come to purchasing a ticket for a particular ferry from the government’s Inland Water Transport (IWT; Map p98; %284 055) deputy division manager’s office, at the back of Lan Thit jetty, be sure to ask which jetty your boat will be departing from. Myanma Five Star Line (MFSL; Map p98; %295 279) ships leave from the MSFL jetty (Map p102) – also known as Chanmayeiseikan jetty – next to Pansodan St jetty. There are several privately owned companies that operate luxury cruises from Yangon to Bagan and Mandalay (see p362). PATHEIN

IWT boats depart from the Lan Thit jetty in Yangon for Pathein at 5pm daily (arriving 10am the next day). The cost is US$7 for deck class (an easy chair if you’re early enough) or US$42 per person for a cabin with private bathroom. From Pathein to Yangon, boats also leave at 5pm and arrive at 10am the next day. A more luxurious option is the privately owned and operated Delta Queen (%246 752;

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site supernatural amounts of luck, patience, and commitment are all possessed by one single person at a single extended moment in time. If the stars should align in your favour remember there is no fixed schedule for departures or arrivals. Bon voyage.

Bus There are two major bus terminals in Yangon: Aung Mingalar Bus Terminal and the Hlaing Thar Yar Bus Terminal, described below. There is a third station, smaller and less important than the following two, known as Tha-khin Mya Pan-gyan Gate. It is near the Western Park Chinese Restaurant. Buses from here, which are generally older and without air-con, service Bago, Mawbi and Taikgyi. Companies based in Aung Mingalar also travel to Bago so the only real reason to leave from Tha-khin Mya Park is because the station is within walking distance of the city centre. Most signs at the bus terminals are in Burmese; however, English-speaking touts anxious to steer you in the right direction are in abundance. To avoid the hassle and attention make sure your taxi driver (both of the major terminals are around 45 minutes from the city centre and it’s unlikely you’ll arrive to either via public bus) knows where you want to go and even better the name of the specific bus company. Showing the driver your ticket will do; if you don’t have a ticket have a Burmese speaker write the information on a slip of paper. You can buy tickets at the bus terminal or at several central locations, mostly opposite the central train station, alongside Aung San Stadium. Many hotels can book tickets for you.

www.myanmar-rivercruises.com; 343 Bo Aung Kyaw St, Yangon; per person US$170) See p134 for more

AUNG MINGALAR BUS TERMINAL (HIGHWAY BUS STATION)

details.

Located to the northeast of the airport, Aung Mingalar (Map p86) is the only official bus terminal for all 150 bus lines leaving for the northern part of Myanmar from Yangon, as well as for Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), Mawlamyine and destinations to the south. Prior to April 2003 when Aung Mingalar, was christened, another terminal near the airport called Saw Bwar Gyi Gone was known as the highway station. Many publications and maps still refer to Saw Bwar Gyi Gone incorrectly; it’s now used

TWANTE

The alternative to getting to Twante by the Dalah ferry/bus combo is to take the twohour scenic trip along the Yangon River and Twante Canal (see p129for details). DAWEI, MYEIK, & KAWTHOUNG

It’s theoretically possible to travel in a large MFSL boat south to Dawei, Myeik or Kawthoung. In reality, it’s unlikely that the requi-

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as a maintenance yard, warehouse space, and a transport hub for shipping goods. The majority of bus companies do still have offices there. To the North

The nicer, air-conditioned buses of companies such as Leo Express and Sun Moon Express head off to destinations to the north daily, usually at around 5pm or 6pm. Bus companies operating up and down Highway 1 include the following (those with ticket kiosks at Aung San Stadium are indicated below): AKM Express (%636 441) Eastern State Express (%639 455) Hnin Thu Wai (%246 283) Kyaw Express (%242 473; 8-11 Aung San Stadium, South Wing)

Leo Express (%252 001; fax 240 668; Aung San Stadium, Eastern Wing) Mann Shwe Pyi Express (%248 970) Rainbow Express (%272 250) Saw Bwa Gyi Gon (%665 545) Sin-ma-lite (%286 588) Sun Moon Express (%642 903; Aung San Stadium, Southern Wing) Transnational Express (TNE; %249 671; 22-29 Aung San Stadium, Southern Wing) Destinations served include the following. Journey times depend on road conditions and the health of your bus. Bagan (K6500, 14 hours) Ye Thu Aung express buses leave at around 3pm. To go there via Pyay requires bus changes in Pyay and Magwe – this seems to be a route only used by those on package bus tours, or with a private car. Kalaw (K7000, 15 to 17 hours) Buses depart in the late afternoon and go over the mountains. Mandalay (K6000, 12 to 15 hours) Buses leave from around 4.30pm to 6pm. Taunggyi for Inle Lake (K6000, 20 hours) Get off in Shwenyaung and then grab a pick-up or taxi to Nyaungshwe on Inle Lake. Thandwe for Ngapali Beach (K4500, 17 hours) Go via Pyay and Taunggok by Aung Thit Sar Bus or Ye Aung Lan buses run via Gwa. Neither buses particularly comfortable and the former route is only meant for the hardiest of travellers. To Bago, Kyaiktiyo, Hpa-An and Mawlamyine

The names of some of the bus lines that ply the specific routes are listed below in parentheses. Bago (K500-K1000, two hours) Buses (Phyo and Kyan Tine

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Aung) leave every 30 minutes from the early morning to early afternoon. Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) and Kinpun (K2500, 4½ hours) Buses (Win and The Tan Kyaw) leave at 7.30am, 8.30am and 9.30am. Other bus companies leave between 7am and 1pm. There are also several companies with ticket booths along Pansodan St in Yangon with trips on similar large, air-con buses to Kinpun; however, these leave around 9pm and aren’t very desirable unless you prefer to arrive in the middle of the night. Hpa-An (K4000, eight hours) Buses (Ah Swe Taw, Mya Eai Drae, Shwe Hparr Si and Shwe Chin The) leave from 6.30pm to 8pm. Mawlamyine (K4000, 10 hours) Buses (Yarzar Min, Yaung Ni Htun and Mihara) leave from 6pm to 8pm and go via Hpa-An. With a new bridge over the Thanlwin River, BTT buses plan on running nightly buses (K3000, six hours) directly between Yangon and Mawlamyine. HLAING THAR YAR BUS TERMINAL

This is the bus terminal for travel to the delta region (called Ayeyarwady Division) to the west of Yangon, including destinations such as Pathein (K2500, 3½ hours), Chaungtha Beach (K5000, six to seven hours), and Ngwe Saung Beach (K5000, five hours). Its official name is the Dagon Ayer Bus Terminal (Dagon is the old historic name of Yangon). It’s 45 minutes to an hour away by taxi west of the city centre on the other side of the Yangon River on Highway 5 (Yangon– Pathein Rd). More than 20 bus lines operate out of here. There are several daily buses to Pathein, Chaungtha Beach and Ngwe Saung Beach, leaving from the early morning until 1pm. The more comfortable buses tend to leave

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early in the morning. You can usually buy tickets for the same day.

rail travel within Myanmar using Myanma Railways.

Shwedagon Paya Bus Nos 37, 43 and 46. Chaukhtatgyi Paya Bus Nos 42, 47.

Many people choose to forgo both public transport and package tours by hiring a guide and car and maybe an additional driver for doing DIY tours. For some this combines the best of both worlds – relative comfort and safety and flexibility and personalised itineraries. This can be arranged through a travel agent (p89) or hotel front desk.

To/From the Airport

All licensed taxis carry red licence plates, though there is often little else to distinguish a taxi from any other vehicle in Yangon. The most expensive licensed taxis are the, usually older, mid-sized Japanese cars; many missing their door handles and other ‘extras’. Fares are highly negotiable – most trips around the central area shouldn’t cost more than K1000 one way, and K1000 to K1500 for longer trips. You can also hire a taxi for about K3000 an hour. For the entire day, you should pay from US$15 to US$30 depending on the quality of the vehicle and your negotiating skills. Be sure to work out all details before you agree to a price and itinerary. From downtown to the highway bus terminal drivers ask for K2500 to K3500 and the trip takes from 45 minutes to an hour. To the Hlaing Thar Yar Bus Terminal taxis charge around K3000. For all types of taxis the asking fares usually leap by 30% or so after sunset and on weekends, when rationed petrol isn’t available. Late-night taxis – after 11pm or so – often cost double the day rate, mainly because the supply of taxis on hand is considerably lower than in the day, so the drivers are able to charge more. Many drivers speak enough English to understand directions to your destination but it’s advisable to have someone write them out for you in Burmese as insurance.

Car

Train The most frequented train from Yangon is the 14-hour trip north to Mandalay. While Myanma Railways operate most services, a private company, Dagon-Mann also has a service on this route – the 17 up – which departs Yangon at 3.15pm. Ask at guesthouses or private travel agents for details and bookings. Theoretically foreigners are not allowed to buy tickets for any berths below 1st class. A 1st-class seat costs US$30 (no air-con or video); an ordinary upper seat US$42; a special upper seat (reclining) US$45; an ordinary sleeper US$48; and a superior sleeper (with private bathroom and fridge) US$50. Tickets may be reserved up to a month in advance. It’s possible to get off anywhere along the way, the most relevant stops, being Bago, Taungoo and Thazi. Another line heads north to Pyay and to Kyaiktiyo and Mottama to the south. For general train enquiries, call Yangon central train station (Map p98; % 274 027; h6am-4pm). See p367 for information on

TRAIN TRAVEL FROM YANGON

Destination

2nd

1st

Sleeper

Departure time

Bagan Kyaiktiyo* Mandalay*

US$11 US$4 US$13

US$34 US$9 US$30-38

US$34 US$50

Mottama Pyay Shwenyaung Taungoo Thazi

na US$17 US$13 US$7 US$10

US$17 US$26 US$19 US$26

US$34

8.30am, 10am 7am, 10pm 6am, 11.30am, 3.15pm, 5pm, 6.30pm, 7.30pm, 9pm (see Kyaiktiyo) 7am 3.30pm (see Mandalay) (see Mandalay)

* Also stops at Bago en route.

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Duration 19hrs 8hrs 14hrs 9hrs 7hr 21hrs 9hrs 12hrs

GETTING AROUND

Taxi drivers will approach you before exiting the airport terminal. The standard fare for a ride from the airport to anywhere in the city is US$3. It’s best to have a few single bills so that you don’t have to change money in the airport (see p89). From the city centre to the airport it can cost slightly less (K2000 to K3000).

Boat Cross-river ferries to Dalah (US$1), on the southern bank of the Yangon River, leave about every 20 minutes from Pansodan St jetty (for pedestrians), at the foot of Pansodan St from the early morning to the evening. You can hire privately owned sampans (flat-bottomed skiffs) from the Pansodan or Botataung jetties for K500 per hour if you just want to have a look at the river life.

Bus Over 40 city bus routes connect the townships within Yangon. Many buses date to the 1940s. Often, they’re impossibly crowded; a Myanmar bus is not full until every available handhold for those hanging off the sides and back has been taken. Other routes use newer air-conditioned Japanese and Korean buses that aren’t too bad; some routes also use pick-up trucks with benches in the back. If you can find a space on a bus you can go anywhere in central Yangon for K5. Longer routes cost K10 to K20. Prices often double at night – still cheap and still crowded. Useful bus routes include these: Bogyoke Aung San Market to Mingala Zei (southeast of Kandawgyi) Japanese pick-up No 1. Sule Paya to Thamaing Junction (8 Mile Junction) Along Insein Rd; bus Nos 44, 45 and 53. Sule Paya to the airport Via Hledan junction, Pyay Rd, University of Yangon, western side of Inya Lake and Yangon City Hotel. Blue bus Nos 51, 53 and air-con No 51. Kaba Aye Paya to Mae La Mu Paya Bus No 43. Sule Paya to Aung Mingalar Bus Station Bus Nos 43, 45, 51. Sule Paya to Hlaing Thar Yar Bus Station Bus Nos 54, 59 and 96. Insein to Thein Byu Rd Near the YMCA, Three Seasons Hotel and Cozy Guest House. Green pick-up No 48.

Taxi

Train A circular train route loops out north from Yangon to Insein, Mingaladon and North Okkalapa townships and then back into the city. For more info see p104.

Trishaw Every Asian country seems to have its own interpretation of the bicycle trishaw. In Myanmar, trishaw passengers ride with the driver, but back to back – one facing forward, one backward. These contraptions are called saiq-ka (as in side-car) and to ride one costs roughly from K250 to K500. Nowadays trishaws are not permitted on the main streets between midnight and 10am. They’re most useful for side streets and areas of town where traffic is light.

YA N G O N

YA N G O N

124 YA N G O N • • G e t t i n g T h e re & A w a y

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YA N G O N

© Lonely Planet Publications 126 YA N G O N • • R u n n i n g S u b h e a d

© Lonely Planet Publications. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’

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D E LTA R E G I O N • • T h a n l y i n & K y a u k t a n 127

0 0

AROUND YANGON To Gwa (60km)

Thonze

Lemyethna

Myit

Ngathaingchaung

Bay of Bengal

Yakyi Kyonpyaw

R Aye arwady iver y

Danubyu

„ Several gargantuan Buddha statues (p140) take it easy in Bago „ Life along the delta is a water world

revealed by hopping on a ferry to Pathein (p134) or Twante (p129) „ Shade yourself from the sun with a

parasol (p134) from Pathein „ A 115-year-old old boa constrictor at the

Snake Monastery (p144) eats 5kg of chickens at a time in Bago

Bago

Ngwe Saung

Chaungtha Pathein

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Gulf of Mottama (Martaban)

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AYEYARWADY DIVISION

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Myaungmya

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A R O U N D YA N G O N

Hlegu Taukkyan

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Getting There & Around

(p135) and Ngwe Saung (p138) offer a vacation from your vacation

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1

To the west, Pathein is the transport hub with buses and boats to/from Yangon and minibuses for getting to Chaungtha and Ngwe Saung, two popular beaches on the Bay of Bengal. A new bridge and ongoing road work have made these two destinations more readily accessible from Pathein. Bago, easily reached from Yangon by bus or train, is a natural stop before heading north via Taungoo or south to Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) and beyond. Getting to most other places mentioned in this chapter will require some patience, particularly if you take public transport. The southwest part of the region affords travellers the chance to ride the same river ferries that the locals use.

DELTA REGION Any trip in the delta area, which is crisscrossed by tributaries and canals and mostly flat vistas, drives home the region’s vulnerability and reliance on water. One of

the most fertile regions of the country, this vast basin stretching from the Bay of Bengal coast across to the Bago Range receives the rich nutrients deposited by the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy), Bago, Yangon (Hlaing) and Pathein (Ngawan) Rivers. This riverine network irrigates millions of hectares of farmland, making the delta essentially one of the ‘rice bowls’ of Myanmar. In addition, the estuarine environments along the coast provide much of the country’s saltwater and freshwater fish harvest. Because of such natural abundance, the delta is one of Myanmar’s most populated – and interesting – regions to explore. Several communities in the coastal areas of this region felt the impact of the December 2004 tsunami and the majority of the resulting deaths reported by the government occurred here.

THANLYIN & KYAUKTAN on'lY=' à ekY;k'tn'" %065

Though the religious sites in Thanlyin and Kyauktan across the river from Yangon aren’t

A R O U N D YA N G O N

Kankyidaung

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„ The white-sand beaches of Chaungtha

Satthawadaw Intagwa

2

To Kyaiktiyo (120km); Mawlamyine (200km)

Bago

Pantanaw

Ngwe Saung Beach

Diamond Island

HIGHLIGHTS

YANGON DIVISION Taikkyi

Nyaungdon

Chaungtha

Pya pon River

Travel around parts of the region can be slow and feel like a punch to the solar plexus. However, many parts can be seen on day trips or longer excursions from the capital. The vast delta is great for jumping on a ferry transporting local people between the capital and their waterlogged villages; you can spend the day bopping around a town in a horse cart and be back in your Yangon hotel in the evening if you so wish. But you’ll be better off taking things a bit more leisurely; the region’s true allure is only revealed through the smiles and perseverance of the local people you will meet.

Kyaungonn

Chaungtha Beach

Motingyi Reservoir

Payagyi

Okkan

Apyauk

Athok

The area around Yangon is a microcosm of the country as a whole. It offers magnificent temples, unspoiled beaches and little-visited villages clinging to the delta’s muddy shores. Bago, just a short drive from Yangon, is the home of some fabulous Buddhist sights, including many huge Buddha statues. Pathein, the fourth-largest city in Myanmar, is hardly urban and receives few visitors, but is worth a visit before doing some good old sunbathing and maybe a bit of snorkelling in Chaungtha Beach or Ngwe Saung.

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Zalun

50 km 30 mi To Taungoo (200km); Mandalay (560km); Inle Lake (570km)

To Pyay (200km)

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Around Yangon

Hinthada

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© Lonely Planet Publications 126

particularly impressive, trips to the villages themselves reveal how far Yangon’s relative cosmopolitanism and urbanity extends – that is, not very far. Although neither place is especially charming, they do make for an easy morning or afternoon escape from the hustle and bustle of the capital. During the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Thanlyin was the base for the the notorious Portuguese adventurer Philip De Brito. Officially a trade representative for the Rakhaing, he actually ran his own little kingdom from Thanlyin, siding with the Mon (when it suited him) in their struggle against the Bamar. In 1599 his private army sacked Bago, but in 1613 the Bamar besieged Thanlyin and De Brito received the punishment reserved for those who defiled Buddhist shrines – death by impalement. It took him two days to die, due, it is said, to his failure to take the recommended posture where the stake would have penetrated vital organs. Thanlyin continued as a major port and trading centre until it was destroyed by Bamar king Alaungpaya in 1756, after which Yangon took over this role.

Sights Although there is no longer any of this ancient city to be seen, Thanlyin is a relaxing place, with shaded streets and a busy market to stroll through. A short bus ride out of town will take you to the large, golden Kyaikkhauk Paya, rising on a hillock to the north of the road. It’s said to contain two Buddha hairs delivered to the site by the great sage himself. Most likely the first stupa on this hillock was erected by the Mon 600 to 800 years ago. If it’s too hot to climb the stairs, you can always take the lift for K5. You can hire a horse cart to the paya for about K500 each way. Much more interesting if only because it includes a short boat ride is Yele Paya (Midriver Paya; admission US$1) at Kyauktan, 12km southeast of Thanlyin, where the road terminates at a swiftly moving, wide river. The paya (shrine) is appropriately named since the complex is perched on a tiny island in the middle of the river. In the temple there are paintings of other famous paya both in Myanmar and further afield. Pilgrims feed crumbs to the weirdly domesticated fish splashing about at the temple complex’s edge. To reach the islet, catch one of the

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launch ferries reserved for foreigners from the riverbank (K1500 return).

Sleeping & Eating About the only accommodation option, as none of the several guesthouses in Thanlyin proper are licensed to accept foreigners, is the White House Restaurant & Guest House (dishes about K700), a friendly place about 100m off the main road. The guesthouse serves good Chinese fare in a small air-conditioned café. Near the ferry landing are several food vendors.

Getting There & Away The most convenient way to visit both Thanlyin and Kyauktan on the other side of the Bago River is to hire a taxi in Yangon (US$10 to US$15 for a half day). By taxi, it takes about 20 minutes to get to Thanlyin. However, if you’re passionate about Myanmar’s uncomfortable local transport or are counting kyat, very slow minibuses to Thanlyin (K200, one hour, 25km) leave frequently throughout the day from a spot at the corner of Bogyoke Aung San and Lower Pazundaung Rds. It costs an extra K100 if you continue by minibus from Thanlyin to Kyauktan and the Yele Paya. In Thanlyin, horse carts are a good way to get around.

TWANTE tâ®et"

If your time in the delta area is limited, Twante, a small town noted for its pottery, cotton-weaving and an old Mon paya complex, is a worthwhile day trip. There’s a large market in the centre of town – really only a wide, dusty road lined with ramshackle wooden shops. The journey to Twante is enjoyable, whether you go by hired jeep or ferry. The drive passes through leafy villages, where kids spill out from thatched huts to play. The ferry provides a glimpse of life on and along the famous Twante Canal, which was dug during the colonial era as a short cut across the Ayeyarwady Delta.

Sights SHWESANDAW PAYA

eráz®et;'.ur;"

Standing at 76m tall, this Mon-built zedi (stupa), a kilometre or two south of the

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canal, is just a few years younger than the one at Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya. In a chicken-wire enclosure to one side is a casual display of ancient Twante pottery, plus religious and royal regalia from early Mon and Bamar kingdoms. One corner of the compound commemorates King Bayinnaung’s (also spelt Bayint Nyaung) defeat of a local rebellion. Along the western side of the zedi stand some old bronze Buddhas. Continuing counter clockwise, near the southern entrance you’ll come to a 100-year-old sitting bronze Buddha in Mandalay style. Instead of focusing on the floor, the Buddha’s eyes stare straight ahead. From the ferry dock to Shwesandaw Paya, the cost is K250. A horse cart from Shwesandaw back to the dock is about K200. OH-BO POTTERY SHEDS

aiu"fiuaiu"lup'=n'"

Pottery is a major cottage industry in Twante, which supplies much of the delta region with well-designed, utilitarian containers of varying shapes and sizes. The pots are made in huge thatched-roof sheds in the Oh-Bo district south of the canal, about 15 minutes’ walk from the dock. Twante pots can be purchased directly from the sheds or, perhaps more conveniently, at the central market near the Twante ferry landing. However, transporting these mostly large and heavy objects to one’s home potentially thousands of miles away is an iffy proposition. Trishaws from the dock to the pottery sheds cost K200 per person.

Getting There & Away & Around The most accessible way to get to Twante from Yangon is via a short cross-river ferry and public jeep or pick-up ride. Pedestrian ferries from Pansodan St jetty (near the foot of Pansodan St and opposite the Strand Hotel) take passengers across the Yangon River to Dalah (US$1, 20 minutes). In Dalah, catch one of the dark green jeeps or pick-ups that leave for Twante every 45 minutes or so throughout the day. Both leave only when completely full, so you can either secure a comfortable front seat early in the loading process or you can hop in the back of a vehicle that looks ready to leave. The ride takes 30 to 45 minutes and

D E LTA R E G I O N • • A r o u n d T w a n t e 129

the fare is around K300 or so for a front seat in a jeep; or about K500 for a front seat in a pick-up. Come prepared for a crush. Minibuses (K150) round out the possibilities. Taxis between Dalah and Twante cost around K1500 one way per person. Most, though, are booked by entire families. For comfort and speed it’s worth asking to share one. The seemingly slower but more scenic trip along the Yangon River and the Twante Canal takes two hours – even though it’s only 24km from landing to landing. Although there are several boats that pass by Twante on their way across the western delta, the most frequent departures are aboard Hpayapon-bound craft (ordinary/1st class US$1/3). These leave from the Hledan Rd and Kaingdan St jetties in Yangon at 7am and 1pm daily; the latest return trip leaves Twante at 4pm. When you add up the waiting times for the cross-river ferry/jeep departure versus the canal ferry, both modes of transport end up taking about the same amount of time from start to finish. A good way to vary the trip would be to do the more frequent ferryjeep combo out to Twante, then catch one of the canal ferries back to Yangon around sunset when the waterways are the most picturesque. Trishaws and horse carts are great ways of getting around town.

AROUND TWANTE

Other interesting delta towns are Labutta and Hpayapon, both of which can be reached by long-distance ferry from Yangon. Finding accommodation is not a certainty in these places, so both are destinations for the adventurous. Boats for Hpayapon leave from the Hledan Rd and Kaingdan St jetties in Yangon at 7am and 1pm daily and travel via Twante.

LETKHOKKON BEACH lk'xup'kun'"

Travelling to Letkhokkon, about four hours by taxi or jeep from Dalah, is no easy matter and in the end not much quicker than visiting the more beautiful beaches at Chaungtha and Ngwe Saung. Nevertheless, it is the closest beach to the capital. Located in Kunyangon town, near the mouth of the Bago River, Letkhokkon is

A R O U N D YA N G O N

A R O U N D YA N G O N

128 D E LTA R E G I O N • • T w a n t e

1

B

To Ngwe Saung Beach (46km); Chaungtha Beach (57km)

INFORMATION Hospital........................................1 B3 Police Station...............................2 A4 Post Office...................................3 B3

C

Monastery.................................10 Mosque.....................................11 Night Market..............................12 Pwo Karen Church.....................13 St Peter's Cathedral....................14 School........................................15 School........................................16 Settayaw Paya...........................17 Shwenokhtaw Paya....................18 Shwezigon Paya.........................19 Twenty-Eight Paya.......................................20

B3 B3 B3 C2 B4 A4

33

C2

St

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20 16

7

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25

Mahab

5 Mingyi Rd

3 12 6

18

4 34 28 Shwezedi Rd Central Market

SLEEPING La Pyat Wun Hotel.....................21 Paradise Guest House.................22 Sein Pyae Hlyan Inn...................23 Taan Taan Ta Guest House & Restaurant..............................24

1

Creek

26 29 30 24 27

23 21

11 10

8

Train Station

TRANSPORT Bus Tickets.................................34 B3 Buses to Chaungtha & Ngwesaung............................35 B2

Rd

SHOPPING Parasol Workshops.....................32 B4 Shwe Sar Umbrella Workshop....33 D1

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31 14

St

2

To Mahabodhi Mingala Tagaung Mingala Zeditaw (500m); Leikyunyuang Paya (2km)

for Muslim – pathi – due to the heavy presence of Arab and Indian Muslim traders here centuries ago. The colonial Brits – or more likely their imported Indian civil servants – corrupted the name to Bassein. Today, Pathein’s population includes large contingents of Kayin (Karen) and Rakhaing. Although once part of a Mon kingdom, Pathein is now home to only a few Mon. During the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Kayin villages surrounding Pathein generated insurgent activity that has since generally calmed.

Information Despite the city being one of Myanmar’s largest, there are no banks here offering foreign exchange and there are no Internet services.

B3

n

22

Myenu Rd Bwetgyi St Ohnmar dandi St 32 Kala dan St

B3 B4 B3

EATING Golden Land Restaurant.............25 B3 Ka Ka Gyi Myanmar Restaurant..26 B3 Me Me Lay Teashop...................27 B3 Mya Nan Dar Restaurant.........(see 30) Nga Wun Irra Restaurant............28 B3 Shwe Kaung Restaurant.............29 B3 Shwe Zin Yaw Restaurant...........30 B3 Zee Bae Inn................................31 B4

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The town is of some historic interest and was the scene for major clashes during the struggle for supremacy between the Mon and the Bamar. Later it became an important trade relay point for goods moving between India and Southeast Asia. The city’s name may derive from the Burmese word

A4 A4 B3 B2 B4 C2 C2 D1 B3 B2

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History

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For the country’s fourth-largest city Pathein seems compact and small. It receives few visitors so you’re likely to draw lots of smiles and curious stares. Most travellers only stop off on their way to the beaches on the west coast, yet the workshops that produce colourful, hand-painted parasols, along with the shady, tree-lined village lanes to the northeast of the market, are worth a stroll, as is the bustling riverside road. A boat trip between Pathein and Yangon along the river where large boats are laid up on the mud flats like dinosaurs taking their last gasp of air, is a rare window on the pattern and pace of the everyday lives of Burmese in the delta region. Situated on the eastern bank of the Pathein River (also known as the Ngawan River) in the Ayeyarwady Delta, about 120km west of Yangon, Pathein is the most important delta port outside the capital, despite its distance from the sea. It is surrounded by a major rice-growing area that produces the best rice available in Myanmar, including a high-quality variety called pawsanmwe t’ǎmìn (fragrant rice). The growth of the delta trade, particularly rice exports, has contributed to a general air of prosperity in the city.

1 km 0.5 miles

Sights & Activities If you want to check out Pathein’s parasol workshops, see p134. The following sights don’t charge an admission fee. SHWEMOKHTAW PAYA

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In the centre of Pathein, near the riverfront, looms the golden, bell-shaped stupa at Shwemokhtaw Paya. One legend says it was originally built by India’s Buddhist king Asoka in 305 BC as a small stupa called Shwe Arna. Standing 2.3m tall, this original stupa supposedly enshrined Buddha relics and a 6in (15cm) gold bar. Another legend says a Muslim princess named Onmadandi

A R O U N D YA N G O N

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES City Hall.......................................4 Clock Tower.................................5 Customs House............................6 Division Office.............................7 Hindu Temple..............................8 Monastery...................................9

ve

Vehicle ferries (passengers US$5, 15 minutes) cross the Yangon River to Dalah from Sin Oh Dan St jetty between 18th and 19th Sts in Yangon at 9am, 1pm and 5pm. The road between Dalah and Letkhokkon is in very poor condition in places. Count on close to four hours to complete the journey from Dalah without stops; more by public transport. Expect to pay about K5000 each way to hire a car or jeep from Dalah to make the trip. Of course you could always hire a car and driver in Yangon; however, some drivers refuse to do the trip because the road is so hard on their vehicles.

A

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Getting There & Away

0 0

PATHEIN

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wooden beach bungalows. The hotel has spacious rooms with mosquito nets and private bathrooms. The power supply is unreliable, though. The hotel restaurant serves good seafood.

PATHEIN

D E LTA R E G I O N • • Pa t h e i n 131

in he

Yangon%01-224 346; 68 11th St, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon; s/d US$38/45; a), a tidy row of painted

It’s not easy getting to Letkhokkon by public transport. First you must cross to Dalah via the Pansodan St jetty pedestrian ferry (US$1, 20 minutes); departures are every 20 minutes, starting at 5am and stopping at 8pm. Ask around on the other side in the jammed lot next to the ferry terminal in Dalah to see if anyone’s going to Letkhokkon; usually only a couple of vehicles a day do this route direct. Once in Letkhokkon it’s usually not difficult to find a vehicle heading back to Dalah.

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t Pa

a delta beach facing the Gulf of Mottama (Martaban), with powder beige sand and a very wide tidal bore that tends towards mudflats at its lowest ebb. Copious coconut palms along the beach help make up for the less-than-crystalline waters. The lack of clarity is part of the estuarial milieu here and doesn’t mean the water isn’t clean. At low tide the local kids like to stage mud fights. An excursion to Letkhokkon is more than just a beach trip; it offers a glimpse of relaxed delta life. Along the way, the road passes by rice paddies, betel-nut gardens and several Kayin (or Karen) villages. Adjacent to the main beach area, the village of Letkhokkon itself is a fairly typical seaside town that thrives on coconuts and fishing. Though the town itself isn’t too interesting, there’s a long beach nearby called Anauntphettokan (Westward-Moving Beach; named for its heavy sand drift). The beach can be approached by boat from Ingapu or other spots along the coastline. You can rent a launch for visiting these areas from the Letkhokkon Beach Hotel. The asking price is K3000 per hour, but this is negotiable for multihour hire. As you approach Letkhokkon from the north, there’s a two-lane, palm-flanked avenue leading off to the right where you’ll see the Letkhokkon Beach Hotel (booking office in

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nd ra St

A R O U N D YA N G O N

130 D E LTA R E G I O N • • Pa t h e i n

requested each of her three Buddhist lovers to build a stupa in her honour. One of the lovers erected Shwemokhtaw, the others the less distinguished Tazaung and Thayaunggyaung paya. Whichever story you choose to believe, Bagan’s King Alaungsithu is thought to have erected an 11m stupa called Htupayon over this site in AD 1115. Then, in 1263, King Samodagossa took power, raised the stupa to 40m and changed the name to Shwemokhtaw Paya, which means Stupa of the Half-Foot Gold Bar. The stupa’s main shape has remained the same since Samodagossa’s reign, although the changing of the decorative hti (umbrellalike decorated top) has increased the height to its present 46.6m. The current hti consists of a topmost layer made from 6.3kg of solid gold, a middle tier of pure silver and a bottom tier of bronze; all three tiers are gilded and reportedly embedded with a total of 829 diamond fragments, 843 rubies and 1588 semiprecious stones. The southern shrine of the compound houses the Thiho-shin Phondaw-pyi sitting Buddha image, which supposedly floated to the delta coast on a raft sent from Sri Lanka during ancient times. According to legend, an unknown Sinhalese sculptor fashioned four different Buddha images using pieces from the original Bodhi Tree mixed with a cement composite. He then placed the images on four wooden rafts and set the rafts adrift on the ocean. One landed in Dawei (Tavoy), and is now housed at the Shinmokhti Paya; another landed at Kyaikkami (Amherst), and is now at Yele Paya; the third landed at Kyaiktiyo and is now at Kyaikpawlaw; and the fourth landed near Phondawpyi, a fishing village about 97km south of Pathein. In 1445 the Mon queen Shinsawpu purportedly had the latter image brought up to Pathein, then known as Kuthima. A marble standing Buddha positioned in a niche in the fence running along the western side of the stupa marks a spot where Mon warriors once prayed before going off to battle. In the northwestern corner of the compound is a shrine dedicated to Shin Upagot, the Bodhisattva who floats on the ocean and appears to those in trouble. Turtles swim in the water surrounding the small pavilion.

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SETTAYAW PAYA

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Of the several lesser-known ones in Pathein, perhaps the most charming is this paya dedicated to a mythical Buddha footprint left by the Enlightened One during his legendary perambulations through mainland Southeast Asia. The paya compound wraps over a couple of green hillocks that are dotted with wellconstructed tazaung (shrine buildings) – altogether a nice setting and a change from the flat paya compounds near the river. The footprint symbol itself is the usual oblong, 1m-long impression and not very interesting. Very visible in the compound is a garishly painted 11m standing Buddha. OTHER RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

One of the standard sights in town is the so-called Twenty-Eight Paya, a rectangular shrine building containing 28 sitting and 28 standing Buddha images – none of them are particularly distinguished except that the latter appear in the open-robe style rather than the closed-robe pose typical of Mandalay standing images. At one end of the hall stands a group of crude sculptures depicting a scene from the Buddha’s life. It’s a short walk from Pathein’s main umbrella workshops. You may have to ask the caretaker to unlock the building. More interesting from an artistic perspective is Tagaung Mingala Zeditaw (Tagaung Paya), centred around a graceful stupa that sweeps inward from a wide, whitewashed base to a gleaming silver superstructure. Look for the small squirrel sculpture extending from the western side of the upper stupa and representing a previous life of the Buddha as a squirrel. One of the pavilions at the base of the stupa contains a very large sitting Buddha image. Local legend says the stupa is the same age as Shwemokhtaw, but like other famous stupas in Myanmar, the truth is buried beneath several layers of royal renovations. The latest refurbishing was carried out in 1979. Tagaung Paya is about 3km south of Kaladan St, past the railway line. West of Tagaung Paya, a little way towards the river, stands Mahabodhi Mingala Zedi, patterned after the world-famous Mahabodhi stupa in Bodhgaya, India. Leikyunynaung Paya, a couple of kilometres directly south of Mahabodhi, was renovated by the

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State Law & Order Restoration Council (Slorc), now the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), using forced labour in the early 1990s to create a facsimile of Ananda Paya in Bagan. Since the renovation few people outside the government worship here. A kilometre or so northeast of Leikyunynaung Paya is Leimyetna Paya, which features a large, but particularly ugly, sitting Buddha. Even aesthetically worse is the gaudily painted sitting Buddha at Shwezigon Paya, at the northern end of town. MARKETS

At the night market (Strand Rd) that is set up each evening in front of Customs House, teenagers cruise, flirt and hang out while vendors purvey food, clothing and tools and just about every other requisite for daily life at low prices. Just south of Shwemokhtaw Paya is the central market, and just south of that is a newer market, with all manner of goods. Both of these markets are closed on Sunday.

Festivals & Events The people of Pathein celebrate Vesakha (a celebration of the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing away) with a huge paya pwe (pagoda festival) during the full moon of Kason (April/May). The festival is held at the Shwemokhtaw Paya.

Sleeping Most of the hotels’ electricity supplies are at the mercy of the citywide rationing schedule, which means power generally is available from early evening to early morning. Taan Taan Ta Guest House & Restaurant (%22290; 7 Merchant St; s US$5-7, d US$6-10; a)

At five storeys, this centrally located hotel is one of Pathein’s tallest. The Taan Taan offers simple, brightly painted and clean rooms with private bathroom. Larger and more expensive rooms with more sunlight are on the top floor. Paradise Guest House (%25055; 14 Zay Chaung Rd; r US$10; a) Another Pathein high rise, the Paradise is alongside the canal a block from the market. Rooms here are slightly more modern than those at the Taan Taan, ie they have TVs, though the low ceilings in some make it feel cramped. For late nights a karaoke lounge is attached.

D E LTA R E G I O N • • Pa t h e i n 133

La Pyat Wun Hotel (%24669; 30 Min Gyi Rd; s/d US$15/25; a) This newcomer to Pathein is a squeaky clean all-white multistorey building. Rooms have private bathroom, hotwater shower and TV. Sein Pyae Hlyan Inn (%22985; 32 Shwezedi Rd; s/d US$8/10; a) A step down from the others, the Sein Pyae Hlyan is more austere, though the unadorned concrete rooms do have TVs and air-con. Those hoping to avoid governmentowned properties should steer clear of the Pathein Hotel, a two-storey building on spacious grounds near the bus station.

Eating Eating out in Pathein is limited to a few unspectacular restaurants that do basic Bamar and Chinese. Shwe Zin Yaw Restaurant (24/25 Shwezedi Rd; sweet & sour chicken K1300) Near Merchant St, this restaurant does Bamar and Chinese cuisine with good curries and soups. Ka Ka Gyi Myanmar Restaurant (68 Mingalar St; meals K1000) Across from Shwemokhtaw Paya, this place offers fish, vegetable and meat curries. Golden Land Restaurant (Merchant St; mains around K2000;huntil 10pm) Just north of the clock tower, this restaurant has a nice, quiet, front-yard, open-air eating area. The menu is a wide-ranging mixture of Chinese and Bamar dishes, including some seafood. It’s pricey by Pathein standards. Zee Bae Inn (Merchant St; dishes K1000;huntil 10pm;a) Zee Bae is among the more wellknown and longest-running Chinese places. It is a saloon-style, popular little place that has been serving large bowls of noodles and other Chinese dishes since the 1950s. The downstairs area opens onto the street, while upstairs there’s an air-con dining room. Nga Wun Irra Restaurant (cnr Shwezedi & Strand Rds; mains from K300; huntil 9pm) It is a pleasant little dinner spot next to the night market down by the water. This simple place offers friendly service but, strangely enough, only chicken, pork and vegetable dishes – no seafood. Other recommendations: Shwe Kaung Restaurant (dishes K1000) On the same block as the Ka Ka Gyi.

Mya Nan Dar Restaurant (dishes K1000) This place is equally as good as the Shwe Kaung and serves tasty Bamar dishes.

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Most of the ‘umbrellas’ made in Pathein are actually parasols; ie they aren’t waterproof, but are used to counter the hot delta sun. There are a few workshops scattered throughout the northern part of the city, particularly in the vicinity of Twenty-Eight Paya, off Mahabandoola Rd. The parasols come in a variety of colours; some are brightly painted with flowers, birds and other nature motifs. One type that can be used in the rain is the saffron-coloured monks’ umbrella, which is waterproofed by applying various coats of tree resin; a single umbrella may take five days to complete, including the drying process. Parasols and umbrellas can be ordered in any size directly from the workshops. The parasols are reasonably priced, even cheap, though Burmese seem to prefer foreign-made modern umbrellas. Several shops in Pathein sell cheaply made smaller parasols with bright, fluffy pompoms, not good for either decoration or protection from the elements. Workshops welcome visitors who want to observe this craft. Shwe Sar Umbrella Workshop (%25127; frangi [email protected]; 653 Tawya Kyaung Rd; h8am5pm) This family-run workshop with high-

quality work is just around the corner from the Settawyar Pagoda. If you decide to purchase these beautiful handiworks in bulk – you won’t find the same quality elsewhere, even in Yangon – they can be securely and conveniently packaged.

Getting There & Away AIR

Pathein has an airstrip out at the northeastern edge of the city, but at the time of writing it didn’t field any regularly scheduled flights. However, newcomer Bagan Air (BA) was planning to start daily flights in the high season between Pathein and Yangon (US$40, 25 minutes) and Heho (US$88, one hour). There were also plans to link up with ground transport to Ngwe Saung Beach in order to compete with Ngapali as an easily accessible beach destination for high-end travellers. BOAT

Inland Water Transport (IWT; Map p98; in Yangon%01284 055; Lan Thit jetty, Yangon) operates Chinese triple-decker ferries between Yangon and

Pathein. Ordinary class costs US$7, and puts you on the open deck (with an easy chair if you get in early). For US$42 you can get an air-conditioned cabin with private bathroom. These express boats leave Yangon’s Lan Thit jetty daily at 5pm, arriving the next morning in Pathein at 10am. Foreigners must buy tickets from the deputy division manager’s office next to Building 63 on Lan Thit jetty. A more luxurious option worth every kyat is a river cruise aboard the Delta Queen (in Yangon% 01-246 752; www.myanmar-rivercruises .com; 343 Bo Aung Kyaw St, Yangon; per person US$170)

between Pathein and Yangon (20 hours). All cabins are done in teak and there are two special ‘family’ rooms with large picture windows on three sides facing directly out the front of the boat. Both the dining area and lounge/bar area are tastefully done but the real highlight is the superb fivecourse dinner and ‘concert’ that the nine staff members put on for guests after dinner. During high season the Delta Queen generally makes one round trip a week. BUS

Buses to Pathein are available from Yangon’s Hlaing Thar Yar bus station, a 45-minute to one-hour taxi ride (K3000) west of the city on the other side of the Yangon (Hlaing) River. From here, there are several departures from 5am to 1pm to Pathein (three to four hours, 181km). The cost – depending on the standard of bus – can range from K1000 to K3000. Most are comfortable and have TV, reclining cushioned seats and air conditioning, though they probably won’t turn it on. You can buy same-day tickets for any of the departures or most hotels can arrange bookings for you. Be prepared to ask around, though there are usually enough ticket touts around to help you out and take their small commission. Generally uncomfortable Thi Ha and Shwe Min Than minibuses ply the route from Pathein to Chaungtha Beach (K2500, 2½ hours, 58km); departures are 7am, 11am and 1pm from Pathein’s bus station on Yadayagone St. Ask your guesthouse if it’s possible to book a seat on the more comfortable Yangon–Chaungtha buses (see p138). You’ll be asked to pay the full fare but it’s worth it. This author experienced one of the most miserable bus rides of his miserable bus

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ride–full life here; because of sacks of rice and vegetables piled on the floor there was no room for his legs to go except up to his chin for the entire 2½ hours. Shwe Min Than buses take around 1½ hours to travel the 46km from Pathein to Ngwe Saung (K2500); departures are at 7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm from Yadayagone St as well. TAXI

Share taxis for up to four people can be arranged from your hotel in Pathein for Chaungtha (K30,000), Ngapali (K100,000), Ngwe Saung (K30,000) and also Yangon (K40,000).

AROUND PATHEIN

Horseshoe-shaped Inye Lake, 70km northeast of the city near the village of Kyonpyaw, is a favourite weekend picnic spot. Local fishermen sell fresh fish from the lake. If you follow the Pathein River south till it empties into the Andaman Sea you’ll reach Mawdin Point (Mawdinsoun), the site of a famous festival during the lunar month of Tabodwe (February/March). On the sea side of the cape, at its point, is a sandy beach and the revered stupa of Mawdin Paya. During the Mawdin Point festival there are special boats running from Pathein daily. Other times, boats go only once a week or so, leaving the main Pathein jetty around 6am and arriving at 2pm. Be aware that there’s no lodging licensed for foreigners at Mawdin, so this is strictly a trip for risk-takers. During the festival more guesthouses are open, which makes it the best time of year to attempt a trip. There are some elephant camps in the area, providing visitors with an opportunity to see these pachyderms go about their daily work routine. The best places to organise a visit to one are at the hotels in Ngwe Saung or Chaungtha.

CHAUNGTHA BEACH exY;='"s;km'"e¨x %042

A trip to Chaungtha Beach, 40km west of Pathein on the Bay of Bengal, is a chance to experience what the Myanmar middle class does on vacation. The beach gets especially crowded on holiday weekends when local tourists are ferried in by the busload. No

D E LTA R E G I O N • • A r o u n d Pa t h e i n 135

matter what the time of year, beach activity is at its height in the afternoon when children take their first horse ride, freelance photographers comb the beach on the lookout for their next shoot, fully clothed families wade into the water en masse, teenage girls stroll hand in hand, and elaborate picnics are staged only to be broken up by the path of a wayward football from one of the many impromptu games. As Western beaches go, the sand and water aren’t as pristine as nearby Ngwe Saung or Ngapali. At low tide the very wide beach has a touch of the ‘muddy delta’ look – though there is a gorgeous long, white-sand beach only a 15-minute walk north of town, where you’re likely to have the entire expanse to yourself save for the rare local or other foreigners scouting for privacy and a little shade. The village of Chaungtha itself is a few blocks of guesthouses, restaurants and souvenir shops selling T-shirts. There is a post office. Most Chaungtha residents fish, or farm coconuts for a living; a couple of families also make furniture using rattan collected in nearby jungles. Many villagers speak the Rakhaing dialect.

Sights & Activities The village market is most active from 6am to 9am. East of the main village area is a mangrove swamp and a canal beach with a wooden jetty. On the canal side of the peninsula are rickety stilted structures used by the villagers for drying fish. BOATING TRIPS

Offshore lies a modest coral reef with decent snorkelling except during the rainy season, when water clarity is poor. Snorkelling trips for up to six people cost K30,000 and can be booked through hotels. Several hotels can also rent the gear for K1000; there are a few small reefs in the waters to the north. Whitesand Island can be explored in a day trip from Chaungtha Beach. A boat (K3000 one way, one hour) leaves for the island at 8am daily, returning at 5pm. There’s good swimming and snorkelling around the island, as well as a stall selling cold drinks and snacks, but there’s only three trees for shade. For more information, ask at any of the hotels or guesthouses in Chaungtha,

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Shopping

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136 D E LTA R E G I O N • • C h a u n g t h a B e a c h

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INFORMATION Post Office...............................................................................1 B4 0 0

200 m 0.1 miles

A

B To Magyi Village (11.5km)

1 To Pathein (40km); Yangon (220km) 8

7 15

2

6 16 11

Chaungtha Bay 20 12 Zaw Mart Store

10

18

SLEEPING A Yar Oo Resort Hotel.............................................................6 Ambo Resort Hotel..................................................................7 Chaungtha Oo Beach Hotel.....................................................8 Discovery Inn...........................................................................9 Golden Beach Hotel...............................................................10 Grand Hotel Chaungtha Beach...............................................11 Happy World.........................................................................12 Hotel Max Chaungtha Beach.................................................13 Lai Lai Chaungtha Beach Hotel..............................................14 Lin Thit Sar Hotel...................................................................15 Mariner’s Lodge.....................................................................16 Mayko Guest House..............................................................17 See Seim Hotel......................................................................18 Shwe Hin Tha Hotel...............................................................19 Thiri Chaungtha Beach Hotel.................................................20 Win Guest House...................................................................21

B2 B2 A1 A4 B2 B2 B2 A4 A3 B2 B2 A4 A3 A2 B2 B3

EATING Chaungtha Seafood Restaurant.............................................22 Pearl Restaurant.....................................................................23 William Restaurant.................................................................24 William Restaurant.................................................................25

B4 B4 B4 B3

SHOPPING Souvenir Vendors...................................................................26 B4

Main Rd

3

A3 B3 B4 B4

TRANSPORT Bus Station.............................................................................27 B3

21

27 1

26 24

13 22

Bogyoke

Hospital

St

14

St

23 4

Sayonphat

3

Lan Madaw

25 2

5

Ywathit St

4

17 9

Hpokkala Kyun

To Canal Beach To Ferry Jetty (500m)

or contact U Tin Ohn (%24880), the island’s Chaungtha-based manager. Several hotels, including the Shwe Hin Tha (ask for Nay Min), can arrange fishing trips and provide all the necessary equipment for K20,000 to K30,000. Ferry services to nearby villages along the canal are still available from the canal jetty. OTHER ACTIVITIES

You can rent canoes for about K700 a halfday, or bicycles for about K300 per hour or K500 a day, at hotels and guesthouses.

Sleeping Of all the beach destinations in Myanmar, Chaungtha offers the most affordable

accommodation. Few people from the interior visit during the southwest monsoon season, and traditionally all but a few hotels close down from 15 May to 15 September; those that remain open discount room rates. Because of a hotel building boom in recent years there’s not much room left for further development. At the time of research there was talk of a new telephone system being installed in Chaungtha, so all the numbers listed may change in the near future. BUDGET

Shwe Hin Tha Hotel (%24098, in Yangon %01-650 588; s US$5-18, d US$10-25; a) The only beachfront hotel with budget prices, this is a popular backpacker choice. There are a number of friendly and eager English-speaking staff members, and more importantly it’s located on the quiet end of the beach. The cheapest rooms are small blue wooden bungalows with private porches looking out onto the hotel courtyard. Larger, more expensive rooms have ocean views. There is a small library with foreign-language books. Kyaw Kgi (George) is a knowledgeable and friendly guide ([email protected]) or at the hotel. Shwe Hin Tha is the first hotel you pass coming from Pathein.

Several budget places set back from the beach are worth a look. Win Villa (s/d US$3/6) The clean but basic rooms in this attractive teak home are good value. The Win has a balcony on the 2nd floor, but there is no hot water. Breakfast is included. Other options include Mariner’s Lodge (s/d US$5/10), with no-frills, hotel-style rooms; and the strange large, blue A-frame Happy World (s/d US$5/10), with basic clean rooms but no hot water. Several other budget-level guesthouses are clustered around the village. Among the cleanest and friendliest are Discovery Inn (s/d US$3/6) and Mayko Guest House (s/d US$5/10). Rooms at both come with a fan and private bathroom and have Western-style toilets. The Discovery Inn has four thatched bamboo bungalows. MIDRANGE

Chaungtha Oo Beach Hotel (%22888, in Yangon %01-254 708; r US$25-35; a) Popular with UN and foreign-embassy staff, this hotel at the quiet northernmost end of the beach has large, bright blue-and-green chalets, each with delightful private porches. The more expensive rooms have hot water, and the complimentary breakfast is served in a pleasant all-wood wraparound porch. Grand Hotel Chaungtha Beach Resort (%23001; s US$18-25, d US$20-30; a) It has nice, clean, well-kept rooms, modern bathrooms with bathtubs, private porches, all-white bungalows, attractive grounds and a restaurant on the beach. The more expensive rooms have seaside views. Golden Beach Hotel (%24126; r US$10-25; as) The big, bright beachside bungalows come with individual back and front porches, and comfortable, modern bathrooms. A pool is set in the middle of the attractive grounds. Cheaper rooms with fans are across the street in the new annexe. Some are US$6 during the low season. There's a good Chinese restaurant attached. Linn Thit Sar Hotel (%22802; s US$10-20, d US$1530; a) It’s unfortunate there’s not more privacy on this part of the beach because the rooms at the Linn Thit Sar are clean and attractive. The more expensive rooms have air-con. Ambo Resort Hotel (% 22903; s US$18-20, d US$20-25; a) The Ambo doesn’t especially

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distinguish itself from its rivals, with similarly uninspiring bungalow rooms. More expensive ones have air-con. The waterfront restaurant serves some Thai dishes and is a perfect place to catch a sunset. Lai Lai Chaungtha Beach Hotel (%22587; lailai [email protected]; s/d US$18/25; a) One of the oldest hotels in Chaungtha, this place is now a little frayed around the edges. Standard rooms have a fan and private bathroom. Superior rooms come with air-con, fridge and TV. Other recommendations: A Yar Oo Resort Hotel (%24880; s US$7-15, d US$1420; a) Rooms here are not in the best condition. Higher priced rooms have air-con. See Seim Hotel (%22909; r US$22) A sprawling place right on the beach with clean, bungalow-style rooms with fan and private bathroom. The rooms are a little gloomy. The hotel’s restaurant is quite good. Thiri Chaungtha Beach Resort Hotel (in Yangon %01-578 649; s/d US$20/25; a) Rambling place popular with Myanmar people. TOP END

Hotel Max Chaungtha Beach (%24966; www.hotel maxchaungthabeach.com; r US$70-100; ais )

This luxury resort appears somewhat out of place next to its more modest neighbours. The Max opened in 2003 directly across from the village. There’s a long driveway to the portico entrance that reveals large red-roofed villas and landscaped grounds. Facilities include tennis courts, minigolf, billiards, massage parlour and spa. There’s an excellent restaurant with nightly buffet dinners served outside.

Eating Most hotels and guesthouses also have small restaurants; the Shwe Hin Tha’s is particularly pleasant. William Restaurant (dishes K1000), which does Bamar and Chinese cuisine – has two locations, one on the main road and the other in the village. The main street of the village is lined with seafood restaurants. Most offer mains of good freshly caught seafood – lobster, clams, scallops, prawns, and fish – for around K800 to K2000: Pearl Restaurant and Chaungtha Sea Food Restaurant are especially recommended. There are also a few teashops along this strip, one of which opens early in the morning and serves decent hsi t’ǎmìn (turmericcoloured sticky rice topped with sesame

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Kyauk Pahto............................................................................2 Market.....................................................................................3 Pyilon Chanthar Zedi................................................................4 Ywama Monastery...................................................................5

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138 D E LTA R E G I O N • • N g w e S a u n g

seeds and shredded coconut) and other Bamar tea snacks.

Getting There & Away & Around

without first having to go through Yangon and Pyay. It’s apparently a demanding threeday journey on very local minibuses.

BICYCLE

TAXI

Some hotels rent bicycles for K300 per hour.

Share taxis for up to four people to Pathein (K30,000) and Yangon (K70,000) can be arranged with your hotel’s assistance.

BOAT

The only way to get to Ngwe Saung Beach without first going through Pathein is to hire a boat in Chaungtha. This can be arranged with your hotel or simply by showing up at the pier, however the latter method is difficult without some ability to speak Burmese. The trip costs K25,000 for the entire boat and takes around 1½ hours. BUS

The rough 36km road between Chaungtha and Pathein can be traversed in two hours by private car; public minibuses and pickups usually take about 2½ hours. Several companies plan to run larger, nicer and more modern buses between the two towns in the near future. A new suspension bridge over the Pathein River does away with the previous ferry-crossing hassles and accompanying US$5 fare between Pathein and Chaungtha or Ngwe Saung beaches. Parts of the road to Chaungtha are unsealed. The road passes through nearly-barren scrubland before crossing the U Do Chaung by bridge, and after that climbs forested hills to an elevation of around 300m. This area is said to be inhabited by elephants, monkeys and leopards; at one point you’ll pass through a lush forest reserve. From there, the road descends into an area of coconut groves and rice paddies. Over half the villages passed along the way are Kayin. For transport info on getting to Chaungtha from Pathein see p134. Uncomfortable minibuses leave from Chaungtha Beach for Pathein (K2500, 2½ hours) at 7am, 11am and 1pm from the bus station in the village. Comfortable large air-conditioned buses (Shwe Pyi Lwin is the best company) leave from Chaungtha Beach for Yangon at 7am (K5000 to K6000, six to seven hours). Coming from Yangon, buses leave from Hlaing Thar Yar bus station to Chaungtha leaving several times daily in the morning until lunchtime. It’s theoretically possible to travel north via the town of Gwa all the way to Ngapali

NGWE SAUNG e=âez;='

This beautiful white-sand beach, also known as Silver Beach, facing the Bay of Bengal is in the early stages of being developed and marketed as a rival destination to Ngapali further north. Several top-end bungalowstyle resorts are already firmly established and several more are in the works, and few accommodation options cater for people on small budgets or local vacationers. The beach stretches much longer and is more pristine than nearby Chaungtha Beach. The village itself now sits roughly halfway along the length of the 14.5km stretch of coastline – the government ordered it moved lock, stock and barrel about 100m. Several of the resorts can arrange day trips to an elephant camp halfway between Ngwe Saung and Pathein.

Sleeping Several luxurious resorts were in some stage of construction at the time of research. Continued progress for some seems to depend on the not-unimportant variable of having customers. The devastating 2004 tsunami was felt here, and despite the very minimal damage business appears to have been badly affected. There’s no lack of space for further development but the government seems committed to controlling the pace, size and nature of the resorts – mostly top-end. The road gets progressively worse the further south one travels from the village to the point where only 4WD vehicles can safely navigate through the rough and sandy patches. Be aware that some hotels are located on this stretch of road. The phone system here is unreliable so it’s recommended to contact the Yangon number if there is one.

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the Golden Sea’s small wooden bungalows are simply furnished. A basic breakfast is included. Yamonnar Oo Resort (in Yangon %01-726 413; s/d US$25/35) Not really a resort, the Yamonnar Oo has a few green wooden bungalows. The rooms are unadorned but clean. Silver View Beach Resort (in Yangon%01-512 681 ext 318; s/d US$20/25; a) Rather than being rustically charming like others in this price category, the Silver View Beach is motellike, and not especially suited to the beach. The rooms are relatively more modern, but the grounds are crowded with a decaying children’s jungle gym. Yuzana Resort (in Yangon%01-581 100; r US$25-50; a) Because of its size it’s hard for the Yuzana to not feel abandoned. This hotel, the first built at the beach in 2000, has a large. hangarlike reception area and 133 rooms in low-slung buildings spread out in a large compound. It has a large terrace restaurant with good seafood. TOP END

Treasure Beach Resort (in Yangon%01-501 565; www .myanmartreasurebeach.com; cottages US$85-100; mains US$8; ais) The nicest of all the resorts

and occupying the best location just one minute’s walk from the village, the Treasure Beach is also one of the oldest. It’s very well managed, the grounds are meticulously manicured and the spacious bungalows have satellite TVs and porches ideal for sunset viewing. Reminiscent of a private, highend Balinese resort, the Treasure Beach is sophisticatedly laid back. The restaurant serves reasonably priced European and Bamar meals. The breakfast buffet (part of the price) includes hard-to-find cereal and French toast. Palm Beach Resort (in Yangon %01-581 100; www .thepalmbeachresort.com; r US$60-80; mains US$13; a is) The beautiful, long and narrow cen-

MIDRANGE

tral building at the upmarket Palm Beach, south of the village, leads to an infinity pool perched over the beach. The grounds here are unexpectedly unkempt. Its restaurant has an interesting but expensive menu. The hotel is closed from May to late October. Sunny Paradise Resort (in Yangon % 01-546

Golden Sea Resort (in Yangon %01-241 747; s/d US$15/20) This is the cheapest place to stay in

002; www.sunnyparadise.net; s US$55-80, d US$65-105; ais) This upscale resort north of the

Ngwe Saung at the moment. The rooms in

village is a compound of several buildings

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including a few posh bungalow suites. All the rooms are classy and cosy, a mix of teak, bamboo and modern amenities. Palm trees tower over the manicured grounds and there’s a large marble reception area.

Eating You’ll have to generally rely on your hotel’s cooking because most of the accommodation, apart from the Treasure Beach Resort, is too far from the village to make eating at one of the several restaurants there convenient. In the village, the See Sar Restaurant and Charlie Restaurant have English menus and serve seafood (K2000) and some standard Bamar and Chinese dishes.

Getting There & Away & Around See p134 for details on possible flights from Yangon and Heho to Pathein with transport links to Ngwe Saung. Buses going from Yangon to Ngwe Saung (K5000, five hours) leave from the Hlaing Thar Yar bus terminal, west of the Yangon River and a 45-minute to one-hour taxi ride from the city centre. There are several departures from around 7am to 2pm. Minibuses from Pathein (K2500, two hours) stop first at the intersection between the beginning of the village and the Treasure Beach Resort. If staying further south the bus should be able to drop you at your resort; conversely, you should be able to catch the bus leaving Ngwe Saung (7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm) by waiting by the side of the road. If you’re staying north of the village you’ll have to hire transport or walk. The upmarket resorts such as the Treasure Beach and Palm Beach offer van services to customers from either Pathein (1¼ hours) or Yangon (four hours) – but the vans don’t come cheap. Share taxis can be arranged for Ngwe Saung from Pathein (K30,000) and Yangon (K70,000). There is no way to get to Ngwe Saung by road from Chaungtha without first going through Pathein. If coming by boat from Chaungtha (K25,000 for entire boat, 1½ hours) ask to be dropped off as close to your hotel as possible, though this is dependent on the tide and water depth at each location. There are a few trishaws available to carry you short distances.

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140 N O R T H O F YA N G O N • • Ta u k k y a n

On the road to Bago, beyond Yangon’s airport at Mingaladon, you reach Taukkyan, where the road to Pyay forks off to the northwest, while the Bago and Mandalay road continues on to the northeast. Shortly beyond the junction is the huge Taukkyan War Cemetery with the graves of 6374 Allied soldiers who died in the Burma and Assam campaigns of WWII. There is also a memorial bearing the names of the almost 27,000 soldiers who died with no known grave. Maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the cemetery is beautifully landscaped. You can get to Taukkyan on a No 9 bus from Yangon or aboard any Bago-bound bus from either the Aung Mingalar Bus (Highway) Terminal or the Tha-khin Mya Pan-gyan Gate terminal (see p90).

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C2 B3 C3 B3 A4 D2 D3 C2 A4 A3 B3

SLEEPING Bago Star Hotel..........................24 Emperor Hotel............................25 Myananda Guest House.............26 San Francisco Motel...................27

B4 B3 B3 B3

D Shwe See Seim Motel................ 28 A4 Silver Snow Guest House...........29 C3 EATING 35 Restaurant.............................30 B3 Hadaya Café..............................31 B3 Kyaw Swar...............................(see 30) Panda Restaurant.....................(see 26) Shwe Le Restaurant....................32 B3 Triple Diamond Restaurant......(see 30) SHOPPING Colours of Myanmar Art Centre..33 B4 TRANSPORT Bus Station.................................34 B4 Pick-ups to Kyaiktiyo................(see 31)

To Kyaiktiyo (120km); Mawlamyine (220km); Mandalay (382km)

a royal capital called Hanthawady (from the Pali-Sanskrit ‘Hamsavati’, meaning the Kingdom of the Swan) at the edge of the lake. During the later Mon dynastic periods (1287–1539), Hanthawady became the centre of the Mon kingdom of Ramanadesa, which consisted of all southern Myanmar. The Bamar took over in 1539 when King Tabinshwehti annexed Bago to his Taungoo kingdom. The city was frequently mentioned by early European visitors – who knew it as Pegu – as an important seaport. In 1740 the Mon, after a period of submission to Taungoo, re-established Bago as their capital, but in 1757 King Alaungpaya sacked and utterly destroyed the city. King Bodawpaya, who ruled from 1782 to 1819, rebuilt it to some extent, but when the river changed its course the city was cut off from the sea and lost its importance as a seaport. It never again reached its previous grandeur.

Sights & Activities Several of the major sites have ticket counters where foreigners are asked to pay a US$10 admission fee. One ticket is good for entrance to the Shwethalyaung Buddha, Shwemawdaw Paya, Kanbawzathadi Palace & Museum, Mahazedi Paya and Kyaik Pun Paya. All other sites are free or staff request visitors to make a nominal donation. We are not recommending this, but several travellers report not being asked to pay admission when visiting certain sites in the late afternoon. Most sites have a separate nominal camera and video fee. They are open from early in the morning to late in the afternoon.

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Bogyoke Aung San Equestrian Statue....................2 Church.........................................3 Clock Tower................................4 Four Figures Paya.........................5 Gothaingotan Paya......................6 Hintha Gon Paya.........................7 Kanbawzathadi Palace & Museum..................................8 Kha Khat Wain Kyaung................9 Kyaik Pun Paya..........................10 Kyinigan Kyaung........................11 Maha Kalyani Sima.....................12

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The logical first stop after leaving Yangon, Bago feels like an amusement park of fascinating Buddhist religious sites. It’s very easy to do a day trip to Bago from Yangon, but shuttling from one site to the other makes it difficult to do any of them any justice. It’s best to take your time and spend the night, although there’s a lack of quality accommodation here. An early start to visit the sites is probably the best idea, as Bago can get very hot around noon. Bago is only about 80km from Yangon, yet is just far enough off the beaten track to avoid many tourists. The town is like a clogged artery because the highway that passes through; buses slow to disgorge their passengers, and motorcycle and trishaw touts competing for your attention. There is a very basic email service, Sitthugyi Email Centre, east of the river.

B Mahagi Paya..............................13 Mahazedi Paya..........................14 Market.......................................15 Mon Weavers............................16 Mosque......................................17 Shwegugale Paya.......................18 Shwemawdaw Paya...................19 Shwethalyaung Buddha.............20 Snake Monastery.......................21 Three Lions Cheroot Factory......22 Woodcarving Workshops...........23

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To Hanthawady Golf & Country Club (2.5km); Yangon (80.5km)

Bago is upping the ante in the race for bigger and longer Buddhas. A 60m to 70m one is in the works scheduled to be completed sometime in 2006. Whether complete or still eerily surrounded by scaffolding, you can find it in a clearing next to the Myethalayaung (Emerald Reclining) Buddha. Mr Han, a knowledgeable guide who speaks excellent English, can be found at the Myananda Guest House (see p144) or contacted at [email protected]. SHWETHALYAUNG BUDDHA

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This reclining Buddha is so big that from looking up from the bottom steps it’s impossible to determine exactly what’s ahead

of you. The golden slab you see is only the torso. Measuring 55m long and 16m high, the Shwethalyaung is a good 9m longer than the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok, but still 19m short of the Buddha in Dawei (see p163). You’ll find the Shwethalyaung to the west of the Yangon–Bago road, only a little more than 1km to the Yangon side of the train station. A sign on the platform in front of the image gives the measurements of each body part; the little finger alone extends 3.05m. The Shwethalyaung is reputed to be one of the most lifelike of all reclining Buddhas. The Burmese say the image represents Buddha in a ‘relaxing’ mode – instead of parinibbana (death) – since the eyes are

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In deference to legend, the symbol for Bago is a female hamsa (hintha or hantha in Burmese; a mythological bird) standing on the back of a male hamsa. At a deeper level, the symbol honours the compassion of the male hamsa in providing a place for the female to stand in the middle of a lake with only one island. Hence, the men of Bago are said to be more chivalrous than men from other Burmese areas. In popular Burmese culture, however, men joke that they dare not marry a woman from Bago for fear of being henpecked!

N O R T H O F YA N G O N • • B a g o 141

Yangon -Bago Rd

TAUKKYAN

THE HAMSA

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Ba Yint Noung St

NORTH OF YANGON

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wide open and the feet lie slightly splayed rather than parallel. The sturdy iron shed that houses the image may look rough and ready, but it’s spacious and airy and gives you a far better view than offered by the cramped cells that house most reclining Buddhas. The walkway up to the platform is crowded with souvenir and handicraft stalls. Originally built of brick and stucco in 994 by the Mon King Migadepa II, the Shwethalyaung was allowed to deteriorate and was then restored several times before the destruction of Bago in 1757. The town was so completely ravaged that the huge Buddha was totally lost and overgrown by jungle. It was not found until the British era of the 1880s when an Indian contractor, digging in a large earth mound for fill to be used in the construction of the railway line, rediscovered the image. Restoration began in 1881 and the present iron and steel tazaung (shrine building), a product of a Calcutta engineering company, was completed in 1903. The 1930s saw another flurry of renovation activity, as a mosaic was added to the great pillow on which the Buddha’s head rests, and Italian marble was laid along the platform. Near the huge head of the image stands a statue of Lokanat (Lokanatha or Avalokitesvara), a Mahayana Buddhist deity borrowed by Burmese Buddhism. Behind the reclining Buddha image is a set of huge painted reliefs depicting the legend of the founding of the image. The price of admission is worth it. A Japanese war cemetery, Kyinigan Kyaung, can be seen on the grounds of a monastery just north of Shwethalyaung. SHWEMAWDAW PAYA

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Shwemawdaw Paya stands northeast of the train station. You can’t miss the stupa, as its height of 114m dominates the town. The Shwemawdaw is said to be over 1000 years old and was originally built by the Mon to a height of 23m to enshrine two hairs of the Buddha. In 825 it was raised to 25m and then to 27m in 840. In 982 a sacred tooth was added to the collection; in 1385 another tooth was added and the stupa was rebuilt to a towering 84m. In 1492, the year Columbus sailed the Atlantic, a wind blew

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over the hti (umbrella-like pinnacle) and a new one was raised. King Bodawpaya, in the reconstruction of Bago after the ravages of Alaungpaya, rebuilt the stupa to 91m in 1796, but from that point it has had a rather chequered career. A new hti was added in 1882, but a major earthquake in 1912 brought it down. The stupa was repaired, but in 1917 another major quake again brought the hti down and caused serious damage. Again it was repaired, but in 1930 the biggest quake of them all completely levelled the stupa and for the next 20 years only the huge earth mound of the base remained. Reconstruction of the Shwemawdaw Paya commenced in 1952 and was completed in 1954, when it reached its present height. The glittering golden top of the stupa reaches 14m higher than the Shwedagon in Yangon. At the northeastern corner of the stupa, a huge section of the hti toppled by the 1917 earthquake has been mounted into the structure of the stupa. It is a sobering reminder of the power of such geological disturbances. Like the Shwedagon in Yangon, the stupa is reached by a covered walkway lined with stalls – some with interesting collections of antique bits and pieces. Along the sides of the walkway a collection of rather faded and dusty paintings illustrates the terrible effects of the 1930 earthquake and shows the subsequent rebuilding of this mighty stupa.

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anew, as at the Mandalay Palace, including the king’s apartment and audience hall. Among other copied marvels, the original audience hall featured a seven-level roof, two levels higher than Mandalay Palace, and was topped with solid gold tiles. The government is keen to make the site into a showpiece of sorts, as King Bayinnaung ruled during an era when Burmese domains reached their furthest in Southeast Asia. The nearby Mon site of Oktha-myo, meanwhile, is all but ignored. The small, well-stocked, octagon-shaped museum displays Mon, Siamese and Baganstyle Buddhas; clay tobacco pipes; glazed tiles and pots; bronze weights and scales; pieces of the original teak stockade; and weaponry. HINTHA GON PAYA

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Located behind the Shwemawdaw, this shrine (admission free) has good views over Bago from the roofed platform on the hilltop. According to legend, this was the one point rising from the sea when the mythological bird (the hintha or hamsa) landed here. A statue of the bird, looking rather like the figures on opium weights, tops the hill. The stupa was built by U Khanti, the hermit monk who was also the architect of Mandalay Hill. You can walk to it by taking the steps down the other side of the Shwemawdaw from the main entrance. KYAIK PUN PAYA

KANBAWZATHADI PALACE & MUSEUM

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Recently, the original site of Hanthawady, which surrounded a former Mon palace, was excavated just south of the huge Shwemawdaw Paya. Walled in the Mon style, the square city measured 1.8km along each side and had 20 gates. The palace compound in the centre, known as Kanbawzathadi, housed King Bayinnaung from 1553 (or 1566 according to some sources) to 1599 and covered 82 hectares. About 26 hectares of this area have been excavated. Bayinnaung, the brother-in-law of a Taungoo king, moved to Bago after conquering an older Mon principality called Oktha-myo, which is east of the Hanthawady site. Only the palace’s brick foundations are visible today. Everything else is being built

There’s something uncannily impressive about these four seated Buddhas with regal gazes that seem to see all, about 1.5km out of Bago just off the Yangon road. Built in 1476 by King Dhammazedi, it consists of four 30m-high sitting Buddhas placed back-to-back around a huge, square pillar. According to legend, four Mon sisters were connected with the construction of the Buddhas; it was said that if any of them should marry, one of the Buddhas would collapse. One of the four Buddhas disintegrated in the 1930 earthquake, leaving only a brick outline. It has since been fully restored. En route to the Kyaik Pun Paya, you can detour to the picturesque Gaung-Say-Kyan Paya, reached by crossing a wooden bridge over a small lake.

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N O R T H O F YA N G O N • • B a g o 143

MAHA KALYANI SIMA (MAHA KALYANI THEIN)

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This ‘Sacred Hall of Ordination’ was originally constructed in 1476 by Dhammazedi, the famous alchemist king and son of Queen Shinsawpu. It stands beside the road en route from the train station to the Shwethalyaung. It was the first of 397 similar sima (ordination halls) he built around the country, copying plans brought back from Sri Lanka. Philip De Brito, the renegade Portuguese adventurer, burnt it down in 1599 during his period of plunder, and during the sacking of Bago in 1757 it was destroyed once again. Subsequently, it suffered from fires or quakes on a number of occasions before being levelled by the disastrous 1930 quake. As with the Shwemawdaw, reconstruction was completed in 1954. Next to the hall are 10 large tablets with inscriptions in Pali and Mon. The hall itself features rows of tented arches around the outside, with an impressive separate cloister and marble floors inside. Niches along the inside upper walls contain 28 standing Buddha images. Across the road from the Maha Kalyani Sima, by the corner, is a curious monument, the Four Figures Paya, with four Buddha figures standing back to back, in somewhat similar fashion to the four seated Buddhas at the Kyaik Pun on the outskirts of town. An adjacent open hallway has a small reclining Buddha image, thronged by followers, and some macabre paintings of wrongdoers being tortured in the afterlife. MAHAZEDI PAYA

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Continuing beyond Shwethalyaung Paya brings you to the Mahazedi (Great Stupa) Paya. Originally constructed in 1560 by King Bayinnaung, it was destroyed during the 1757 sacking of Bago. An attempt to rebuild it in 1860 was unsuccessful and the great earthquake of 1930 comprehensively levelled it, after which it remained a ruin. This current reconstruction was only completed in 1982. Stairways lead up the outside of the stupa, and from the top there are fine views over the surrounding area. Note the model stupa by the entrance. The Mahazedi originally had a Buddha tooth, at one time thought to be the actual

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142 N O R T H O F YA N G O N • • B a g o

144 N O R T H O F YA N G O N • • B a g o

SHWEGUGALE PAYA

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A little beyond the Mahazedi, this zedi has a dark gu (tunnel) around the circumference of the cylindrical superstructure. The monument dates to 1494 and the reign of King Byinnya Yan. Inside are 64 seated Buddha figures. From here you can take a short cut back to the corner in the road, just before the Shwethalyaung. OTHER ATTRACTIONS

North of the main town centre, near the eastern bank of the river, is one of the three largest monasteries in the country, Kha Khat Wain Kyaung. Watching the long line of monks and novices file out of the monastery in the early morning for their daily round of alms is quite a sight. Busloads of tourists visit the monks at lunchtime at 10.30am. You’re free to wander around the eating hall but we recommend that you be cognisant of the kind of atmosphere created by groups of foreigners snapping photos of the monks like caged animals in a zoo while they eat their meal in silence. A short distance further south from the Kanbawzathadi Palace & Museum is the Snake Monastery, where you’ll find a former head of a monastery in Hsipaw who has since been reincarnated in the form of a 115-year-old boa constrictor. Apparently this snake told its owner up north the exact address where he needed to go in Bago in order to complete the construction of a stupa begun in a previous life. People from all over come to pay homage to the snake on weekends and during Buddhist Lent. Every 10 days it eats 5kg of chickens. There’s a zedi nearby on a small hilltop that’s great for watching sunsets. Many Bago women work in local cheroot factories – there are around 15 large ones, and many smaller ones. The Three Lions cheroot factory is a little north of the

road to Shwethalyaung, off the main avenue through town; the proprietors don’t mind receiving visitors. Further west, towards Mahazedi Paya, you can visit a woodcarving workshop.

Festivals & Events On the full moon of the Burmese lunar month of Tagu (March/April) the Shwemawdaw Paya festival attracts huge crowds of worshippers and merrymakers.

Sleeping The quality of accommodation reflects the fact that many travellers visit Bago only for the day. Most options are on the busy main road between the railway line and the river near the place where buses to and from Yangon stop, so rooms towards the back of these hotels are quieter. Electricity is generally available only from the evening to early morning. Cheaper rooms only have fans. Bago Star Hotel (%23766; 11-13 Kyaikpon Pagoda Rd; s/d US$24/30; as) The Star, the nicest and most expensive hotel in Bago, is located just off the highway on the same road as the Kyaik Pun Paya. Almost all the hotel is built from Myanmar wood. Accommodation is in wooden bungalows that have hot-water showers. Generators keep the air-con humming. The pool, while not especially smart, does the job in the searing heat. A nice, large restaurant is attached. Discounts are available. Myananda Guest House (%22275; 10 Main Rd; r US$4-10; a) This is the best budget choice; it’s small and friendly and on the main road a few doors towards the river from the Hadaya Café (see opposite). Economy rooms have fan, shared bathroom and toilet. One triple room has air-con, fridge, TV and attached cold-water bathroom. Plans were in the works to add a few more rooms and a breakfast area on the sun-drenched top floors. English-speaking Mr Han, a knowledgeable guide, can be found here. Emperor Hotel (%23024; Main Rd; r US$3-7; a) The Emperor looks modern and nice from the outside, decked out in reflective glass and potted plants, but this six-storey hotel is a different story inside. Standard rooms, some with Asian-style toilet and bath, tend to be dank and with peeling paint jobs. Touts from here are generally more aggressive than others in town.

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San Francisco Motel (% 22265; Main Rd; s/d US$5/8; a) Further southwest near the railway crossing, this motel has single and double rooms both with shared or private toilet. Double rooms in the new wing (west) are cleaner and brighter looking. Silver Snow Guest House (s US$5-15, d US$10-20) This guesthouse is across the Bago River, near the reservoir and clock tower. It has clean economy rooms, as well as rooms with private bathroom. There is no air-con, but all rooms have a fan and a mosquito net upon request. Shwe See Seim Motel (%22118; 354 Ba Yint Noung St; s/d US$24/30; as) The Shwe See Seim is a nine-room place near the bus station that is slightly fancier than all but the Bago Star. Bungalow units and regular rooms cost the same. There is a small and fairly dirty pool. Travellers keen to avoid governmentowned hotels should bypass the Shwewatun Hotel, out towards the Shwemawdaw Paya.

Eating Panda Restaurant (dishes K800; a) Just west of the river, the Panda offers a good, mediumpriced, standard Chinese menu. Shwe Le Restaurant (chicken dishes K1100) This is a clean and quiet gem half a block north of the main road, just west of the river. The menu features Shan, Indian and Malaysian curries. 35 Restaurant (dishes K1000; a) A friendly but shabby place a few doors west of the Emperor Hotel, this is a popular eatery and not a hotel. The menu is a combination of Bamar, Chinese, Indian and European; the food is cheap and good, and the menu includes ‘goat fighting balls’ (goat testicles), prepared in a number of ways. Opposite the Emperor Hotel, the Hadaya Café is a popular teashop with a nice selection of pastries, and good-quality tea and coffee. Two more restaurants serving good Bamar and Chinese are the Triple Diamond Restaurant and Kyaw Swar.

Shopping Northwest of the Kyinigan Kyaung, a settlement of Mon weavers uses handlooms to produce cotton longyi (sarong-style garments) and other textiles. Next door to the Bago Star Hotel is the Colours of Myanmar Art Centre (h8am-5.30pm),

N O R T H O F YA N G O N • • B a g o 145

which sells paintings by local artists at inexpensive prices.

Getting There & Away You can get to Bago by either rail or road; in either case the trip takes about 2½ hours. By road, the route to Bago follows the Mandalay road to Taukkyan, about 30km from the capital, where the Pyay road branches off. From here to Bago the country is much more open and the traffic somewhat lighter. BUS

Wait outside the Myananda Guest House for buses passing through Bago. Southeastern Myanmar

Pick-ups to Kyaiktiyo depart from in front of Hadaya Café (K500, five hours). Buses to Kyaiktiyo leave throughout the day from near the Emperor Hotel, and cost around K800 to K1000 one way. Buy a ticket on the bus rather than from the ticket booth next to the Emperor Hotel, which charges an inflated K1500 or so. Several buses pass through Bago from 8am to 9am on their way to Hpa-an (K2500, five hours). Until the bridge over the river was recently completed, to reach Mawlamyine by bus you had to go through Hpa-an or transfer to the ferry at Mottama. At the time of research, the bridge wasn’t open for use; however, in the future the schedule will likely be similar to that for Mottama. A few buses pass through Bago for Mottama at 8am and then at 9pm (K3000, nine hours). Taungoo & Inle Lake

Several buses pass through Bago from 5pm to 6.30pm on their way to Kalaw (K6000, 12 hours). Air-con buses from Bago to Nyaungshwe (K2000) leave at around 1.30pm from near the Myananda Guest House and Emperor Hotel. The trip takes about 16 hours – unfortunately, this means arriving in Inle Lake at around 4.30am. It’s worth noting that this bus trip can get quite chilly, and some warm clothing or a blanket is recommended. For Taungoo, make reservations on any of the northbound buses, including those heading to Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake), Kalaw and Mandalay. You will have to pay the full fare of K5500 (4½ hours).

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Buddha tooth of Kandy, Sri Lanka. After Bago was conquered in 1539, the tooth was later moved to Taungoo and then to Sagaing near Mandalay. Together with a begging bowl supposed to have been used by the Buddha, it remains in the Kaunghmudaw Paya (p254), near Sagaing, to this day. Women are not allowed to climb to the top of the stupa.

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146 N O R T H O F YA N G O N • • B a g o

Most of the private bus companies running air-conditioned express buses between Yangon and Mandalay stop in Bago. While they usually won’t sell tickets for the short distance between Yangon and Bago, you can book tickets from Bago onward to Mandalay – for the full Yangon–Mandalay fare (around K5000). The Mandalay buses usually arrive in Bago by 7pm; inquire at the Bago bus station or the travel desk in the lobby of the Emperor Hotel. Yangon

Buses from Yangon (K500 to K1000) operate approximately hourly from 5am or 6am and depart from the Aung Mingalar (Highway) bus terminal (p86) north of the airport. GEC Bus Company and Taung Hta Ban Company both make the two-hour trip in relative comfort. Pick-ups and smaller buses (K300, front seat K500) depart from the Tha-khin Mya Pan-gyan Gate terminal on Strand Rd near the Western Park Restaurant in Yangon, but they can often take as long as four hours as they stop and start so often. Avoid travelling on Sunday, however, when Bago is a very popular excursion from Yangon and the buses get very crowded. TAXI

A more expensive but more convenient alternative is to hire a taxi from Yangon. A taxi between Yangon and Bago should cost about US$15 to US$20 each way, with a bit of bargaining – and has the additional advantage of giving you transport from place to place once you get to Bago. One-way taxis back from Bago to Yangon can be had for as low as K8000. To hire a taxi in Bago, enquire at any Bago hotel. Some drivers may feel that getting you to Bago and back, and to the two big attractions – the Shwemawdaw and the Shwethalyaung – is quite enough for one day. Don’t accept excuses that other sites are ‘too far off the road’, are down tracks ‘only fit for bullock carts’ or are simply ‘closed’. Choose a driver with reasonable Englishlanguage skills in Yangon.

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© Lonely Planet Publications 147

If you hire a taxi in Bago, be sure that your driver agrees to drop you in Yangon at your hotel. A guide and driver to Mt Kyaikto (for the Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) stupa; p149) can be hired through any of the central Bago hotels for around US$25 return. The same tour booked in Yangon costs US$80. TRAIN

It is possible to visit Bago by breaking the Yangon to Mandalay train journey here. During the high season (November to February), it is wiser to do this coming down from Mandalay rather than going up from Yangon, because of the difficulties of getting a seat from Bago to Mandalay; from Bago to Yangon you could easily stand, or wait for another train or change to the bus. Trains from Yangon come through Bago for Mandalay at 6.50pm and 9pm (ordinary/ 1st class US$11/29, 14 hours). It’s possible to take either of these trains to Taungoo (ordinary/1st class US$4/8, four hours). From Yangon, there are about six trains a day from around 6am to 8pm (ordinary/ 1st class in express train US$2/5). Trains leave Bago for Yangon (ordinary/1st class US$2/5, two hours) at 5am and 8am. Southbound trains come through Bago on their way to Kyaiktiyo (ordinary/1st class US$3/6, four hours) and Mottama (the stop for Mawlamyine) at 6am and 8.45am (ordinary/1st class US$6/14, eight hours). These are not express trains and, as usual, the buses are faster.

Getting Around Trishaw is the main form of local transport in Bago. A one-way trip in the central area should cost no more than K300. If you’re going further afield – say from Shwethalyaung Buddha, at one end of town, to Shwemawdaw Paya, at the other – you might as well hire a trishaw for the day (about K2500 to K3000). Horse carts are another option (K4000 to K5000 for a day). It’s also possible to rent a motorcycle for the day (K7000), a much more liberating and convenient way of travelling between all of Bago’s far-flung sites. Ask at your guesthouse.

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Mandalay

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© Lonely Planet Publications 147

Southeastern Myanmar Apart from the world-famous Golden Rock, southeastern Myanmar – a long, narrow isthmus bordering the Andaman Sea that resembles the string of a kite – is virtually unknown, at least in part because of continued tension between government troops and armed opposition groups in some areas. Both sides have laid antipersonnel mines, often near villages, along the lengthy and mountainous porous border with Thailand.

In Kawthoung, though, there are a few long stretches of white-sand beaches and hundreds of unexplored islands of the Mergui Archipelago that rival those in southern Thailand in terms of sheer beauty. In fact, most of the handful of travel companies permitted by the government to navigate the watery maze of the archipelago is based in Thailand, though the Myanmar government has begun to eye the region with eagerness for its tourism potential. After all Dawei, another southern city that foreigners are allowed in, is only a few hours’ drive from Bangkok.

HIGHLIGHTS

Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock)

„ The views from the gravity-defying marvel

of Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) (p149) are enough to inspire a religious conversion

Thanlwin River Mawlamyine

„ A vast archipelago where few foreigners

have gone before lies beyond Kawthoung (p167) – try your luck island hopping

Maungmagan

„ Floating up the Thanlwin River on the

Mawlamyine–Hpa-an ferry (p157) promises some rays and picturesque scenery „ The Win Sein Taw Ya (p158), one of the

worlds largest Buddhas, is relaxing in the countryside outside of Mawlamyine „ Maungmagan (p163) is a long, almost

deserted beach near Dawei

Kawthoung

S O U T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

However, the northern part of this region including the pilgrimage site of Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), the countryside around leafy, decrepit Mawlamyine and the village of Hpa-an make for an interesting natural loop, unhindered by the restrictions further south. The boat trip between Mawlamyine and Hpa-an is a real treat. The southern no-go zones, combined with the usual poor transport infrastructure mean that foreign visitors rarely journey down to the border town of Kawthoung, the southernmost point in Myanmar.

148 M O N S TAT E

of Mon villagers; the result being that villagers from the southern Ye area have migrated across the border to Thailand as much in search of work to support their families.

KYAIKTIYO (GOLDEN ROCK)

Thaton

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KAYIN STATE

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Sittoung Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) Bilin To Bago; Yangon Theinseik

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8 Paung Moktama

Mawlamyine Bilu Kyun Mudon Kyaikkami Setse

Mt Zwegabin (722m) Mae Sot Zathabyin 85 Myawadi Kawkareik Kyaikmaraw

Thanbyuzayat

Kalagok Kyun

Mae Sariang

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Gulf of Moktama (Martaban)

Payathonzu

Three Pagodas Pass Sangkhlaburi

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Dawe Kanbauk Heinze Kyun

8 River

Maungmagan Kyun Maungmagan

Dawei

Launglon Kyun

Thayetchaung Zalut

Dawei Point

Tanintha

ANDAMAN SEA

TANINTHARYI DIVISION

Palauk

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Taninthayi Kyun

Kadan Kyun

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Myeik

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Bokpyin

Owen Kyan Lampi Kyun

Maliwun Kawthoung Thahtay Kyun

River

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Ranong

Gulf of Thailand

The sublime balancing boulder stupa called Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), is a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists and tourists alike. A visit shouldn’t be undertaken lightly as a day trip, which in theory could involve a taxi, long-distance bus, truck, human porters and your own foot power, but it’s well worth the hassles – as much for the inspiring views from the top as for the gravity-defying boulder itself. The manmade plaza around the Golden Rock is the typical Myanmar mix of religious iconography and commercial development, monks and laypeople meditating in front of golden Buddha statues while several metres away rosary beads and toy wooden rifles are for sale. All but the fittest will probably have to take a breather at one of the drink stands clinging to the cliffsides on the road from the truck stop to the stupa area. The small stupa, just 7.3m high, sits atop the Golden Rock, a massive, gold-leafed boulder delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff at the top of Mt Kyaikto. Like Shwedagon Paya in Yangon or Mahamuni Paya in Mandalay, the Kyaiktiyo stupa is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Myanmar. Legend states that the boulder maintains its precarious balance due to a precisely placed Buddha hair in the stupa. Apparently King Tissa received the Buddha hair in the 11th century from a hermit who had secreted the hair in his own topknot. The hermit instructed the king to search for a boulder whose shape resembled the hermit’s head, and then enshrine the hair in a stupa on top. The king, who inherited supernatural powers as a result of his birth to a zawgyi (an accomplished alchemist) father and naga (dragon serpent) princess, found the rock at the bottom of the sea. Upon its miraculous arrival on the mountain top, the boat used to transport the rock then turned to stone. This stone can be seen approximately 300m from the main boulder – it’s known as the Kyaukthanban (Stone Boat Stupa).

S O U T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

MON STATE Ye

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The homeland of the Mon ethnic group wraps around the east coast of the Gulf of Mottama (Martaban) from the mouth of the Sittoung (Sittang) River to the northern end of Tanintharyi Yoma (Tenasserim Range). Once native to a broad region stretching from southern Myanmar to Cambodia, the Mon have been absorbed – sometimes willingly, sometimes unwillingly – by the more powerful Bamar and Thai cultures in Myanmar and Thailand over the last 1000 years or so. The absorption has been so effective that their own history and culture have received little attention by scholars, even though vestiges of the Mon culture and language clearly survive in both countries. Though no-one knows for sure, the Mon may be descended from a group of Indian immigrants from Kalinga, an ancient kingdom overlapping the boundaries of the modern Indian states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. They are responsible for much of the early maintenance and transmission of Theravada Buddhism in mainland Southeast Asia even though Sri Lankan monks may have initially introduced the Tripitaka (the ‘three baskets’; the classic Buddhist scriptures) and ordination lineage. In the case of Myanmar, the Bagan kingdom forcefully captured these elements, while in Thailand it was the peaceful interest of King Rama IV that led to the growth of Mon-styled Buddhism. Since 1949 the eastern hills of the state (as well as mountains further south in Tanintharyi Division) have been a refuge for the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and its tactical arm, the Mon National Liberation Front (MNLF), whose objective has been self-rule for Mon State. In addition to harassing the Myanmar government, the Mon have occasionally fought the Kayin over control of the remote border crossings along the Thai border. With growing government influence along this section of border – and following a string of Kayin defeats – the situation has cooled. In 1995 the NMSP signed a ceasefire with the Myanmar government. Still, as late as December 2004 there were reports of continuing fighting, instances of forced labour and harassment

ve

S O U T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

80 km 50 miles

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Myeik

From a foreign traveller’s perspective there are really two parts to southeastern Myanmar: the first is the northern part that includes Kyaiktiyo, Hpa-an, Mawlamyine and a few places a little further south. All of these destinations are accessible by a combination of boat, bus, car and train with no more than the usual number of hassles of travelling in Myanmar, which is to say a lot. The second part to the region – covering Dawei, Myeik, Kawthoung and the archipelago of islands off the coast – are a different story. Each form of overland transport cannot be used by foreigners. Therefore, to reach any of these places from within Myanmar, at some point you will have to fly and you will have to fly Myanma Airways (MA). It’s possible to travel south from Dawei to Kawthoung or north from Kawthoung to Dawei by boat. At first glance. Kawthoung might seem like a convenient entryway to the country from Thailand, but again it requires a flight to reach Yangon. Boat and flight fares in the south add up quickly, making it the most expensive part of the country to travel in.

0 0

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GETTING THERE & AWAY

SOUTHEASTERN MYANMAR

River

Foreigners are generally restricted from travelling by road south of Thanbyuzayat. The government attributes road attacks in this area to Mon or Kayin (Karen) insurgents, but the attacks don’t discriminate between government and private vehicles, and the motive always seems to be robbery. Regardless of claims on either side, it’s very unclear whether these assaults are politically motivated or whether the robbers are simple bandits. For political reasons, though, the government tends to lump both kinds of attacks together as ‘insurgent activity’.

M O N S TAT E • • K y a i k t i y o ( G o l d e n R o c k ) 149

n yi ng au Th lwi Than n

DANGERS & ANNOYANCES

MON STATE

ung River Sitto

Mon State in the north of the region has a longer rainy season (June to November) than other parts of the country; the cool season is December and January. Similar to southern Thailand, in Tanintharyi Division to the south, it rains for about nine to 10 months a year, with a dry period only occurring during December to April.

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Pag yan

CLIMATE

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150 M O N S TAT E • • K y a i k t i y o ( G o l d e n R o c k )

The atmosphere surrounding Kyaiktiyo during the height of the pilgrimage season (from November to March) is charged with magic and devotion, especially when the glinting boulder is bathed in the purple, sometimes misty, light of dawn. Pilgrims chant, light candles and meditate all through the night. Men are permitted to walk along a short causeway and over a bridge spanning a chasm to the boulder and affix gold-leaf squares on the rock’s surface. A new terrace allows devotees to view the boulder from below. There are several other stupas and shrines scattered on the ridge at the top of Mt Kyaikto, though none is as impressive as Kyaiktiyo. The intercon-

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necting trails, however, sometimes lead to unexpected views of the valleys below. Further behind the pagoda plaza area, down a stairway, there is a Potemkin village of restaurants, souvenir shops and guesthouses for Burmese.

Orientation & Information Too many towns with similar-sounding names make orientation confusing. Kyaiktiyo is the least important. This is the town along the highway between Bago and points further south. There is no reason to get out here or to stay here. Buses turn off the highway and end their journeys in Kinpun at the base of the mountain, about 9km from the

A trip to the Golden Rock requires planning, enormous patience, endurance and strong legs. There is a US$6 entrance fee, payable at the tourist office (h6am-6pm) at Yatetaung or at the checkpoint near the top, before the Kyaiktiyo Hotel. By the way, your ticket is valid for 30 days, so you may visit again without paying the government another US$6. In theory it is possible to reach the rock from Yangon, or Bago or elsewhere without ever setting one foot in front of the other: bus to truck to sedan chair and repeat in the other direction. But isn’t the whole point of a pilgrimage, for aesthetic, intellectual or religious reasons, at least in part about the effort to get there? We’re not advocating masochism, only that at some point you’re likely to want to walk up or down part of the way and the walking parts are very steep. Walking sticks are for sale but whether unaided or armed, it’s an aerobic workout. Take breaks and drink lots of fluids. These warnings aside, there are two ways to the rock from the base camp in Kinpun. The first is to hike all the way there. This is approximately 11km and takes between four to six hours. The trail begins past the bazaar of souvenir shops in Kinpun and there are numerous ‘rest camps’ along the way where weary pilgrims can snack and rehydrate. Not many people, even the true devotees, choose to hike all the way up and back. The way down takes from three to four hours and should not be attempted in the dark even with a torch; it’s too easy to stumble. The second way to the rock, which most people do both ways, is to ride one of the large trucks (lain-ka) up the winding road to the Yatetaung Bus Terminal, the end point for all vehicle traffic. No cars, taxis, pick-ups, or buses are allowed. The trucks’ beds are lined with wooden slats for benches (K500) and seat 35 or so people. Five or so are allowed in the much more comfortable front seats (per person K1000) but these are usually reserved in advance by groups or families. As an individual traveller it’s difficult to secure a front seat, while a group of five has a better chance. Regardless, you could be in for a wait of an hour or more as trucks don’t leave until they are completely packed to the brim. Some tour groups reserve entire trucks for K16,000. The ride to the top is 45 minutes or so and usually includes a stop around halfway up to allow trucks coming from the opposite direction to pass. The first truck in the morning is at 6am and the last truck down is around 7pm, though you should try to be at the Yatetaung Bus Terminal earlier to avoid the risk of being stranded for the night. From the terminal, nothing more than a dirt lot surrounded by snack and souvenir shops, it takes 45 minutes to an hour to hike up the remaining steep, paved switchback path. For those with royal fantasies or simply the aged or injured might want to be carried the rest of the way in a sedan chair (US$5 to US$7 one way), a canvas litter held aloft by four perspiring Burmese men. Walking or reclining, you pass through an array of vendors along the way to the stupa area at the top.

highway and Kyaiktiyo. Kinpun is where most of the accommodation for foreigners is – besides a few hotels near the top of the mountain itself – and the starting point for trips up the mountain to Kyaiktiyo Paya (Golden Rock). There is no Internet access anywhere in the area at the moment.

M O N S TAT E • • K y a i k t i y o ( G o l d e n R o c k ) 151

KYAIKTIYO (GOLDEN ROCK) 0 1 km & AROUND 0 0.5 miles Kyaiktiyo Galay Zedi

Hiking Several hikes originate from the Yatetaung Bus Terminal, which means that unless you choose to stay at the Golden Rock Hotel – which provides information to nonguests – you have to make your way here (see opposite). It’s around a 45-minute climb to the top of Ya-The Mountain, a 30-minute walk down to Mo-Baw waterfall and a 1½-hour walk to the Sa-ma-taung paya and kyaung (monastery).

Sleeping

Kyauk Htat Gyi Pagoda

Phar Paya; Naga Paya

Aung Theikdi Monastery

Kyauk-si-yo Pagoda

Mo-Baw Water Fall

Mok-so-taung Pagoda Koe-na-win Pagoda (Upper)

Helipads

Mt Kyaikto

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda Checkpoint Mountain Top Inn Kyaiktiyo & Restaurant Hotel Mya Zedi

Koe-na-win Monastery Koe-na-win Weik-zar Pagoda (Lower) Mountain Yatetaung (3681ft) Bus Terminal & Golden Rock Hotel Sa-ma Truck Terminal Mountain Yatetaung Camp Nagapat Camp Pon-nya Yathe Mountain Mountain Sa-khan Galay Camp Atwin Mya Sein Didok-myaung Mountain Monastery Apyin Mya Sein Mountain Shan-eik Mountain

Although the Golden Rock can be visited as a day trip from Bago and in theory Yangon, this isn’t recommended; the advantage of staying near the shrine is that you can catch sunset and sunrise – the most magical times for viewing the boulder shrine. Foreigners aren’t permitted to stay in one of the many zayat (rest shelters) for pilgrims at the top, nor are they permitted to camp in wooded areas on the mountain. In the town of Kyaiktiyo along the main road from Bago there are several guesthouses, none of them very appealing, and there really is no reason to stay here rather than Kinpun.

Shwe Son Taung Pagoda

Zin-gyan Mountain

Shew-son Mountain (3646ft)

View Point (4.625mi)

Sai-ta-mao Camp View Point

Nat (Spirit) Well Maha Myaing Pagoda Ye Myaung Gyi Camp Kya-swe Camp Taung Paing Bo Bo Gyi Shwe Yin Tha Camp

Dadu Pagoda

Hmyaw-daw-mu Pagoda

MOUNTAIN

Golden Rock Hotel (in Yangon %01-502 479; grtt@ goldenrock.com.mm; s US$38-45, d US$45-60; meals US$412; a) Even though it’s still a 40-minute

walk to the top, the Golden Rock Hotel, just a few minutes up from the Yatetaung Bus Terminal, is in an exceptionally beautiful spot, surrounded by lush vegetation and a sparkling mountain stream. Rooms in the combo concrete and stone buildings are spotless and cosy. The restaurant has set menus and there’s an attached balcony with spectacular views. Massages for your weary pilgrim bones are available. Mountain Top Inn & Restaurant (in Yangon %01502 479; s/d US$38/45) The one advantage the Mountain Top has over the Golden Rock, and it is potentially a big one, is location:

Pann Myo Thu Inn

Truck Terminal Golden Sunrise Hotel

Ye Myaung Galay Camp

Sea Sar Guest House; Sea Star Restaurant Kinpun Base Camp

Kinpun Creek

To Bago (128km); Yangon (208km) To Hpa-an; Kyaiktiyo Mawlamyine

the mountaintop. Some of the rooms in this inn, just before the foreigners’ registration office for the paya open out directly to mountain vistas. Rooms themselves have private bathrooms and are small and basic. Spa and massage services are offered. Travellers keen to avoid governmentowned hotels should stay well clear of the

S O U T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

S O U T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

THE REAL DEAL ON THE ROCK

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152 M O N S TAT E • • T h a t o n

Kyaiktiyo Hotel, along the ridge at the top of Mt Kyaikto. Sea Sar Guest House (s US$3-10, d US$6-20; a) You’ll no doubt be approached by touts from Sea Sar upon arrival, but they should be trusted; this guesthouse is the best value in town. Its prime asset is the spacious compound edged with large, shady trees. Small bungalows with private bathrooms, some concrete and some wooden, have private porches. A few along one side are very nice and large; the bathrooms themselves can sleep four. The cheapest rooms are austere cubicles. Staff here can provide advice on the rock. Pann Myo Thu Inn (s US$3-6, d US$6-12; a) A close second behind the Sea Sar, the rooms at this inn are tightly packed and the lack of elbow-room feels slightly claustrophobic. With that said, the midpriced rooms with large wood floors and furniture and air-con are especially good value. The most expensive rooms aren’t as nice, designed more with the tastes of local visitors who prefer concrete and a more ‘modern’ look, while the cheapest rooms are tiny and porous in terms of noise. Golden Sunrise Hotel (in Yangon%01-701 027; [email protected]; s/d U$20/25; a) A few minutes’ walk outside the centre of Kinpun village in the direction of the highway, the Golden Sunrise is the most upmarket choice in town. There are eight bamboo bungalows with private verandas, situated around a garden. The rooms have hot water and TV.

Eating Because Kinpun is the starting point for this popular Myanmar site, there are a number of good Chinese and Bamar restaurants up and down the town’s main street including the following: Sea Sar Restaurant (dishes K800) Mya Yeik Nyo (noodles with chicken K1000). In addition to the food stalls at the Kinpun base camp and all along the footpaths, there is a veritable food court of restaurants at the summit past the shrines and plaza area, down the steps where there are also loads of souvenir shops and guesthouses for Burmese.

Getting There & Away For individual travellers, Bago makes a better starting point for road trips to Kyaiktiyo than Yangon, as hotel staff members there are adept at arranging inexpensive alternatives. A guide and driver to Kyaiktiyo can be hired through any of the central Bago hotels for around US$25. The same tour booked in Yangon costs US$80. BUS & PICK-UP

Big air-conditioned buses that go straight from Yangon to Kinpun (K2500, 4½ hours) leave from Yangon’s Aung Mingalar (Highway) Bus Terminal every 30 minutes or so from 7am to 1pm; other air-conditioned buses leave from Pansodan St in Yangon in the evening for the same price. Buses from Kyaiktiyo to Yangon leave regularly from 7am to 1.30pm. Because the last bus of the day returns to Yangon so early, it’s virtually impossible to see the Golden Rock in one day on public transport from the capital. There are large buses (K1700) and pickups from Kyaiktiyo to Bago (K1000, three hours). Small pick-ups leave from Kinpun to Hpa-An and Mawlamyine (front/back seat K2500/1500, five hours) from 6am to 1pm. On the way to Mawlamyine there’s not much shade on the road in parts, which means it gets extremely hot. The front seat is well worth the extra kyat. TRAIN

A direct train from Bago to Kyaiktiyo (US$7) leaves daily at 4.30am, supposedly arriving three hours later, though many travellers report the trip can take six hours or more. The train from Mottama (Martaban) arrives in Kyaiktiyo around 5pm, sometimes later if the train is delayed.

THATON

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it reached its dynastic peak between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. Shin Aran, a monk from Thaton, carried Theravada Buddhism north to the Burmese kingdom of Bagan, and in 1057 Thaton was conquered by King Anawrahta of Bagan. Today Thaton sits on the main road and rail line that stretches from Bago to Mottama. Little of ancient Thaton is visible, as the modern town has been built over the old sites. The town's core is a leafy place, lining each side of the highway with colonial mansions and thatched-roof homes. A few older stupas dot the hillsides surrounding the town and a picturesque canal network irrigates rice paddies and fruit orchards.

MOTTAMA (MARTABAN) mutËm

The recent completion of a two-lane bridge over the Thanlwin River connecting the nondescript town of Mottama with Mawlamyine makes the double-decker passenger ferries obsolete except for the most devoted boat enthusiast. Despite the expected decrease in ridership, ferries are still scheduled to leave the Mottama landing every half hour from 7.15am to 6.45pm. The foreigner fare is US$1 and the trip takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the tides. If you don’t feel like waiting, there’s a much faster 25-seat outboard across the river for K200, or you can always charter a boat across the river for about K3000 to K5000. Less frequent vehicle ferries from Mottama to Mawlamyine depart depending on the tides; the last boat leaves just before sunset and the crossing takes about 30 minutes. See p157 for details on bus and rail transport to Mottama.

MAWLAMYINE (MOULMEIN)

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Long before the rise of Bagan, Thaton was an important centre for a Mon kingdom that stretched from the Ayeyarwady River delta to similar river deltas in Thailand, and possibly as far east as Cambodia. Early on, Thaton may have been known as Suvannabhumi, the ‘Golden Land’ – legend says Asoka, the great Indian Buddhist emperor, sent a mission here in the 3rd century BC. Later it was called Dvaravati when

The impression one has of Mawlamyine from Mottama, on the other side of the Thanlwin River, is of a big, busy city. But wander the streetlight-free streets after sunset and it seems quaint and startlingly undeveloped, especially for the country’s third-largest city. Completed only in 2004, a 3km bridge over the Thanlwin River – the longest in Myanmar – brings this leafy, tropical town, 45km from the sea, closer to the north.

M O N S TAT E • • M o t t a m a 153

With a ridge of stupa-capped hills on one side and the sea on the other, the stage is set for an attractive urban setting. Unfortunately, though, an unsightly row of modern Chinese-style buildings along the waterfront and a general air of decay – though this may seem atmospheric to colonial architecture buffs – makes the city seem neglected and forgotten. But it’s this very melancholy, so evident in the ornate and decrepit mosques that captivate visitors. One was George Orwell (author of Burmese Days), who was stationed here for a time in the 1920s during his service with the Indian Imperial Police. Mawlamyine (some maps may show it as Mawlamyaing) served as the capital of British Burma from 1827 to 1852, during which time it developed as a major teak port. A great deal of coastal shipping still goes on, although Pathein and Yangon have superseded it as Myanmar’s most important ports. The city is composed roughly of 75% Mon or some mixture of Mon, plus Kayin, Bamar, Indian, Chinese and other ethnic groups. A look around the old Christian cemetery gives a hint of how cosmopolitan Mawlamyine was during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Information A police station is located over the road from the government jetties. The post office is a couple of blocks further inland.

Sights & Activities

MON CULTURAL MUSEUM

mân'yw'ekY"múu¨ptiuk'

This two-storey museum (cnr Baho Rd – formerly Dalhousie St – & Dawei Jetty Rd; admission US$2) at the northeastern corner is dedicated to the Mon history of the region. Exhibits are displayed downstairs, while upstairs are reading rooms and toilets. The museum’s modest collection includes stellae with Mon inscriptions, 100-year-old wooden sculptures depicting old age and sickness (used as dhamma-teaching devices in monasteries), ceramics, silver betel boxes, royal funerary urns, Mon musical instruments and wooden Buddha altars. In front of the museum is a British cannon dated 1826, plus a huge Burmese gong. Some labels are printed in English though most are in Burmese only.

S O U T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

S O U T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

KINPUN

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154 M O N S TAT E • • M a w l a m y i n e

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MAWLAMYINE A

B

C

D

1 Gaungse Kyun (Shampoo Island)

12

Bridge

2

Vehicle Jetty to Mottama

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TRANSPORT Boats to Gaungse Kyun..............28 Dawei Jetty................................29 Government Jetty......................30 Government Jetty......................31 Hpa-an Jetty..............................32 Myanma Airways.......................33 Pedestrian Jetty to Mottama......34 Thaton Jetty.............................. 35

Thaton Tar Par St

4

SLEEPING Attran Hotel...............................18 Aurora Guest House.................. 19 Breeze Rest House.....................20 Ngwe Moe Hotel.......................21

SHOPPING Market.......................................25 B4 New Market...............................26 A3 Zeigyo (Central Market)............ 27 A4

Rd

9

35

C5 B6 B6 B6 A6 A3 C5 C4 A3 B6 B3 B1 C5 A4 B4 C5 C5

EATING Kentucky Chicken King..............22 A4 Mya Than Lwin Restaurant........23 A6 Ruby Restaurant........................24 A5

18

North

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Aung Theikdi Zedi....................... 1 City Hall.......................................2 Ebenezer Baptist Church...............3 First Baptist Church......................4 Htyan Haw Chinese Temple.........5 Kaladan Mosque..........................6 Kyaikthanlan Paya........................7 Mahamuni Paya...........................8 Moghul Shiah Mosque.................9 Mon Cultural Museum...............10 Mosque......................................11 Sandawshin Paya........................12 Seindon Mibaya Kyaung............13 Soorti Sunni Jamai Mosque........14 Sports Stadium...........................15 U Khanti Paya............................16 U Zina Paya...............................17

t St

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22

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32 7 24

1 16 (Upper Main Rd )

5

20

Police Station 30 31

5

33

Post Office 2

3 10 Dawei Jetty Rd 21

17

To Hpa-an (64km)

Baho Rd

To Thanlwin Hotel (2.5km); Train Station (2.5km); 29 Kyaikmata (24km); Win Sein Taw Ya (Reclining Buddha; 24km); 23 Setse (64km); Thanbyuzayat (64km); Ye (145km)

r Main Rd) e Rd (Lowe South Bogyok

19

6

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Htet Rd Magyi

Strand Rd

Kyaikthan

13

4

To Bus Station (2.5km); Airport (2.5km); Mudon (29km); Kyaikhami Pagoda (86km);

RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

In the city’s east, a hilly north–south ridge is topped with five separate monasteries and shrines. At the northern end is Mahamuni Paya, the largest temple complex in Mawlamyine. It’s built in the typical Mon style with covered brick walkways linking various square shrine buildings. The main image is a replica of its namesake in Mandalay (see p234) – without the thick gold leaf. Another difference is that women may enter the main Buddha chamber here. In the outer cloister several well-executed paintings depict local scenes from the 1920s and 1930s. Farther south along the ridge stands Kyaikthanlan Paya, the city’s tallest and most visible stupa. It was probably here that Rudyard Kipling’s poetic ‘Burma girl’ was ‘a-settin...’. in the opening lines of Mandalay: ‘By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin’ lazy at the sea…’ (never mind that it’s actually the Thanlwin River that’s visible from the paya – poetic licence). For a small donation you can take a lift to the main platform surrounding the 40m stupa, which offers fine views over the city and harbour. You can also see the plains to the east towards Kyaikmaraw and the coconut tree–shrouded islands in the mouth of the Thanlwin River. Below Kyaikthanlan is the 100-year-old Seindon Mibaya Kyaung, a monastery where King Mindon Min’s queen, Seindon, sought refuge after Myanmar’s last monarch, King Thibaw Min, took power. On the next rise south stands the isolated silver-and-goldplated Aung Theikdi Zedi. Further south, on the western side of the ridge, a view looks out over the city and is a favoured spot for watching sunsets and catching evening sea breezes. Just beyond the viewpoint stands U Khanti Paya, built to commemorate the hermit of Mandalay Hill fame; supposedly U Khanti spent some time on this hill as well. It’s a rustic, airy sort of place centred around a large Buddha image. Various bells and gongs are suspended by ropes from the steel supports of the sanctuary’s ceiling. U Zina Paya, on the southern spur of the ridge, was named after a former monk who dreamt of finding gems at this spot, then dug them up and used the proceeds to build a temple on the site. One of the shrine buildings contains a very curvy, sensuallooking reclining Buddha topped with a

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blinking electric halo; a second recliner in the same room has blinking lights all over its body. In the centre of town towards the waterfront, on South Bogyoke Rd, are three mosques built during the colonial era when many Indians arrived to work for the British. Since the Indian exodus of the 1970s Muslim congregations have declined substantially, but the survival of these grand old buildings makes a walk here a fleeting exercise in nostalgia. The most impressive building, Kaladan Mosque, is a green-and-turquoise structure designed by Sunni Muslims in the elaborate ‘wedding-cake style’ similar to that seen in Penang or Kuala Lumpur. Further south, on the same side of the street, is the smaller Moghul Shiah Mosque, a Shiite place of worship painted blue with austere Moorish arches. A couple of blocks further, south of the central market, the Sunni Soorti Sunni Jamai Mosque fills a similar space but presents a more brilliant turquoise-andwhite facade. Just up from Dawei jetty, on the eastern side of Strand Rd, the small but colourful Htyan Haw Chinese temple serves the local Chinese community. Of historic interest is the sturdy brick First Baptist Church, also known as the Judson Church, on the corner of Htet Lan Magyi and Dawei Jetty Rd; this was Myanmar’s first Baptist church. MARKETS

Mawlamyine’s zeigyo (central market) is a rambling area on the western side of South Bogyoke Rd, just north of the main pedestrian jetty for Mottama. This market specialises in dry goods, from inexpensive clothes to house wares. Much of the merchandise includes items that have ‘fallen off the boat’ on the way from Singapore to Yangon, such as untaxed cigarettes and liquor. A block north on the same side of the street is the New Market, a large shed built as ‘People’s Market No 2’ during Myanmar’s socialist era. Fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are the attraction here. A variety of street vendors set up shop along both sides of South Bogyoke Rd in the area of these two markets. The entire district is busiest in the early morning from 7am to 8am; by 9am business is considerably slower.

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GAUNGSE KYUN (SHAMPOO ISLAND)

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This picturesque little isle off Mawlamyine’s northwestern end is so named because, during the Ava period, the yearly royal hairwashing ceremony customarily used water taken from a spring on the island. You can hire a boat out to the island from in front of the Mawlamyine Hotel for K1000. Other than just walking around the nine acres and soaking up the ambience, you can visit Sandawshin Paya, a whitewash-andsilver zedi (stupa) said to contain hair relics, and a nearby Buddhist meditation centre. Among other islands in the river, there is the largest one – Bilu Kyun (Ogre Island). Most of the accommodation is only a short trishaw ride from the central market and ferry landing. BUDGET

Breeze Rest House (Lay Hnyin Tha, %21450; 6 Strand Rd; s US$4-8, d US$8-15; a) The rooms aren’t much but the Breeze, an attractive, blue colonial-style villa on Strand Rd is the best value in Mawlamyine. A 2nd-floor balcony with a river view is itself worth the price of admission. Yin Maung, the friendly owner, speaks English and is a wealth of information about the area. The cheapest rooms are nothing more than small windowless cubicles with shared bathroom. More expensive rooms that sleep up to three are quite spacious and have a large, modern bathroom with air-con. Aurora Guest House (%22785; 277 Lower Main Rd; s US$4-10, d US$8-20) Not as friendly or suited to foreign travellers, nevertheless the Aurora is the only other budget option. Around the corner from the Breeze, the lobby to this guesthouse is up a steep flight of stairs. The rooms are small and slightly musty – be sure to ask for one with a window – and the carpet needs a wash. More expensive rooms have private bathroom and air-con; others only have a fan and shared bathroom. Breakfast is not included. MIDRANGE

Thanlwin Hotel (%21976; South Bogyoke Rd; s US$1520, d US$20-30; a) A colonial-era place that must have been quite smart in its day, the Thanlwin has rested on its laurels, which

are many: wide stairways, open verandas, high ceilings, tile floors. Unfortunately, the atmospherics are at the expense of comfort and cleanliness. Furniture is mismatched and in need of repair, some rooms have private bathroom, others are shared and resemble a high-school locker room. Ngwe Moe Hotel (%24703; Strand Rd; s/d US$27/36; a) The only place in Mawlamyine to look and act like a standard hotel – this isn’t necessarily a good thing – the three-storey Ngwe Moe on Strand Rd is frequented by groups, more locals than foreigners, and the rooms have the standard amenities: air-con, IDD phone, fridge and satellite TVs. Attran Hotel (%25764; [email protected]; s/d US$25/35; ai) The large suites at the Attran, replete with wicker-furnished sitting room and satellite TV, are the most comfortable rooms in Mawlamyine. The hotel, a large compound directly on the river with lots of concrete, is a bunch of old, yellow bungalows in need of a paint job. Standard rooms with private bathrooms are nice, though not really good value. The hotel restaurant, on a deck by the river and lit up at night, is a nice place to eat. Travellers keen to avoid governmentowned hotels should stay clear of the Mawlamyine Hotel, in the northwestern corner of the city.

Eating For a city of this size, the eating options are scarce. The Attran Hotel and Ngwe Moe Hotel have restaurants that serve lunch and dinner. Your best bet is to walk from the Breeze Rest House south along Strand Rd. Mya Than Lwin Restaurant (Dawei jetty, Strand Rd; fish K2000) This restaurant, in what appears to be a former warehouse, is now a popular restaurant, hang-out and place for a cool bottle of beer. There’s an extensive menu with soups, pork, chicken, fish, eel and prawns. For the lobster roast, order a day in advance. Kentucky Chicken King (115 Strand Rd; chicken burgers K350) Like its more famous American namesake KFC, the little KCK, only a block from the central market, specialises in juicy fried poultry (two pieces of fried chicken cost K1100). Ruby Restaurant (Lower Main Road; dishes K1000) This restaurant, a short walk from the Breeze Rest House, is bare-bones decoration- and

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menu-wise. Basic Bamar and Chinese rice and curry dishes are served here. Chan Thar Restaurant (Strand Rd; dishes K1000) It is another place that serves fish.

Getting There & Away AIR

Myanma Airways (%21500; Thit Tor Yon St; h9am4pm) has once-weekly flights to/from Yangon that also connect with Myeik and Kawthoung. At the time of research these flights left Mawlamyine for Myeik (US$75) at 2pm on Wednesday but it’s not uncommon for both the days and times to change. For some reason these flights weren’t stopping in Dawei, so you have to go back to Yangon to fly to Dawei. The airport, a small, warehouselike structure, is 5km south of the city centre. Even though it’s a domestic flight, you will have to go through immigration and customs. BOAT

Double-decker ferries leave from the Hpa-an jetty in Mawlamyine at noon every other day for the trip up the Thanlwin River to Hpaan on the river’s eastern bank (US$2, five hours). It’s worth a trip to Hpa-an if only because this dirt-cheap riverboat cruise passes through stunning scenery of limestone mountains and sugarcane fields – definitely more scenic than the Mandalay–Bagan boat trip. It’s not usually crowded and there are a few sunchairs, perfect front-row seats for the river show. Bring your own food and drinks. There are two main jetties on the Mawlamyine side for ferries to/from Mottama: the vehicle jetty at the northern end of town and the pedestrian jetty just south of the central market off Strand Rd (see p153 for details on the ferries). Further south are two jetties reserved for government boats only, followed by the larger Dawei jetty for boats to Dawei and Myeik (Mergui). It’s quite difficult for foreigners to arrange passage on any of these boats. If you want to try your luck, it may pay to inquire in Yangon at the office of Myanma Five Star Line (MFSL; Map p98; in Yangon %01-295 279). BUS & PICK-UP

Before the two-lane bridge over the Thanlwin River was completed, coming from

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Yangon involved either taking a smaller, less comfortable bus to Mottama and then crossing by ferry or taking the larger, more comfortable buses from Yangon that took several hours longer because they had to go via Hpa-an. Now several overnight buses, including BTT buses leave Yangon for Mawlamyine (K3000, six to seven hours) in the evening. The ferry transfer is unnecessary and you can avoid the longer route through Hpa-an if you choose. Tickets should be reserved in advance; however, you can hop on near the central market rather than the bus station, a few kilometres outside town. Pick-ups to Hpa-an leave from around the central market every hour from 8am to 3pm (K300, two hours). Mawlamyine’s main bus station for southbound buses or pick-ups is at the southern end of town off the road to Ye, where public vehicles go to Thanbyuzayat, Kyaikkami, Setse, Dawei, or Payathonzu on the Thai border (opposite Three Pagodas Pass). The Thai border at Payathonzu is closed. To proceed south by road into Tanintharyi Division you’ll need luck, divine intervention and/or an official permit. At the time of research there were as many opinions regarding this subject as there are teashops in Yangon. The overwhelming consensus, however, is that it’s probably not possible and possibly not desirable due to the risk of robbery. This author was refused when trying to purchase a ticket at the Mawlamyine bus station. TRAIN

Two express trains run from Yangon to Mottama at 7am and 10pm daily. Both trains make brief stops in Bago and Thaton. When the trains are running on time the trip takes nine hours – slower than the bus. Still, the scenery from the train is, as usual, much more engaging. Foreigner price for an upper-class seat is US$17. Tickets can be purchased at the train station. In the reverse direction, one train leaves Mottama at 7pm and is scheduled to arrive in Yangon at 4.30am; another leaves at 10am and arrives in Yangon at 6pm. In Mawlamyine tickets may be purchased one day in advance at the Northern Railway Booking Office, which stands between Strand Rd and South Bogyoke Rd, just north of the Hpa-an jetty.

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A separate southern railway line begins at the southern end of the city and terminates at Ye. From Ye, another local train continues to Dawei. Foreigners have not been allowed to travel on these rail lines for some time, due to a lack of security further south. With the military presence surrounding a gas pipeline near Dawei, this situation is unlikely to change soon. Motorised thoun bein (three-wheelers) are the main form of public transport around the city. The highest concentration is on South Bogyoke Rd in front of the zeigyo. Because there are relatively few foreign visitors, local transport costs are low and the rates are probably not far off from what locals actually pay. The going rate is K200 for a short hop within the centre of town and as much as K500 for a ride up the ridge to Kyaikthanlan. You can also rent bicycles from one of the hotels.

AROUND MAWLAMYINE

Only 14km south of Mawlamyine is the PaAuk-Taw-Ya Monastery; at 400 acres it’s one of the largest meditation centres in Myanmar. Foreigners can visit for the night or several days; sleeping and eating is gratis, meditation may paid for by the sweat of your brow, but courses can be quite expensive (see p335). Buses (K100, 30 minutes) from Mawlamyine’s central market pass by the road junction to the monastery from where it’s a short walk. Just off the road between Mawlamyine and Mudon is Yadana Taung where local Buddhists have only recently finished constructing Win Sein Taw Ya, a huge reclining Buddha measuring around 170m in length, making it one of the largest such images in the world. Many other stupas and standing Buddhas dot the area, affording wonderful panoramas of both the sculptures and countryside. Nearby is Kyauktalon Taung, a flattopped limestone crag crowned with stupas. On the opposite side of the road is a similar but smaller outcropping surmounted by a Hindu temple. Pick-ups from Mawlamyine’s market (K300) take 45 minutes to the junction for the road to Win Sein Taw Ya. It’s another K100 for a horse-cart ride to the Buddha itself. There’s an interesting line-up of monk statues on the road.

Mudon, 29km south of the city, is an area of verdant mountains home to deer, snakes and other wild forest species – ‘jungle food’ for restaurants in Mudon. The town is also known for cotton weaving. Pick-ups from Mawlamyine’s market (K300) take around 45 minutes. Just north of Mudon is a turn-off east to Azin Dam, a water-storage and flood-control facility that’s also used to irrigate local rubber plantations. A tidy recreation area at Kandawgyi – a lake formed by the dam – is a favourite picnic spot; bring your own snacks or rely on the vendors who gather here on weekends and holidays. At the northern end of the lake stands the gilded stupa of Kandawgyi Paya.

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This small, charming town, site of an impressive temple, 24km southeast of Mawlamyine is accessible via a sealed road. For the most part, Kyaikmaraw is considered a pacified area, although insurgents or bandits have been known to rob rubber plantations along the road to Mawlamyine. Hugging the banks of the Ataran River, a branch of the Thanlwin River, the town consists of mostly wooden homes with thatched-palm or corrugated metal roofs. SIGHTS

Kyaikmaraw Paya

The pride of the town is this temple built by Queen Shin Saw Pu in 1455 in the late Mon regional style. Among the temple’s many outstanding features are multicoloured glass windows set in the outside walls of the main sanctuary, an inner colonnade decorated in mirrored tiles, and beautiful ceramic tile floors. Painted reliefs appear on the exterior of several auxiliary buildings. Covered brick walkways lead up to and around the main square sanctuary in typical 15th-century Mon style. The huge main Buddha image sits in a ‘European pose’, with the legs hanging down as if sitting on a chair rather than in the much more common cross-legged manner. A number of smaller cross-legged Buddhas surround the main image, and behind it are two reclining Buddhas, one with eyes open, one with eyes closed. Another impressive feature is the carved and painted wooden ceiling.

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A side room to the inner sanctuary contains sculptures depicting the Buddha in various stages of illness and death – other than the traditional parinibbana reclining posture, these are unusual motifs for Buddhist temples. Two images show the Buddha lying on his back with hands folded on his abdomen; another depicts an ill Buddha stooping over slightly with one hand clasped to his chest, the other hand against the wall as his disciples reach out to assist him. Next to the main sanctuary is a small museum with Buddha images, donated by the faithful, on the upper floor; other artefacts from the area are on the lower floor. Some of these objects are more than 500 years old. GETTING THERE & AWAY

Two kinds of trucks frequently ply the Kyaikmaraw road from Mawlamyine: green Chevy trucks with wooden door panels and wooden passenger compartments (K200, 45 minutes), and smaller, white Japanese pickups (K300, 30 minutes). Lined with toddy palms and rubber plantations, the road passes through eight villages before ending at the riverbank in Kyaikmaraw.

Thanbyuzayat o®¨f†jrp'

South of Mudon, little traffic is seen and the hills to the east are more densely forested. Thanbyuzayat (Tin Shelter), 64km south of Mawlamyine, was the western terminus

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of the infamous Burma–Siam Railway, dubbed the ‘Death Railway’ by the over 16,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and Asian coolies who were forced by the Japanese military to build it. It was here that the Japanese broke into Myanmar after marching over the rugged mountain range separating British Burma from Tak in Thailand via Three Pagodas Pass. A clock tower in the centre of Thanbyuzayat stands at a road junction; the road south leads to Ye while the road west goes to Kyaikkami and Setse. About 1.5km south of the clock tower, a locomotive and piece of track commemorating the Burma–Siam Railway are on display. A kilometre west of the clock tower towards Kyaikkami, on the southern side of the road, lies the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, which contains 3771 graves of Allied POWs who died building the railway. Most of those buried were British, but there are also markers for American, Dutch and Australian soldiers. The site is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. GETTING THERE & AWAY

Thanbyuzayat is easily reached by public pick-up (K600, two hours) from the Mawlamyine central market area; there are six departures, all before noon. As there is no legal lodging in Thanbyuzayat, start early so you can catch the last pick-up back to Mawlamyine at around 4pm.

THE DEATH RAILWAY The strategic objective of the Burma–Siam Railway’ was to secure an alternative supply route for the Japanese conquest of Myanmar and other Asian countries to the west. Construction on the railway began on 16 September 1942 at existing terminals in Thanbyuzayat and Nong Pladuk, Thailand. At the time, Japanese engineers estimated that it would take five years to link Thailand and Burma by rail, but the Japanese army forced the POWs to complete the 415km, 1m-gauge railway, of which roughly two-thirds ran through Thailand, in 16 months. Much of the railway was built in difficult terrain that required high bridges and deep mountain cuttings. The rails were finally joined 37km south of the town of Payathonzu (Three Pagodas Pass); a Japanese brothel train inaugurated the line. The railway was in use for 20 months before the Allies bombed it in 1945. An estimated 16,000 POWs died as a result of brutal treatment by their captors, a story chronicled by Pierre Boulle’s book Bridge on the River Kwai and popularised by a movie based on the book. The notorious bridge itself still stands in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Only one POW is known to have escaped, a Briton who took refuge among pro-British Kayin guerrillas. Although the statistics of the number of POWs who died during the Japanese occupation are horrifying, the figures for the labourers, many from Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, are even worse. It is thought that 90,000 to 100,000 coolies died in the area.

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Kyaikkami Located 9km northwest of Thanbyuzayat, Kyaikkami was a small coastal resort and missionary centre known as Amherst during the British era. Adoniram Judson (1788–1850), an American missionary and linguist who has practically attained sainthood among Burmese Baptists, was sailing to India with his wife when their ship was blown off course, forcing them to land at Kyaikkami. Judson stayed on and established his first mission here; the original site is now a Catholic school on a small lane off the main road. Among other accomplishments, Judson developed the first Burmese–English dictionary in 1849 and was the first person to translate the Bible into Burmese. He was imprisoned along with his wife by the Burmese during the first Anglo-Burmese war and served as the official translator to the Burmese court during the negotiations of the treaty that ended the war. Judson died in 1850 and was buried at sea, but the grave of his wife, Anne Judson, who died soon after their release from prison in 1826, can still be seen in Kyaikkami, about 200m off the main road near the school. However, the main focus of Kyaikkami is Yele Paya, a metal-roofed Buddhist shrine complex perched over the sea and reached via a long two-level causeway; the lower level is submerged during high tide. Along with 11 Buddha hair relics, the shrine chamber beneath Yele Paya reportedly contains a Buddha image that supposedly floated here on a raft from Sri Lanka in ancient times (see Thiho-shin Phondaw-pyi on p132 for more details on this legend). A display of 21 Mandalay-style Buddha statues sits over the spot where the Sinhalese image is supposedly buried. GETTING THERE & AWAY

During the early half of the day there are occasional pick-ups to Kyaikkami from Thanbyuzayat for K150 per person. You can also charter a taxi in Mawlamyine for around K4000. From Mawlamyine it’s takes approximately 2½ hours to get here.

Setse ck'cE

This low-key Gulf of Martaban beach lies about halfway between Kyaikkami and

Thanbyuzayat. Setse is a very wide, brownsand beach that tends towards tidal flats when the shallow surf-line recedes at low tide. The beach is lined by waving casuarina trees and has been a popular spot for outings since colonial times. You can stay at the privately owned Ngwe Moe Guesthouse (s/d US$10/18). It’s on the beach, along with several bungalows for Burmese citizens. Rooms are basic and electricity is scarce. A few modest restaurants offer fresh seafood. For direct pick-up transport to Setse from Mawlamyine – read at least one long stop in Kyaikkami – tickets (K300, 2½ hours) should be reserved a day in advance. Buses run south but you may have to change once in Thanbyuzayat and once in Kyaikkami.

KAYIN STATE kr='¨p–'ny'

Many districts in Kayin State and Tanintharyi Division (which both share borders with Thailand) are very much off-limits to foreign visitors travelling from Yangon, but things are changing. Kayin State, homeland to around a million Kayin, has probably received more foreign visitors who have crossed over – unofficially – from Thailand than from any other place. Many international volunteers have ventured into the frontier area to assist with refugee concerns. Ever since Myanmar attained independence from the British in 1948, the Kayin have been embroiled in a fight for autonomy. The main insurgent body, the Karen National Union (KNU), controls much of the northern and eastern parts of the state, although recent Yangon military victories have left the KNU and its military component, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), without a permanent headquarters. A split between Christian and Buddhist factions has also weakened the KNU, which had become the de facto centre of the Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB), an alliance of a dozen rebel groups fighting for regional autonomy. The KNU headquarters was also the seat of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), a ‘parallel government’ established by a group of National League for Democracy (NLD) members who won

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parliamentary seats in the ill-fated May 1990 national elections, but were denied office by the military. Much of the state remains a potential battleground as sporadic fighting between Burmese troops and the KNLA continues.

HPA-AN .;"a®

Hpa-an is a small but busy commercial centre that, in itself, doesn’t necessarily warrant a trip. However, the beautiful river cruise between here and Mawlamyine and a few off-the-beaten-track excursions make it worth the while of the intrepid traveller. Away from the jetty, which is crowded with trucks and motorcycles, it still has something of the village atmosphere; farmers come to town in their horse carts, or trishaws stacked with baskets or mats to sell in the market. The townspeople are a mixture of Mon, Bamar and Muslim. Burmese is the primary language, but Kayin is spoken by many. The mosque seems to be the town hub and there are numerous teashops around town, along with pick-ups to Thaton and on to Kyaiktiyo. You can reach Hpa-an, capital of Kayin State, by road from Yangon across a bridge over the Thanlwin River, west of the town, or by river ferry from Mawlamyine. Another new bridge across the Gyaing River at Zathabyin, east of Mawlamyine, links Hpaan with Mawlamyine by road. The trip by car takes an hour. From Hpa-an a rutted, unsurfaced road heads 143km southeast to Myawadi, a town controlled by the Tatmadaw (armed forces) on the western bank of the Thaungyin River (known as Moei River to the Thais) opposite the northern Thai town of Mae Sot. A large number of Kayin refugees fleeing KNLA–Tatmadaw battles are encamped on the Thai side of the border in this area.

Sights & Activities There are several interesting excursions from Hpa-an and while all are accessible by public transport, it requires some long waits and unreliable connections. It’s best to try to hire a motorbike, with or without a driver, for US$10 or so from one of the guesthouses. Hpa-an is famous among Burmese for the Buddhist village at Thamanyat Kuang and

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where the highly respected monk U Winaya, whose solid support of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is well known throughout Myanmar, resided. U Winaya passed away several years ago. Thamanyat monastery is about 40km southeast of Hpaan, and there is a daily flow of small buses to this busy religious site. The bus fare from Hpa-an is K220. Eleven kilometres south of Hpa-an is Mt Zwegabin, which is both a sacred and tall mountain; the best kind. At 722m high it affords panoramic views of the surrounding countryside from the summit. To get to the mountain, take a pick-up in the direction of Thamanya and get off at the Zwegabin junction; it’s a 15-minute walk from here through a village to the base of the mountain on the west side past thousands of identical Buddha statues lined up in row after row. The path up isn’t exactly picturesque – it’s nothing more than hundreds and hundreds of concrete steps, but once up the top, the two-hour effort is rewarded. If you arrive before noon at the small monastery at the top you can take advantage of a complimentary lunch (rice, orange and tea) and the 11am monkey feeding – different primates, different menus. It’s possible to overnight here, which means you can also appreciate the fantastic sunsets. The descent down the east side of the mountain takes around 45 minutes, and from the bottom it’s another 3km to the main road from where you can catch a pick-up back to town. Hiring your own transport – someone to drop you off on one side and pick you up on the other – makes everything run smoother. Bring a good torch to explore Saddar Cave. It’s a good 10- to 15-minute journey through the cave to the other side, which exits onto a lake. Thousands of miniature clay and stone carved Buddhas covered in gold and bronze line the walls of Kawgun Cave, near Kawgun village. If those weren’t enough, Yathaypyan Cave has more Buddha statues though not as many as Kawgun. Cross a long footbridge to get to the Water Lake Monastery, built in the middle of an artificial lake, from where there are good views of the surrounding countryside, obscured only by the birds and butterflies fluttering nearby.

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After the leisurely boat ride up from Mawlamyine, the choice of accommodation in Hpa-an is a disappointment. There are only two places that accept foreigners; neither offers breakfast. Soe Brothers Guesthouse (%058-21372; 46 Thitsa Rd; s/d US$4/6) Rooms here have some character and more importantly windows, though no mosquito nets and a shared bathroom. The staff can help with excursions and can provide a map of the town and surrounding area. Parami Hotel (r per person US$5, with bathroom & TV US$22) Just around the corner from Soe Brothers, the Parami’s rooms are smaller though they do have mosquito nets. There are a few rooms with a private bathroom and the staff members here are helpful and friendly as well. There’s a nameless but good teahouse next to the Soe Brothers Guesthouse that also serves fresh food including tasty fried potato and onion fritters. Near the guesthouses, Lucky Restaurant has beer on tap and is deservedly popular. The following eating options are also near the guesthouses: Khit-Thit Restaurant (New Age Restaurant) San Ma Tu Restaurant (Bogyoke St) A good place for vegetarians.

Getting There & Away BOAT

See p157 for information on the doubledecker ferries that travel the scenic route between Hpa-an and Mawlamyine. Boats leave Hpa-an at 7am every other day (US$2, two hours). BUS & PICK-UP

Buses to Hpa-an (K2000), run by the Shwe Chin The company, depart from Yangon’s Aung Mingalar (Highway) Bus Terminal at 8pm and arrive at about 7am. From Hpaan buses to Yangon leave every evening at 6pm and take from 10 to 11 hours. Buses and pick-ups to Mawlamyine (K300, two hours) leave every hour from 8am to 3pm. Pick-ups from Hpa-an to Kyaiktiyo (K800 for front seat) depart from the front of the green mosque. Pick-ups to/from Thaton cost about K500. Buses depart from near the Parami Hotel at about 6pm for Kyaiktiyo and Bago.

TANINTHARYI (TENASSERIM) DIVISION tno™;rItui='"

Known to the outside world as Tenasserim until 1989, Tanintharyi has a long history of trade with India (especially Coromandel) and the Middle East. Because it’s joined with Thailand to a relatively slender length of land separating the Andaman Sea/Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Thailand, this trade link included Siam and other nations east of Myanmar’s eastern mountain ranges. Routes through Dawei and Myeik were especially important, and for many years, before the arrival of the British in the late 19th century, the Siamese either controlled the state or received annual tributes from its inhabitants. Most of the people living in the division are of Bamar ethnicity, although splitting hairs one can easily identify Dawei and Myeik subgroups of the Bamar who enjoy their own dialect, cuisine and so on. Large numbers of Mon also live in the division, and in or near the larger towns you’ll find Kayin (often Christian) and Indian (often Muslim) residents, as well as Thais and the sea gypsies or Salon who inhabit the islands of the coast. Pearl farms on islands in the area, established by the Ministry of Mines were expected to produce more than 200,000 pearls in 2004.

DAWEI ( TAVOY ) q;"vy' %036

Despite the presence of a university, Dawei is still a sleepy, tropical seaside town. Only recently connected to the rest of Myanmar by road and rail, it’s still only accessible to foreigners by air, so hardly any tourists visit. Areas to the west and north of town are planted in rice, while to the east lie patches of jungle. Some of the architecture in town is quite impressive, with many old wooden houses, more modest thatchroofed bungalows and a few colonial-style brick-and-stucco mansions. Throw in a few Eastern-bloc aesthetic touches and you have an interesting architectural mix. Tall, slender sugar palms, coco palms, banana and other fruit trees, along with lots of

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hanging orchids, are interspersed throughout – it’s a very green town due to the abundant annual rain that falls on the southern half of Tanintharyi Division. In spite of its remote location – or perhaps because of it – Dawei has become a significant Burmese Buddhist centre. Hundreds of Tanintharyi Division residents fled to Thailand rather than work on the 100 mile-long (160km) Ye to Dawei railway completed for the most part in 1998. According to Amnesty International, refugees reported conditions approaching those described in chronicles of the Japanese army’s ‘Death Railway’ though the government asserts the work was done by army personnel. Dawei is also near the starting point of the massive 700km Yadana gas pipeline, which carries natural gas from fields in the Gulf of Mottama to Ratchaburi Province in Thailand. About 400km of its length runs through Mon State and Tanintharyi Division, the remainder through Thailand. Reportedly, the Myanmar government relocated villages originally in the pipeline’s path with little or no compensation for the villagers. There have also been charges that forced labour was used in building the pipeline. Because of the pipeline’s perceived strategic importance, there is a fairly heavy military presence around Dawei. Also because of its proximity to Bangkok, only a few hours by road, there’s talk of developing the beaches around Dawei, which some claim rival Ngwe Saung and Ngapali in the west of the country, for foreign tourism. However, as long as the area remains politically unstable this won’t happen.

Sights & Activities

THEINWA KYAUNG (PAYAGYI)

sim'vekY;='" (.ur;"äkI")

The main Buddhist monastery in town, usually referred to simply as Payagyi (Big Pagoda), contains a complex of sizeable Mon-style vihara (glittering cubes of reflective mosaics filled with gilded Buddhas). The best time to visit Theinwa Kyaung is in the early evening, just after sunset, when hordes of local residents come to make offerings and to meditate for an hour or two. To find it, head northwest along Yodaya Rd, past the Royal Guest House on your right, until you come to a large fork in the

road. Bear right at the fork, follow the road another 200m and you’ll come to the paya on your right. SHWETHALYAUNG DAW MU

erás;elY;='" etÉmu

Completed in 1931, one of the largest reclining Buddhas in the country – 74m long, 21m high – is at the edge of town (about 5km from the central Strand Rd market). SHINMOKHTI PAYA

rH='mutIÏ".ur;"

About 5km beyond Shwethalyaung Daw Mu on the same road, this paya is the most sacred of local religious monuments. Reportedly constructed in 1438, it’s one of four shrines in the country housing a Sinhalese Buddha image supposedly made with a composite of cement and pieces of the original Bodhi Tree. During religious festivals this is one of the liveliest spots in the district. KAREN BAPTIST CHURCH

The American Baptists had a long and active history in Dawei, beginning in 1828. The Karen Baptist Church, founded by an American evangelist in 1957, is still in use in the Shan Malei Swe Quarter; foreign visitors are welcome. BEACHES & ISLANDS

Few foreigners have been permitted to visit the coastal areas around Dawei, so details are still sketchy. The best local beach, Maungmagan (also spelt Maungmakan), is around 18km west of Dawei via a narrow, winding, patched blacktop road over a high ridge and through rubber plantations. A very wide sand beach stretches 8km to 10km along a large, pretty bay. Near the road a few outdoor vendors offer snacks and beverages in the shade of casuarina trees and palms. On weekends and holidays this end of the beach draws a crowd, but if you walk 500m or so up the beach you’re likely to have it all to yourself, save for the occasional fisherman. The surf at Maungmagan is fairly tame, even during the southwest monsoon, and the water is very clean, better than around Myeik, so it’s a good beach for swimming. Opposite Maungmagan is a collection of three pretty island groups that were named the Middle Moscos Islands by the British – they are now known as Maungmagan, Hienze

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direct flights per week from Yangon to Dawei costing US$70 per person. The flight time is one hour and 10 minutes. Flights with YA continue to Myeik and Kawthoung before turning around and hitting the same three stops on the way back to Yangon. The YA fare is US$50 between Myeik and Dawei and the ride takes less than an hour. Between Dawei and Kawthoung the fare is US$70.

by fire; the rebuilding effort has largely sacrificed style for utility. The British occupied the region following the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1826, so that along with Sittwe, Myeik became one of the first cities in Myanmar to become part of British India. The Japanese invaded in 1941, but by 1945 Myeik was back in British hands, until independence was achieved in 1948.

Festivals & Events

BOAT

Sights & Activities

During the annual Thingyan festival in April, Dawei’s male residents don huge, 4m bamboo-frame effigies and dance down the streets to the beat of the kalakodaun, an Indian long drum.

MFSL sails between Yangon, Dawei, Myeik and Kawthoung several times a month, but travel is slow and there is no fixed schedule. It takes two days and two nights between Yangon and Dawei, and possibly up to a week in the rainy season. Fortune Express (%51718) and HiFi Express (%51500) run daily trips to/from Myeik (US$20, 6½ hours). If Fortune leaves one day, HiFi leaves the next; both depart at around 4am. For some more information see p168.

The city’s most venerated Buddhist temple, Theindawgyi Paya, sits on a ridge overlooking the city and harbour. A tall gilded stupa stands on a broad platform with excellent views of the city below and islands in the distance. Pataw Padet Island, a five-minute boat ride (per person K1000) from the harbour, is named after two prominent hills at either end of the island. Several religious buildings, stupas and sculptures have been constructed on the island. A large, hollow reclining 66m-long Buddha, Atula Shwethalyaung, lies at the foot of rocky, junglecovered Padet Hill to the south. Unusually, it’s a hollow cement form with an interior walkway lined with comic-strip-like Jataka (stories of the Buddha’s past lives) scenes as yet unfinished. The harbourfront is worth a stroll to watch stevedores loading and offloading cargo from ships big and small. Not far from Theindawgyi Paya there’s a Muslim quarter with two mosques and lots of teashops. There are seven other mosques in the city. Near the harbour, Sibinthaya Zei (Municipal Market; h6am-5pm Mon-Sat, closed holidays), is a very large and colourful collection of enclosed stalls covering a city block.

Most visitors to Dawei come on business – traders involved in oil, marine products, rubber, wolfram, tin or cashews – so the guesthouses are not used to tourists. Ekari Guest House (%21980, 21780; 52 Ye Yeiqtha Rd; r US$10-25) This is a two-storey wooden guesthouse in a relatively quiet neighbourhood. It’s the cleanest place in town. The more expensive rooms have private bathrooms. Electricity is available only in the early evening. Royal Guest House (Yodaya Rd; r per person US$10) The Royal is located in a corner of one of the main four-way intersections in the centre of town. Rooms are not well-kept compared to Ekari and street noise is a factor when trying to sleep. Taungoo Rest House (%21951; r US$10) Right across the street from the Royal is another big, two-storey colonial building. There is a café downstairs serving inexpensive Bamar–Muslim food. Tharaphu Hotel (r US$10) A similar option to the Taungoo. Along Yodaya Rd, one of the main thoroughfares through town, are several small rice- and teashops. Supereye (Strand Rd) offers an extensive English-language menu of Chinese and Bamar cuisine, much of it seafood-based. The food is good, if a little expensive by Myanmar standards.

Getting There & Away AIR

Yangon Airways (YA) and the governmentowned Myanma Airways (MA) field three

BUS

Various private bus companies now operate buses from Yangon’s Highway bus terminal all the way to Dawei, although foreign travellers aren’t usually allowed to take the bus. At the time of writing, flying was the only sure way to get to Dawei from Yangon. If you were allowed to take a bus from Yangon to Dawei, the trip would take about 17 hours. The situation may change so it’s always a good idea to ask at the bus station or consult a travel agent in Yangon.

MYEIK (MERGUI) ¨mit' %021

Myeik doesn’t receive many foreign visitors; rightly so as there’s not much of interest. Those who do venture here by boat or plane, though, will attract loads of friendly attention. Until recently Myeik – which sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Andaman Sea – was a fairly picturesque coastal city with a wide range of architectural styles lining the streets. Increased cash flow due to the export of seafood to Thailand caused a miniboom in building during the 1990s, and many old buildings were replaced by modern ones. Then in 2001, a large portion of the remaining old architecture was razed

ISLANDS

Boats to the nearby islands of the Mergui Archipelago can in theory be chartered for US$60 per day from Myeik’s harbour. However, the water around Myeik is less clear than the water around Kawthoung and there are no reputable travel agencies in Myeik either to facilitate a trip. If interested in the visiting this offshore wonderland, it makes sense to travel from Kawthoung (see p167) or to arrange a trip from Ranong or Phuket in Thailand (p333).

Sleeping Accommodation in Myeik represents some of the worst value in the country. The few foreigners who make it here are generally business travellers and so there are only a few overpriced hotels and guesthouses with no character. Dolphin Hotel (%41523; 139 Kanphyar Rd; s/d US$25/40) Owned as a joint venture with the Myanmar Fisheries Industry, the modern Dolphin is easily the nicest place in town though staff members aren’t especially friendly or helpful. Rooms in this two-storey building are dark wood with modern and clean bathrooms. It’s on the road from the airport into town. Pale Mon Hotel (%41841; s/d US$20/30; a) Down the road from the airport and adjacent to the Myeik Golf Club, the Pale Mon has large, poorly furnished plain rooms, with intermittent air-con, TVs with two channels, and private bathrooms with coldwater showers. The basic breakfast makes the rooms, in comparison, seem luxurious. Ban Gaba Guest House (r US$10) Near the jetty south of the market, this two-storey place has bare, concrete rooms. There’s a balcony on the 2nd floor. Other similar low-quality places charging around US$10 per room are the Ahyoneoo Guest House, Seikantha Hotel and Shwekanenari Guest House. Travellers who wish to avoid Myanmar’s government-owned hotels should stay clear of the Annawa Guest House, high on a ridge near Theindawgyi Paya.

Eating Seafood is abundant and inexpensive. One local speciality is kat gyi kai (scissor-cut noodles): wheat noodles that have been cut into short strips and stir-fried with seafood and various spices. It’s a delicious meal, usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. Meik Set (U Myat Lay Rd, Kan Paya Quarter; h6am5pm) An old wood-and-thatch teashop and restaurant with a dirt floor, this is one of the best places to try kat gyi kai. Other treats available here include k’auk hnyìn kin (sticky rice steamed with coconut milk in little banana-leaf packets). Sakura Food & Drinks (U Myat Lay Rd, Kan Paya Quarter; chicken dishes K2500) On the same street as Meik Set, Sakura has an extensive menu, though relatively pricey, of Southeast Asian

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and Launglon (or collectively as the Maungmagan Islands). Due to a natural profusion of wild boar, barking deer, sambar and swiftlets (sea swallows), these islands are part of a marine sanctuary, originally established by the British in 1927. Local taxi trucks from the Strand Rd market go to the beach at Maungmagan or to Zalut for about K800 and K1500 per person.

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seafood dishes, Thai soups, burgers, omelettes and sandwiches. It’s very popular with locals. Shwe Mon Family Restaurant (h7am-8pm) For traditional Bamar cuisine with local flair, try this place near the waterfront in the Seik Nge Quarter. Point Restaurant (h7am-9pm) On the same street as the Shwe Mon, closer to the harbour, this restaurant is not a bad place to down a beer or two and eat appetisers.

Getting There & Away AIR

(Municipal Market). Myanma Airways (U Myat Lay Rd) flies from Yangon to Myeik daily for US$100 (one hour and 10 minutes). There are three flights a week between Mawlamyine and Myeik, and Myeik and Kawthoung that cost US$70 for each leg. The MA office is next door to Sakura Food & Drinks. BOAT

Both Fortune Express (%51718) and HiFi Express (%51500) have trips at 11am daily to Dawei (US$20, 6½ hours) and at 8am daily to Kawthoung (US$25, 6½ hours). For more details see p168. MFSL sails, on average, twice a month between Yangon, Dawei, Myeik and Kawthoung, but travel is very slow and tickets hard to get. BUS & PICK-UPS

There are daily buses and pick-ups from Dawei, 249km north, but it’s highly unlikely foreigners will be permitted to travel by bus to Myeik. Foreigners are similarly prohibited from travelling by road south to Kawthoung, though at the time of research road work was proceeding apace to link the two towns.

KAWTHOUNG ek;¾eo;='"

If coming here from within Myanmar, you’re likely be startled by the wacky sight of foreigners in bathing shorts and bikinis, daytrippers on visa runs from Ranong, Thailand. Travelling between the two countries at this point in time feels like teleporting 50 years. At the southernmost tip of main-

land Myanmar – 800km from Yangon and 2000km from the country’s northern tip – Kawthoung is only separated from Thailand by a broad estuary in the Pagyan River. The main business in town is trade with Thailand, followed by fishing, rubber and cashews. Among the Burmese, Kawthoung is best known for producing some of the country’s outstanding kickboxers. Most Kawthoung residents are bilingual in Thai and Burmese. Many residents born and raised in Kawthoung, especially members of the large Muslim community, also speak Pashu, a dialect that mixes the Thai, Malay and Burmese languages. A few enterprising businesses hope to use Kawthoung as a base for boat trips to the hundreds of islands in the nearby Mergui archipelago. Although it’s not far north of the region of Thailand devastated by the December 2004 tsunami, Kawthoung came away relatively unscathed; that is except for the tragic death of 20 people who were washed away after they gathered on a bridge to watch the wave come in. Any downturn in tourism to southern Thailand will undoubtedly impact on Kawthoung.

Sights & Activities Kawthoung’s bustling waterfront is lined with teashops, moneychangers and shops selling Thai construction materials. Touts stroll up and down the pier area, arranging boat charters to Thailand for visitors and traders. Along one side of the harbour lies Cape Bayinnaung (Victoria Point) named after King Bayinnaung, a Bamar monarch who invaded Thailand several times between 1548 and 1569. A bronze statue of Bayinnaung outfitted in full battle gear and brandishing a sword pointed at Thailand – not exactly a welcoming sight for visiting Thais – stands at the crest of a hill on the cape. At the top of the hill overlooking the harbour is the Pyi Taw Aye Paya. Unlike many other temples, you can walk inside and under the main stupa originally built in 1949 to a height of only 5m; it was later raised to its current stature of 21m. There are eight meditation niches that represent the eight days of the Buddhist week, and 14 Buddha images representing the styles seen in other Asian countries. A banyan tree brought from Sri Lanka provides the only shade.

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About 5km north of town, the fishing village of Thirimyaing Lan is known for its hilltop Third Mile Pagoda, with good sea and island views. Thirimyaing Lanalso boasts good local seafood restaurants along its waterfront. Another 11km on is Paker Beach, reportedly the best nearby mainland beach. Locals cool off in the waters flowing from the surrounding mountains at the Ma Li Won rock pools. To reach this bathing site involves a 38km drive through the beautiful Ma Li Won Valley north of Kawthoung, dotted with plantations of sugar cane, palm oil, betel and cashew nut, rubber and coconuts. MERGUI (MYEIK) ARCHIPELAGO

¨mit'kâÆn'"cu

Far beyond the value of any local product – rubber, marine products or swiftlets’ nests – is the Mergui Archipelago’s huge, almost completely untapped potential in the beachgoing and ecotourism market. The locals say there are over 4000 islands in the archipelago, though British surveyors recognised only 804. Most are uninhabited, though a few are home to ‘sea gypsies’, a nomadic seafaring people who sail from island to island, stopping off to repair their boats or fishing nets. Known as Salon to the Burmese, chao náam to the Thais, orang laut or orang basin to the Malays and Moken or Maw Ken (seadrowned) among themselves, this may have been the first ethnic group to have lived in what is today Myanmar. With stones tied to their waists as ballast, Moken divers can reportedly descend to a depth of 60m while breathing through an air hose held above the water’s surface. There’s an ongoing dolphin research program in the islands, though tourists aren’t allowed to visit. The government is building a bridge between Palau Ton Ton Island and the mainland. During low tide it’s possible to swim or kayak into an enormous cave on Kyet Mauk Island where you see reef fish and snakes. On Lon Khuet Island, over 80 people live farming birds’ nests from inside a huge cavern; a hole in the top of the cave lets in some sunlight, making for a breathtaking scene. A sea-gypsy festival is held during the second week of February at Ma-Kyon-Galet village on a small island near Lampi. There is no regular transport to any of these islands, except to the closest ones,

and boat charters are expensive. However, Moby Dick offers boat trips to Sa Lon and Palau Ton Ton Island (per person US$32 including lunch). Opposite Kawthoung’s harbourfront the southernmost island in the Mergui Archipelago, Mwedaw Kyun, is mounted by two gilded zedi. LAMPI KYUN

Further offshore, Lampi Kyun, possibly one of the least disturbed island habitats in Southeast Asia, has been designated as a national park. Extending about 90km long and 8km wide, this rugged landmass features a forested, mountainous interior and two year-round rivers that flow into the sea from the island’s western shore. Wildlife on the island includes white-bellied sea eagles, Brahminy kites, parakeets, hornbills, gibbons, crab-eating macaques, flying lemurs, civets, tigers, leopard cats, boar, barking deer, sea otters, crocodiles and fruit bats. Some naturalists speculate that the interior of Lampi might harbour hithertoundiscovered animal species, or species thought to be extinct elsewhere in Southeast Asia, such as the Sumatran rhinoceros or kouprey. A few Phuket-based tour companies operate hiking and river excursions on Lampi – see p333 for a list of outfitters.

Tours Moby Dick Tours (in Yangon %01-441 0129, 01-202 064; www.mobydick-myanmar.com) This full-service travel agency is in an office attached to the restaurant of the same name on the jetty (see p168). Moby Dick rents bicycles, arranges overnight boat trips to offshore islands, day trips to the Malewon Valley, and importantly can assist with immigration matters. Showers are available for 20B. MT&K Tourism (in Yangon%01-663 161; www.travel tomyanmar.com; 19 Yodaya Lane, Yangon) The MT&K company runs seven-day sea-kayaking trips out of Kawthoung.

Sleeping There are only three places in Kawthoung approved to accept foreigners, and none are especially good value. Note that Thai baht, kyat and US dollars are readily accepted. The electricity supply can be erratic. Kawthoung Motel (%51046; cnr Bogyoke Rd & Bosonpat St; r 800B; a) A 500m or so uphill

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In Myeik, the YA representative (%21160; 115 Bogyoke Rd) has an office near Sibinthaya Zei

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walk from the jetty, the four-storey Kawthoung Motel is the classier of the slim lot. Simple, comfortable, carpeted, double rooms have private cold-water shower and satellite TV. Breakfast in the attached nightclub is rudimentary. Honey Bear Hotel (%21352; r 800B; a) This hulking four-storey building takes up a good deal of the waterfront about 150m from the main jetty. Rooms are only passable, not especially uplifting, and the noisy generator can be a nuisance. Tanintharyi Guest House (%51784; Garden St; r K400; a) You get what you pay for at the Tanintharyi, the least expensive of Kawthoung accommodation options. On a street off Bogyoke Rd, an uphill walk from the jetty, this guesthouse has several large if bare all-concrete rooms with private bathroom. Less expensive rooms have fans. Andaman Club Resort (in Ranong %077-830 463, in Bangkok % 026-798 389; www.andamanclub.com; r US$125-450) On nearby 700-hectare Thahtay

Kyun, is a huge five-star hotel complex that sports a casino, duty-free shops and a Jack Nicklaus–designed 18-hole golf course. You can catch a five-minute boat ride out to the island from the jetty in Kawthoung for 200B.

Eating There are several teashops and restaurants along the waterfront and the block directly behind the Moby Dick Restaurant. Moby Dick Restaurant (in Yangon%01-441 0129; Strand Rd; dishes 50B; h10am-11pm) Dominating the waterfront skyline, looking more like an ancient temple than a modern restaurant and travel agency, the Moby Dick rightfully draws in travellers who are in Myanmar for only a few minutes and locals relaxing with a cold beer. There’s a few outdoor tables plus a bunch inside the modern and attractive dining room. The menu includes Thai, Chinese, Bamar and a good selection of seafood; the prawns are especially good. Smile Restaurant (%51691; Bogyoke Rd) This Chinese-run place is up the hill from the jetty near Kawthoung Motel. An Englishlanguage menu offers several seafood dishes, including a delicious crab curry. Li Li Flower Restaurant (Bogyoke Rd) Attached to the Honey Bear Hotel is a place with aircon that serves Thai, Bamar and Chinese food along with well-chilled beer.

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Shopping A huge duty-free market, built in a pseudoBamar style in 1997, sits right next to Kawthoung’s harbour. Just under the hill are Super Market Cherry (%51067; 253 Pagoda Rd) and Acme Fabric Centre (AFC; %21193; 252 Pagoda Rd), two good shops to pick up high-quality handicrafts and lacquerware, though prices are higher than in Yangon.

Getting There & Away & Around It is now legal to travel between Dawei and Kawthoung by plane or boat, or between Yangon and Kawthoung by plane. Road travel to Kawthoung, though, is forbidden. AIR

Flights between Yangon and Kawthoung cost US$145 on MA. All flights stop in Myeik and some in Mawlamyine as well. It’s not unusual for flights to be cancelled because of bad weather. The airport is 11km from town.

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KAWTHOUNG BORDER CROSSING This is an open border. Boats to Kawthoung (250B, 40 minutes) from Thailand leave the Saphan Pla pier in Ranong almost 10km away regularly from around 8am till 6pm. After getting your passport stamped by Thai immigration, board one of the boats near the immigration office and you’ll be taken to the Myanmar immigration office. At this point you must inform immigration authorities whether you’re a day visitor – in which case you must pay a fee of US$5 for a permit. Apparently, this ‘day pass’ actually allows you to stay a total of two nights and three days in Myanmar, although most ‘visitors’ spend only a few minutes to an hour before heading back to Thailand with a new Thai visa. If you have a valid Myanmar visa in your passport (e-visas aren’t recognized at this border), you’ll be permitted to stay up to 28 days. It’s slightly more complicated if leaving Myanmar from Kawthoung. If you did not originally enter the country from Kawthoung and have not arranged a permit through a travel agency or immigration officials in Yangon, odds are you’ll be asked to pay a visit to the local Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT) office and pay a US$25 fee. Apparently approval can only be granted with the Yangon office’s permission, so expect the process to take 24 hours, requiring an overnight stay. Ironically, if you have an expired visa authorities are even less enthusiastic about facilitating your speedy departure. The staff at Moby Dick Tours can help but the process is a headache involving multiple trips to the MTT office, a fee of US$35, a complete itinerary of your travel in the country, and a signed statement attesting to the fact you are a tourist and not a political agitator. Boats from Kawthoung can be hired for 150B from around 6am to 4.30pm, the time the Myanmar immigration office at the jetty closes.

BICYCLE

Moby Dick rents bicycles for 50B per hour. BOAT

Both Fortune Express (%51718) and HiFi Express (%51500) run daily trips to/from Myeik (US$25, 6½ hours). If Fortune leaves one day, HiFi leaves the next. From the outside the long and sleek boats appear very comfortable but, unfortunately, like most transport options in Myanmar the maximum seating capacity is used only as a suggested minimum. If you’re only one or two you may be offered a spot in the pilot house. Otherwise you’ll have to cram yourself into the packed cabin. Movies and videos are played throughout the journey. Bring your own food and water. Boats leave Kawthoung around 5.30am. MFSL sails, on average, twice a month between Yangon, Dawei, Myeik and Kawthoung, but travel is very slow and unreliable. The boats carry up to 400 passengers and take a minimum of two days to reach Kawthoung from Yangon (cabin US$150). BUS

In 1993 the government began constructing a new Myeik–Kawthoung road that passes through Tanintharyi and Bokpyin. The

486km road passes through some beautiful scenery, including over 300 rivers and streams. The first 60 or so kilometres of this road north from Kawthoung is possibly the best road you’ll find in all of Myanmar and passes palm, rubber, cashew and durian plantations.

Buses run between Kawthoung and Myeik, but while road conditions are improving, robbery is not uncommon, hence foreigners are unlikely to be permitted to travel this route. At the time of research there was one bus every Tuesday (US$10, eight hours) that left Kawthoung for Myeik.

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Northeastern Myanmar

N O R T H E A S T E R N MYA N MA R • • C l i m a t e 171

CLIMATE

TIBET

ng Kumo

KACHIN STATE Myit-son

Hpakan Myitkyina Moegaung

Indawgyi Lake

Imphal Moehnyin

Naba Shwegu

Paungbyin

r

36

Mu-se Namkham

Charming colonial architecture in cool climes awaits visitors to Pyin U Lwin (p204)

Lashio

Mogok Gokteik Hsipaw Viaduct Kyaukme Naunghkio Gokteik

Shwebo

Monywa

445

3 Pyin U Lwin

Mandalay

Dulao Mong La

Kyaukse

Myingyan Pakokku

Ayeyarwardy River

Ye-Ngan

Bagan

MAGWE DIVISION Namhsan Hsipaw

Meiktila

1

2

Pyin U Lwin

Padah-Lin Cave

Kengtung (Kyaingtong)

4

Pindaya Pindaya Caves Thazi Shwenyaung Heho Taunggyi Kalaw Aungban Nyaungshwe (Yaunghwe)

MANDALAY Inle DIVISION Lake

Magwe

44

Mong Yaung

Loi-Mwe

4

Nam Manyang

r Rive

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

SAGAING DIVISION

Hsenwi

Namtu Namhsan Kin-u

Kakku

LAOS

Tachileik Mong Tong

Xieng Kok Mae Sai

in

Kengtung

Taungdwingyi

2

Kalaw Inle Lake Myayde

RAKHAING STATE

Pyinmana

Myohla Taungoo

Pyay

Thanlw

5

BAGO

Chiang Rai

Loikaw Lawpita

KAYAH STATE KAYIN STATE

5

Mae Hong Son

Chiang Mai

THAILAND

iver

gR

kon

Me

Mong Hpayak

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

Ye-U

CHINA

3

SHAN STATE

iver

Overnight stays and morning walks in and around remote villages near Hsipaw (p209), Namhsan (p213) or even remoter Kengtung (p200)

River hweli

Kalewa

Luxi (Mangshi)

Bhamo Ruili

Katha

ng R Meko

Drift down the heart of the north on the Ayeyarwady River (p217) as the country glides by

River

River

Tanai

SAGAING DIVISION

S

People live, work and sell things around Inle Lake (p181), a mountain-framed watery oasis

a ykh

H u V ka al un le g y

Mon

31

You can hike around the trekking centre of Kalaw (p176) and anywhere else you so desire – anywhere, that is, that’s not off limits

Ma

ka lih Ma Putao

Jorhat

Mawlaik

HIGHLIGHTS

CHINA

Ayeyarwady Rive

The best way to visit the multitude of ethnic groups is on foot, and the region abounds with fantastic trekking destinations – Kalaw, Inle Lake, Hsipaw, Namhsan, Kengtung and Putao just for starters.

Dibrugarh

200 km 120 miles

Hkakabo Razi (5889m)

INDIA

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Large swaths of this territory, extending from Tibet in the north to Thailand in the south, and encompassing Shan, Kachin and Kayah states, remain unexplored by foreigners, as they’re officially off limits or simply too demanding to access for many. For the most part, people live in the valleys formed by the Ayeyarwady and Thanlwin Rivers and their tributaries, which divide Kachin and Shan States down the middle. Because the northeast is home to so many different ethnic groups, including the Bamar, Shan and Kachin, with significant populations of Wa, Padaung, Kokang, Atsi, Jinphaw, Lahsi, Lisu and dozens of smaller minorities, travelling here is special just for the opportunity to socialise with your fellow passengers on those slow-moving boats, buses and trains crawling through the interior of Myanmar.

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NORTHEASTERN MYANMAR

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From the muddy crawl of the Ayeyarwady River to the rapids rolling down from the Himalaya, and then on to the watery vision of Inle Lake and the switchback roads that carve through mountain passes, revealing hills and rice paddies on the other side, this geographically and culturally diverse landlocked region is a world unto itself.

and more bearable the higher up you go; this also makes the region favourable for opium cultivation. In the far north it gets downright cold at night – the snowcapped mountains are a dead giveaway for frigid temperatures. Temperatures can also drop to near zero at night in the highlands around Inle Lake during December and January.

Parts of this region have the most pleasant climate in the country, attested to by the fact that the British built several hill stations in the area so that the colonial authorities could escape from the oppressive heat of the lowlands. Even during the hot season (March to June) daytime temperatures become more

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DANGERS & ANNOYANCES Although there is active insurgency from national groups in the region, primarily in southern Shan State, foreigners are generally prevented from visiting these areas.

GETTING THERE & AWAY Most travellers pick only one, or at the most two, of the routes in the northeast because travel in these parts is time intensive. A few areas of the northeast are completely off limits to foreign travellers, including the land route between Taunggyi and Kengtung, all of Kayah State and the southern Shan territory. Most of the towns are linked by both trains and buses, and while the former may be more appealing they are also undoubtedly slower. Many travellers enter the area by flying into Heho, the gateway to the Inle Lake region. Taking a flight is the only way to get to the Kengtung area. Flying is the only way to get to the Kengtung area. Last but certainly not least, the Ayeyarwady River cuts down the centre of the entire region and provides a good opportunity to test out Myanmar’s local ferry industry.

topography looks tame and organised, a patchwork of farmland and unspoiled forests, whereas from the road to Kalaw (coming from Thazi or Inle Lake) this Shan State territory is formidably mountainous and rugged. It is perhaps the area in Myanmar in which foreign tourists have the most freedom and flexibility to tailor their itineraries – after all, it’s feasible to hike between all the primary destinations. Once you arrive in the area, public transportation is fairly convenient, but extra time is necessary to truly appreciate everything, from the hill-tribe villages to the pastoral highlands and the watery oasis of Inle Lake.

restaurant and rest house are run by the friendly Htun family. There are simple rooms with two beds, mosquito nets and shared shower and toilet, and two larger rooms with air-con and attached shower. The dining room downstairs serves good Chinese, Bamar and Indian Muslim food, including fresh yogurt. The proprietors also invite travellers to bathe and rest upstairs while waiting for onward passage, and can arrange bus and train tickets. If you arrive by train and are carrying heavy baggage, it’s worth taking a horse cart or hiring a porter, as the rest house is about 1km from the station.

The Thazi–Taungoo and Thazi–Mandalay routes both take from five to six hours; ordinary-/1st-class seats cost US$5/15. Departure times for Taungoo are the same as for Yangon. Trains go from Thazi to Kalaw at 9am daily and take five hours to inch their way through the mountain passes. There’s a US$1 fee to use the waiting room at the Thazi train station at nighttime, whereas during the day it’s free. For information on the train to Shwenyaung, the junction for Inle Lake, see p181.

THAZI

Getting There & Away BUS

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Many visitors begin or end their journey in Shan territory in this rail-junction town about 65km west of the Shan State border in the Mandalay Division. It’s little more than a place where people embark or disembark from the train when travelling to/from Bagan or Inle Lake. On the other hand, it’s easy to bypass Thazi altogether by travelling on express buses from Bagan to destinations in Shan State and Yangon or simply by flying to Heho.

Sleeping & Eating Moon-Light Rest House (Thazi–Taunggyi Hwy; r with fan US$3, s/d with air-con US$8/15; a) On the top floor of the Red Star Restaurant (dishes K700), this is Thazi’s only licensed lodging. Both the 0 0

THAZI-TAUNGGYI CORRIDOR

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To Mandalay (145km)

20 km 12 miles

To Lawksawk (38km)

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This geographically diverse narrow corridor is probably the most popular tourist route to Mandalay after Bagan. From the air the

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To Loikaw (112km)

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Kyauk Ta Lone To Sankar

The Thazi bus stop is a couple of hundred metres from the train station – just an empty building and a patch of dirt. Buses to Kalaw and Taunggyi cost K2500 (three hours) and K3500 (six hours) respectively; there are usually several departures from 7am to 11am daily. It’s possible to skip Meiktila when travelling between Thazi and Mandalay, but there are more buses to Mandalay that go through Meiktila. The simple solution is to get to Meiktila by pick-up, then wait for a bus to Mandalay (see p289 for information on buses to Mandalay). If you reserve a seat you can wait for a Taunggyi–Mandalay bus to come through Thazi; otherwise, the odds are that there won’t be any seats. A pick-up between Meiktila and Thazi costs around K300. CAR

Pick-ups leave for Kalaw (K2500) regularly throughout the day and into the early evening. It’s a windy, steep road, so for those with low comfort thresholds it’s worth paying extra to sit in the front. Pick-ups all the way to Shwenyaung – the junction for Nyaungshwe (Yaunghwe) and Inle Lake – and Taunggyi are infrequent. It’s possible to hire taxis in Thazi to take you to Kalaw (US$30), Nyaungshwe (US$45) or Bagan (US$40). TRAIN

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Ordinary-/1st-class seats from Thazi to Yangon cost US$9/32. There are four evening trains (6pm, 7.15pm, 8.15pm and 9.40pm); the earliest two are express and take 11 hours or more.

KALAW One of the few places in Myanmar to project a backpacker vibe, Kalaw is 70km west of Taunggyi, about halfway between it and Thazi. The town sits high on the western edge of the Shan Plateau, at an altitude of 1320m. Once a popular hill station in British colonial days, Kalaw’s population of Shan, Indians, Muslims, Bamar and Nepalis (Gurkhas retired from British military service) rubs shoulders with fatigue-wearing soldiers and foreign tourists drawn by the cool climate and rugged mountain scenery. As recently as the 1970s there were American missionaries teaching in the local schools. Because of the British colonial and missionary heritage, many locals speak English. About 20,000 people live in and around Kalaw. The size and breadth of the town is deceptive since it sprawls up and over a number of hills – only a portion of it is visible from the market area. A large military base outside the town is an incongruous presence in this sylvan setting of gnarled pines and bamboo groves. The surrounding mountains cater to all tastes and fitness levels, from low-intensity half-day hikes to four- or five-day trips to minority hill-tribe communities. The villages never really feel remote, which isn’t necessarily a negative, but you may be surprised by the relatively high level of development. You’ll no doubt be shown warm hospitality and offered tea and fruit harvested from the plantations that cover the town’s steep slopes.

Sights & Activities There are a few interesting temples to see in town. Perched on the hill overlooking

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

THAZI TO INLE VIA KALAW

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KALAW To Thazi (93km); Meiktila (115km)

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400 m 0.2 miles

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21 To Inle Lake (63km); Taunggyi (70km)

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2

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12

38 Aung Thabye Rd

8

10 Merchant Rd 49 36 35 34

14

2

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Station Rd

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Zeigyo Rd

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Nat Sein Rd

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22

31

Zatila Rd

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Thirimingalar Rd

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48 42

28 26

13 18

17

Approximate Scale

To Nee Paya (Bamboo Buddha; 500m)

Bamasakya Rd

Train Station

1

3

20

30

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6

INFORMATION Army Hospital..............................1 Hospital........................................2 Police Station...............................3 Post Office....................................4 Trunk Call Station (Telephone Office)................. 5

5

ENTERTAINMENT Cinema......................................47 C1 TRANSPORT Buses to Bagan, Yangon & Mandalay...............................48 C1 Buses to Taunggyi......................49 C2

27

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Rd

C2 C2 C2 B1 C2 B1 C1

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EATING Everest Nepali Food Centre........34 Golden Wing Restaurant............35 Htin Yu Myaing Restaurant........36 Myanmar Flowers Restaurant.....37 Sam’s Family Restaurant............38 Thirigayhar Restaurant................39 Thu Maung Restaurant..............40

Because of its natural appeal to the backpacker set, Kalaw is one of the few places in Myanmar with guesthouses to suit them. There are also several more modern hotels catering to tour groups on or close to the main road, and several more on the outskirts of town. The main road goes by several names, including Union Rd (Pyidaungsu Rd) and Thazi–Taunggyi Hwy. Air-con is superfluous in the cool mountain air. During the low season (May to October) discounts are widely available. BUDGET

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B2 B1 B2 B1 B5 B1 C1 B4 C1 B4 C1

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SLEEPING Dream Villa Motel Kalaw...........23 Eastern Paradise Motel................24 Golden Kalaw Inn.......................25 Golden Lilly Guest House............26 Kalaw Hotel................................27 New Shine Hotel.........................28 Parami Motel..............................29 Pine Hill Resort Hotel.................30 Pine Land Inn.............................31 Pine View Inn.............................32 Winner Hotel Kalaw...................33

Sleeping

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Anglican Church..........................6 B4 Aung Chan Naung Zedi................7 B1 Aung Chang Tha Zedi..................8 C1 Baptist Church..............................9 B2 Central Market...........................10 C1 Christ the King Church.............. 11 D6 Dhamma Yon.............................12 C2 Hsu Taung Pye Paya................(see 14) Mosque.....................................13 C2 Myoma Kyaung.........................14 C2 Royal Tribal Development Society Shop.........................15 C1 Sam Trekking Guide...................16 C1 School........................................17 A2 School........................................18 C2 School....................................... 19 C6 Sports Field................................20 C3 Thein Taung Paya......................21 C1 Top Trekking Guide....................22 C1

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6

32

B3 C1 C2 B1

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the Thazi–Taunggyi road is Thein Taung Paya. In the town centre is a glittering stupa (Buddhist religious monument), covered in gold-coloured mosaics, called Aung Chang Tha Zedi. Nearby is the dilapidated Dhamma Yon, a two-storey temple; it’s not particularly interesting in itself, but from upstairs you can get fair views of the town, Dhamma Yanthi Paya (another temple) and the ruins of Hsu Taung Pye Paya, now a field of crumbling stupas behind the Dhamma Yon. Just west of town, Nee Paya (also called Hnin Paya) features a goldlacquered bamboo Buddha. It’s about 20 minutes away by car. The 300-year-old Shwe Oo Min Paya and Cave (h8am-8pm; admission free), containing Buddha statues, is a 30-minute walk southwest of town. The monastery on the grounds is an especially scenic spot. Less than 1km southeast of the Kalaw Hotel is Christ the King Church, a Catholic church under the supervision of Father Paul. (Until he passed away in 2000, Father Angelo Di Meo also supervised the church; he was based in Myanmar from 1931.) A stone grotto built behind the church is reputed to have curative powers. Mass is held daily at 6.30am; and also at 8am and 4pm on Sunday.

19

11

Golden Lilly Guest House (%50108; goldenlilly@ myanmar.com.mm; 5/88 Nat Sein Rd; s/d US$3/6; i) Family owned and operated, this guesthouse is the best value in town. It has cosy and warm wood-finished rooms, each with private bathroom. The owner’s brother, Robin, is a gentle and knowledgeable guide who can explain the medicinal and nutritional value of every berry, insect and leaf

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around. There is Internet access, but server speed is extremely slow. Golden Kalaw Inn (%50311; 66 Nat Sein Rd; s/d US$4/6) The two-storey home next to the Golden Lilly is the Golden Kalaw, a friendly hotel offering small, rather worn rooms with a nice 2nd-floor balcony. Eddie, the owner, leads informative treks. Eastern Paradise Motel (%50087; 5 Thirimingalar Rd; s US$3-15, d US$6-20) This friendly motel on a quiet street has clean rooms. More expensive rooms have private bathrooms; some have satellite TVs and baths. Parami Motel (%50027; Merchant Rd; s US$3-6, d US$6-10) A block from both the main road and the market, Parami’s cheapest rooms are in an attached two-storey annexe. More expensive rooms have private bathrooms, though these aren’t especially inviting either. Pine Land Inn (%50026; Union Rd; r without/with bathroom per person US$2/3) Without doubt, this is the shabbiest place in town. That said, this two-storey guesthouse right on the main road through Kalaw does have one nice wood-floored room with private bathroom on the 2nd floor. Others with shared bathroom are very basic. The bare concrete entrance serves as both lobby and uninspiring breakfast nook. MIDRANGE

New Shine Hotel (%50028; [email protected] .mm; 21 Union Rd; s US$18-24, d US$24-36) These two modern buildings have a mix of rooms – some motel-style, some with more character; some wicker, some tile. All rooms have private bathroom, while more expensive rooms have satellite TV and bathtub as well. There’s a nice brick-walled basement breakfast room, too. Winner Hotel Kalaw (%50025; Union Rd; s/d US$10/20; i) On the main road, the Winner, a three-storey Chinese-style hotel, has clean, no-frills rooms. The top-floor breakfast room has good views of town, and the owner can help organise treks to villages in the area. Pine View Inn (%50185; Tekkatho Rd; s/d US$10/15) Overlooking a quiet street outside town, near the Kalaw Hotel, this inn has a row of spacious rooms with hot-water shower, desk and plenty of light. A tasty Bamar or Western breakfast is included, along with a good view. Dream Villa Motel Kalaw (%50144; 5 Zatila Rd; s/d US$20/24, larger s/d US$30/36) A bit overpriced

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4

DRINKING Hi Snack & Drink........................41 Lachme Tea House.....................42 Mi Thazu...................................43 Myint Myat Café.......................44 Royal Tea Garden.......................45 Tet Nay Win Teahouse...............46

Te

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

To Shwe Oo Min Paya & Cave

Sit U See Thakka Tho (Military Staff College Rd Rd)

R Oo Min

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KALAW AREA TREKKING ROUTES

3 km 2 miles To Inle Lake

Taung Pe

Ah Lai Gone

Shwe Min Bon

Shwe Min Bon Paya

To Aungban (8km); Shwenyaung (43km)

To Thazi (75km)

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Yar Thait (Palaung) Tayaw (Palaung)

Viewpoint

Hin Kha Gone (Palaung)

Kalaw Reservoir

Myin Saing Gone Myin Daik (Danu)

Myin Daik Train Station

Pan Tin Gone Approximate Scale

Inn Gaung

for Kalaw, the Dream Villa is nevertheless an attractive building, a few blocks from the main thoroughfare. There’s a small, elegant lobby with satellite TV, and the carpeted rooms are maintained with care. Pine Hill Resort Hotel (%50078; fax 579 640; 151 Oo Min Rd; bungalows s/d/tr US$36/42/67) This resort around 1km from the town centre has 32 bungalow-style wood-panelled rooms with TVs and private bathrooms. The prefabricated look of the place is a bit of a shame, as the location overlooking the surrounding hills is lovely. The hotel restaurant serves very good Bamar and Indian dishes. Those wishing to avoid any governmentowned hotel should bypass the Kalaw Hotel, which is set well behind the town.

Eating For a town this size, Kalaw has an inordinate number of interesting eating options, some with an Indian or Nepali flavour, and several teashops. Sam’s Family Restaurant (vegetable dishes K500) We were lucky enough to experience Sam’s inaugural meal. An assortment of inexpen-

sive and tasty fried-vegetable dishes and standard Chinese and Bamar meat dishes were on offer, though the menu was in an experimental phase. Service was extremely attentive, to the point that an involuntary flinch by one of the diners invariably brought a waiter to the table. Candlelight and white tablecloths gave the place a romantic and elegant vibe. Thirigayhar Restaurant (Seven Sisters; %50216; Union Rd; dishes K2000; h till 10pm) The most charming place to eat in Kalaw, this ShanChinese-Indian restaurant is in a distinctive cottage on the main road. It serves a few Western dishes, but the soups are especially tasty. It often caters to package-tour groups, which explains the relatively high prices. Everest Nepali Food Centre (Aung Chantha Rd; dishes K1000) Two blocks from the main road and just across from Sam’s, Everest is a favourite as much for its backpacker feel as for its tasty and reasonably priced curries, fresh juices and chapatis. Service tends to be slow, but a book and a shake help pass the time. Thu Maung Restaurant (Union Rd; dishes K1500) The Thu Maung, in a two-storey building on

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

Whether it’s a short day hike or a five-day journey, trekking is the main reason to come to Kalaw. The range of territory open to foreigners seems to be expanding, and local guides are willing to tailor itineraries to particular demands. With that said, certain routes get a fair bit of traffic during the tourist high season and it’s not unusual to find yourself following in the well-trod footsteps of another group. The plateau near Kalaw is inhabited by people of the Palaung and Pa-O (Black Karen) tribes. Intha, Shan, Taungthu, Taung-yo, Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar people occupy the mountains to the north and east. Development in the form of running water and electricity is coming slowly but sporadically to villages in the area, and living conditions on the whole are not as primitive as some might expect, thanks to UN- and government-sponsored projects. Continued exposure to foreigners walking the mountain footpaths or sleeping in village homes has introduced a small element of the consumer economy in the form of children selling hats, longyi (sarong-style lower garments) and bags, most made locally but some imported strictly for the tourist trade. Quality health care is a concern, but it’s better to give small cash gifts to the village health fund rather than handing out medicines. Your guide will know what’s appropriate and what’s not. Balloons, pencils, paper notebooks and ballpoint pens are also welcome. Usually the sayadaw (chief abbot) of the village monastery, or the village head man, handles such donations. Village elders prefer that any gifts intended for children be given to an adult rather than directly to the children, as (like children everywhere) they are sharing challenged. Tribespeople come into town on Kalaw’s market day, which comes around every five days. Several nearby villages, such as Yar Thait and Tayaw, can be visited in half-day or whole-day hikes. By and large the terrain isn’t difficult – mostly it’s a well-trodden dirt path over gentle slopes. Some guides lead multiday trips; the two- to three-day trip (the duration depends on how much you want to exert yourself ) to Inle Lake is easily the most popular. It's become standard to have your heavy baggage transported to a hotel in Nyaungshwe for no extra charge, so you need only carry very little. These trips commonly end in the hot springs near Kaung Daing on the western shore of Inle Lake, before a boat transports the group to Nyaungshwe. Another popular multiday hike is from Kalaw to Pindaya, with car transport back. Licensed guides in Kalaw generally charge US$4 to US$6 for a day hike, and US$5 to US$8 per day for overnight treks. The cost generally includes food and lodging. Expect to hike for at least six hours a day and cover about 15km. One advantage of overnight treks is that by evening people are back home in the village after spending a day tending the fields. Lodging is usually in long houses and occasionally in kyaung (Burmese Buddhist monasteries). Be prepared for the lingering smoke of long-house cooking fires. On the plus side, it keeps mosquitoes to a minimum. Although it’s not part of the public record, perhaps because it’s not officially approved, it may be possible to stay overnight at the Viewpoint, a guesthouse beside a beautifully scenic spot atop a mountain. Most groups on day hikes stop here for lunch. Owned and operated by a Nepali family, Viewpoint’s accommodation is bare bones – no electricity, no running water – but it’s extremely peaceful. The owner, Motie, also cooks up fantastic meals (assorted vegetable curries and rice). If you can arrange it, for around K1500 per person per day you get a foam bed with plenty of blankets, and three meals. All the licensed trekking guides in Kalaw can provide sleeping bags and mosquito nets. Hikers need to be prepared with good shoes and warm clothing for the cool evenings. Trekking goes on year round, but expect muddy conditions during the rainy season (May/June to November). Staff at many of the hotels (eg Robin from the Golden Lilly, Eddie from the Golden Kalaw Inn) and restaurants (eg the Everest Nepali Food Centre) can act as guides; a good number of Yangonbased travel agencies can also arrange guides. It’s quite easy, though, to simply show up in Kalaw and make all the arrangements to leave the next day. Several reliable trekking-guide services operate from small offices along the main road through Kalaw, just north of the market.

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ga N

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TREKKING AROUND KALAW

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Magwe Chaung

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the main road, looks more established than other places in town – maybe it’s the air of authority given off by its many officiallooking patrons. It does an above-average chicken and cashews. Myanmar Flowers Restaurant (chicken dishes K1500) This restaurant, near the Aung Chang Naung Zedi, four blocks west of the market, has a rock-and-roll flavour inside – well, guitars decorate the walls and there’s a small stage – and outdoor seating in good weather. It offers Bamar, Chinese, Indian and Western set menus (K2500), and does excellent spring rolls. Also recommended are Htin Yu Myaing (Pineland) Restaurant (dishes K1000), a block south of the central market, which serves good Chinese and Bamar fare; and the Golden Wing Restaurant, just south of Merchant Rd, which grills up meats for locals. Hi Snack & Drink (htill late) Down a bottle of beer with the locals in this narrow little allwood bar a block west of the market. Impromptu guitar concerts are not uncommon. Myint Myat Café (Zeigyo Rd) Next to the police station, on the road leading south from town, this café is popular with students and soldiers from the nearby base. Most teashops in town are Nepali operated, and serve chapati, tea and raksi (Nepali-style home-made liquor). Teashops near the market: Lachme Teahouse (Merchant Rd) Mi Thazu (Merchant Rd) Royal Tea Garden (Station Rd) Tet Nay Win Teahouse (Zeigyo Rd)

Getting There & Away Daily buses from Yangon to Kalaw (K7000, 15 hours) leave from Yangon’s Highway bus terminal. Yangon-bound buses departing from Taunggyi pass through Kalaw in the evening. Buses for Kalaw (around K2500) leave Thazi in the morning. Taunggyi-bound buses from either Meiktila or Bagan pass through Kalaw, though you may have to pay the full fare to the final destination. Travel time is about three hours. A bus from Shwenyaung (the junction for Inle Lake) to Kalaw takes three hours and costs K3000. To charter a vehicle to either Thazi or Shwenyaung will cost US$20

to US$25. For information on travel to Aungban and Pindaya, see p180. It’s possible to take the train from Thazi or Shwenyaung to Kalaw; it takes around 4½ hours from either. The fare is US$3. Either way, it’s a scenic, if slow, trip. Three trains leave Kalaw for Shwenyaung at 8.30am, 10.45am and 3pm daily. To return to Yangon, Mandalay or Bagan it’s possible to book a seat on one of the Taunggyi express buses with air-con (about K5000 for each destination). There’s also the usual Mandalay–Yangon train connection via Thazi (see p366 and p367).

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This small highway town is a transport junction for cargo and passengers travelling between Thazi and Taunggyi, north to Pindaya or south to Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State. As such, Aungban’s main function is to feed and fuel; among Shan State truck drivers it’s also infamous for its brothels. As elsewhere in Myanmar, AIDS is a serious concern. There is little of substance to the town itself, except when the market is held (every five days). For seekers of Buddhist wisdom, the Taungpulu Meditation Monastery is a little east of town off the highway.

Getting There & Away See p180 for information on transport from Pindaya and Kalaw to Aungban. If you’re heading east to Nyaungshwe, it’s possible to catch one of the many rickety minibuses that pass through Aungban on their way to Taunggyi (K1500).

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The road north from Aungban to Pindaya passes through a bucolic pastoral setting that’s like a Whistler landscape – the perfect middle American or European countryside. You’ll pass groups of Myanmar people wearing wide-brimmed sun hats and hunched over rice and potato fields, and the small Pa-O and Danu villages of Pwehla and Ji-Chanzi. Easily visited from Kalaw on a day trip, Pindaya is best known for its Buddha-filled limestone caves, its picturesque Boutalake Lake and one of the

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region’s more interesting markets, which sells everything from pancake-like snacks to gnarled fish and cooked snakes. Pindaya itself is a centre for the Burmesespeaking Taung-yo people. The town’s symbol is a pin-gu (spider). According to legend, seven princesses bathing in the lake took refuge in the caves during a storm, and were imprisoned by a giant spider. Lucky for them, a prince strolling nearby heard their pleas for help, killed the spider and freed them from the cave. Local handicrafts include Shan paper and parasols made from mulberry bark. There are two paper- and umbrella-making workshops a few minutes’ drive from the cave entrance. One of these workshops, Nam Cherry, demonstrates the step-by-step process and sells hand-painted umbrellas (US$1) among other interesting objects. Try your hand at a small pottery workshop down a side road near the Pindaya Inle Inn for US$3. Day and overnight treks to surrounding Danu, Pa-O, Palaung and Taung-yo villages can be organised at the Golden Cave (p180) or Conqueror Hotel (p180) for about US$10 per person per day.

Sights PINDAYA CAVES

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A strange and somewhat kitschy mix of the artificial and natural and the commercial and holy, the Pindaya Caves, in a limestone ridge overlooking the lake, are announced for miles around by the templelike structures covering the ramp and lift to the entrance. Once inside it’s difficult not to succumb to Buddha fatigue, as over 8000 Buddha images – made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement – have been arranged over the centuries to form a sea of serene faces in the labyrinthine cave chambers. Small plaques below most advertise the names and nationalities of the donors. Some of the smaller side chambers are accessible only on hands and knees, and you may come across people practising meditation. Although many areas within the caves are illuminated by electric lights, take care on the slippery paths. In one corner of the cave stand three ‘perspiring Buddhas’ – sitting images that stay wet because of condensation in the damp cave.

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It’s a long walk from the lake to the foot of the cliff containing the caves; if you’ve chartered a jeep or car from Kalaw or Taunggyi, make sure that you’re driven all the way up to the cliff. Travel from town to the foot of the cliffs costs K1000 by horse cart. A 200-step stairway leads to the cave entrance, or you can take the new lift to the entrance for K100. From a temple complex built along the front of the ridge you can view nearby Boutalake Lake and the ruins of Shwe Oo Min Paya, a cluster of low stupas just below the ridge. PADAH-LIN CAVES

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Northwest of Pindaya, near the village of Ye-Ngan, is the most important prehistoric site in Myanmar: the Padah-Lin Caves (also known as Badalin, or Badut Hlaing – Chameleon Cave). The interior of one of the caves is decorated with the remains of very old paintings – estimates extend to 11,000 years – of animal and human subjects, not unlike Neolithic cave paintings in Europe. Some visitors reckon that these caves, which were discovered in 1969, are more atmospheric than the heavily touristed Pindaya Caves. To get here you’ll have to charter a 4WD from the direction of Mandalay or from southern Shan State. Coming from the south, a visit to the caves can be added to a Pindaya trip from Kalaw or Taunggyi for about an extra K5000 per vehicle. From YeNgan a rough track leads several kilometres southwest to Yebok village. The two caves are a little over 1km west of Yebok on a footpath. If coming from Mandalay, take the turn-off 81km south of Mandalay near the town of Kume on the Yangon–Mandalay Hwy. Drive east for around 35km until you reach the Kinda Dam. After a short boat ride to the other side of the dam, you’ll approach the caves along a jungle trail.

Festivals & Events Beginning on the full moon of Tabaung (February/March), Pindaya hosts a colourful paya pwe (pagoda festival) at Shwe Oo Min.

Sleeping There are several nice places to stay in Pindaya, though accommodation in both

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

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Drinking

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180 T HA Z I T O I N L E V I A K A L A W • • H e h o

Kalaw and Nyaungshwe is less expensive and generally better value. Golden Cave Hotel (%40227; s US$15-25, d US$2030) Extremely friendly and warm, the Golden Cave’s modest reception and breakfast area belies the charm of the wooden rooms in the two-storey annexe. All rooms have private balconies, some with views of the cave entrance. More expensive rooms have a TV and a fridge. This is the best place to arrange treks to nearby villages. Pindaya Inle Inn (%448 1311, in Yangon %01211 226; Mahabandoola Rd; s/d US$35/40, chalets US$70; i) The first hotel you see when you enter

Pindaya from the south, this inn isn’t as conveniently located as the other hotels, but its posh brick-and-stone little chalets, with fireplaces, desks, satellite TV and large bathrooms, are delightful. Each has a quaint porch arranged around a small garden. It’s owned and operated by Inle Princess Resort on Inle Lake. Conqueror Hotel (%448 1211, in Yangon %01satellite TV and private porches are laid out in attractive, landscaped grounds. Some bungalows have cave views. The large pavilion building houses a restaurant serving Chinese and Bamar cuisine. In the Singong Quarter of town, the hotel caters largely to tour groups. Treks can be arranged here. Myit Phyar Zaw Gji Hotel (in Taunggyi%22158; 317 Zaytan Quarter; s/d US$12/20) Conveniently located next to the market, this modern-looking but rather nondescript three-storey hotel has 16 standard rooms with attached hot-water bathroom, and five larger superior rooms with fridge. Some have good views of Boutalake Lake right across the street. The dining room serves mostly Chinese food.

Eating In addition to the restaurants mentioned below, you can fill up on snacks, both exotic and mundane, in the market. Just across the street from the market, Kyan Lite Restaurant (dishes K1000) has long banquetstyle tables and an English menu featuring good Chinese fare. Not far from the market, on the road leading to the cave, is the surprisingly modern Happy Tea House, which has snacks, tea and coffee. Other restaurants serving inexpensive Bamar and Shan food within a few blocks of

the market are U Aseik, Tip Top Restaurant and Teik Sein Restaurant.

Getting There & Away From Kalaw it costs K150 to get to Aungban and another K550 to get to Pindaya by public transport. It can be difficult to find buses or pick-ups later in the day, especially between Aungban and Pindaya, so leave early in the morning and allow a whole day for the trip. The first pick-up from Pindaya to Aungban leaves from the market area at 6am. There’s one bus per day from Taunggyi to Pindaya (K1500), at noon; the same bus travels in the opposite direction at 8am the next day. It’s much more convenient to hire a car and driver in Kalaw for about US$15 to US$20 to make the day trip to Pindaya. You can also hire a car to take you from Kalaw to Pindaya, have it wait for a couple of hours while you take in the caves and have lunch in town, and then continue on to Nyaungshwe and Inle Lake. This should cost about US$30 or the kyat equivalent for the whole day. It’s also possible to do the trip in the reverse direction or as a long day trip out of Nyaungshwe. The actual road time is about 1½ hours from Kalaw to Pindaya, and three hours or more from Pindaya to Nyaungshwe. Add waiting time (which can be considerable) in Aungban and Shwenyaung if you go by public transport.

HEHO hEhui"

The airstrip north of Heho is the gateway for many to the Inle Lake and Kalaw area. About halfway between Aungban and Shwenyaung, which is the junction for the road south to Nyaungshwe and Inle Lake, Heho itself is just another highway town. Air Mandalay, Yangon Airways and Myanma Airways fly regularly between Yangon, Mandalay and Heho; newcomer Bagan Air offers direct flights from Bagan (p187). Heho has a dusty market area just off the highway that hosts the largest of the five-day markets in the southern area of Shan State.

SHWENYAUNG er¯e–;='

Shwenyaung is the transfer point for those leaving Nyaungshwe to catch a bus to Kalaw, Mandalay, Bagan or Yangon. It’s also where most travellers heading to Nyaungshwe must

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hop off their Taunggyi-bound bus or pickup in order to catch a taxi to Nyaungshwe. There’s no longer any accommodation in Shwenyaung for foreigners, but then again there’s no reason to spend the night here. The Pan Za Lat Teashop, situated right at the Heho-Nyaungshwe-Taunggyi junction, is a convenient place to wait for transport, sip some tea and sort out your next move away from the touts, who’ll descend upon you as soon as you alight from the bus.

Getting There & Away CAR, PICK-UP & TAXI

Taxis ply the 11km road between Shwenyaung and Nyaungshwe (K4000). If it’s late – after 6pm – drivers in Shwenyaung charge relatively extortionate prices. It’s possible to find a freelancer on a motorcycle for a cheaper rate (though no helmets are provided). From Nyaungshwe, one option is to wait by the side of the road near the monument just north of the market. Some empty taxis on their way to collect passengers with reservations in Shwenyaung are willing to pick up foreign tourists for only K500 because it’s just extra money – they’re already going in your direction. Pick-ups ferry passengers back and forth between Shwenyaung and Nyaungshwe (K300) from 5am to around 4pm, though they leave only when full. TRAIN

You can get all the way to Shwenyaung by train, but it’s time-consuming. From Yangon or Mandalay the programme would be to take one of the Yangon–Mandalay express trains and disembark at Thazi. See p367 for timetable details. The train from Thazi to Shwenyaung (ordinary/1st class US$4/9, eight to nine hours) is rather slow, but the route is very picturesque, and having the run of a carriage can be more comfortable than sitting in the back of a cramped pick-up, especially on mountain curves. It’s a spectacular journey through the Shan Mountains and local villages, on a partially zigzagging railway line. A train leaves Thazi at 9am and arrives in Shwenyaung between 5pm and 6pm. Three trains leave Shwenyaung (at 8.30am, 10.30am and 2pm; US$4) and arrive in Thazi around nine hours later. You can also disembark in Kalaw from any of these trains.

I N L E L A K E 181

INLE LAKE a='"el"aui='

Inle Lake is 22km long, roughly 11km wide, 875m above sea level and a complete mirage. Facts notwithstanding, when you first encounter the lake – its placid flatness in stark contrast to the peaks on either side – it seems like a real-life Atlantis where the plug has been partially pulled and you must hop in a boat to gossip with a neighbour only a few metres away. The lakeshore and lake islands are home to 17 villages on stilts, which are mostly inhabited by the Intha people. The lake doesn’t really have a shoreline – you can’t walk directly around it. The water gets shallower and the tangled hyacinths and marsh paddies get denser until the obstacle course becomes unnavigable and you reach solid land. Like the Shan, Mon and Bamar, the Intha are Buddhist; there are around 100 Buddhist kyaung around the lake and perhaps 1000 stupas. The Inle style of religious architecture and Buddhist sculpture is strongly Shan-influenced. The hard-working Intha are famous for propelling their flat-bottomed boats by standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar. This strange leg-rowing technique offers relief to the arms – which are also used for rowing – during the long paddles from one end of the lake to another. It also enables the rower to better see the kyun myaw (floating islands) and beda (water hyacinth). It’s sometimes necessary to stand up to plot a path around the obstacles – and to spot fish. Although diesel motors are becoming more and more common, leg rowers, fully aware of their tourist-poster appeal, will immediately switch from conventional rowing to the leg-power method upon sighting a boatload of camera-carrying foreigners. The entire lake region is contained in the municipal area of Nyaungshwe and supports a population of 130,000 comprising Intha, Shan, Pa-O (Taungthu), Taung-yo, Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar people. The township of the same name sits north of the lake and is accessed by road from Shwenyaung or from the lake via a long, narrow channel. Around 70,000 people live on the shores and islands of the lake.

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256 623; www.conquerorhotel.com; s/d US$50/60; is) These large bamboo bungalows with

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182 I N L E L A K E • • H i s t o r y & C u l t u re

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The industrious villagers inhabiting the lake region support themselves by growing a wide variety of flowers, vegetables and fruit year round. They also grow rice, especially at the northern end of the lake around Nyaungshwe. Many of these crops are cultivated on floating islands, where marsh, soil and water hyacinths have combined to form incredibly fertile solid masses that are staked to the lake bottom with bamboo poles. Among the islands and peninsulas thus formed is a network of canals that provide the main avenues of transportation for the Intha. Using cone-shaped nets stretched tautly over wood and bamboo frames, Intha fishermen harvest nga-hpein (a type of carp) and other kinds of fish. Women in the vil-

lages (especially Ywama and Heya at the southern end of Inle Lake) weave Shan-style shoulder bags and silk Zinme (Chiang Maistyle) longyi on wooden hand looms. Using raw silk from China, these weavers produce more silk garments than anywhere in the country apart from Amarapura. When they aren’t busy fishing or farming, the men of Inle produce silver and brassware as well as pottery and lacquerware. During January and February the nights and mornings in the lake area are cold, so bring socks and a sweater.

HISTORY & CULTURE Both culturally and linguistically separate from their Shan neighbours, the Intha are 0 0

INLE LAKE To Taunggyi (30km)

Nyaungshwe Kyaukhpyugyi Paya

Nanthe Taung Bo Gyi

Trekking Route

Na Baung

Nat Shrine

Paung Pane

Nyaung Wan

Kaung Daing

Kanywa

Loi Kaw Tehe

Pon Tae Loilem

Trail

Walking

Thandaung

Naung Lee

Thitseinbin

Ham Pho

Kela

Ham Se

Nyaung Win

Indein Kyibawkon Shwe Inn Thein U Daung Kyaung & Meditation Centre

Dag Daw Oo

Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort

Ywama (Floating Market)

Ka Taung

Ingyingon

Tha Lay

Nam Hu

Phaung Daw Oo Paya Nam Pan

Yetha

Jay Paw Khone

Maing Pyo

Dat Gyi Kon Lon Kan Ta Pan

Kyaung Hto Ti Htat

Hti Nè

Naung Kae Naung Ya Sein

Hti Plun

Magyizeik

Chaing Kham

To Sankar; Kyauk Taung

Kyauk Ta Lone Saug Pho

September and October are among the best times of the year to visit Inle Lake. The ceremonial Phaung Daw Oo (see p190), in which four golden Buddha images are ferried around the lake in a royal barge, lasts for almost three weeks in late September or early October. It’s closely followed by Thadingyut, when the Intha and the Shan dress in new clothes and fervently celebrate the end of Waso (Buddhist Lent). They are so religious that it’s not unusual for families to spend all of their meagre savings during this one annual event.

NYAUNGSHWE e–;='er¯

Mai Law

Naung Taw

Hsisone

Taung Tho Kyaung

Moe Kaung

Ma Gyi Gone

Golden Island Cottages 1

In Paw Kone (Silk Weavers)

Helon

Kan Tan

Tha Le Oo

Nga Hpe Chaung

Zayatkyi

Nyaung Ohak

Wong ya

Ine Ne Tha Pye Gone

Pebin Inywa

Golden Island Cottages 2

Tone Lè

Pon Swe Pan

e

Pwe Sar Kone

Inle Lake

Approximate Scale

ang

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Inleh Bo Teh

Shanywa

Naung Ka

Inle Princess Resort

Maing Thauk

Kyay Sar Kone

Naung Kham

nR tai un Mo

Lin Kin

You pay the compulsory entry fee (US$3) to enter the Inle Lake zone at Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; Chaung Rd, Nyaungshwe; h7am-4pm) or at one of the hotels or guesthouses around town.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Kyauk Daing

In Oo

Hupin Hotel Inle Khaung Daing Village Resort

Trekking Route

INFORMATION

Hti Han Swe

Sizon

Hot Spring

To Kalaw (50km)

thought to have migrated to this area from Dawei on the Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) peninsula in southern Myanmar. According to one story, two brothers from Dawei came to Nyaungshwe in 1359 to serve a Nyaungshwe sao pha (‘sky lord’, a hereditary chieftain of the Shan people). The latter was so pleased with the hardworking demeanour of the Dawei brothers that he asked them to invite 36 more families from Dawei; purportedly, all the Intha around Inle Lake are descended from these migrant families. Another theory says that the Intha migrated from the Mon region in the 18th century to avoid wars between the Thais and the Bamar.

Kakku

Laid-back Nyaungshwe’s choice accommodation and diverse activities – from leisurely boat rides to strenuous hikes – combine to throw off the itineraries of many travellers who extend their stays here. During the tourist high season, Nyaungshwe (Golden Banyan Tree, also called Yaungwhe), which is 3.5km from the northern end of the lake, can seem overrun with foreigners. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the many locals who profit from their presence. Besides Kalaw, this town is one of the few places in the country to exude a backpacker vibe, evidenced by the number of inexpensive but

I N L E L A K E • • I n f o r m a t i o n 183

comfortable guesthouses and restaurants specialising in spaghetti and pancakes.

Information Yangon Airways and Air Mandalay have a small office on Yone Gyi Rd, and virtually every guesthouse can help arrange flights and bus tickets. Apart from the options listed below, several hotels offer Internet access to guests. Century Ticket Retail & Wholesale Centre (%29061; Yone Gyi Rd) This recommended, friendly place can arrange boating excursions, hikes and trips to other destinations, as well as onward transportation. Comet Travel & Internet Café (%29126; inlay [email protected]; Yone Gyi Rd). An alternative to Century Ticket and also recommended. Has a few computers with reliable Internet connections.

Inle Blooms Global Online Information Bar (Phaungdaw Seiq Rd; per hr K3000; h9am-midnight) A veritable oasis for the email starved. There are five computers, a nice coffee shop and occasional Hotmail access. Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; Chaung (Strand) Rd) The same office that collects tourists’ dollars (US$3) for the lake also provides maps of the area and sometimes the final word regarding flight schedules and fares.

Sights & Activities MUSEUM OF SHAN CHIEFS

Housed in a large teak-and-brick mansion in the northeastern part of town, this museum (Yaunghwe Haw Museum; Third St; admission US$2; h9.30am-3.30pm Tue-Sun) was the haw (palace) of the 33rd and last Shan sao pha, Sao Shwe Thaike. Thaike, who became the first president of Myanmar in 1948, was imprisoned when Ne Win came to power (see p42) and died in jail. The museum is the best surviving example of a Shan-style palace since the 1991 demolition of the haw sao pha (Shan lord’s palace) in Kengtung. Many of the rooms contain displays of Shan furniture and royal costumes. Most impressive is the huge teak-floored throne-and-audience hall in the north wing, behind the front building. SHRINES, MONASTERIES & STUPAS

The oldest temple in town, Yadana Man Aung Paya, is worth visiting for its unique stepspired stupa. Look for the ‘you will be old’ and ‘you will be sick’ figures in glass cases in one of the shrine buildings. There are several good-sized monasteries in the central and southeastern parts of town, including Kan Gyi Kyaung, Shwe Gu Kyaung and

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ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ

To Shwenyaung (11km)

Bawrithat

Shwe Yan Pyay

To Heho (8km); Kalaw (50km); Pindaya (68km); Thazi (142km)

4 km 2 miles

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184 I N L E L A K E • • N y a u n g s h w e

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NYAUNGSHWE A

B

Kyauktein Rd

64

63

(Strand Rd)

(Main Canal) Nan Chaung

10

Chaung Rd

To Inle Lake (3.5km)

Sports Field 39

6

5

24

25

8 57 37

50

20

Middle School 13

BOAT TRIPS

Nyaungshwe is the place where most visitors arrange boat trips around the lake. For more details, see p191.

15

19

Sleeping

41 4

A3 C2 A2 C2 B1 C3 B2 B1 D1 D3 C2 A2

Mingal

a Rd

Sri Jagdish Hindu Temple......................22 Stupa....................................................23 Stupas..................................................24 Stupas..................................................25 Township Office.................................. 26 Yadana Man Aung Paya.......................27 Yangon Kyaung...................................28 SLEEPING Aquarius Inn.........................................29 Bright Hotel..........................................30 Four Sisters Inn.....................................31 Gypsy Inn.............................................32 Hu Pin Hotel Nyaungshwe..................................33 Inle Inn.................................................34 Joy Hotel..............................................35 May Guest House.................................36 Mingalar Hotel......................................37 Nanda Wunn Hotel..............................38 Nawng Kham/Little Inn........................39 Paradise Hotel & Restaurant.................40 Primrose Hotel......................................41 Remember Inn......................................42 Teak Wood Guest House.....................43 Viewpoint Hotel...................................44

Yangon Kyaung. On the southeastern outskirts of town, the ruin of an old Shan monastery called Nigyon Taungyon Kyaung – originally built by the Nyaungshwe sao pha – features a set of slender whitewashed Shan stupas and some very old plinths. The complex has been transformed into a kammahtan kyaung (meditation monastery).

C1 C1 B2 B2 D2 B2 C2

A3 A2 A3 A2 B1 D2 A1 C2 B3 D2 A3 C1 B3 C1 A2 A2

EATING Aroma Restaurant................................ 45 Big Drum Restaurant............................46 Eden Teashop.......................................47 Full Moon Restaurant...........................48 Golden Kite Restaurant.........................49 Htoo Htoo Aung Chinese & Shan Food..50 Hu Pin Restaurant.................................51 La Libellude Restaurant........................52 Miss Nyaungshwe Restaurant...............53 Pancake Kingdom.................................54 Shanland Restaurant.............................55 Shwe Inlay Bakery.................................56 Shwe Pye Soe Restaurant.....................57 Smiling Moon Restaurant.....................58 Unique Superb Food House..................59

A2 A2 C1 A2 C2 B3 B1 A2 A2 A2 B1 B1 B2 C2 C1

ENTERTAINMENT Puppet Theatre.....................................60 C2 TRANSPORT Boat Landing........................................61 Boat Landing........................................62 Bus/Pick-up Stop..................................63 Pick-ups to Shwenyaung.......................64 Pick-ups to Taunggyi............................65

A2 A2 B1 B1 A2

Less than 1km north of the town entrance, an old 18th- or 19th-century monastery called Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung features a venerable wooden thein (ordination hall) with unique oval windows. A long, low, rectangular brick-and-stucco pahto (shrine) on the premises has Buddha images of various ages inside.

Many of the budget and midrange guesthouses in Nyaungshwe are family owned and operated. Most offer low-season discounts, but at any time of year most rates are open to negotiation because of the fairly intense competition. All room rates include breakfast. In addition, most hotels and guesthouses act as travel agents. They’re able to book bus tickets and flights, and arrange boat trips, hikes and even a traditional Myanmar massage (US$2 to US$4 per hour). Temperatures are mild to cool at night, making air-con unnecessary. BUDGET

Aquarius Inn (%29352; 2 Phaung Daw Pyan Rd; s/d US$6/12) The excellent-value Aquarius has several cosy and warm all-wood rooms. In a small compound directly across the street from the Little Inn, it is quiet and friendly and serves an excellent breakfast in its little restaurant. It also has a good collection of foreign-language books on loan for guests. May Guest House (%29417; 85 Myawady Rd; s/d US$6/12) Look for the small yellow building opposite Hlaing Gu Kyaung monastery, down a quiet side street. Snug rooms at this guesthouse are squeaky clean and very good value. Each has a hot-water shower and a small veranda. An excellent breakfast is included.

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WARNING It’s not unusual for taxi drivers and other self-appointed guides to direct you away from the hotel you request and take you to the hotel where they receive a commission. In order to convince you that they only have your happiness in mind, they’ll try some common excuses: the owner died, the hotel closed, it has a new owner and is now dirty etc. Be firm, and whatever you do, check in yourself. Otherwise you’ll probably be paying a few extra bucks for commission.

Teakwood Guest House (%29250; teakwoodhtl@ myanmar.com.mm; s US$4-10, d US$9-20; i) This guesthouse three blocks east of the canal has some of the most attractive rooms in the area. The five or so in the new annexe have comfortable beds and wooden furnishings, but the real draw is the bathrooms, which are covered in small stones. Economy rooms in the old building are as basic as they come. There are two open-air lounge and dining areas – one for the old building and another very beautiful teak one for the newer, more expensive rooms. The woman who owns and runs the Teakwood with her family’s help is an assertive saleswoman; it’s best to shop around in terms of trips offered through here. Primrose Hotel (%29150; 40 Mingala Rd; s/d US$10/ 15) From the outside, this hotel in the southern part of town near the Mong Li Canal appears slightly worn, with a corrugated iron roof and peeling paint, but the interior is a different story. The large all-wood rooms, each with their own private bathroom and porch, are nicer than you’d expect for the money. Inle Inn (%29016; Yone Gyi Rd; s/d US$8/12) This inn on the eastern side of town, one of the oldest privately owned inns in the country, is well managed and quiet. Spick-and-span rooms in the bamboo bungalows are first rate. There’s a pleasant sitting area in the garden out the back. A Shan dinner and puppet show is available on request. Viewpoint Hotel (%29062; s/d US$7/14) This hotel’s unique location just over the bridge on the other side of the canal is a mixed blessing. While it’s fun to sleep in a bungalow over the water, early-morning boat traffic can be an annoyance. The thatched bamboo bungalows aren’t especially well

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INFORMATION Air Mandalay Office.............................(see 9) Bank........................................................1 B1 Comet Travel & Internet Café.................2 B2 Golden Island Cottages Office................3 A2 Hospital..................................................4 B3 Inle Blooms Global Online Information Bar...................... 5 A3 Moe Moe's Boat & Bicycle......................6 A3 MTT Office............................................7 A2 Telephone Office....................................8 B2 Yangon Airways Office..........................9 C2 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Handicrafts...........................................10 Hlaing Gu Kyaung................................11 Independence Monument....................12 Kan Gyi Kyaung...................................13 Mingala Market....................................14 Monastery............................................15 Monastery............................................16 Monument............................................17 Museum of Shan Chiefs........................18 Nigyon Taungyon Kyaung....................19 Shwe Gu Kyaung.................................20 Shwe Zali Paya.....................................21

36

Phaungdawpyan Rd Middle School

To Nanthe; Kyaukhpyugyi Paya 31

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

27

21

29

26

Myawady Rd

12

32

38

28

16

The main municipal zei (market), near the town’s northern entrance, is busiest in the morning, when vendors congregate to sell their wares. In addition to mountains of fresh produce, Shan noodles and other local products, there are a few stalls selling pottery and textiles.

34

Phaungdaw Seiq Rd

53

3

7

3

School

43

58

49

11

30

62

YWA THA

60

2

l

48

46 52

MINGALA MARKET

22

9 Yone Gyi Rd

Li C ana

2

23

Mo ng

54

High School

14

55

65

45

56

33

59

51

Rd

61

18 Third St

42

1

Ὀ 35

44

D

47

Canal

To Hot Springs

0.1 miles

Main

1

A short walk south of town along the eastern side of the main channel leads to the small but atmospheric ruins of Kyaukhpyugyi Paya, next to the Intha village of Nanthe. Surrounded by brick-and-stucco devas (celestial beings), chinthe (half-lion, half-dragon guardian deities) and stupas is a huge sitting Buddha, said to be 700 years old.

100 m

To Shwe Yaunghwe C Kyaung (1km); Shwenyaung (11km); Taunggyi (31km); Heho (35km); Airport (35km); Kalaw (64km); Kakku (73km) 17 40

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maintained, and the water pressure is unreliable, but after an afternoon on your own small balcony you’ll easily forgive these hassles. An excellent breakfast is served on the roof of an attached building, where there are even better views of town. Bright Hotel (%29137; 53 Phaungdaw Seiq Rd; s/d US$5/8) Though the rooms at the Bright Hotel are large, the mismatched furniture means it’s unlikely to win any awards in interior design. It’s a fairly modern house with several wings, one of which contains a large family room that sleeps at least four. Nawng Kham (Little Inn; %29195; Phaung Daw Pyan Rd; s/d US$5/10) Opposite Shwe Zali Paya, this inn has seven basic carpeted rooms arranged around a pleasant garden with atmospheric views of the nearby stupa. Joy Hotel (%29083; Jetty Rd; s/d US$5/9) On a narrow, quiet canal west of the market, the Joy Hotel feels pleasantly isolated – at least from the other guesthouses. A small sitting area overlooking the canal makes up for the fairly basic (but clean) rooms. There are cheaper rooms with shared bathroom in the two-storey house. A few of the larger rooms have a hot-water shower and a toilet. Gypsy Inn (Chaung Rd; s US$5-8, d US$10-15) More modern and motel-like than other places in this category, the Gypsy Inn is still good value. A few of the higher-priced rooms have balconies, though proximity to the canal means your morning wake-up call is the obnoxious revving of motorboats. Remember Inn (%29257; remember@myanmar .com.mm; Third St; s US$4-10, d US$8-12; i) Popular with backpackers and the taxi drivers who transport them (the Remember seems to have the commission system wired), this inn is not as charming as the competition, though the English-speaking staff can address all travel-related questions and needs. The cheapest bamboo furnished rooms are actually the best value, while the higherpriced concrete rooms in the cavernous ‘high-rise’ section of the hotel are large but unattractive. There’s a restaurant and sitting area with satellite TV. Burmese massage is available for US$2 per hour. The inn is opposite the Museum of Shan Chiefs. Four Sisters Inn (%29190; 105 Nan Pan Quarter; s/d US$7/12) The proprietors here have expanded their restaurant business into a quiet guesthouse between the canal and a large rice paddy, about 1km south of the main village.

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Rooms have a fan, a hot-water shower and good beds. MIDRANGE

Nanda Wunn Hotel (%22540; nandawunn@myanmar .com.mm; 80 Yone Gyi Rd; bungalows s US$18-20, d US$2025; i) The Nanda Wunn, a few blocks east

of the market in a quiet compound, isn’t much pricier than some of the budget accommodation, but the larger, superior bungalows with high ceilings, individual porches and bathrooms with tubs deserve the few extra bucks. Traditional Myanmar massage is available. Paradise Hotel & Restaurant (%22009; 40 Third St; s US$22-25, d US$25-30; a) Near the Museum of Shan Chiefs, this hotel in a large compound is popular with French package tourists. Standard rooms in the two-storey motel-like building are not especially good value, but the individual bungalows with wicker furniture and private porches are more appealing. All rooms have hot-water shower, fridge, TV and air-con. The staff is quite helpful with travel and air-ticket arrangements. Hu Pin Hotel Nyaungshwe (%29291; hupin-hotel@ mptmail.net.mm; 66 Kan Tha Quarter; s/d US$30/36; a) A Chinese-style five-storey behemoth (well, for this small village), Hu Pin won’t make you feel at home, though it does have large attached air-con rooms with hot-water shower, TV and fridge. The hotel is a block west of Mingala Market. All rates include breakfast at the rooftop restaurant or around the corner at the Hu Pin Restaurant, which is owned by the same group.

Eating The town seems to be reaching saturation point in terms of pancake and pasta joints, INLE OFF THE BEATEN TRACK Kakku Thousands of stupas lined up like plants in a field (p192) Sankar An ancient wall in a lake far south of Inle (p193) hot springs You’ll need a soak after the bike ride (p189) trek to Kalaw It beats the bus (p176) Ta-Eh Gu This cave in the mountains east of the lake is a nice rest stop (p191)

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though these aren’t necessarily unwelcome to travellers weary of the usual curry and rice dishes. Interestingly enough, a few places advertise pizzas but don’t serve them. Most restaurants that cater to tourists stay open till 9pm or 10pm. Be cautious of newcomers anxious to take advantage of tourists’ dollars without providing good standards of hygiene. Several travellers have reported becoming sick after eating improperly washed vegetables. Mingala Market is a good place to shop for local produce; there are also plenty of Shan kauq-sweh (noodle-soup) vendors at the market every morning. Another local delicacy is maung jeut (round, flat rice crisps). Several hotels, including Four Sisters Inn and Teakwood Guest House, have good restaurants open to nonguests. Unique Superb Food House (3 Myawady Rd; chicken fricassees K2000) Really only a few tables set in a garden around the corner from the Remember Inn, this restaurant has learned to cater to the tourist palate without sacrificing creativity or local flavour. The filet mignon is K2000, the potato curry is K600 and the cream of carrot soup is K500. Golden Kite Restaurant (Yone Gyi Rd; dishes K1000) This is the reigning king of pasta and pancake joints. Omelettes, fruit shakes and a vegetarian version of its delicious tagliatelle are also on offer. Most of the staff speak excellent English and are quite familiar with foreign travellers’ tastes. Tables are set outside on a wraparound porch. Smiling Moon Restaurant (Yone Gyi Rd; dishes K800) With a similar menu to the Golden Kite just down the street, Smiling Moon has a few tables and is clean and friendly. Miss Nyaungshwe Restaurant (Phaungdaw Seiq Rd; pastas K1000) The usual Chinese and Bamar curries, plus pancakes and pasta dishes are served here. Miss Nyaungshwe has a nice outdoor patio and a selection of bottled beers. Aroma Restaurant (Chaung Rd; dishes K800) This modest-looking place along the canal serves savoury Indian meat and vegetable curries. There’s another branch in Bagan. La Libellude (dishes K800) Walk across the bridge and turn left to reach this restaurant just across the canal. La Libellude is an ideal place to sit in the late afternoon and watch canal life float by while enjoying a sandwich, a salad, a shake or delicious apple tart (K600).

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Big Drum Restaurant (dishes K800) Made up of a set of thatched A-frame shelters on the western bank of the main canal, this is a friendly place. A Shan dinner of fish curry, bean soup, fried peanuts and rice costs K1000. Chinese food is also available. Htoo Htoo Aung Chinese & Shan Food (dishes 800) This small A-frame restaurant near the Aquarius Inn has a few tables. Shan specialities are the highlight of the menu. Hu Pin Restaurant (dishes K1000) The Hu Pin serves very good Chinese food in a modern and clean dining area. The English-language menu is divided into three sections: chicken, fish and pork. Eden Teashop (h6am-5pm) On the northeastern corner of the market near an old bridge over the Mong Li Canal, this teashop sells good nam-bya (nan-type bread) with bean dip. Also recommended: Daw Nyunt Yee Restaurant (dishes K700) Shanland Restaurant (dishes K700) Shwe Pye Soe Restaurant (dishes K700)

Getting There & Away Apart from flying, all the routes to the Inle Lake area are time-consuming, but there are several options that can save you much time and trouble. First of all, there’s no need to go to Taunggyi, the main town in the area and the location of the main MTT office. If you simply want to go to the lake you’ll save a couple of hours by skipping Taunggyi and transferring in the junction town of Shwenyaung (see p181). The staging area for most public transport to/from Nyaungshwe is just north of the Hu Pin Hotel, one block west of Mingala Market. AIR

Air Mandalay (AM), Yangon Airways (YA), Myanma Airways (MA) and Bagan Air (BA) all fly to Heho (the gateway to the Inle Lake region), 30km west of Shwenyaung. From Heho it’s a further 11km to Nyaungshwe or 20km to Taunggyi. For some reason the terminal in Heho is completely fenced off, so taxis have to stop down the road, over 100m away, where there are a couple of small restaurants. AM, BA and YA have daily flights from Yangon to Heho, some via Mandalay. During the high season (November to February),

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you can count on at least two flights per day from Heho to Yangon and Mandalay with one of these reliable carriers, but during other times of the year service is less regular. The Yangon–Heho fare is US$105, and the Mandalay–Heho fare is US$50. AM, BA and YA fly daily from Heho to Bagan with a stopover in Mandalay. A ticket for this leg costs US$75. During the high season AM and YA fly from Heho to Kengtung and Tachileik daily (US$75). MA flies from Yangon and Mandalay to Heho as well, but there’s no reason to fly with the government-run airline, especially as the other airlines are far superior in terms of reliability and comfort. The one-hour taxi ride between Heho airport and Nyaungshwe costs K9000 to K15,000. It’s more expensive to go from the airport to town, since drivers there know you’re at their mercy. The cheaper option is to hike out to the main road and wait for a pick-up or bus to the Shwenyaung junction (K350); from Shwenyaung, another pick-up or bus will eventually go to Nyaungshwe (about K200). If you’re continuing to Taunggyi, it’s K300. Keep in mind that doing it the cheap way may take half a day. By road, most people travel to Inle Lake from Bagan, Mandalay, Thazi or Kalaw. Around January, the trip from the plains over the mountains to Inle Lake can be very cold in an open-truck pick-up – make sure you have some warm clothes. The initial departure point and final destination of all public transport is Taunggyi, but travellers in Nyaungshwe and Inle need only wait by the side of the road at Shwenyaung junction, 11km north of Nyaungshwe. Buses stop and pick up passengers waiting at the side of the road. Tickets for the destinations listed below should be purchased in advance. Travel agencies and most hotels and guesthouses in Nyaungshwe can help make bus reservations. Share taxis are quicker and generally not significantly more expensive than a bus if you’re travelling in a group of four or more. Any of the following destinations can be arranged through your guesthouse or one of the travel agencies or freelance guides roaming around Nyaungshwe’s restaurants.

Bagan

A share taxi from Nyaungshwe to Bagan is more convenient than a bus and only slightly more expensive if you’re in a group of four. The entire taxi costs from K50,000 to K60,000 and takes around eight hours. Shwe Hla Mi and Ye Thu Aunger operate buses from Taunggyi to Bagan (K7000) that leave at 4am. The buses pass by the Shwenyaung junction at around 5am and arrive in Bagan around 12 hours later. Kalaw, Thazi & Meiktila

To reach Kalaw from Nyaungshwe, catch any Mandalay- or Yangon-bound bus in Shwenyaung (three to four hours). Buses going to Yangon generally also stop in Thazi, and some buses going to Mandalay may stop in Meiktila (a new road now bypasses the town, which makes the situation uncertain). Mandalay

Buses between Mandalay and the lake area (eight to 12 hours) cost K5000 to K6000, depending on the bus company. Two of the more reliable express companies, Taung Thar Express and Shan Maw Mye, have daily departures for Taunggyi. The former departs Mandalay at 7pm and the latter at 5am. Several buses pass through Shwenyaung on their way to Mandalay from 6pm to 8pm. If arranged through guesthouses, share taxis between Nyaungshwe and Mandalay are around K50,000 to K60,000 for the whole taxi and take around eight hours. Although it’s unlikely to be used by buses, a new and shorter route by car leaves the Mandalay–Meiktila road just south of Kyaukse and crosses the hills through YeNgan to meet the Aungban–Pindaya road halfway between the two towns. Taunggyi & Yangon

Pick-ups to Taunggyi leave virtually every half-hour from 6am to 4pm from a small lot two blocks south of the canal. The uphill trip takes one hour and costs K500 for a front seat and K300 for a spot in the crowded back. A taxi along the same route costs K12,000 or more for a return trip. Several companies run buses between Yangon and Taunggyi (see p195). Two nightly Yangon-bound buses stop briefly in

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Shwenyaung around noon. Eastern State Express charges K7000 per seat and arrives at Yangon’s Highway bus terminal 16 to 20 hours later.

Getting Around Most guesthouses have bicycles for rent, as do a few of the travel agencies and a couple of ramshackle bike-rental shacks around town. Rates are generally K500 per day. It’s an excellent way to see the surrounding countryside, including the hot springs near Kaung Daing.

AROUND THE LAKESHORE To explore the lake, you can hire a boat from just about anyone who has one. The exact price per person or per boat depends on two things: the price of petrol and the distance travelled. An all-day trip around the lake costs less than US$10. Key sights include the Ywama floating market, Indein and Phuang Daw Oo Paya. See p191 for more information on boat trips.

Sights KAUNG DAING

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This Intha village on the northwestern shore of the lake is known for its soybean cakes and noodles. It’s easy to observe the methods used, as just about every other household is involved in this cottage industry. Pottery and weaving can also be seen. Just outside the village are some interesting Shan temple ruins. A little north of Kaung Daing (also spelt Kaungdine) are some hot springs (h7am-5pm) – really little more than a concrete communal bath. Longyi are available for rent (K200). Private rooms are also available (US$2). The water is very hot and said to be cleanest between May and August. Kaung Daing and the hot springs are a 1½-hour drive from Nyaungshwe around the top of the lake via Shwenyaung on the Heho road, or about 30 minutes across the lake by boat. A boat charter costs K800 (each way) to Kaung Daing, which has a couple of hotels nearby. However, most travellers interested only in the hot springs arrive by bicycle (see above). It’s a bumpy and potholed 40-minute ride from Nyaungshwe. Cross the small bridge over the canal on the western edge of town and follow the rough,

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dirt road until you reach the fork at the top of a steep hill. Turn left here and continue on this hilly paved road the rest of the way. The hot springs will be on your left. Many hikes from Kalaw to Inle end here as well. INLEH BO TEH

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The lake is very shallow and clear, so a swim looks inviting, and Inleh Bo Teh is a good place to have one. Inleh means ‘middle of’, bo means ‘officer’ or ‘official’, and teh means ‘house’, so Inleh Bo Teh is literally ‘an official's house in the middle of a lake’. It’s no longer used as such, but it makes a good place to stop for a mid-lake picnic or swim. NGA HPE CHAUNG (JUMPING CAT MONASTERY)

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Monks get bored just like the rest of us – meditation only gets you so far. Admittedly, we don’t know anything about this, but supporting our theory are the monks at Nga Hpe Kyaung, who have trained their muchphotographed resident cats to leap through small hoops. (Just north of Ywama, Nga Hpe is a wooden monastery on stilts that was built four years before Mandalay Palace.) The monks have expressed some frustration with visitors who make cat-jumping demands while they (the monks) are occupied with things such as eating and meditating. Otherwise they seem willing to oblige visitors. But an even better reason to visit is the modest collection of Buddha images in Shan, Tibetan, Bagan and Inwa (Ava) styles. The tall, highly ornate wood-and-mosaic pedestals and cases built for the images are just as impressive as the Buddhas themselves. Many of the original Shan images they once contained have been sold or stolen, so the cases mostly house newer images. YWAMA

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To see Ywama’s famous floating market, you must calculate the day according to the local five-day market scheme. Sad to say, you must also consider what has happened to this once-interesting local event. On market day, the Ywama floating market is a traffic jam of tourist boats and souvenir hawkers, with a few local farmers trying to sell their vegetables to a few

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local buyers. On nonmarket days, it’s almost worse because there are only souvenir and tourist boats; of course, the smart vegetable farmers are already at another fiveday market. Arriving early won’t help: the action is in full swing by 8.30am, and it’s downhill from there. Don’t despair – you can enjoy a floating market without fighting the crowds and without adding to the already crazy atmosphere of Ywama. Simply choose any market from the five-day market schedule around Inle. Any guesthouse or hotel in Nyaungshwe will have the current schedule. A secondary five-day circuit rotates among the lake villages of Kaung Daing, Maing Thauk, Nam Pan, Indein and Thandaung. The approach to Ywama is quite beautiful despite the market scene, and after the morning rush hour (and before the late-afternoon one) it’s a lovely place to see. Perched over the lake are several restaurants, good for a midday snack or lunch break, serving Bamar and Chinese food. Regular boats go from Nyaungshwe to Ywama village. PHAUNG DAW OO PAYA

The main landing at Ywama stands in front of Phaung Daw Oo Paya, the holiest religious site in the southern area of Shan State. Five images, four of which are ferried around the lake during the important Phaung Daw Oo festival (see p183), are enshrined in the centre of the building. Beside the channel are the boathouses sheltering the ornate vessels that carry the images on their annual voyage. Stalls on the ground floor of the shrine and nearby sell brightly coloured cotton Shan shoulder bags, other local crafts and ‘antiques’. Silk and cotton fabrics are a local speciality; there are over 200 hand looms in Ywama. A shady khamauk (conical bamboo hat) is another popular purchase here. INDEIN

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A regular convoy of motorised longboats speeding tourists through the winding, mazelike entrance to the village of Indein on the western side of the lake detracts somewhat from the Indiana Jones–like atmosphere. Overgrown vegetation slaps against the boat and your head, and dense jungle opens up to

reveal Nyaung Ohak (Group of Banyan Trees, or Under the Shade of Banyan Trees), a mouldering complex of shrines and stupas. Even more exotic looking is the stairway lined with hundreds of wooden columns leading up the hill. At the top is Shwe Inn Thein, an impressive collection of weatherbeaten stupas that, from one perspective, have thankfully escaped restoration. From the hillside there are great views across the lake to the hills in the east and, behind the stupas, of the countryside to the west. But the very picturesqueness that draws visitors is undermined by the souvenir sellers that travellers must dodge from the moment they step from the boat. The site is practically one long table of tourist kitsch, though some of the lacquerware and silverware is of good quality. It’s a 1000m climb to reach the U Daung Monastery & Meditation Centre, just south of Indein. MAING THAUK

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On the eastern side of the lake, the village of Maing Thauk is divided into ‘land’ and ‘floating’ halves. The 0.5km-long wooden bridge running out to the floating village from the lake’s shore was built with voluntary village labour in 2001. Just below the boys’ orphanage on the hillside above the village, a few crumbling gravestones are all that remain of the colonial-era Fort Steadman. Further up the hill is the Maing Thauk forest monastery. The village is within cycling distance from Nyaungshwe; follow the bumpy track running along the foot of the hills that rise up from the lake. SOUTHERN END OF THE LAKE

On the southwestern side of the lake, a long walkway leads to the poorly restored hill-top complex of stupas at Thaung Tho Kyaung. On the lakeside there’s a popular market site (the market is part of the five-day scheme). Right at the southern end of the lake, the whole village of Kyauk Taung is so devoted to pottery-making that there are pots everywhere. The floating village of Kyaing Kan East specialises in weaving robes using threads drawn from the long stems of lotus plants. The lotus robes are specially made for monks, Buddha statues and visiting tourists. They’re quite expensive (US$35 to US$50

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for a shawl) because of their rarity, as lotus plants can only be gathered for six months of the year.

Activities MOTORBOAT TRIPS

It is de rigueur to take at least one boat trip on the lake during a visit to Inle. Long, narrow dugout canoes outfitted with enormous lawn-mower engines typically ferry tourists to Phaung Daw Oo Paya (Ywama), Jumping Cat Monastery, Indein, and the floating gardens and souvenir shops. At all these places you’ll see Shan shoulder bags, embroidered shirts and longyi, tapestries, pottery, jewellery, and all the usual souvenirs. The lake itself is rich in wildlife, especially waterfowl. All bird life on the lake and in the adjoining wetlands is reportedly protected by law, as Inle Lake has been an official bird sanctuary since 1985. You can see herons, warblers and egrets, which fly in formation over the lake every day about an hour before sunset. However, you won’t hear them – or the comments of fellow passengers for that matter – over the thunder of the boat’s motor. The front seat is best for those with sensitive eardrums. Virtually every hotel and guesthouse in Nyaungshwe can arrange motorboat trips. As you might expect, the higher-end hotels charge more. The least expensive trips can be sussed out by simply showing up at the jetty near the MTT office and asking around. The drawback to the cheaper boats found at the pier is the fact that the ‘drivers’ are less likely to speak English and more likely to ferry you to the standard touristy places where they receive commission. Prices range from K6000 per boat to K6000 per person for the day. Some boats can seat up to 10. You may be asked to pay more depending on your itinerary. CANOE TRIPS

With all the package tours heading to the southern end of the lake on noisy powerboats nowadays, a quiet canoe paddle through the villages along the lake channel has become an attractive alternative. Unfortunately, following the drowning of a foreign visitor after a canoe capsized, nonmotorised canoes ferrying foreign passengers are no longer allowed on the lake. However, several

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people in town do shorter canoe trips on the canals branching from the lake and along the Nyaungshwe shore of the lake. Although you won’t get to see the more famous lake sights, life along the canals is fascinating and the villagers are friendly. The slow-moving canoes are also better for photography. One place that can only be visited by canoe is the large nat shrine in the middle of a swampy banyan-tree jungle opposite Nanthe village on the main channel. The house-sized wooden shrine sits on stilts and contains a rustic altar. Canoes aren’t subject to the lake entrance fee and can be arranged from the same places as motorboats, including the canal area near the bridge. Rates for two to three people range from a cheap K500 for one hour to K6000 for several hours. HIKING

Extended walks to the north or south of Nyaungshwe pass among extensive rice paddies dotted with Shan stupa ruins. Trails into the hills east of town lead to Pa-O villages and panoramic views of the lake area. A good and rugged all-day hike is to the monastery Koun Soun Taungbo and nearby cave Ta-Eh Gu. You pass through two Pa-O villages on the way. Further away are the ruins of Kakku. Guided day hikes can be arranged at the guesthouses or hotels. Guides typically charge US$5 a day, which includes a basic lunch of rice and curry. Multiday trips, other than to Inle, are currently not officially encouraged. It’s a good idea to bring bottled water on any day hike. An increasingly popular option is the hike from Inle Lake to Kalaw, though it’s more common to do it in the other direction. A typical route includes stops in the following Shan, Intha, Pa-O, Danu and Taung villages: Indein, Nan Yakr, Taung Kha Mauk, Kyauk Su Ti Htain, Put Tu Pauk, Kun Lone, Lay Thar Gone, Pha Yar Phyu, Inn Woon, Myin Ma Hti and Kalaw.

Sleeping Upmarket places, some quite idyllic, are primarily found on the lake itself or outside Nyaungshwe somewhere near the shore. All of the hotels built like floating villages on stilts directly over the lake or on the

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lakeshore are top end. While they are indeed quite idyllic, single travellers will probably feel somewhat lonely, as it’s a long boat ride back to Nyaungshwe, and the fantastic sunsets visible from the eastern shore stir romantic feelings best explored with others. Reservations are recommended in the high season, and discounts are available online. All of the hotels will arrange pick-ups and return boat trips to/from Nyaungshwe. Golden Island Cottages I (Nampan) & II (Thale U) (GIC; in Taunggyi%23136, in Yangon%01-549 019; The equivalent of prime beach-front property, the Golden Island Cottages’ location near the village of Nam Pan affords unobstructed views of the lake and surrounding mountains on both sides. The main lodge is connected to the individual hardwood cottages (each with a private balcony) by an elevated walkway, so that every room seems to be its own little island. Newer all-teak rooms are much nicer than the older rooms furnished with bamboo matting. There’s a swimming area with a sandy bottom, and the affordable restaurant specialises in Chinese, Pa-O and Shan dishes (sweet-and-sour butterfish costs K2000). Both GICs – 20 rooms near Thale U were opened in 2000 – are run as a Pa-O collective, which means that profits benefit the community. Thale U is quieter as it’s closer to the shore and out of earshot of most boats. Both hotels welcome guests with a percussion quartet and cold towels. They also run treks and trips to Kakku and Sankar. Inle Princess Resort (%29055, in Yangon%211 226; www.inleprincessresort.com; bungalows US$160)

Easily the most luxurious place on the lake, the Inle Princess is honeymoon material. Extravagant and sophisticated, the individual bungalows have been designed with maximum attention to every detail and a concern for privacy. Colourful pillows, original artwork, pyjamas and flowers are just a few of the touches. Some bungalows have outdoor all-stone showers and baths. More expensive ones have lake views, sun decks and cushioned lounge chairs, while others have garden views. The spectacular dining room and bar area, with its soaring ceiling, is modelled on a monastery building in Kengtung. The Shan food is expensive but excellent, and cultural shows are put on for big groups.

Royal Orchid Hotel (in Taunggyi%23182; s US$25-30, d US$30-45) Near Kaung Daing on the northwestern part of the lake, the Royal Orchid is a quiet and relaxing place about 50m from the lake’s bank. It offers 20 spacious bungalow rooms with private facilities and serene views. Rates vary depending on room size and view. Also recommended: Hu Pin Hotel Inle Khaung Daing Village Resort (%29291; [email protected]) Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort (%22077; www .myanmarinlefloatingresort.com; s/d US$33/38)

Eating There are a number of places to eat in the floating village of Ywama, near Phaung Daw Oo Paya. Several restaurants with balconies serve Chinese food and make nice lunch stops on an all-day lake tour. For a real treat, albeit an expensive one, hire a boat to take you to the Inle Princess Resort for a meal. Choose from Shan, Intha, Thai and European menus (US$18).

AROUND INLE LAKE Kakku kkûB

Kakku (also spelt Kekku or Ketku) is best described as an orchard of stupas. Some 40km south of Taunggyi in a region populated by the Pa-O people, the site is said to contain over 2000 stupas, most of which are only 3m to 4m high, laid out in neat rows. Constructed in a mixture of Pa-O, Shan and Bamar styles, the stupas are made of brick and laterite, and some are covered with ornate stucco motifs. Two larger stupas are also part of the collection; one contains a highly revered Buddha image. No detailed studies have been conducted to determine the age of this site, but a local legend gives it a history dating back to the 3rd century BC, when India’s Buddhist emperor Asoka is said to have sent missionaries to the region. An all-weather road has been built to Kakku, making it easily accessible from Taunggyi. Unfortunately, along with the new road have come concessions to tourists, both foreign and local. The site has been fenced in, and paved walkways have been laid around and through the rows of stupas. The typical dilemma that affects Buddhist ruins throughout Southeast Asia applies here. While foreign visitors are

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drawn to these ancient sites to view them in their ‘picturesque’ ruined state, local Buddhist pilgrims come specifically to acquire religious merit by contributing money to the restoration of the ruins. Kakku is managed by the same Pa-O collective that owns the Golden Island Cottages at Inle Lake. Before visiting the site, foreign visitors are required to stop at the GIC office (Pa-O collective office; %23136; fax 23970; 65 West Circular Rd, Taunggyi) and pay a US$3 entrance fee and a US$5 guide fee. A Pa-O guide from this office will accompany you to the site. While their English isn’t always up to par, this arrangement will at least enable the Pa-O to earn some of the tourist dollars that they hope their historic site will attract. So far there isn’t any accommodation in the immediate vicinity. Hlaing Konn Restaurant, a huge restaurant of the type that caters to busloads of package tourists, overlooks the site. GETTING THERE & AWAY

To visit Kakku you must first hire a car. Foreigners aren’t allowed to take public transport to the site, even though a railway line runs from Taunggyi to Kakku. Cars and guides can be hired through hotels in Taunggyi (1½ hours one way) and Nyaungshwe (2½ hours one way). The return trips cost US$15 and US$25 respectively, plus US$5 admission per person (this includes waiting time of a couple of hours at the stupas). The less expensive option is to just show up at the GIC office in Taunggyi and hire a guide from there.

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This area far south of Inle only opened to foreign tourists in 2003, though hardly any venture here. The trip from Nyaungshwe takes 2½ hours from October to December, and 3½ hours in the dry season. A long, winding canal connects the southernmost tip of Inle with a reservoir near the village of Sankar. Running through the water here is the remnants of an old irrigation canal, made of sand and lime over 500 years ago for a settlement ruled by a Shan chief. Locals unfamiliar with the materials and technology used to build the wall explain its origins in a love story involving nat (spirit

I N L E L A K E • • A r o u n d I n l e L a k e 193

beings). A monk lives in the old pagoda and monastery, surrounded by lush fields. Trips to Sankar are arranged in cooperation with the Pa-O collective. Golden Island Cottage (opposite) charges K30,000 for up to five people, plus a permit fee of US$6.

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Taunggyi feels distant from the touristoriented Nyaungshwe, its Chinese influence visible in the architecture and physiognomy of its inhabitants. The town’s essence is the main commercial thoroughfare that runs from north to south. It’s flanked by tightly packed buildings selling everything from refrigerators to knock-off designer clothing and more mundane electrical supplies. At 1430m, Taunggyi (‘Big Hill’ in Burmese) provides a cool break from the heat of the plains. There are some pleasant walks if you’re in the mood, but basically the town is a growing trade centre for the southwestern area of Shan State. All that remains of the colonial era is an overgrown graveyard, a stone church, a line of cherry trees and a handful of timber cottages, all on the fringes of town. Taunggyi is the official end of the line for east-bound foreigners in Myanmar – at least for those travelling by road. What lies beyond Taunggyi is a matter of speculation: black-marketeers, ruby miners, insurgent armies or opium and methamphetamine warlords? Because it functions as a conduit for smuggled goods from Thailand, China and India, and as a base for trips to the Maing Shu (Mong Hsu) gem tract to the east, this is one of Myanmar’s most prosperous and enterprising towns. An abundance of blackmarket consumer goods is displayed in the Taunggyi market, which is at the edge of a Chinese enclave whose residents include many illegal immigrants. The remainder of the population of 100,000 people includes tribespeople, Shan, Bamar, Sikhs, Punjabis and Nepalis. Along Taunggyi’s main streets you’ll see various temples, mosques and churches. SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES

Taunggyi has an interesting market area in the centre of town where you’re likely to

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Asian Light Supermarket..........................................................5 Baptist Church..........................................................................6 Catholic Church.......................................................................7 Church.....................................................................................8 Clock Tower............................................................................9 Flying Tiger Mashua..............................................................10 Gem Market...........................................................................11 GIC Office.............................................................................12 Mosque.................................................................................13 Mosque.................................................................................14 Myoe Le Dhamma Yon Paya.................................................15 New Market..........................................................................16 Old Market............................................................................17 St George Anglican Church...................................................18 Shan State Cultural Museum.................................................19 Shan State Library.................................................................20 Sikh Temple...........................................................................21 Township Offices...................................................................22 Yat Taw Me Paya.................................................................. 23 YMCA................................................................................... 24

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SLEEPING Khemarat Guest House..........................................................25 Khemarat Hotel.....................................................................26 Muse Hotel............................................................................27 Paradise Hotel........................................................................28 Salween Hotel.......................................................................29 Taunggyi Hotel......................................................................30

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EATING Brother Hotel Restaurant.......................................................31 Coca-Cola Restaurant............................................................32 Daw Thwan Shan Noodle Shop.............................................33 Htun Restaurant....................................................................34 Khine Thazin Restaurant........................................................35 Lyan Yu Restaurant................................................................36 Maw Kham............................................................................37 Maxim's Chinese Restaurant..................................................38 Sein Myanmar Restaurant......................................................39

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rub shoulders with hill-tribe people. There’s a daily market, plus one that comes to town every five days. The latter market moves from Taunggyi to Pwehla (on the way to Pindaya), then to Kalaw on the third day, and from there (in turn) to Pindaya, Heho and back to Taunggyi. There’s also a daily gem market (hnoon-4pm) in the northeastern part of town, where jade, rubies and sapphires are bought and sold. For those interested in the Shan State’s cultures, the modest Shan State Cultural Museum (admission US$2; h9.30am-3.30pm) and Shan State Library are worth a visit. Items include local native costumes, religious art, musical instruments, ceramics and weapons. If nothing else, you can begin identifying the

TRANSPORT Buses to Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan.......................................41 Eastern State Express Bus.......................................................42 Myanma Airways...................................................................43 Taxis & Local Buses, Pick-Ups................................................44 Taxis, Pick-ups to Inle Lake....................................................45 Yangon Airways....................................................................46

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kinds of dress for the 35 different ethnic groups officially recognised in the state. English-speaking lecturers are available at no extra cost to lead visitors around. The Pa-O have established a cultural centre (98 Merchant St) near the market. The small but well-laid-out centre contains musical instruments, including a typical Pa-O accordion, as well as banknotes and traditional costumes. There’s a cheroot factory called Flying Tiger Mashua on a sidestreet to the south of the Myoma Cinema. The hand-rolling technique is impressive, and cheroot bundlers are able to get cheroots into bundles of 50 without counting – they judge simply by feel.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

In October/November, to coincide with the full-moon festival of Tazaungmon (Tazaungdaing), the city hosts a hot-air (or fire-) balloon festival. It’s very popular with Burmese tourists, so it may be easier to find accommodation in Nyaungshwe during this threeday event. SLEEPING

There really is no reason to spend the night in Taunggyi rather than Nyaungshwe. In terms of quality, value and charm, accommodation in Taunggyi simply can’t compete. If you do decide to stay here in November, keep the balloon festival in mind (see above). Taunggyi Hotel (%21127; Shu Myaw Khin Rd; s/d US$25/30) Perched on a hillside, this supposedly privatised place sprawls over landscaped grounds near the southern end of town. Spacious rooms come with attached hotwater bathrooms and access to tennis courts. The old Ministry of Hotels & Tourism (MHT)–style bar and restaurant attract a mix of well-heeled businesspeople and military types. Paradise Hotel (%22009; 157 Khwanyo Rd; standard s/d US$20/30) This modern, four-storey Chinese-style place has an interior-design scheme that challenges the eye: checkerboard tile floors, wicker chairs and pink curtains. There are also slightly nicer rooms with plush sitting rooms at the end of each floor. Note that there’s no lift. Hotel Empire (% 23737; 31 Bogyoke Aung San Rd; s/d US$15/24) Owned by a Chinese trading company, this place caters to business travellers. It’s in a nondescript four-storey building but is more modern than other hotels. Rooms come with ‘extras’ such as TV and bathtub. Khemarat Hotel (%22464; 4B Bogyoke Aung San Rd), Muse Hotel (%22567; 6 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) and Salween Hotel (%22605; 289 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) all have singles/doubles for US$10/20. EATING

A row of small food stalls in the market area serves decent Chinese and Shan dishes. Very little English is spoken here. Between the Sikh temple and the cinema on the main road are a number of decent teashops and small eateries that specialise in an extensive variety of pastries and tea snacks.

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Khine Thazin (dishes K1000), Maxim’s Chinese Restaurant (dishes K1000) and Coca-Cola Restaurant (dishes K1000) are three of the better restaurants in Taunggyi. They serve Bamar and Chinese cuisine and can be found near one another on Bogyoke Aung San Rd (Main Rd). At Khine Thazin, the best of the bunch, each dish comes with a handful of interesting free side dishes, and the friendly owner ensures that service is conscientious and timely. Maw Kham (Mawkham St; hto 8pm) This humble abode, next door to the Coca-Cola Restaurant, serves Bamar and Chinese standards, and has a late closing time for Taunggyi. To get there, walk east from the main street and make an immediate left. It’s the unmarked wooden building on the right (there’s a Burmese sign). Other recommended restaurants: Brother Hotel Restaurant (222 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) A block south of Lyan Yu Restaurant, the Brother Hotel serves decent Chinese meals. Daw Thwan Shan Noodle Shop Just across from the Khemarat Guest House, this place does very good noodles. GETTING THERE & AWAY

Air

Daily flights go to Heho from Bagan, Kengtung, Mandalay and Yangon; Heho is 35km west of Taunggyi. See p187 for more details. A taxi from Heho to Taunggyi costs around US$10 or the kyat equivalent. Bus, Pick-up & Taxi

Public pick-up trucks from Taunggyi to Inle Lake (front/back seat K500/300, one hour) leave frequently from the area just north of Taunggyi market between 6am and 4pm. A taxi along the same route costs around US$10 or the kyat equivalent. There’s one bus per day from Taunggyi to Pindaya (K1500), leaving at 2pm and arriving at 5.30pm. This bus generally leaves from the Eastern State Express bus stop on Bogyoke Aung San Rd, where there’s a ticket office. There are frequent pick-ups to Pindaya from the Shwenyaung junction, starting at 6am. Buses heading to Mandalay (K5000 to K6000, eight hours) depart from just north of the market. Several buses for Yangon (K7000, 16 to 20 hours) depart at around 6pm from the area just north of the market.

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INFORMATION Fax & Telegram Office.................1 Hospital.......................................2 Immigration Office.......................3 Police Station................................4 Regional Offices...........................5 Sunflower Travel & Tours.............6

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES American Baptist Church..............7 B1 Central Market.............................8 C3 Chinese Clan House.....................9 C3 Chinese School...........................10 A1 Immaculate Heart Cathedral....(see 21) Independence Monument..........11 C3 Jail............................................. 12 A2 Mangala Kyaung (Wat Tamawtaya)...........................13 C2 Maung Mai Kyaung...................14 C3 Maung Ming Kyaung.................15 C3 Mausoleum of the Khün Princes..16 C3 Mosque..................................... 17 D3 Naung Pha Gate.........................18 B1 Paleng Gate...............................19 C3 Pottery Works............................20 C1 Roman Catholic Mission.............21 A3 St Mary's Convent.....................22 B3

Sports Field................................23 B3 Tai Khun Silverworks.................. 24 C3 Town Hall.................................. 25 C3 Wat Asok...................................26 B3 Wat Chiang Ing (Keng Ing)........27 B2 Wat Chiang Jan (Keng San)....... 28 C3 Wat Chiang Khom (Keng Khom)..29 B3 Wat Chiang Ying (Keng Yun)..... 30 C2 Wat Ho Kat............................... 31 C3 Wat Ho Kong............................ 32 C3 Wat In....................................... 33 C2 Wat Jom Mai............................. 34 D3 Wat Jong Kham (Zom Kham)..... 35 C2 Wat Kae Min............................. 36 C2 Wat Mahabodhi Vipassana (Kamathan Kyaung)................................. 37 A4 Wat Naung Kham...................... 38 D2 Wat Noi Naw.............................39 B2 Wat Pha Jao Lung (Maha Myat Muni).................................... 40 C3 Wat Pha Kaew........................... 41 C3 Wat Pha That Jom Mon............. 42 C4 Wat Si Naw................................43 B4 Wat Tuya...................................44 B4 Wat Yang Kon...........................45 C1 Water Buffalo Market................ 46 A3 Yang Kham Gate....................... 47 A3

Yat Thaw Mu.............................48 B3 SLEEPING Barami Motel.............................49 Harry's Trekking House...............50 Hsam Yawt Guest House...........51 Kyaing Tong Hotel.....................52 New Sam Yweat Guest House...53 Noi Yee Hotel.............................54 Princess Hotel............................55 Private Hotel..............................56 Shein Tip Hotel..........................57

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EATING Golden Banyan Restaurant.........58 Lauo Tien Lu Restaurant............59 Lok Thar Restaurant...................60 Mingalar Restaurant.................. 61 Quickly Café..............................62 Seik Tie Kye Restaurant..............63

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TRANSPORT Buses to Tachilek........................64 Buses to Taunggyi......................65 Myanma Airways.......................66 Pick-Ups to Mong La.................67 Yangon Airways.........................68

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When the British settled into Kengtung, they centred the town on a large natural lake. Decaying colonial-style buildings, taken over by the Myanmar government or by squatters, are reminiscent of British colonial provincial architecture found elsewhere in Myanmar and India. The lake in the centre of town, Naung Tung (naung is the Shan word for ‘small lake’), is a popular spot for morning and evening strolls. The central market draws people from all over the Kengtung district, including a variety of hill-tribe people. Fresh produce and household goods are the market’s main emphases, but some handicrafts are also available. Look for a handful of stalls that specialise in supplying Akha women with the silver coins, buttons and seed beads that they use to decorate their colourful clothing.

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Kengtung appears more planned than the average medium-sized Myanmar town. There’s a less ad-hoc feel and more uniformity of design. This organisation, coupled with a pleasant sense of isolation and the picturesque mountain backdrop, sees Kengtung hit the rare Myanmar trifecta. Tucked away in the far east of Shan State – 456km northeast of Taunggyi, 163km north of the border town of Tachileik (opposite Mae Sai, Thailand) and 1200m above sea level – Kengtung is the sleepy but historic centre for the state’s Khün culture, surrounded by Wa, Shan, Akha and Lahu villages. Built around a small lake, and dotted with ageing Buddhist temples and a few examples of British

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Because Kengtung is only accessible by air from within Myanmar, this mountainous region bordering China, Laos and Thailand attracts fewer visitors than it otherwise would. Those who do shell out for the airfare are more likely to be on group tours, while others cross overland from Thailand. If in future domestic airfares drop or foreigners are allowed to reach the area by road from Taunggyi, Kengtung will probably become a standard stop for overland travellers, rivalling Kalaw and Inle. However, it’s the very remoteness of it that makes this mountain valley, dotted with far-flung minority hilltribe villages, attractive to travellers. Although Kengtung lies about midway between the Thanlwin and Mekong River valleys, it is more or less cut off from the former by a series of north–south mountain ranges. Hence, culturally, the area has more affinity with the nearby cultures of the Mekong – Laos, Xishuangbanna (southeastern Yunnan Province, China) and northern Thailand – than with the Shan and Bamar cultures west of the Thanlwin. Indeed, culturally Kengtung feels more like some longforgotten corner of northern Thailand than a part of Myanmar.

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colonial architecture, Kengtung is probably the most scenic town in Shan State. It’s a good base for trips to ethnic-minority villages. About 80% of the township’s population of 180,000 people is Khün; roughly 15% is Shan-Chinese and the remainder is a mix of other ethnicities, such as Lahu. About half of the population is Buddhist, and another 17% is Christian – American missionaries were quite active here, as their imposing churches attest. The rest of the population belongs to various spirit cults. Kengtung is also a strategic stronghold of the Myanmar government amid the shifting seas of Shan and Wa insurgency and the illicit drug trade. Its position is doubly strategic, as the area is a crossroads with outlets in four countries – Myanmar, China, Thailand and Laos. As such, it’s a linchpin in the country’s defence. Some human-rights groups claim that over 125,000 Wa were resettled from the north to the south between 1992 and 2002. It’s reported that the United Wa State Army has 20,000 troops and enjoys good relations with the Chinese government in Beijing.

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A water-buffalo market is held twice a week in an empty dirt lot west of town, just off the road leading to Taunggyi. It’s interesting to observe groups of men huddled around these large beasts, grilling their owners as if they were dealing with used-car dealers. Water buffalo cost from US$200 to US$500 each – shipping is not included. On the road leading towards Taunggyi, the British-era Roman Catholic Mission (RCM) and the 12-year-old Immaculate Heart Cathedral are still thriving on a hillside where the original town was founded 1000 years ago. Visitors are welcome. The mission cares for nearly 100 orphaned boys, many from Shan State hill tribes. Kengtung’s many well-kept monasteries – called wats rather than kyaung by the Khün – reflect Shan, Siamese, Burmese and Chinese influences. The most impressive is Wat Jong Kham (Zom Kham), which features a tall gilded stupa topped by a gold hti (pinnacle of a stupa) inlaid with silver, rubies, diamonds, sapphires and jade, and hung with tiny gold bells. Legend says that Wat Jong Kham dates back to a visit by Gautama Buddha and that the stupa contains six strands of his hair. Most likely the site dates back to the 13th-century Chiang Mai migration. The temple has been substantially renovated and regilded since then. Wat Jong Kham is north of the town centre. Right in the centre of town are a couple of busy and visually striking 19th-century temples, Wat Pha Jao Lung (Maha Myat Muni) and Wat Ho Kong. Aficionados of rare Buddha images will have a field day at Wat In, named after the Hindu god Indra. Behind the altar of the principal sanctuary is a must-see collection of wooden Buddha images. Wat In is on a hill overlooking the lake. Construction on Yat Thaw Mu, the commanding-looking standing Buddha that points out over Naung Tung lake, was completed in 2002. On a hill to the south of town, Wat Pha That Jom Mon features an older wood-andplaster sanctuary with good tinwork. The surrounding hillside provides good views of the town below. One of the great sights in Kengtung was to be once the large Haw Sao Pha Kengtung,

considered the most outstanding example of Shan-style palace architecture in Myanmar. The stucco-and-teak structure combined Buddhist temple–style pavilions and Islamic-looking domes. Despite protests to preserve the building, the Myanmar government demolished the palace in 1991 to make way for the unsightly Kyaing Tong Hotel. All that’s left of the old palace are the walls and a sentinel tower on the hotel’s perimeter. To get an idea of what the old palace domes looked like, check out the Mausoleum of the Khün Princes, opposite Wat Chiang Jan. The compound is walled in and visitors are not allowed inside, but you can get a good view from the monastery on the other side of the road.

Sleeping Most hotels offer an airport pick-up service if you make reservations. Rooms are scarce during the Chinese New Year festivities at the beginning of February and during the mid-April Water Festival. BUDGET

Harry’s Trekking House (%21418; 132 Mai Yang Rd, Kanaburoy Village; r US$3-15) At the northern end of town, 500m north of Naung Pha Gate, this backpacker-oriented hotel is owned by Harry, an English-speaking Kengtung native who spent many years as a trekking guide in Chiang Mai. A newly built modern annexe has eight immaculate rooms with private bathroom and great views of the surrounding countryside from the rooftop. There are also basic small wooden bungalows, and larger rooms with porches for three to four people. Hot water is hit or miss. For insomniacs there’s a daily early-morning market (5am to 8am) on the road right in front of Harry’s. Cheaper rooms don’t include breakfast. Harry can arrange all manner of trips to surrounding villages. New Sam Yweat Guest House (%21643; Airport Rd; s/d US$7/14) Directly opposite Seik Tie Kye Restaurant, this guesthouse looks somewhat neglected. The bamboo bungalows look extremely nice from the outside but are basic inside, though the bathrooms are nice and modern. Noi Yee Hotel (%21144; 5 Myaing Yaung Rd; s/d US$5/10) A former royal residence, the Noi Yee has seen better days. The rooms are a tad grubby, but the façade at least has some

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character, and there’s a pleasant courtyard out front. Shein Tip Hotel (%22208; Airport Rd; s/d US$7/14) Across the street from Naung Kham lake, Shein Tip is a large green building set back from the road. Loads of potted plants at the entrance disguise the fact that inside the hotel are bare-bones concrete rooms, frequented by truck drivers. Some rooms have squat toilets, while others have Westernstyle toilets. MIDRANGE

Princess Hotel (%21319; fax 21159; s US$20-25, d US$28-35; a) This three-storey place, just south of Paleng Gate, was once probably the most comfortable in town; today its rooms are fading, though they have satellite TV, air-con, fridge and phone. Like most modern hotels in this part of Myanmar, the amenities come at a price – this place is quite lacking in atmosphere. Private Hotel (%21438; www.ktgprivatehotel.com; 5 Airport Rd; s/d US$30/35) Another hotel on the way in from the airport, the Private Hotel is popular with package tourists. There are seven cottages in the garden, and double rooms have tiled floors, windows and small verandas. Travellers who wish to avoid government-owned hotels should bypass the Kyaing Tong Hotel.

Eating Seik Tie Kye Restaurant (Best Choice;%21387; Airport Rd; dishes K1200; h11am-10pm) The English translation is not an empty boast – Seik Tie Kye is the best restaurant in Kengtung. On offer are hotpots and other Chinese and Thai dishes. The chicken with bean-curd hotpot (K6000) is very good and enough for three or four. Seik Tie Kye also has good ice cream. Service is super attentive. Big groups should order dishes at least an hour in advance. Mingalar Restaurant (Naung Kham Rd) Heading out of town via Airport Rd, take the right immediately after Naung Kham lake to find this restaurant specialising in Shan cuisine. Meals are served in small private bungalows. The grilled fish (K2000) is enough for two. Lok Thar Restaurant (chicken & pork dishes K1000) For hefty servings of Chinese and Thai food, try Lok Thar, a banquet-style place with a very spacious 2nd floor. The spicy Thai-style soup is enough for two.

Lauo Tien Lu Restaurant (Lawt Tin Lu) This is the longest-running and most reliable Chinese restaurant in town – it’s a branch of one owned by the same family in Thailand’s Chiang Khong. It’s a simple, open-sided restaurant with good southern Chinese food. Golden Banyan Restaurant (Shwe Nyaung Bin, Ton Pho Thong) Kengtung’s second-most-popular Chinese restaurant is near Wat Chiang Jan (Keng San). Its main feature is the outdoor tables beneath a huge banyan tree. The food is only fair, but the atmosphere makes up for it. Quickly Café (Airport Rd) This modern student hang-out serves up coffee, tea, snacks, pop music and movie-star posters.

Getting There & Away AIR

Air Mandalay (AM) and Yangon Airways (YA) fly between Kengtung and Tachileik (US$30 with YA; US$41 with AM), Mandalay (both airlines US$92) and Yangon (both airlines US$138). AM flies this circuit twice a week on Monday and Wednesday. YA flies five days a week. BUS & PICK-UP

The 456km road between Kengtung and Taunggyi is off limits to foreigners. At the moment only citizens of Myanmar are permitted to use this road, and they travel in convoys. Officials claim robbery and continued fighting between the Yangon government and the Shan and Pa-O insurgents make the Kengtung–Taunggyi journey too hazardous to risk. However, since both the Shan under Khün Sa and the Pa-O have signed reconciliation agreements with the government, the continued cultivation of opium and the production of methamphetamines in some areas seem more likely reasons to keep foreigners away. Mae Sai/Tachileik

If you’re coming to Kengtung from Thailand through Mae Sai (see p203), you’ll find that the Myanmar government and local tour agents and drivers have conspired to make it difficult for travellers to ride the Tachileik–Kengtung bus at local prices. Arranging a ride to Kengtung must be done through an agent. This can be accomplished at the small tourist office next to the immigration checkpoint at the border crossing

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200 K E N G T U N G & B O R D E R A R E A S • • A r o u n d K e n g t u n g

or at the bus station, where a line of agent’s offices is located. Either way, you will have to complete a form that the driver will show on demand at any of the five roadblocks set up between Tachileik and Kengtung. Foreign passengers are asked to pay in Thai baht or US dollars and are charged US$6 for a seat on the bus, US$14 for a back seat in a Toyota Corolla ‘van’, or US$17 for the front seat. The trip takes around three to four hours over a recently paved road through scenes of some of the worst deforestation in Southeast Asia, as well as numerous Akha, Wa and Shan villages. Along the way the main rest stops are Talay, a small town with interesting Shan temples and an army post, and the village of Mong Hpayak, the most popular food stop. Leaving Kengtung for Tachileik is generally easier to arrange and less expensive. Toyota pick-ups leave when full from 5am to noon (K7500 per person). Buses leave when full from 6am to noon and cost K4000 per person.

for groups of three or more). Overnight stays in villages are not officially permitted, though several travellers report having done so. Because most of the more interesting villages are far outside town at the end of rough dirt roads, hiking directly to them is not feasible even if you somehow knew where to find them. A few are within cycling distance. A trip with a vehicle is thus the way to go, even if costs are substantially higher than to other places in Shan territory such as Kalaw and Inle. The villages here are less exposed to foreigners, though there’s a real unevenness to the level of development between villages only a few minutes apart. One Akha village, for example, may have running water and even limited electricity, while an Eng village within shouting distance has neither. Ask your guide whether certain goods such as medicines are appropriate gifts.

Hot Springs

AROUND KENGTUNG

Loi-mwe

Villages

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Visiting nearby villages, where most of the residents still lead very traditional lives but are warm and welcoming to visitors, is a highlight of any trip to Kengtung. Trips to nearby Lahu (Musoe), Akha (Kaw), Akhu (from Yunnan Province in China), Eng, Palaung, Shan, and Wa villages are permitted in the company of a guide. Guides can be arranged at most of Kengtung’s hotels for around US$25 per person per day; this price also generally includes transport in a 4WD (rates drop substantially per person

Although it lies a little outside the permitted radius, no-one seems to care if you visit Loi-mwe, 33km southeast of Kengtung. At over 1600m, this hill station features a number of old colonial buildings and over a century-old Catholic church. The main attraction, though, is the scenery on the ascent to Loi-mwe, which passes through forests, terraced rice fields and a lake. You’ll have to hire a car or motorcycle, as there doesn’t seem to be any regular public transport between Kengtung and Loi-mwe.

For information, see opposite.

Getting Around

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About 85km north of Kengtung lies the border district of Mong La (or Mengla, as it’s sometimes spelt). Although Mong La is mainly a Thai Lü district, in a deal worked out with the Myanmar military it’s controlled by ethnic Wa, who once fought against Yangon troops but now enjoy peaceful relations with the government. Myanmar appears willing to relinquish sovereignty if it means adding cash – cold, hard yuan (Y) from Chinese casino tourism – to the government coffers. Mong La is entirely Chinese, from the modern oversized buildings to the currency used; hardly any Burmese is spoken, which makes sense since hardly any Myanmar people live here. Seventeen daily flights from other parts of China arrive at the airport not far away on the Chinese side of the border, ferrying tourists who come to peruse Mong La’s well-known wildlife market and to gamble in the district’s casinos. One of the largest and plushest is the Oriental Hotel & Casino, a big pink complex visible from almost anywhere in the city. Inside are the usual Chinese and Western games of chance – the setup is that typically seen in Macau and on cruise ships in the South China Sea. The casinos look grand and impressive from far away, but upon closer inspection the dirty carpets and chipped paint make them seem more like buildings Beijing forgot. The hivelike activity, the swarms of workers wearing spiffy uniforms on the streets during a shift change at the casinos, the buzz and clink of yuan being wagered at the gaming tables – it all produces an uncanny sense of a displaced land overlooked by time and national boundaries. The casino parking lots hold more latemodel private cars than you’re likely to see in all of Myanmar. The broad main thoroughfare, of the kind suited as much to military parades as to local traffic, divides the town. The casinos and market are on one side, while most of the housing and small shops are on the other. There are also plenty of karaoke venues, discos (including a thriving gay and transvestite scene) and other staples of modern Chinese entertainment life. During 1997 a Drug Eradication Museum was opened by U Sai Lin, a local Wa/Chinese

K E N G T U N G & B O R D E R A R E A S • • M o n g L a 201

turned establishment figure and head of the Eastern Shan State Army (ESSA), who declared – to widespread disbelief – that the area around Mong La was henceforth to be an ‘opium-free zone’. This may be somewhat accurate, as opium has been replaced by methamphetamine as the region’s most lucrative illicit drug. Poppy plants are on display in the museum garden. Many of the paya in Mong La have been built in the past 10 years as part of the efforts of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to convert the border areas to Buddhism.

Sleeping & Eating There are several modern hotels spread out along the main road, none accustomed to dealing with non–Chinese or Englishspeaking tourists. Rooms at the Bai Lai Hotel and Paradise Hotel are good value at Y60. You can also stay with the district headman in his Thai Lü-style house for around Y30 – a more interesting experience, though difficult to arrange. Kaw Hlaing Restaurant, on the road that loops above the main thoroughfare, has a munu in English. On offer are basic chicken, pork, rice and noodle dishes.

Getting There & Away To go to Mong La from Kengtung you must register at the Kengtung immigration office. The staff at Harry’s Trekking House (see p198) can help independent travellers accomplish this. You must first arrange a seat in one of the Toyota pick-ups (K5000 to K6500) that idle around in the lot behind the Wat Chiang Jan and Kyi Lin Star Guest House. The driver will then accompany you to the immigration office, where officials will comb through files of important-looking carbon-copy documents, one of which contains information about you. More information is then added by large and ancient typewriters (and the long wait for the process to be completed may cause you to entertain Bourne Supremacy–like fantasies about the potential of these typewriters as aids in an escape attempt). Your driver will then be handed a copy of a document that will later be used to admit you to Myanmar (hey, it’s the way it works). It’s probably best to let the driver hold on to this, since he bears responsibility for your safe conveyance. At some point in

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Kengtung has a small fleet of motorcycle taxis – the drivers wear numbered coloured vests – that charge around K200 for a ride within town and K300 for longer rides, such as from Harry’s Trekking House to the town centre. A car or motorcycle taxi from the airport costs around K500. Some hotels might hire out motorcycles – an exhilarating way to explore the town and surroundings. Note that helmets may not be on offer.

West of town on the road to Tachileik is a large public hot-springs spa complex (r small/ large K300/600; h3-8pm). The bathhouses themselves are small, narrow rooms with bathtubs and a spigot to control the volume of water. Shampoo, soap and small towels are available for sale, so this is a great spot to clean up if you’re staying at one of the cold-water guesthouses in town. It’s also a nice way to wind down after a long day off-roading in a four-wheel drive. Vendors on the grounds sell noodles and other snacks, so you could easily spend an entire afternoon here. The spa is busiest at weekends. A taxi from town costs around K500 each way, and drivers are willing to wait.

Mong La

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this process, visit the Kengtung market to change kyat or dollars to yuan. There are two checkpoints on the road from Kengtung to Mong La. The second, not far from Mong La, requires you to pay a Y36 (US$5) entrance fee. There’s one final hoop to jump through. You must register – which involves more signatures and several rubber stamps to another carbon copy – at the Mong La immigration office. This is nothing more than a desk (staffed by a man who’s often in pyjamas, regardless of the time of day) in a small, nondescript house on a muddy side street that’s impossible to find on your own. The entire journey from the Kengtung immigration office to the Mong La immigration office takes anywhere from three to four hours, going up and over mountain switchback roads and passing through breathtaking scenery and several isolated villages. The procedure is repeated in the opposite direction, minus the entrance fee. You’re expected to hand one of the documents to the Kengtung immigration office upon your return, but if you’re pressed for time or simply want to avoid the hassle it seems possible to skip this step. The obvious question is: can you cross the border from Mong La into Daluo, China? So far the only third-country nationals that have been able to cross here have done so in ‘caravans’ – with off-road aficionados who pay the Chinese and Myanmar governments large sums for permission to cross here.

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Most travellers who come to Myanmar from Mae Sai in Thailand head straight for

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Kengtung to the north rather than linger here, but it’s possible to arrange a one-day pass to visit Tachileik from Thailand. Besides shopping for Shan handicrafts (about the same price as on the Thai side – everyone accepts baht) and eating Shan/Bamar food, there’s little to do in Tachileik. Most of the 3000 or so people who cross the bridge to Tachileik daily are Thais who shop for dried mushrooms, herbal medicines, cigarettes and other cheap imports from China. A steady trickle of VIPs from Thailand crosses the border to gamble at the large Golden Triangle Casino outside town on the Mekong River.

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P Y I N U L W I N T O L A S H I O 203

KAYAH STATE At the time of research, travel to Kayah State for foreigners was still not permitted, and there was no prospect of the situation changing anytime in the near future. This small state is wedged between Shan State to the north and west, Karen State to the west and south, and Thailand to the east. Eight ethnic groups reside in this mountainous region, including the Taungthu, Padaung, Yinbaw, Bre, and Kayah, who form the majority. Until the early 1990s, Kayah rebel groups controlled much of the eastern half of the state. The Myanmar government has concentrated on securing the capital, Loikaw, and the very important hydroelectric plant at nearby Lawpita. A ceasefire agreement allowed the government to build a railway between Aungban and Loikaw. Fighting continues, though; as late as November 2004 there were reports of a government military offensive in the area and thousands of Karenni families fleeing for the Thai border.

Sleeping

BORDER CROSSING

Thailand to Myanmar

If crossing the border into Thailand is an option, you’ll find the accommodation there better in every respect. All hotels in Tachileik accept both US dollars and Thai baht (B). Dream Flower Hotel (%21318; Padonmar Rd; r US$5/200B) Just south of the main intersection in town, this hotel has clean, if somewhat noisy, rooms with attached bathroom. The Mya Shwe Ye Hotel (%51792; 3/52 Mya Shwe Ye St; r US$18/600B; a) and the Kanne Hotel (r 200800B) have decent rooms. The Golden Triangle Hotel, on a hill overlooking the town, is probably the most comfortable place in Tachileik but is government owned. In Mae Sai, on the Thailand side of the border, the Mae Sai Guesthouse on the river is recommended.

At the time of research the Mae Sai–Tachileik border was open except for a few days during the October 2004 coup. In general you can expect to be able to cross here – although, as with much else in Myanmar, this is dependent on the shifting political and security situation. The Mae Sai–Tachileik border is usually open from 6am to 6pm on weekdays (be aware that Thailand time is half an hour ahead of Myanmar time), and from 6am to 9pm on weekends and holidays. The early closing time on weekdays can be a problem if you’re driving from Kengtung, given the unpredictability of road travel in Myanmar.

A day pass from Thailand to Tachileik costs US$5, which you pay to Myanmar immigration officials at the border crossing. If you hold a day pass you’re restricted to a radius of 5km. There’s a very cursory customs check on the Thai side. Upon your return, Thai officials will stamp your passport with another 30-day visa. You can also enter Myanmar from Tachileik on a 14-day pass (150B, US$10), which you can get at the border, but this only permits you to go to Kengtung and Mong La (on the Chinese border). If you want to enter at Tachileik and go on to Inle Lake, Mandalay, Yangon, Bagan and so on, you’ll need to arrange the visa in Bangkok prior to your trip and then fly west from Tachileik or Kengtung. If you enter with a Foreign Independent Traveller (FIT) visa, you get a 28-day entry-permit stamp and can travel around Myanmar exactly as if you’d flown in. A word of caution: travellers report being turned away at the border if their Myanmar visa was obtained online.

Getting There & Away Yangon Airways and Myanma Airways stop in Tachileik as part of their daily route to/from Kengtung, Heho, Mandalay and Yangon. For details of road travel to/from Kengtung, see p199.

CROSSING THE BORDER TO LAOS About 19km northeast of Tachileik on the Tachileik–Kengtung road, a smaller road branches off from the Nam Manyang road and heads east-southeast to the Mekong River, the border between Laos and Myanmar. At the small town here, Wan Pasak, you can get a boat across the river to Xieng Kok in Laos. From Xieng Kok there’s a road northeast from Muang Sing, which connects with roads to Luang Nam Tha and Udomxai. You might be permitted to cross into Laos here if you already possess a valid Lao visa. Then again, you might not! Much depends on the local political situation, obviously, as well as the mood of local officials. It’s not a legal international border crossing, yet plenty of Burmese and Lao do use it. Sooner or later, however, this could become an official crossing for all nationalities. The one thing that does seem certain is that you cannot enter Myanmar from Laos at this border. Then again…

Myanmar to Thailand

In general, travellers report not having difficulties crossing from Myanmar to Thailand. However, if you have an expired Myanmar visa you’ll probably not be allowed to cross. On the whole, travel agents and certainly government officials will tell you the border is either not open in this direction or that in order to cross you must make arrangements through a travel agent and pay through the nose. Unless the political and security situation changes, which it always can, this is simply incorrect. You can get a 30-day Thai visa at Mae Sai on arrival, or you can arrive at the border with a 60-day Thai visa arranged in Yangon. When you exit, officials will fill out a bit of paperwork and make three copies of your passport (10B). The paperwork takes about half an hour. On the Thai side there will be long line of day-trippers if you cross after 3pm. The entire border-crossing process takes approximately an hour.

PYIN U LWIN TO LASHIO The road from Mandalay to Lashio is a ribbon of hairpin bends crisscrossing the Shan Plateau and passing through Pyin U Lwin before descending into the Gokteik Gorge, the railway viaduct visible in the distance. The market towns between Gokteik and Lashio, only pit stops for truckers plying the main China–Myanmar trade route, are gems for travellers wishing to get off the beaten track. Those interested in more than

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202 K E N G T U N G & B O R D E R A R E A S • • Ta c h i l e i k

On the southern edge of town, the Pyin U Lwin Golf Club (green fee incl clubs & shoes US$15; h7am-dusk) is a fairly well-maintained 18hole course. It hosts the annual Water Festival Golf Cup in April (see p340).

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IN TOWN

Few of the hotels in the town centre are licensed to accommodate foreigners. The most relaxing options – many are midrange hotels – are to be found south and southwest of town along rolling roads lined by trees often covered in bright-yellow and red blossoms.

Rooms in town tend to be basic cheapies. All rates include breakfast. Most rooms don’t have a fan. Grace Hotel 1 (%21230; 114A Nan Myaing Rd; s/d US$5/10) A couple of blocks south of the main strip, this hotel has a garden out the front and more character than the others. The

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

Activities

TRANSPORT Pick-ups to Hsipaw & Lashio....24 B3 Pick-ups to Mandalay & Lashio..25 B3 Share-Taxi Stand..................... 26 B3 TMD.....................................(see 26) Win Yadana..........................(see 26)

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On the main road in the town centre, the Purcell Tower was a present from Queen Victoria, who offered an identical tower to Cape Town, South Africa. Another version of the story has it that the clock was made in 1934 and paid for by a Mr Purcell, a resident of Mandalay who was descended from Armenian traders. What’s known for sure is that the tower’s chime still copies Big Ben, playing 16 notes before the hour.

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online at this small shop opposite the share-taxi stand. International calls (about K1250 per minute) can be made here too.

PURCELL TOWER

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SLEEPING April Inn.................................... 8 D5 Dahlia Motel............................. 9 C5

CHINESE TEMPLE

Built by Yunnanese immigrants, the colourful Chinese temple is unlike other Buddhist sites you’ll see in Myanmar. It’s home to an orphanage and nursing home within the compound. The shoe-friendly grounds include a six-storey tower with seating areas that are frequently used as hang-out spots for betel-nut chewers, studying teens and couples. Some Chinese-script students study calligraphy here.

EATING Aung Padamya Restaurant...... 15 Diamond Confectionary...........16 Golden Triangle Café & Bakery........................17 Htate Tan Restaurant.............. 18 Lay Ngoon Restaurant............. 19

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Originally a small Shan Danu village, Pyin U Lwin was renamed Maymyo (May-town) in 1887 after British Colonel May, of the 5th Bengal Infantry, who was stationed here. From 1896 Pyin U Lwin was a British hill station, and during those colonial days an influx of south Asians moved here. Today more than 5000 Nepalis and 10,000 Indians live in the town.

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Few places in Myanmar evoke the vibe of the British colonial era such as the hill-town resort of Pyin U Lwin. In the cool foothills here (elevation 1050m), 69km east of Mandalay, stately colonial-era buildings on the town’s main street house Nepali tea houses or sweater shops, and country cottages sit on grassy plots outside town. Some old homes, like the famous Candacraig (immortalised in Paul Theroux’s The Great Railway Bazaar, which makes a stop here) are now government-run hotels. Trotting through it all are pony-led colourful miniature wagons that look like replicas from the Wells Fargo days of the American West. More importantly, it’s about 6ºC or 7ºC cooler than in Mandalay. Much of the town’s populace is decked out in various fatigues – including camouflaged tennis shoes – but not everyone is military. Many shops cater to the clothing needs of the cadets at the nearby Defence Services Academy. Peak season in Pyin U Lwin (particularly for domestic travellers) coincides with the hottest months elsewhere: March, April and May.

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Run by the Woodland Group (a Singaporean joint venture), this formerly governmentrun 176-hectare garden (%22130; admission K2000, camera/video fee K200/K1000; h8am-5pm) features the rich life of 482 species of local and foreign trees (including the ginkgo tree, which is extinct elsewhere) and 250 species of orchids from around Myanmar. British botanists began building the garden in 1915. Admission to the garden includes use of the inviting L-shaped pool near the entrance. View-hounds can walk up to a new Nan Myint Tower, where you can climb 10 flights of stairs, or take an air-conditioned lift for K1000. There’s a small stupa on a picturesque islet on the central lake, and elevated forest walks. The garden is popular with picnicking familles on weekends and holidays. A couple of teashops serve snacks and drinks.

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P Y I N U L W I N T O L A S H I O • • P y i n U L w i n 205

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Sights

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the glittering pagodas that exist everywhere in Myanmar will discover cool mountain settlements – architectural mishmashes of bygone eras and more contemporary utilitarian Myanmar structures – and the striking mountain scenery that rises up beyond them.

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204 P Y I N U L W I N T O L A S H I O • • P y i n U L w i n

206 P Y I N U L W I N T O L A S H I O • • P y i n U L w i n

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state of the basic rooms (which have private bathroom) may depend on the smoking habits of the previous occupants. Golden Dream Hotel (%21302; 42/43 MandalayLashio Rd; s without/with bathroom US$3/4, d US$8/6) Run by a pleasant Indian family, this 1st-floor hotel above a sweater shop has old but clean rooms. Those with shared bathroom have a desk and those with private bathroom are at the back; all come with a fan. Grace Hotel 2 (%22081; 46/48 Mandalay-Lashio

venture includes suites in a converted 1921 English lodge and new bungalows in the garden outside. All accommodation faces Kandawgyi lake, and guests get free entry to the nearby National Kandawgyi Gardens. Putting peace first, there are no TVs or phones in the rooms. Mya Nan Dar Hotel (%21922; s/d US$15/20) Towards Lashio, about 2km northeast of town, this hotel has good rooms with balcony, TV, desk, fan, carpeted floors and private bathroom with hot water. The area is nice, but it’s not equal to the south of town for atmosphere. Those keen on avoiding government-run hotels should bypass these (otherwise gorgeous) places converted from old British homes: the Thiri Myaing Hotel (Candacraig), the Gandamar Myaing Hotel (Croxton) and the Nan Myaing Hotel (Craddock Court).

Rd; s without/with private bathroom US$4/5, d US$10/8)

Grace’s second location is friendly but a little musty. Rooms at the front have a balcony. Rooms include two low beds and a small desk. All showers have hot water. OUTSIDE TOWN – BUDGET

outgoing ‘rock-and-roll Muslim’ (ie ‘drinks beer, eats pork sometimes’) is an excellent choice. Its cheapest rooms, in the older wing, have TV and private bathroom; the bigger rooms in the newer wing have bigger TVs and shiny tiled floors. The staff can lead day treks to Shan villages (US$8). To get to the hotel, take the first right after Royal Parkview and then turn left at the next fork. April Inn (%21918; 51F Eindaw St; s/d US$8/16) Over 1km from the ring road, April Inn features six bungalows, each with private bathroom, TV, twin beds and a porch for your breakfast. By day the only noise comes from farmers’ hoes in the coffee plot; by night you may hear some wailing from the karaoke bar (but it winds down before midnight). Insects happen. If you’re biking, it’s easy to get lost after dark. (Take a right at the fork by the Dahlia Motel, then watch for a sign on the left after 200m or so.) OUTSIDE TOWN – MIDRANGE

Royal Parkview Hotel (%22647; standard s/d US$25/ 30, superior s US$30, d US$35; ai) For those looking for comfort, the Royal is a heck of a deal. These 20 stylish wood-floor rooms are set on lush grounds, just outside the ring road, and sometimes fill up in advance. Cheaper rooms have no air-con and a shower instead of a bathtub. There’s a small restaurant. Kandawgyi Lodge (%21839, in Yangon %01202071; fax 22497; www.woodlandgroups.com; Nandar Rd; bungalows s/d US$40/50, ste s/d US$50/60) Opened

in 2002, this classy retro Singapore joint

P Y I N U L W I N T O L A S H I O • • A r o u n d P y i n U L w i n 207

Several snack shops sell Indian goodies, but the best is near the taxi stand. The Diamond Confectionary (Mandalay-Lashio Rd; h6am-9pm) serves coconut and, despite its sugary name, mutton puffs (K70) among other snacks.

Shopping ART & ANTIQUES

Pacific World Curio (75 Mandalay-Lashio Rd; h7.30am5.30pm) The aisles of this excellent handicrafts and antique shop – open for nearly four decades – spill over with Shan wooden masks, kalaga (embroidered tapestries), marionettes, old British clocks, lacquerware and other objects. La Vie Art Gallery (No 7-8, AM Block, Central Market; h9am-5pm) Run by English-speaking artist Muu Muu, this tiny gallery, which faces the street on the south side of the market, hangs modern renderings of Myanmar scenes.

Eating

LOCAL PRODUCTS

Many hotels have restaurants that nonguests can enjoy. There are many very basic Chinese restaurants on the side streets north and south of Mandalay–Lashio Rd around the clock tower. Golden Triangle Café & Bakery (%24288; Mandalay-

Pyin U Lwin’s temperate climate aids the growth of many vegetables and flowers. Strawberry fields in the hills around the town have made strawberry jam a big local product. Strawberry season runs from February to April. You’ll often see flower stalls on the roads outside town. At the central market you can get local jam (about K250), plus a sweet strawberry wine (K800) and grape wine (K600). One vendor explained the jam-making process: ‘clean strawberries, mix in an equal amount of sugar, heat for two hours, store for 18 months, sell jam’. Owing to the cool nights here, sweaters are another popular locally made product. You’ll find them hanging outside stores on Mandalay–Lashio Rd. Organic coffee made in the nearby hills at the Golden Triangle Café & Bakery (opposite) is also available; a 200g box of beans or grounds costs K1700. The smaller Shan market, on the northeast edge of town, is busiest in the morning.

Lashio Rd; sandwiches & pizzas K1400-1800; h7am-10pm)

It’s not your average day in Myanmar when you find this place. This lovely café, run by an American, occupies a grand building, and has wicker seats on the covered deck and a French-style bakery inside. A real cup of espresso is K400. Aung Padamya Restaurant (dishes K800; h11am8pm) Nestled into a neighbourhood a couple of blocks south of the Shan market, this simple Indian restaurant serves chicken, mutton, fish and veggie curries that come with poppadom and rice. Staff might show off photos taken at Candacraig. Lay Ngoon Restaurant (4 Mandalay-Lashio Rd; dishes K1200-2200; h8am-9pm) Known all over town as being too expensive, the basic, nearly dingy Lay Ngoon nevertheless fills its tables and wooden booths nightly with local families. The food is definitely good, but it’s priced as advertised. Htate Tan Restaurant (No 50, 11A Rd) Locals rush here (a block north of the traffic circle by the Shan market) for excellent Shan food. For after-dark snacks and noodles, the night market (along Zeigyo Lán, north of the central market) gets going at dusk.

PICK-UP & TAXI

By far the easiest way to/from Mandalay or Hsipaw is by share taxi. There’s a small share-taxi stand on Mandalay–Lashio Rd, north of the main strip. TMD (%21090), on the stand’s west side, handles taxis to Mandalay (K3500, two hours); Win Yadana (%22490), on the east, sends them to Hsipaw (K4500, three hours) and Lashio (K5000, four hours). It’s K500 extra for the front seat. Share taxis tend to run from 7am to 2pm or 3pm. Hiring the whole taxi is about K20,000. White pick-ups wait near the Purcell Tower along the Mandalay–Lashio Rd, going when full to Mandalay (K1000, 2½ hours). Pick-ups going to both Hsipaw (K2000) and Lashio (K3500) leave at 6am only from the banyan tree, opposite the share-taxi stand. TRAIN

At the time of research, the little red-brick train station (% 22021) was sending slow trains daily to Mandalay at 5am and 4pm (ordinary/1st class US$2/4, four hours), and one north to Hsipaw (US$2/4, six hours) at 8.30am. The stretch between Pyin U Lwin and Hsipaw takes in areas the road misses and is particularly beautiful. Trains frequently run late. There are a few food stalls outside the station.

Getting Around Hotels can arrange bike rental for K1000 or K2000 per day. Pyin U Lwin’s horse-led wagons are another popular means of getting about; a sample fare between the centre and Kandawgyi Gardens is K1500 to K2000. A taxi from the centre to a hotel outside town is about K1000 or K1500.

AROUND PYIN U LWIN

At the time of research, there were plans to build an airport near Pyin U Lwin.

Most of Pyin U Lwin’s natural attractions are outside town. Most can be reached by a combination of public transport and hiking, though many visitors prefer to hire a share taxi (and possibly a guide) in Pyin U Lwin. Ask at your hotel, the Golden Triangle Café & Bakery (opposite) or Pacific World Curio (left).

BUS

Anisakan Falls

Pyin U Lwin has no bus station and an irregular bus service. It’s difficult, but perhaps possible, to hail a bus going between Mandalay and Hsipaw; ask at your hotel.

Although a fairly long and steep walk is required to get to the tall, lovely falls (admission free), the hike there is worth it. At the village

Getting There & Away

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Dahlia Motel (%22255, 09-20 44153; s US$5-12, d US$1018) This traveller-oriented motel, run by an

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208 P Y I N U L W I N T O L A S H I O • • A r o u n d P y i n U L w i n

of Anisakan, about 9km south of Pyin U Lwin on the road to Mandalay, turn right at the train station, continue about 600m to the railway crossing, then turn left on a dirt road and continue for about 800m to a fork, where you again take a left turn. After about 500m you reach a parking area from where you continue on foot. It’s a 45-minute descent through a river gorge to reach the falls, which consist of five sections; the third is particularly impressive. Mandalay-bound pick-ups around the market and main road in Pyin U Lwin regularly go to Anisakan village for K300 per person. You should allow at least half a day for the whole trip. It’s possible to ride a bicycle there, but the ride back is more up than down. A taxi from Pyin U Lwin costs about K8000 to K10,000; a taxi with guide is K15,000.

Three Shan villages – Mogyopyit, Yechando and Ye Ngeye – can be visited on the way to Pwe Kauk Falls. Alternatively, from Pwe Kauk you can go on a one-hour hike to U Naung Gu, a natural cave containing several Buddhas that is used by local meditators. You can ask around at Pwe Kauk for a local guide to the cave. Pick-ups bound for Hsipaw and Lashio only head this way at 6am from Pyin U Lwin. It’s possible to hire a share taxi and continue on to Peik Chin Myaing for about K8000. Cycling is another option, as the shrine of the fallen Buddha is reached on a fairly level road. To visit the Shan villages, you can sometimes hire a bullock cart in Pwe Kauk. The Dahlia Motel in Pyin U Lwin (p206) arranges guided day trips.

Pwe Kauk Falls

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Called Hampshire Falls in British times, Pwe Kauk Falls (admission free) are about 8km northeast of town, off the road to Hsipaw. Although the falls themselves aren’t that spectacular, they make a very pleasant picnic spot. During or just after the rainy season, you can swim in the upper reaches, but not at the bottom, where the undertow can be dangerous. Facing the falls is the now-famous Aung Htu Kan Tha, a shrine housing a Buddha that fell here off a Buddha-laden China-bound truck in April 1997. After the Buddha couldn’t be hauled back on, the driver (conveniently!) claimed that the night before he had dreamt that one of the Buddhas didn’t want to leave Myanmar.

Gokteik Viaduct The unusual Gokteik railway viaduct is 55km northeast of Pyin U Lwin, en route to Lashio. When, on behalf of the British, the Pennsylvania Steel Co built the Gokteik Bridge over the deep Gokteik Gorge in 1903 in only nine months, it was the secondhighest railway bridge in the world. A British insurance policy expired years ago, but while it was in effect the Myanmar government didn’t service the viaduct much; however, the bridge has recently been renovated. It’s the oldest and longest modern railway bridge in Myanmar, and its age shows: trains slow to a crawl when crossing the viaduct in order to avoid putting undue stress on the structure. If you go by train, get off at the station before the bridge to get the best view.

TOP FIVE TREKKING AREAS IN NORTHEASTERN MYANMAR Kalaw (p176) The granddaddy as far as popularity. Most hikes are fun, allowed and not too demanding. Pindaya

and Inle Lake make for good overnight destinations. Putao (p224) If you have the money and the time, go mountaineering in the remote Himalaya just north of

Putao – need we say more? Namhsan (p213), Kyaukme (opposite) & Hsipaw (opposite) These three towns, listed with the most beautiful and remote first, are starting points for day trips or longer stays in surrounding villages. Inle Lake (p181) Besides the trip to Kalaw, there are other destinations closer to Inle in the mountains on either shore. Kengtung area (p200) Get out of your 4WD and see hill-tribe villages on foot.

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While the area immediately around the bridge is safe, don’t go wandering around – land mines have reputedly been planted in some areas to fend off insurgents who might want to destroy the span. You’ll only have a few minutes before you must get back on the train if you’re continuing on to Hsipaw or Lashio. The military supposedly forbids photo-taking from the bridge, but everybody seems to do it. The same applies for photography from the train when it approaches the bridge. Whether you’re allowed to or not seems to depend entirely on the presence of a military officer in your train car – and if the military officer is motivated enough to enforce the ban.

KYAUKME ekY;k'mE

Kyaukme sees a trickle of trail-blazing travellers with a do-it-yourself attitude. They’re looking to avoid the social scene in popular Hsipaw, rub shoulders with locals, and explore the surrounding mountains and villages. There are several cigar- and papermaking ‘factories’ in and around this compact town. Although there are no government prohibitions about foreigners trekking in this area, the lack of sanctioned guides and official information means the activity is frowned upon or at least discouraged. This makes it hard to guarantee anything before arriving in Kyaukme, but it also means there are more options and greater flexibility in arranging an itinerary. Two intrepid travellers report having rented motorbikes from locals and exploring the mountainous region for two weeks. At the A Yone Oo Guest House (below) ask for U Aung Gyi, a local English teacher/guide who can help organise trips to remote, little-visited villages in the region. Only 11km from Kyaukme is Lwe Sar, where the Palaung still live a traditional way of life. On the way to Lwe Sar is a beautiful lake called Naung Phe. Besides the clean and comfortable A Yone Oo Guest House (%082-40183; Shwe Phi Oo Rd; s/d with

P Y I N U L W I N T O L A S H I O • • K y a u k m e 209

be found at a large colonial-style mansion by the train tracks just outside town (the sign says ‘Weddings & Reception Restaurant’). This place, known by locals as Dog’s Mansion, has private modern karaoke rooms (K4000 per hour) and a restaurant-bar with live music on some weekend nights. There are plans to convert parts of the building into a hotel. From Mandalay there are early-morning buses from around 5am to 6am (K2000, six hours) that go to Kyaukme. If you get a Hsipaw-bound bus you can also ask to be let off here. Alternatively, you can hire a share taxi in Mandalay for roughly the same price that you would pay to go all the way to Hsipaw (K6000 per person). From Kyaukme to Mandalay there are several buses (K3000, five hours) that leave when full early in the morning. Note that fares are generally more expensive coming from Mandalay. Pick-ups leave regularly for Hsipaw (K200) until around 4pm; a taxi will cost K10,000.

HSIPAW oIep: %082

The outside world feels very far away in Hsipaw (Thibaw in Burmese). With its dramatic sunsets, quaint small-town air and narrow footpaths snaking through rice paddies, travellers often get stuck here, their itineraries thrown out of whack after they arrive intending only to spend a day or two. Days are happily confined to the short distance that separates Mr Charles’s guesthouse from Mr Food’s restaurant, Mr Book’s bookshop and Mr Donald (the nephew of the last Shan prince), and are occupied by walks to the river or out of town to one of the payas perched on a hillside. Some travellers generate theories to explain how Hsipaw maintains its bucolic atmosphere as if it were a puzzle to decipher. Hsipaw was once the centre of a small Shan State of its own, and its residents look on the groups of foreigners shuffling around town with friendly smiles.

shared bathroom K4500/6000, with private bathroom K7500/ 12,000), there were no other facilities cater-

Sights & Activities

ing to foreigners at research time, though several locals harbour some vague tourismrelated ambitions. The young, hip and karaoke-inclined of Kyaukme – not really a large group – may

A haw sao pha (Shan palace; suggested donation US$1; hafter 4pm), known as sawbwa haw in Burmese, still stands at the northern end of Hsipaw. Built in 1924, the charming building is European in design – a Shan-style palace

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HSIPAW A 18

To Lashio (72km)

B 17

To Bo Bo Gyi Nat Shrine (3km); Kantha Kyaung (4km)

10

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4

Trekking Route 2

Ὀ

r

Central Market

6

Approximate Scale

23

38

Madaw Rd To Waterfall; Rice Mill

41

8

42

3

39

35

To Ruined Mausoleum of Sao Pha (8km); Bawgyo Paya (8km); Kyaukme (35km); Mandalay (209km)

7 27

28

40

34

37

Aung Thabye Rd

43 29

30 31 32

14

EATING Ah Kong Kaik Restaurant...........28 Burmese Cuisine.........................29 Hwai Ta......................................30 Law Chun/Mr Food....................31 Mao Shan..................................32 Nin Wai Aung Teashop..............33 Yin Kyan....................................34

A3 B3 B3 B3 B3 B2 B3

26

Bogyoke Rd 1

To Lashio 24

4 19 21

11

TRANSPORT Boat Dock..................................36 Buses to Lashio...........................37 Buses to Lashio...........................38 Buses to Lashio...........................39 Dokhtawady Express Bus to Mandalay...............................40 Pick-ups/Vans to Mandalay/Lashio....................41 Yedagun Express Bus to Mandalay...............................42 Yoma Express Bus to Mandalay..43

B2 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3

To Five Buddha Hill (1.5km); Nine Buddha Hill (1.5km)

12

that was located nearby didn’t survive WWII bombing. The last sao pha was arrested during the military takeover of 1962 and hasn’t been heard from since. This story about vanquished royalty is the topic of Twilight over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess, a memoir by Austrian-American Inge Sargent, who was the popular Mahadevi (sao pha’s wife) of Hsipaw from the 1950s until the takeover. The prince’s niece and nephew take care of the palace and welcome foreign visitors, many of whom rave about being entranced by the nephew’s monologue about his family’s life story. It’s best to go with very modest expectations, though (especially if the nephew isn’t there), since the palace is a residence, not a museum. This

means that access to the interior is restricted to a room off the side entrance, which holds only a few photos and a number of books for sale. Visits are allowed after 4pm. The haw sao pha is about a 15-minute walk from the centre of town past the old town jail. One of the busiest religious sites in Hsipaw is Mahamyatmuni Paya at the southern outskirts of town. A shrine in the compound contains a large Buddha image inspired by its Mandalay namesake, Mahamuni Paya (p234). Eight kilometres southwest of town, off Mandalay–Lashio Rd, is the Shan-style Bawgyo Paya. This is the most revered paya in northern Shan State – equivalent to Inle Lake’s Phaung Daw Oo Paya (see p190). It

is said that the sagawa hardwood tree growing by the paya bends over at the top in deference to the paya. The place lost some of its charm following renovations in 1995, during which the building was redecorated to look less Shan and more Bamar, but its situation by the river still gives it some appeal. On a hill to the left, just as you enter the city limits of Hsipaw from Bawgyo, is the overgrown and ruined mausoleum of the sao pha of Hsipaw. Hsipaw’s large central market is best in the morning, when Shan and other tribal people from nearby villages come to trade. The Dokhtawady River (also called the Myitnge or Namtu), just east of the market, is cool and clear. To catch a great sunset in Hsipaw, walk to either Five Buddha Hill or Nine Buddha Hill. First cross the bridge on the Lashio road, and walk about 200m. Look for a path on your right that leads 1.5km to both small hills. Also worth checking out are looms for weaving shoulder bags, several small cheroot factories and a ‘popcorn factory’ that employs an alarmingly explosive technique to make the snack. East of the market are a handful of merchants’ shophouses that trade in tea grown in the surrounding mountains. Visit the hospitable and well-informed bookseller Ko Zaw Tun (known as Mr Book to many travellers) at his bookshop on Nanthu Rd (Main Rd) for reliable advice on Hsipaw and the surrounding area. He also gives out hand-drawn maps to Shan villages that you can hike to from town. If you visit during the hot season, Mr Book can arrange for you to go tubing down the river. Near Mr Book’s bookshop is the local National WARNING Strange but true: a few shady characters in Hsipaw have been known to use the pretext of a local festival to milk foreigners out of dollars. Unsuspecting tourists are asked to pay cash (around US$10) up front for private transport to the village hosting the interesting bash. After a long, fruitless drive they’re commonly told that they arrived too late or had the dates mixed up and are returned to Hsipaw festival-free for the night.

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League for Democracy office, curiously lit up with ostentatious red lights. Most days at about 8am, Mr Charles (see below) leads a three-hour ‘morning excursion’ to a village or nearby waterfall. In the high season, half-day boat trips (the cost depends on the number of people), including a visit to a kyaung, are also offered to guests. Overnight trips, and train and taxi trips north or south, can be easily organised at Mr Charles Guest House.

Festivals & Events One of the oldest and largest Shan festivals, the Bawgyo Paya Pwe, is held in nearby Bawgyo from the moon’s 10th waxing day to the first day after the full moon of Tabaung (February/March). The Bawgyo pwe still draws a large encampment of traders and festivalgoers who pay tribute to the old Shan ways. Zat pwe – a costumed dance-drama based on Jataka (stories of the Buddha’s past lives) – is performed nightly. Before dawn on the day of the full moon, hundreds of Palaung pilgrims come from all around to offer rice to the images.

Sleeping Mr Charles Guest House (Myat Yatana Rest House; %80105; fax 80407; 105 Awtha St; r without bathroom K3000, s/d with shared bathroom US$3/6, with bathroom US$6/15) For foreign travellers, for better or

worse, Mr Charles has become synonymous with Hsipaw. A 2nd-floor balcony, perfect for an afternoon tea or evening beer, contributes to the laid-back social and friendly vibe that’s not often found in Myanmar. Mr Charles is just off the main road at the northern end of town in a small compound that includes a new and old annexe to the original home. Because of noise from other guests, it can be difficult to sleep in the cheapest rooms on the 2nd floor in the original home. The nicest rooms are in the new annexe. Nam Khae Mao Guest House (%80088; nkmao@ myanmar.com.mm; 134 Bogyoke Rd; r with shared bathroom US$3, s/d with private bathroom US$7/10) Mouldy,

crumbling and in need of a paint job, Nam Khae Mao is nevertheless friendly. A reminder that you are just east of the clock tower occurs every hour from 7am to 6pm. Yamin Shwe Zin (Golden Doll/Mr Kid) Guest House (in Hsipaw %66; Bogyoke Rd; s/d with bathroom K2500/3500) West of the clock tower, this

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ENTERTAINMENT Cinema......................................35 B3

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To Mandalay (208km)

Hsipaw Nat Shrine.....................11 Mahamyatmuni Paya.................12 Monastery..................................13 Morning Market.........................14 Mosque.....................................15 Mr Book Bookshop.....................16 Noodle Factory...........................17 Popcorn Factory.........................18 Sandal Factory............................19 School........................................20 School........................................21 Sports Field................................22 Tea Traders................................23 Zedi........................................... 24

SLEEPING Mr Charles/Myat Yatana Rest House....................................25 A2 Nham Khae Mao Guest House...26 B3 Yamin Shwe Zin (Golden Doll/ Mr Kid) Guest House.............27 A3

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Train Station

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INFORMATION Hospital........................................1 Police...........................................2 Post Office...................................3 Telephone Office..........................4 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Bo Tree Nat Shrine.......................5 Cheroot Factory...........................6 Cheroot Factory...........................7 Cheroot Factory...........................8 Clock Tower.................................9 Haw Sao Pha (Shan Palace)........10

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place has spartan, fairly depressing rooms. Though the family is hospitable, this place should be a last resort. Burmese Cuisine (Namtu Rd; dishes K300; hlunch & dinner) One of the best places to try authentic Burmese cuisine is this small shop opposite Law Chun (Mr Food). Look for a row of pots, a red sign announcing (appropriately enough) ‘Burmese Cuisine’ and a list of the curries served. Not all curries are available every night, but chicken, fish and pork are stand-bys. The vegetable curries, especially the pumpkin, are equally good. When the power goes out, which is frequently, candles make things quite romantic. There are two or three family-style tables. Law Chun (Mr Food; Namtu Rd) Part of the ‘Mr’ wave sweeping through Hsipaw, Law Chun (or Mr Food) is swamped with foreign travellers during the high season. Convenient and well lit, it has satellite TV and, importantly for many, an English-language menu with rice, curry and noodle dishes. Hwai Ta (Namtu Rd) Next door to Law Chun, this place serves similar rice, curry and noodle dishes. Fresh fish is also available. Yin Kyan (hlunch) A few doors south of the market and around the corner from the Dokhtawady bus stop, this excellent small Shan eatery has the best noodles in town. There’s no English menu. Mao Shan (Namtu Rd; hbreakfast & lunch) This tasty noodle shop is across the street from and a few metres south of the Law Chun restaurant. Ah Kong Kaik restaurant (Mandalay-Lashio Rd) On the road into Hsipaw from Mandalay, this place serves decent Shan and Chinese fare, and is a favourite of truck drivers who ply the Mandalay–Lashio Rd. You can spot the restaurant by the trucks parked along the road. There are several tea and snack shops in town – look around the northern and southern sides of the market. The rustic Nin Wai Aung Teashop (no English sign), just opposite the northern side of the market and next to a big orange-coloured building, opens very early and has a good selection of snacks. Teashops on the southern side of the market tend to stay open late – until 11pm or so. Until mid-afternoon there’s good and cheap food to be had in the market if you’re

willing to poke around and look for it. One stall just inside the northern entrance belongs to the very friendly Aung Kyaw, nicknamed Mr Bean. It offers a variety of nutritious and tasty bean salads.

Getting There & Away BUS

The scouting report for the quality of the three bus lines that service Hsipaw is not encouraging. Locals express disdain for Yedagun Express; Yoma Express buses look good on the outside but break down frequently; and Dokhtawady Express buses are uncomfortable but don’t need repairs as often as the others. Buses leave Mandalay at around 5.30am (K2300). Five or six buses go from Hsipaw to Mandalay daily at about 6am (K2300). All of the buses stop in Kyaukme. The price of a ticket from Hsipaw to Pyin U Lwin is K2300, the same as a ticket all the way to Mandalay. Buses for Lashio (K600, two hours), which is 72km to the northeast, depart daily opposite the market, a block west of the Dokhtawady Express stop. Vans and pick-ups to Pyin U Lwin and Lashio are usually parked alongside the market on Madaw Rd, across from the Dokhtawady Express stop. See p244 for information on other public vehicles to Lashio, all of which make stops in Hsipaw. TAXI

The most convenient way to travel between Hsipaw and Mandalay is by share taxi. It’s very simple to arrange one and to find partners at Mr Charles (see p211; K6000 per person, 3½ hours). Drivers tend to try to break speed records for dilapidated taxis. It’s generally more expensive coming from Mandalay (K10,000 per person, 4½ hours). Stand out on Bogyoke Rd near the clock tower to flag down a share taxi to Lashio (per person K3000). Most are coming from Mandalay, Pyin U Lwin or Kyaukme and are already full, so the wait can be long. The same goes for taxis to Kyaukme in the other direction (the whole taxi costs K10,000). TRAIN

The Mandalay–Lashio train (ordinary/1st class US$3/6) departs from Mandalay at 4am and arrives in Hsipaw at 3.30pm (with luck). To guarantee a seat, tickets should be

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purchased at least a day ahead at the Mandalay train station between 6am and 4pm. The same train leaves Hsipaw at about 4pm, arriving in Lashio at 7.30pm. The price of a ticket for this leg is US$2/4 for ordinary/1st class. Trains also leave Hsipaw at 9.30am daily and arrive in Mandalay at around 8pm. Because of the more civilised departure time, it makes much more sense to take the train back from Hsipaw to Mandalay and get to Hsipaw from Mandalay by some other means.

Getting Around Bicycles are available for rent at Mr Charles (see p211). Rates are about K500 for the day. Most places are within easy walking distance. The only public transport around town is trishaws, which cost around K200 for a ride from the market to the Shan Palace.

NAMHSAN nm'¾cm'

A few pioneering sorts have made it from Hsipaw as far as Namhsan, and all return raving about the area’s stunning beauty, which is grander and more picturesque than points further south. The region deserves its nickname as the Switzerland of Myanmar. Namhsan was the capital of the former Shan state of Tawngpeng. It clings to a 1600m-high narrow ridge, surrounded by valleys and mountains that rise to 2000m. Most of the inhabitants are Shwe (Golden) Palaung and make a living from tea, although opium poppies are never far away. In Namhsan and nearby Payagyi, there are a number of tea factories where tea is roasted, boiled or pickled. The tea harvest runs from April to August and, during the monsoon, overloaded trucks heading for Mandalay are a particular hazard, sometimes blocking the road for hours or days. The 80km journey from Hsipaw, on a road barely maintained since colonial times, takes at least six hours; if it’s blocked by trucks the journey can take days. The road passes through the lowland Shan villages of Konzaleik, Mo-te and Mali before crossing a bridge over the Dokhtawady River and climbing to Panglong (Big Village), a dull market town at the junction with the road to the lead, silver, zinc and gold mines at Namtu, 43km away. The road then descends to the river again at the small village of Li-lu,

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where there are a few teashops and an army checkpoint, before skirting the mountainside through tea plantations that run all the way to Namhsan. A cobbled track leads up behind the town, past typical wooden carved houses that cling to the steep hillside, to a couple of paya, a monastery and the green, shady reservoir that supplies Namhsan with water. It is possible to make day and overnight treks to Shan and Palaung villages nearby. If you attempt to come up here in December or January, consider buying a jacket or thick blanket in Hsipaw before you set out. Once the sun goes down the temperature drops like a stone.

Sleeping & Eating Namhsan has no guesthouses, but Daw May Saw Nu and U Shwe Tun put foreigners up for US$1 a night. Daw May Saw Nu’s house has four beds, and the owner also runs treks for US$5 a day for two people. U Shwe Tun’s house is before a fork in the main road; a sign in front advertises DVDs for sale, but unfortunately there’s no sign in English. Breakfast is not included in the price, but very good food is available. Guests sleep on the floor, and blankets and pillows are provided. Several Chinese restaurants are found along the narrow main street. Like the rest of the town, they close early (about 9pm). There are a limited number of noodle stalls for breakfast.

Getting There & Away Trucks and buses leave Hsipaw and return from Namhsan (K3000, 6½ hours) when the number of passengers and amount of cargo warrant a run. Check with Ko Zaw Tun (Mr Book; see p211) in Hsipaw to find out where the truck or bus is parked while waiting for passengers. Breakdowns are common, so you may be better off trying to hire a pick-up in Hsipaw (K30,000). The old road from Namhsan to Kyaukme is not passable by car.

LASHIO l;"Túui" %082

This township of mostly Shan-Chinese and Chinese inhabitants isn’t as pleasant or traveller-friendly as Hsipaw. Consequently,

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To Train Station (2km)

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SLEEPING Lashio Motel..........................................................................19 New Asia Hotel......................................................................20 Thi Da Aye Hotel...................................................................21 Ya Htaik Hotel.......................................................................22

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EATING Jupiter Restaurant..................................................................23 Lashio Restaurant...................................................................24 Shwe La Win Restaurant........................................................25 Sun Moon Café.....................................................................26 Teashops...............................................................................27

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TRANSPORT Bus Station.............................................................................29 B2

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26

t

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21 r Ph

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Lashio Lay (Little Lashio)

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To Quan Yin San (Chinese Temple; 2km)

Lashio is more popular as a day trip or as a stopover on the way to/from the Chinese border. At the southern end of the infamous Burma Road, Lashio was once off limits to foreigners because of its proximity to China (and the hated Chinese communists) as well as ethnic insurgent territory. Since the 1950s, the town has been flanked by the Shan State Army (SSA) to the west and south, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to the north, and the Wa fighters of the Burmese Communist Party (BCP) to the east. Fragile truces with most of these groups since 1989, along with a tremendous boost in trade with China, have prompted the government to open Lashio to foreign visitors.

Although the government of Myanmar allows foreigners to travel from China to Lashio with permits obtained at the consulate in Kunming (China), it doesn’t sanction travel in the opposite direction (see p222). Lashio is in a mountain basin at an altitude of 855m – clouds may form and deliver rain at almost any time of the year. It is divided into two main districts: Lashio Lay (Little Lashio) and Lashio Gyi (Big Lashio), connected by Theinni Rd. Lashio Lay is the newer and bigger of the two districts.

Sights & Activities There’s a large central market in central Lashio. It’s not especially colourful or exotic, but it’s quite modern and orderly. The smaller Mansu Market (Theinni/Hsenwi Rd), focusing on fresh produce and foodstuffs, is closer to Lashio Gyi. If you want to see people from various ethnic groups participating, you’re better off in Hsipaw or Kengtung. More interesting than any of the Buddhist shrines in town is the large and busy Quan Yin San Temple, 2km away in Lashio Lay. Built around 40 years ago, it’s the main

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Chinese temple in Lashio and possibly the largest in Myanmar. Mansu Paya stands between Lashio Lay and Lashio Gyi on a hill on the western side of Theinni Rd, and is said to be over 250 years old. More impressive is the nearby Sasana 2500-Year (Pyi Lon Chantha) Paya, reportedly built by the last Shan sao pha in the area, Sao Hon Phan. One of the shrines in the paya complex contains a Bagan-era Buddha image. A second stupa of similar name, New Pyi Lon Chantha Paya, sits on Mya Kantha Hill in the northern part of town and offers good views of the city. The latter stupa is also known as Kyaw Hein’s Paya

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because the famous Burmese film actor of the same name paid for its construction. The newly built Mahamyatmuni Paya, next to City Hall, is quite colourful from the street but looks less interesting the closer you get to it.

Sleeping The Chinese-style accommodation in Lashio isn’t especially welcoming. Unless you’re breaking up a trip on your way to the Chinese border, the choice of hotels doesn’t really encourage an overnight stay. Breakfast is not included at any of the following places.

BURMA ROAD The so-called Burma Rd – actually a network of three major routes – came about during WWII, when Japanese invasion forces closed in on Myanmar from the north via China, and from the south via Thailand. In what was known as the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theatre, Allied supplies for the ground war fought in Lower Burma were easily flown or shipped in from India. Supplying the China front, however, required dangerous flights over the 'Hump', a series of high Himalayan peaks that separate Myanmar and China. Over 1000 airmen died flying this route, prompting the Allies to look for a new way to supply Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) army, who were fighting the Japanese in western China. The Yunnanese built the original Burma road from Kunming to Wanting, China, between 1937 and 1939. They then laid an extension into Myanmar from Wanting to Lashio in 1940, for a total length of 1200km. Early in the war, this Lashio–Kunming route served as the main supply line for the KMT, but as Japanese pressure from the south increased, the Allies looked for an alternative route from India. American General Joseph 'Vinegar Joe' Stillwell proposed the construction of an all-weather, two-lane road from India to China via northern Myanmar. The plan was to link up not with the original Lashio–Kunming route, but with a rough dry-weather track developed by the Chinese between Bhamo in southern Kachin State and Yunchang in Yunnan Province, China. British Army engineers, using a trail created by war refugees fleeing to India from northern Burma, began building the 800km Ledo Rd from Ledo, Assam (India), to the Bhamo terminus of the Bhamo road in 1942. Although the engineers originally had 5000 labourers at their disposal, progress was slow and work was abandoned in May 1942. A huge contingent of American engineers took over in November 1942; they assembled 35,000 Burmese, Indian, British and Chinese troops to tackle the enormous task of cutting through thick jungle, upgrading the Bhamo track, and spanning 10 major rivers and 155 secondary streams between Ledo and Wanting. So many men were lost along the way that the builders sardonically dubbed the route the 'man-a-mile road'. Completed in May 1945, the Ledo road – also known as Stillwell Rd – was maintained until a year later, when all Allied units were withdrawn from the CBI theatre. The Myitkyina Bridge, which spanned the Ayeyarwady River south of Myitkyina and was the longest pontoon bridge in the world, was deemed an obstacle to river traffic and was dismantled in 1947. One of the chief post-war effects of the Bhamo–Myanmar road network was the opening up of the Kachin State remains of the Ledo road, which quickly fell into disuse. The main Lashio–Kunming route, though in poor condition nowadays, sees much traffic as a major smuggling route to China for opium, heroin, gems, jade and teak. In the reverse direction, traders bring finished goods, such as auto parts, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, clothing and homewares.

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES City Hall..................................................................................8 Fire Station..............................................................................9 High School............................................................................10 Lashio Degree College...........................................................11 Mahamyatmuni Paya.............................................................12 Mansu Market.......................................................................13 Mansu Paya...........................................................................14 Monument............................................................................15 Mosque.................................................................................16 Sasana 2500-Year Paya..........................................................17 Union First Baptist Church.....................................................18

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INFORMATION Hospital...................................................................................1 Inwa Bank...............................................................................2 May Day Bookstall...................................................................3 Police Station...........................................................................4 Police Station...........................................................................5 Post Office...............................................................................6 Telephone Office.....................................................................7

ENTERTAINMENT Cinema..................................................................................28 B4

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Ya Htaik Hotel (%22655; Bogyoke Rd; s/d with shared bathroom US$5/10, with private bathroom US$15/25) A four-storey Chinese-style place, Ya Htaik has spartan but clean rooms. Shared bathrooms have squat toilets; larger rooms with private bathrooms are preferable. New Asia Hotel (%23622; San Khaung Rd; r with shared bathroom US$8, with private bathroom US$5/10)

Northeast of the central market, this modern four-storey place has simple rooms with attached bathroom as well as a few dark rooms with shared bathroom. Thi Da Aye Hotel (%22165; 218 Thiri Rd; s/d US$5/15) Here the basement singles with squat toilets are grotty, while the all-concrete upstairs doubles are a cut above (but that’s not saying much). Some rooms face a mosque, where the call to prayer begins at 4am. The sprawling Lashio Motel, at the intersection of Mandalay–Lashio and Station Rds, is government owned. There are several Shan restaurants, large and small, near the central market on Ye Kan Taung Rd (Tank Rd), and a row of good teashops west of the post office. In the evenings a night market sets up on the road leading south from the southeastern corner of the market. Sun Moon Café (Bogyoke St) On the 2nd floor of a building near the mosque in the centre of town is this hip café with a small menu including excellent chicken dumplings (K500) and fried chicken and rice (K1000). It may not sound like much, but the relatively luxurious décor – glass tables, cushioned chairs, fans, pop music – turn the Sun Moon into a Shangri-la on a hot day. A block east of the market, the Lashio Restaurant (Thu Ka St) is reliable for good Bamar and Chinese food, while the Jupiter Restaurant (dishes K800) on the corner southeast of the cinema, does Chinese food as well as several different types of satay. There are fewer restaurants in Lashio Gyi, but Shwe La Win Restaurant (Airport Rd) is very good for Chinese and Shan dishes.

Getting There & Away AIR

Although Lashio has an airport and Myanma Airways allegedly flies there once a week from Mandalay (US$45), you’re better off taking the train.

BUS

From Mandalay there are buses to Lashio (around K3500, eight hours) that operate from the central/main bus centre near the corner of 26th and 82nd Sts. Buses operated by five different companies depart daily between 4am and 6am. Buy tickets at least one day ahead to get a seat. Buses from Lashio to Mandalay leave at 6am. To break up the trip, it’s a good idea to schedule at least a day’s stopover in Pyin U Lwin or Hsipaw along the way. The main bus station in Lashio is on Theinni Rd south of Mansu Paya and near Mansu Market.

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House in Mandalay. As usual, rates vary according to the price of petrol. The road entrances to Lashio from Mandalay and from Mu-se, on the border with China, are supposed to close at 6pm. In practice, though, there seems to be plenty of night-time travel in both directions. If you want to leave town via the northern entrance (towards Mu-se), you must have a permit from the regional military headquarters. Taxi drivers or staff at the New Asia Hotel (opposite) and the governmentowned Lashio Motel, at the intersection of the Mandalay–Lashio and Station Rds in Lashio, can sometimes help to arrange these.

TRAIN

Since the Mandalay–Lashio Rd has been upgraded, travelling by bus is much faster (and cheaper) than the train. As usual, though, the train is the better alternative for those who are interested in beautiful scenery and a chance to meet the locals. The No 131 Up leaves Mandalay at 4.45am and arrives in Lashio around 7pm – when it’s not delayed by track conditions (late arrivals aren’t unusual). The Lashio train for Mandalay departs at 5am, and is very cold in the wee hours of the morning during the cool season. Along the way you’ll crawl across the famous Gokteik Viaduct (p208) and wind around four monumental switchbacks. The Mandalay to Lashio fare is US$6 for ordinary class and US$12 for a seat in the only 1st-class coach on the train. From Pyin U Lwin the fare is US$10 in 1st class. (Officially, ordinary class isn't available to foreigners, but if 1st class is full, it's worth asking. At a pinch, you can just board the train and wait for the ticket collector to come by.) Tickets for this route can be bought one to seven days ahead, and they sell out very quickly. In Lashio the train station is 3km northwest of the centre of Lashio Lay. VAN & CAR

Small air-conditioned vans (Toyota Superroofs) travel from Mandalay to Lashio (K8000/6000 for seat at the front/back); these deliver their passengers to the door, but they fill up fast. You can also hire your own car and driver in Mandalay to make the one-way trip for about US$40. Inquire at the Nylon Hotel or the Royal Guest

MYITKYINA TO KATHA A boat trip down the Ayeyarwady, past the narrow gorges where the jungle creeps up to the water’s edge, through slow-moving expanses where everything seems to stand still and sandbanks threaten to beach the boat, is a chance to witness the lethargic pageantry of river life. Old men and young children excitedly hail the arrival of the ferry as they quickly heft sacks of goods, while longyi-clad women wade into the water to sell delicacies from plates confidently perched on their heads, as if the muddy waters were the town square. More than this, though, the trip north is an opportunity to socialise with Myanmar people on the long boat and train rides, where regular stops are occasions to share food and get to know others on the same journey.

MYITKYINA ¨mc'äkI"n;" %074

If you don’t fly, it takes patience and endurance to get to Myitkyina, but it’s the journey that makes it worthwhile. Myitkyina itself, the seat of Myanmar government offices for the region and for official Kachin ethnic organisations, is mainly appealing as the starting point for trips to Kachin villages in the area. Only a handful of foreign visitors venture here, so it’s likely you’ll receive lots of friendly attention. The town is set in a flat valley that is extremely hot in the dry season and very rainy during the monsoon.

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Information Snowland Tours (%23498; snowland@mptmail; hMon-Sat) Near the market area, this is the only travel agency in town and can help with flights and customdesigned tours in the area. YMCA (%23010; [email protected]; 12 Myothit Rd) Unreliable Internet access.

Sights & Activities Herds of motorcycle taxis and trishaws congregate around the train tracks near the YMCA and the large bustling market. Hsu Taung Pye Zedidaw is a pretty, gilded ‘wish-fulfilling’ stupa on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River. The larger Andawshin Paya boasts a silver-plated stupa said to contain tooth relics and a Buddha footprint; there are a couple of adjacent monasteries. Other religious structures of interest include the Sri Saraswati Gurkha Hindu Temple, the Ja-me Mosque and a Taoist-Buddhist Chinese temple. Most of the Kachin people living in and around Myitkyina have been strongly influenced by missionaries, and there are around 15 churches in town; most are Baptist, but a few Methodist and Catholic ones are sprinkled in. About 14km north is Praying Mountain, a sacred site for Kachin and Lisu Baptists and the location of a Bible school and seminary. The town is also home to a small Nepali community. Only a handful of visitors have visited the Kachin State Cultural Museum (Youngyi Rd; admis sion US$2; h10am-3pm Tue-Sun) since it was built in 1994. On display is the usual collection of costumes, and Kachin and Shan artefacts such as pipes, baskets, fishing nets, looms and musical instruments. Most labels are in Burmese. The museum is approximately 3km from the centre of town. MYIT-SON

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Myit-son, 43km north of Myitkyina, at the confluence of the Mayhka and Malihka Rivers, is located at the beginning of the great Ayeyarwady River. The Chinese-owned Nanthida Hotel overlooks the water. The return taxi fare from Myitkyina is anywhere from K8000 to K30,000, depending on your negotiating skills. It's about an hour each way over a very rough road. Some threewheel drivers will make the trip for less, but this is not recommended, because of the poor road condition.

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Another spot formerly off limits is the jade-mining centre of Hpakan, 148km west of Myitkyina. Permission is required and can usually be arranged by hotels in Myitkyina; however, the total cost of US$300, including the fee for the two required military escorts, is prohibitive to many. Southwest of Kamaing is the huge and serene Indawgyi Lake, home to 120 bird species including the Myanmar peacock and surrounded by 30 rarely visited villages. To reach the lake from Myitkyina, take a morning train to the village of Hopin (US$4, four hours). From here pick-ups make the 42km trip to the lakeside village of Lonton (K2000, two hours), which has a guesthouse.

Festivals & Events On Kachin State Day (10 January) a major manao (also spelt manau or manaw; the important festivals held periodically to placate or pay homage to the Jinghpaw nat) in Myitkyina draws Kachin groups from all over the state and beyond. A typical manao involves the sacrifice of 29 cows and/or buffaloes, one for each of the 28 Jinghpaw nat plus one dedicated to all of them. Participants dance, play music and drink churu (rice beer). Aye Chan Tha Inn (%23109; 53 Sipinthayar Rd; s/d US$8/15; a) Lit up like a casino at night, the Aye Chan Tha is easily the best value in town. The hotel is quite modern and immaculately kept, and rooms are attractive and have satellite TVs. Reviews of the owner are less glowing, though – don’t rely on him for travel advice, as he’s likely to dismiss any unconventional ideas. YMCA (%23010; [email protected]; 12 Myothit Rd; s/d with shared bathroom US$5/6, with private bathroom US$7/12; ai) There’s no doubt that

this is the most traveller friendly and savvy place to stay in Myitkyina. Rooms at the Y have mismatched furniture and erratic water pressure. There was an ant problem in some corners of our room, but the mattresses were comfortable, and the help and information available overrode other concerns. Breakfast is not included. Xing Xian Hotel (%22281; xingxianhotel@mptmail .net.mm; 127 Shan Su; s/d US$20/30; a) Only a few blocks from the market and river front, this four-storey behemoth (for Myitkyina

at least) opened in 2001. The slightly musty rooms have air-con, hot water and TV, and the friendly staff speaks English. Pan Tsun Hotel (%22748; fax 22749; s/d US$15/20; a) Rooms in the Pan Tsun, a four-storey place behind the YMCA, have seen better days. Some are quite small, and the carpet is showing wear and tear. Nevertheless, the staff are professional, and rooms do have amenities, including air-con, attached hotwater bathroom, satellite TV, fridge and international direct dialling (IDD) phone. Sumpra Hotel (%25051; [email protected]; 11 Thida Aye Quarter; s/d US$30/35) This hotel, 8km outside town and owned and operated by a former Kachin official, is a favourite of government types and business people. The spacious rooms, with frazzled carpets and peeling paint, aren’t especially good value; however, each concrete bungalow has a small porch, and there’s a great deck space overlooking the river.

Eating Bamboo Field Restaurant (%23227; 313 Union St; fish dishes K3000) A short walk from the Aye Chan Tha Inn, Bamboo Fields is a more ‘developed’ restaurant than one might expect to find here. Young government-connected types and the occasional foreign businessman eat and drink while taking in either noncompetitive modelling contests or competitive fashion shows where the only costume change involves a different-coloured boa. The white-shirted waiters are attentive. The menu includes barbecued meat and fish, and there’s a wide selection of spirits and beers. Riverview Restaurant (%23780; fish & prawn dishes K2000) As you might expect, this restaurant affords fantastic views, so while the quality of the food is secondary, the standard Bamar and Chinese dishes are satisfying enough. Maybe a beer is all the nutrition needed – after all, sitting and looking for hours aren’t demanding activities. A short walk from the YMCA and opposite a church, Shamie Restaurant (curries K900), makes ordering one of their delicious curries easy with helpful photos on the wall. Kashmir Restaurant (curries K900) also does Indian curries and is around the corner, closer to the YMCA. Seikdaichya, one of the best eateries, doesn't look like much but serves quite

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reasonable food. Malihku Restaurant and Palay Kyawi Kan Thaya are Kachin restaurants (serving steamed and barbecued fish) along the river just north of town.

Getting There & Away You can reach Myitkyina by air, boat, bus, share taxi or train. However, there are drawbacks to each method of travel, and the town’s inaccessibility, combined with the limited number of sights, mean that few visitors bother. AIR

Bagan Air flies to Myitkyina from Yangon on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Myanma Airways (MA) has a flight from Mandalay to Myitkyina (US$70 one way). It’s possible to continue to Putao (US$90 return) but prior permission, more easily pursued in Yangon, is needed. On Wednesday, MA makes the flight from Yangon to Myitkyina via Bhamo (US$180 one way). The 25-minute flight from Bhamo to Myitkyina costs US$35. MA often doesn’t fly according to a strict schedule, especially during the rainy season, and tickets are difficult to obtain. There is an MA office in town, but its opening hours are irregular. BOAT

Large three-deck passenger ferries don’t travel north of Bhamo, because the river is too shallow to navigate safely. Foreigners are supposedly barred from taking one of the long, narrow ‘fast’ boats that leave every morning for the seven-hour trip from Myitkyina to Bhamo (K8000) – apparently safety is the issue. This restriction may be lifted in the future but, if it’s still in place when you visit, a Myanmar guide can help secure permission. It’s been reported that single travellers, or two to three travellers at the most, may be able to pay a small gratuity to the ticket seller and boat captain for their ‘permission’. Groups of foreigners boarding the boat would attract too much attention, so you may be asked to keep a low profile while still in the Myitkyina jetty. Once you depart, it’s quite a comfortable and enjoyable journey. There’s a large, open space in the front of the boat where you can spread out along with groups of locals and their picnics.

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PICK-UP & TAXI

The 188km road between Bhamo and Myitkyina, which runs parallel to the China– Myanmar border, is passable in all weather. Strictly speaking, you're not supposed to travel to/from Myitkyina by road, but in practice it’s quite another story. Several pick-ups leave from in front of the YMCA at 8.30am every day. Some drivers are reluctant to take foreigners, if only because it takes even more time to pass through the five or so army checkpoints, which are primarily in place to prevent smuggling. To speed up the formalities, it makes sense to make five copies of your passport and visa to leave at each checkpoint along the way. This also helps convince drivers that you are clued in. Some travellers report that it’s possible to hire a share taxi all the way between Bhamo and Mandalay (K100,000 for six people, 20 hours). There are no regular public-transport services along the road between Mogok and Myitkyina, as road conditions are quite bad between Mogok and Bhamo. TRAIN

Government trains leave Mandalay at 1.40pm and 5.45pm daily, and are supposed to arrive in Myitkyina 24 hours later. In practice it often takes longer – up to 40 hours – due to the poor condition of the rail bed. Derailments have occurred in the past, a few resulting in deaths. The fare for sleeper/upper class is US$40/27. Tickets should be purchased at least three days in advance, especially if you want to book a sleeper. See p244 for information on buying tickets in Mandalay. Two semiprivate companies run somewhat better trains to Myitkyina on certain days of the week; ask for details at a travel agency or your guesthouse. The problem is that these services use the same track, and are therefore subject to the same delays. Upper-class seating runs the gamut from fairly widely spaced, comfortable, thickly cushioned seats that recline all the way back to straight-backed wooden benches with very thin cushions. If comfort is a concern – and it should be on such a long trip – the only sure way to know what you’re getting is to go with a guide, a Myanmar friend or a member of staff from a guesthouse to look over the trains and cars in person and select what you want. Otherwise, it’s pot luck.

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220 MY I T K Y I N A T O K AT HA • • B h a m o

It gets fairly cold at night, so bring warm clothes and a blanket. Attendants hire out bamboo mats for sleeping on that can be placed under the seats or in the aisle. A restaurant car cooks good rice and curry dishes; attendants can also bring the food to your seat. In addition, every stop is a culinary adventure, with some stops long enough for you to disembark and sit down with whatever you find. All caveats aside, it's a wonderful opportunity to meet Myanmar people, have real and sustained conversations and maybe even play a game of chess or two. A number of repair shops, including one directly behind the YMCA (p218), will hire out motorcycles (per day K6000) to foreigners. Don't think about going too far, as the quality of the bikes is generally fairly poor. However, it’s a very fun way to get around town and see the surrounding countryside. The YMCA will also hire out bicycles for K200 per day. Covered motorised three-wheelers in Myitkyina (called thonbeecars – thon is three and bee is wheel) are everywhere. Taxis are available from the airport and opposite the market for trips further afield (such as to Indawgyi Lake). The average cost of a bicycle trishaw around town is K200 during the day and K500 in the evening.

BHAMO bn'"em;' %074

For many, Bhamo (ba-maw), 186km south of Myitkyina, is the starting point for a cruise down the mighty Ayeyarwady River to Mandalay. The town itself deserves more attention, though, as it’s leafier and more charming than Myitkyina, and blessed with quality accommodation. The bustling daily market draws Lisu, Kachin and Shan participants from the surrounding countryside, though there’s little to see in the way of traditional costumes. A portion of the old city walls of Sampanago, an old Shan kingdom, can be seen around 3km north of town – though the ride out there by horse cart is of more interest than the overgrown pile of rubble. To get there, tell the horse-cart driver to go to Bhamo Myo Haung (Old City of Bhamo). Theindawgyi

Paya, in the town centre, features an older stupa. Sein Win, who speaks English, can be found by asking for him at the Friendship Hotel (below). He is a jack of all trades. In addition to having built a helicopter (apparently inspired by the James Bond films) that he is more than willing to show visitors, Sein Win takes foreigners on day trips to Kachin villages in the area and to an elephant camp if given notice. It’s up to you to decide what his services are worth, but the standard rate seems to be anywhere from US$10 to US$30 per person depending on the number of people in the group. The Three Star Bookshop sells the Myanmar Times.

Sleeping & Eating Friendship Hotel (%50095; [email protected] .mm; r with fan & shared bathroom U$5, s/d with private bathroom US$15/25; a) The largest building in Bhamo, the five-storey Friendship Hotel is a comforting surprise, especially if you arrive here by boat. Everything is modern and spick-and-span. The more expensive rooms have air-con, phone with IDD service, TV, fridge, minibar, and complimentary tea and coffee. Breakfast is served in the very cosy bar and restaurant below street level. The staff here, and especially the manager, Moe Naing, are extremely helpful and can book boat trips and flights for you. Ask for a map of Bhamo. Grand Hotel (%50317; Post Office Rd; s/d US$10/15; a) Less grand-looking inside than outside, this hotel is nevertheless a very decent second option. The hallways are rather cavernous and the rooms are large, with Chinese-style décor and 'extras' such as slippers. Heaven Tea Shop (dim sum K220; hbreakfast, lunch & dinner) This place offers a refreshing change of pace from the usual fare found in this part of the country. Don't be fooled by the sign out the front advertising natural spring water of the same name. Heaven serves a delicious selection of chicken, pork and seafood dim sum in a pleasant outdoor setting. Shamie Restaurant (curries K1000) Just a few doors down from Heaven, the Shamie does good Indian curries. Sein Sein Restaurant, Crown Restaurant and Nanthida Restaurant serve Chinese food. Yamona Tea Shop is a Hindu-run place

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MY I T K Y I N A T O K AT HA • • M u - S e & N a m h k a m Va l l e y 221

on the main drag with good samosas and a satellite TV tuned in to a Hindi channel.

Getting There & Away AIR

Myanma Airways flies between Bhamo and Mandalay (US$50, one hour) on Monday and Friday. This flight originates in Yangon – the fare all the way from Yangon to Bhamo via Mandalay is US$130. It then continues to Myitkyina (US$40 from Bhamo). Return flights to Mandalay and Yangon leave Bhamo at around 2pm. BOAT

Large ferries ply the Ayeyarwady River between Mandalay and Bhamo (lower deck/ upper deck/cabin US$9/24/54) on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. When the water level is at its optimum, the upriver journey takes 1½ days (about the same as the downriver journey), but when the river’s low it can take as long as 2½ days. See p223 for more details. Compared to lower deck, the enclosed upper-deck class is smaller and has fewer people. The scenery along the upper reaches of the Ayeyarwady is very fine, especially north of Shwegu, where the riverbanks are lush with bamboo and other flora and the boat passes through steep rock gorges. The government’s Inland Water Transport office (where you can buy tickets for the boat) in Bhamo is opposite the roundabout near Tat Twin Kyaung (a military monastery). Alternatively, simply ask for help at either of the hotels. If you want to stop overnight in Katha before continuing by ferry to Mandalay, it’s worth taking one of the smaller, ‘fast’ long boats from Bhamo (ordinary/1st class K3500/10,000), which take anywhere from five to seven hours, depending on the number of times the boat gets stuck on sandbars. A 1st-class ticket will probably get you a seat in the pilot house, while ordinary class means you get a rather cramped seat on a wooden or metal bench. Bring your own food and water. If travelling all the way from Bhamo to Mandalay by boat, it’s worth taking the ‘fast’ boat from Bhamo to Katha and then the large ferry from Katha to Mandalay. Both afford good opportunities to meet and befriend the locals.

Getting Around Horse carts to Bhamo Myo Haung (the old city) can be hired anywhere in town and cost about K400 per person for the return trip. Bhamo is small enough to visit on foot.

MU-SE & NAMHKAM VALLEY mUzy' à nm'¾xm'" xYŸi='¾0Hm'"

The Shweli River (called Ruili River on the Chinese side) forms the border between Myanmar’s Shan State and China's Yunnan Province at Mu-se. Although it extends all the way to Lashio (and to some degree beyond), the Chinese influence is of course stronger here than elsewhere in Shan State. You're not likely to be allowed to visit Muse from Myanmar. However, people on escorted package tours entering from China have received permission to enter Myanmar at Mu-se and travel south to Lashio. Mu-se’s once sleepy frontier-town atmosphere has been swept away by the bustling border trade with China. The town's electricity is supplied by China, so the power cuts common around Myanmar are unheard of here. Chinese tourists flock to Mu-se to shop, keeping the moneychangers busy. Trucks from Myanmar cross to China with dried fish, rattan, fresh beans and fruit. On the return trip from China, the same trucks carry electrical goods, spare parts, cement and other building components. Smuggled goods include teak, cigarettes and alcohol. The territory surrounding Mu-se is one of the primary pipelines for opium and heroin smuggling from Shan State to Yunnan Province, and from there to Hong Kong. East of Mu-se, along the border, there are reportedly several major heroin refineries, as well as methamphetamine labs. This area to the east is strictly off limits to foreigners. Cut by the Shweli River, the verdant Namhkam Valley, southwest of Mu-se, is a beautiful patchwork of bamboo and rice paddies. Most of the people living off the land in this area are Shan and other Thai ethnic groups. The town of Namhkam is renowned as the WWII-era location of Dr Gordon Seagrave's American Medical Center. Doctor Seagrave renounced his associations with the American Baptist Mission in order to offer medical service free of Christian proselytisation; people from all over the northern frontier states emerged

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Getting Around

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222 MY I T K Y I N A T O K AT HA • • K a t h a

from his medical centre trained as doctors and nurses.

Sleeping & Eating Muse Hotel (s/d US$10/15; a) This is the most popular place to stay. Rooms in the privatised 40-room Muse have attached hotwater bathrooms and air-con but are noisy and a tad grubby. There are cheaper places to stay that may or may not accept foreigners, including the Yan Yan Guest House, Tokyo Motel and Lucky Hotel. If you’re lucky enough to get permission to visit Namhkam, you'll find cheap but rustic accommodation at the Cherry Guest House, Yadana Theingi Guest House and Friendship Guest House. From Mu-se it’s four or five hours by pickup or car along the famed Burma Road to Lashio, a distance of 176km. With the increased traffic between Mu-se and Mandalay, the road to Lashio has livened up with businesses catering to truck drivers. Pickups (K1500 per person) start at about 6am in either direction – but be warned: they're impossibly packed with people and cargo, and are very uncomfortable. Share taxis with aircon are available for K3000 per person. It’s possible to arrange lifts in private cars, but any driver who agrees to take you will want some money for fuel, plus a little extra.

KATHA ks;

Compared with Myitkyina to the north and Bhamo to the east, Katha is more peaceful and pleasant, partly because of its relative

inaccessibility. What activity there is picks up during ferry arrivals and departures and is mostly centred on the riverside road – an excellent place to absorb the rhythm of small-town Myanmar riverine life. Katha is easily explored by foot but doesn’t see many foreign visitors, so you may receive celebrity-level attention. Located roughly halfway up to Myitkyina, Katha’s population is a mix of Bamar, Kachin and Chin, plus a small Nepali minority.

Sights Katha has a little-known distinction. Eric Blair (known to the world by his pen name, George Orwell) was posted here from December 1926 to June 1927 as a colonial police officer, and Katha was the setting for his novel Burmese Days. Most of the sites mentioned in Orwell’s novel, which is highly critical of the British colonial system, are still there, including the police station, the huge walled jail, and the old hospital where the writer spent some time recuperating from dengue and befriended an Indian doctor named Krishnaswami (Dr Veraswami in the novel). Most interestingly, the old British Club, around which much of the novel revolves, is now the headquarters for an agricultural coop. The club library and billiard table are long gone, but the tennis court is, surprisingly, still in use and the easiest way to find the former club. Ask any local for directions to the tennis court – just mimic an overhead serve – and then follow the path beside it to the wooden building directly behind it. Monks from the large monastery on one end of Strand Rd welcome foreigners to

MYANMAR–CHINA BORDER A bridge over the Shweli River links the two countries. At the time of writing it was not possible to cross the border from Myanmar into China, but it was possible to cross from China into Myanmar – if you've brought the proper paperwork from Kunming. A travel agency in the Kunming Camelia Hotel (%0871-317 6609; 154 East Dong Feng Rd, Kunming) can make the requisite arrangements. The Laotian Consulate happens to be on the same floor. For Y1300 (US$140) the people at the Kunming Camelia will organise everything you need upon reaching Ruili on the Chinese side of the border, where a government-approved guide from Myanmar will walk you through the day-long paperwork maze. From Kunming, Ruili can be reached by air (50 minutes) or by bus (24 hours). On the Myanmar side, the guide helps change money and coordinates passage by taxi all the way to Lashio or Hsipaw. There are at least three police checkpoints along this road. Note that you cannot travel in the opposite direction (ie from Lashio up to Mu-se).

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participate in their rather heated but fun impromtu football games in the afternoon.

Sleeping & Eating Katha gets few foreign visitors, and the rustic accommodation reflects this. The town’s two hotels are on Strand Rd, near the ferry embarkation point. Breakfast is not included. Ayeyarwady Guest House (%25140; Strand Rd; r K3000) Of the two guesthouses that accept foreigners in Katha, the Ayeyarwady is the better choice. Upstairs rooms fronting the road have views of the river, but this means that noise is an issue. A shower and squat toilets are inside. Annawah Guest House (%25146; Strand Rd; s/d K2000/4000) Be sure to take one of the upstairs rooms here. Though they are mere wooden cubicles, like others on the 1st floor, they do at least get some ventilation. A shower and squat toilets are out the back. Katha has a lively night market with several makeshift noodle joints where you just grab a seat on the bench and point to what you want. Myint Myint Restaurant, near the fire station, on a road parallel to Strand Rd, has very good Burmese curries. Sein Restaurant does the best Chinese food in town.

Getting There & Away BOAT

The most enjoyable way to reach Katha is by passenger ferry on the Ayeyarwady River from Mandalay or Bhamo. The large threestorey Chinese ferry takes around 24 hours to Mandalay (a little more going upriver). It costs US$7 for deck class (no chairs are provided; you must bring a mat and camp on the lower deck, which is not recommended in winter, when temperatures can dip below freezing) and US$42 for a bed in a two-person cabin. Each cabin has two beds, a washbasin, a fan and a reading light. The toilet and bathrooms are towards the rear, but passengers in cabin class are given keys to their own facilities (a boon, given that deck-class facilities tend to get fouled rather quickly). The deck below has a kitchen serving noodles, soups and curry dishes. Snacks are also sold. Ferries ply the river three times a week (but note that the days they run aren’t set in stone). The ferry from Bhamo takes eight hours or more to reach Katha. Between Bhamo

MY I T K Y I N A T O K AT HA • • K a t h a 223

and Katha the fares are US$4/28 for lowerdeck/cabin class. The scenery along this stretch is quite spectacular, especially north of Shwegu, when the boat passes through a steep gorge, and gibbons can be heard calling from the thick jungle. Pods of rare Irrawaddy dolphins are sometimes spotted north of Katha when the river is low. The Inland Water Transport office in Katha is opposite the jetty. Staff there can arrange passage with little notice, though to be on the safe side it's better to arrange a ticket in Mandalay or Bhamo. BUS

Though a rarely explored option, bus travel between Mandalay and Katha is possible. Golden Lion Express (K3500, 12 hours) leaves at noon from the bus station, a five-minute walk from the jetty. Another company, Aunglentaw Express, leaves from the village of Palweshwe, directly opposite Katha on the other side of the river. Small boats can be hired for the short crossing to Palweshwe. This route is closed during the rainy season. TRAIN

Trains from Mandalay or Myitkyina go to Katha and make a stop at Naba, approximately 25km west of Katha. A railway spur goes from Naba to Katha, but there’s only one train a day and it leaves at 5.30am (K100, one hour). Trains from Katha to Naba leave at 1pm and 5pm. Most people opt instead to take a truck between the two towns, which is more convenient. Trucks wait at the Naba station to take passengers to Katha (K300, one hour) whenever a train arrives from Mandalay or Myitkyina. Trucks from Katha to Naba leave at 2.30pm. Government trains from Mandalay to Naba (1st/upper class US$12/18) on their way to Myitkyina leave daily at 1.50pm and 5.45pm. The trip takes about 12 hours (if you’re lucky). Trains leave Naba for Mandalay at 4.50pm and 8.20pm; the earlier express train is recommended. Foreigners are not allowed in the lower-class cars but, unless you’re some kind of masochist, you wouldn't want to ride them anyway – they're little better than cattle cars. Privately run trains operated by the Mehka Mandalar company depart Mandalay on Wednesday and Sunday at 4.40pm.

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224 T H E FA R N O R T H • • Pu t a o

Upper-class seats are US$25. The Malikha Mandalar company runs trains on Monday and Friday, and the fare and departure times are the same. These tickets can be bought at the Mandalay train station at windows Nos 7 and 8. These private trains depart from Myitkyina for Naba (en route to Mandalay) on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday.

One of the least visited regions on earth, the far north of Myanmar is undoubtedly appealing to the adventurous traveller. In a frontier area, with an intact ecosystem, old-growth forest and alpine meadows, Putao and the surrounding area lie above the tropic of Cancer. This zone is characterised by subtropical conditions up to 2000m, temperate rainforest from 2000m to 3000m and subalpine snow forest that becomes alpine scrub above 3000m. The highlands north of Putao are considered one of the most pristine Himalayan environments in Asia and could become a major ecotourism destination if made accessible to foreigners. The locals often refer to the surrounding peaks as the ‘ice mountains’. One of the smallest ethnic groups north of Putao is the Tawon, the only known Asian pygmy group, who are hunters. They don't have words for emotional states, but – thanks to enterprising missionaries – they can cite passages from the Bible as an argument for domesticating beasts. Other tribes living in the highlands north of Putao are the Rawang, Drung, Daru, Nung and Tibetans. The minor gold mining in the region is not significant enough for the government to get involved; however, there are also ruby mines, which were given up by the Kachin as part of their peace treaty with the junta in Yangon. Because much of the north is suboptimal in terms of agriculture, it's been largely free of political conflict and violence. However, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has offices in Myitkyina, still operates in the Hukuang Valley, where they wear uniforms and carry weapons (KIA in Myitkyina goes without either). The Naga, still feared because of their reputation as head-hunters, live in the valley and along the Indian border, where low-level insurgency

against the Myanmar and Indian governments continues.

PUTAO pšt;aui

At an elevation of 402m above sea level, Putao is small and picturesque. During the late British colonial era, a military post called Fort Hertz was based in Putao. By the end of WWII most Westerners used this name instead of Putao – it still appears on some older maps. Most of the population of around 10,000 are Kachin and Lisu, followed by Bamar, Shan and various other smaller tribal groups. The Lisu are proficient hunters – for trade, not sustenance. In an attempt to stop the decimation of rare and endangered species, conservationists have focused on efforts to provide people in the area with the equally rare but vital mineral of salt. Previously, traders from China (who were interested in animal parts for medicines and aphrodisiacs) were the only source of this mineral, which is so easily taken for granted yet so necessary for survival.

Information Around 300 to 400 foreigners visited the Putao area in 2003–04. The best time to visit is from October to April, when daytime temperatures are quite pleasant and nights are cold but rarely freezing. Official permission granted by MTT is necessary to visit Putao. This can be arranged with the assistance of a travel agent or with Myanma Airways directly in Yangon only and can take from two to three weeks to obtain. The cost of a permit starts at US$35.

Sights & Activities As might be expected for an area so close to multiple remote borders, the army has a strong presence (and an apparently unquenchable passion for golf, evidenced by its nine-hole course near the military camp). Bamboo and wooden handicrafts and medicines made from local plants are on sale at the Myoma Market in town. A popular post– Sunday morning mass activity is watching videos at a market teashop. Next to the Mahamuni Paya is a chime bell made from the propeller of a wrecked WWII aircraft. Multiple footpaths lead out of town, perfect for a short day hike or as the starting

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point for week-long to month-long treks. The latter are demanding and cannot be undertaken on the spur of the moment: permission, supplies, camping gear, guides and maybe even porters need to be arranged. If you do jump through the bureaucratic hoops and pay the sometimes exorbitant fees, your efforts will be rewarded. The geography and scenery are truly fantastic. Trails pass through isolated villages, and bamboo bridges cross sparkling, pristine rivers. The cost for a typical 11-day trip, including airfare from Yangon, guides, porters, food and sleeping equipment, is US$1100. Hkakabo Razi stands 5889m high and is snowcapped year round. After forking out US$40,000 to the government for the privilege of climbing the mountain, and after two failed attempts, Takeshi Ozaki of Japan and U Nama Johnson of Myanmar reached the summit in 1996. A protected reserve around Hkakabo Razi was established the same year by the government in response to the tireless efforts of the New York–based Wildlife Conservation Society, headed by Alan Rabinowitz, author of the very moving and fascinating memoir Beyond the Last Village (p72). Only a handful of foreigners have made the 35-day trek from Putao to Tahaungdam, the last village before Hkakabo Razi; it’s an additional nine days to base camp. Satellite peaks in adjoining massifs include Namni-Lka (4664m) in the Adung Valley and Diphuk-Ha (4360m) in the Seingku Valley. Phongun Razi (3500m) is a 10- to 11-day trip from Putao; the summit of it affords views of India to the west. Along with hundreds of butterfly species, the Himalayan black bear, the red panda and the red goral (small goat antelope) have been observed in the region. Rabinowitz also worked to create the Hukuang Valley tiger-conservation area, which, at 8400 sq km, is larger than all the Indian tiger reserves put together. It’s also home to at least 50 rare animal and bird species, such as the clouded leopard, marbled cats and the leaf deer. Cameras were installed throughout the valley in 2002 to record the animals’ movements and numbers. Ultimate Descents (www.ultimatedescents.com), a subsidiary of Ayeyarwaddy Expeditions hopes to pioneer rafting and kayaking trips

T H E FA R N O R T H • • Pu t a o 225

on the Nam Lang River and the more challenging Mayhka River (see p333). One German travel company has even mentioned plans to offer skiing vacations in the mountains here. A word of caution before signing up: the thrills don't come cheap.

Tours Travel agencies in Yangon specialising in trips to the north: Lisu & Ayeyarwaddy Expeditions (%01-652 809; [email protected]; Suite 03-06, Sedona Hotel) The same adventurous and enterprising people who run Balloons over Bagan (see p268).

Myanmar Himalaya Trekking & Culture Travels & Tours Co (%01-227 978; www.myanmar-explore.com; Room 212, Summit Parkview Hotel) Woodland Travel & Tour (%01-202 071; www.wood landgroups.com; 7 FJV Commercial Centre, Botataung Rd)

Sleeping & Eating A number of travel agencies run trips to Putao and arrange sleeping accommodation for guests in either the government-owned Rest House, which we don’t recommend, or more likely in camp sites. At the time of research, Ayeyarwaddy Expeditions (above) was in the process of constructing a luxury lodge called the Lisu perched above the Nam Lang River. Plans indicate that, in addition to a main lodge with two fireplaces, the individual bungalows (designed like traditional homes) will be centred on an open fireplace. Accommodation will be part of an all-inclusive package arranged through the travel agency. The town has one Chinese restaurant, Khamsuko, near Myoma Market.

Getting There & Away Foreigners are not allowed to travel to Putao by road. Even with permission, the narrow, unsurfaced 356km road is passable only in dry weather. Permission from the MTT must be sought to fly here. Myanma Airways (MA) flies from Yangon to Putao (US$210 one way, four hours) via Mandalay and Myitkyina on Monday, Friday and Sunday, and from Yangon to Putao via Myitkyina on Wednesday and Saturday. Bear in mind that the schedule may change every six months or so. The Myitkyina to Putao leg is US$90 return.

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

N O R T H E A S T E R N M YA N M A R

THE FAR NORTH

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Mandalay

HISTORY

mN ÿe l"

The country’s last royal capital, and still an infant at 150 years old, Myanmar’s second city is so not Yangon. Quieter, more laid-back and snuggled into its setting on the banks of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River, 695km north of the capital, Mandalay spreads lazily along a wide, flat grid of streets filled less with cars and commuter-packed buses than squeaky bicycles and trishaws. And dust – even the palm trees are caked with the stuff. Some visitors love it; some could live without it. Mandalay’s not particularly pretty, but few visitors to Myanmar skip a few days here. That’s long enough to climb steep Mandalay Hill, lined with Buddhas and nats (spirit beings), for views of the Shan hills. It’s long enough for a glimpse of the famous Mahamuni Paya, an evening with the Moustache Brothers and day trips to the remarkable ancient cities hovering at the city’s outskirts (see p248). For some, the best pastime is sitting over tea at dusk and watching kids and adults fly plastic kites over the rush-hour scene. After opening borders with China, Mandalay became something of a boom town in the 1990s, though the city remains richly Buddhist, home to some 60% of Myanmar’s monks, many of whom reside in the villagelike leafy area southwest of downtown.

HIGHLIGHTS Mandalay’s most worshipped site, the Mahamuni Paya (p234) houses a (stolen) Buddha re-covered in gold leaf daily The city’s best vantage point is from Mandalay Hill (p229), where, the story goes, Buddha pointed out the setting of the future capital

Mandalay Hill

Culture shows: banned jokester heroes the Moustache Brothers Troupe (p240) churn out political comedy, while Mandalay Marionettes (p241) keep the tradition of puppetry on the stage

A bike ride is best through the leafy, off-the-beaten-track Monk District, home to hundreds of robed monks; the jade market (p242); and the intricate wooden monastery Shwe In Bin Kyaung (p234) TELEPHONE CODE: 02

POPULATION: 801,000

Mandalay Marionettes & Culture Show Shwe ln Bin Kyaung & Monk District Moustache Brothers Troupe

ORIENTATION Mahamuni Paya

ELEVATION: 74M

The hill with the huge grounds of old Mandalay Palace at its base is the natural focus of Mandalay. The city sprawls away to the south and west of the fort, bounded on the west by the Ayeyarwady River.

The city streets are laid out on a grid system and numbered from north to south and east to west. Some people may make a distinction between east–west ‘roads’ and north–south ‘streets’, but in everyday practice the Myanmar people use these terms interchangeably, and also the word làn. The east–west streets run into the 40s only, while the north–south streets start in the 60s and run through to the 80s. For moving across the city quickly, 35th St serves as the main east–west thoroughfare, while 80th St is the main north–south street. The two major business thoroughfares are 26th and 84th Sts. It’s also worth remembering that, between 35th and 26th Sts, the major thoroughfares of 81st and 83rd Sts are north-bound one-way streets, and 82nd street is a south-bound one-way street. The city centre here – called ‘downtown’ on signs and by English-speaking locals – runs roughly from 21st St to 35th St, between 80th St and 87th St or 88th St. Cutting it in half, east–west 26th St divides south downtown (home to many Indians and Nepalis) from north downtown (where there’s a notable Shan community).

Maps Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; see p229) sells a Mandalay map with advertisements for K100.

INFORMATION

Internet Access Many guesthouses and hotels have a lone computer offering Internet access for K1000 or K1500 per hour. Shops downtown with quicker access and a few computers: Micro-Electronics Email Service (Map p230; 83rd St, 23/24; per hr K1000; h9am-8.30pm) Winner (Map p230; 83rd St, 22/23; per hr K1000; h8am-8pm) MANDALAY ADDRESSES A street address that reads 66th (26/27) means the place is located on 66th St between 26th and 27th Sts. Some of the longer east–west streets take names once they cross the Shweta Chaung (Shweta Canal) heading west. Hence 19th St becomes Inwa St, 22nd St becomes Pinya St, 26th St becomes Bayintnaung Rd and 35th St becomes Yangyiaung Rd.

M A N D A L AY

M A N D A L AY

Mandalay’s shopping (p241) is the country’s best – options include old and new puppets and finely embroidered kalaga (tapestries)

Despite erroneous references to the contrary, Mandalay is a comparatively young city, and its time as the capital of the last Burmese kingdom was short. Most of its monuments and buildings are therefore fairly recent, although some temples long predate the city. For centuries this area of Myanmar was the site of the capitals of the Burmese kingdoms; from Mandalay you can easily visit four former royal cities – all now deserted. King Mindon Min, penultimate ruler in the Konbaung dynasty, founded the city in 1857 and began construction of his new capital, which moved from Amarapura in 1861. In true Myanmar tradition, the new palace was mainly constructed from the dismantled wooden buildings of the previous palace at Amarapura. Mandalay’s period of glory was short – Mindon was succeeded by the disastrous Thibaw Min and, in 1885, Mandalay was taken by the British. Thibaw and his notorious queen were exiled and ‘the centre of the universe’ or ‘the golden city’ (as it was known) became just another outpost of the British Empire. Fifteen years after independence in 1947, Mandalay slumbered, like the rest of the country, through the socialist mismanagement of Ne Win and company. However, with the reopening of the Burma Road through Lashio to China the city has been undergoing an economic boom since the 1990s. The money fuelling this boom is generated by three trades – rubies, jade and heroin – and controlled by Kachin, Wa, Shan, Kokang and Chinese syndicates. The population has broken 800,000, with new townships springing up along the edges of the city, many inhabited by former squatters once at home in the city’s central area. The Chinese presence has grown by a great deal since the easing of foreign trade restrictions with Myanmar’s northerly neighbour. Many new office buildings, 10storey hotels and department stores have flourished along downtown blocks.

MA N D A L AY • • H i s t o r y 227

228 MA N D A L AY

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1 km 0.5 miles

0 0

A

B

ὈὈ Ὀ ὈὈ C

1

Golf Course

wad

y R iver

76th St

Approximate Scale

yar Aye

16

Military Cemetery

20

10th St

19

11th St

2

17 18

al 18th St

a

al

Can

8

Entertainment District 36 23

36th St 37 37th St

3

75th St

Market

2

To Inwa (21km); Sagaing (21km)

30

25 35

66th St

68th St

71st St

To Peacock Lodge (150m)

38th St

Ya

yN

a iC

na

l

Minn Thi Ha Teashop...........................33 B5 Oriental House...................................(see 30) Too Too Restaurant............................. 34 C4

C2 D2 D2 D2 A5 B6

SLEEPING Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel...................20 Mandalay View Inn.............................. 21 Pacific Hotel.........................................22 Power Hotel.........................................23 Royal City Hotel...................................24 Sedona Hotel Mandalay....................... 25 Tiger Hotel...........................................26

C2 D4 B4 B5 B4 D4 B5

ENTERTAINMENT Mandalay Marionettes & Culture Show..................................35 D4 Moustache Brothers Troupe.................36 B5

D3 C3 D2 A5 D2 C3 C2

EATING Aya Myit Tar Myanmar Restaurant.......27 Barbecue Restaurants...........................28 BBB......................................................29 Green Elephant.................................... 30 Ko's Kitchen.........................................31 Marie-Min Vegetarian Restaurant........32

B5 D4 C4 D4 B3 C4

Medical Services Main Hospital (Map p228; 30th St, 74/77)

Money Kyaw Kyaw Aung Email (Map p230; 27th St, 80/81; h9am-6pm) Has iffy Internet, but can cash American Express or Thomas Cook travellers cheques at a whopping 20% commission. Nan Myint (Map p230; 29th St) This shop can use Visa or MasterCard on purchases of US$100 or more. Sedona Hotel (see p238; 26th St) At research time, the Sedona was the only hotel that accepted credit cards.

SHOPPING Gold-Leaf Makers.................................37 B5 Jade Market......................................... 38 A5 Mann Shwe Gon..................................39 C4 Stone-Carvers' Workshops...................40 B6 Sunflower Arts & Crafts.....................(see 32) Temple Paraphenalia............................(see 9) TRANSPORT Inland Water Transport Office..............................41 A5

To Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo; 68km)

New Horizon Travels (Map p230; %60767; 122 36th St, 78/79; h8am-5.30pm) This is a helpful branch of a dependable Yangon agency. Staff can help find long-term drivers, arrange guides, make hotel reservations and sell tickets.

SIGHTS

Mandalay Hill mNÿel"et;='

Many people begin a Mandalay stay at the one place that breaks out of the pancakeflat plain, 230m-high Mandalay Hill (Map p228;

Post

THE US$10 COMBO TICKET

DHL Express Office (Map p228; 22nd St; %39274) Can-

Since 2002 the government has charged foreign tourists a combo US$10 ticket fee (for the ‘Mandalay Archaeological Zone’) that includes entrance to Amarapura (p248) and Inwa (Ava; p251) outside the city, plus entry to all of the following Mandalay sites (easily Mandalay’s biggest attractions):

not send packages to the USA, because of the sanctions. Main post office (Map p228; 22nd St; h9.30am-3pm Mon-Fri) Next door to the DHL office; sends your postcards overseas for K75. Mail is free (up to 7000g!) if you’re blind.

Telephone

28

35th St

Local calls can be made for K200 from street stands all over Mandalay. Central Telephone & Telegraph (CTT; Map p230;

Atumashi Kyaung (p232)

26th St; calls to Europe/North America/Thailand per min US$3.20/4.50/1.40; h7am-8.30pm) Make expensive international calls at this official-looking, unsigned building set back from the street.

Kuthodaw Paya (p232)

Cultural Museum Mandalay (p231) Mahamuni Paya (p234) Mandalay Palace (p233) Paleik Paya (p252)

39th St

Tourist Information Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; Map p230; %60356;

40th St

41st St

Mandalay Arts & Sciences University

9

21

34th St

6 40

23rd St

25th St

74th St

70th St

77th St

32nd St 76th St

79th St 27 26

31st St

33rd St

78th St

ing

38

zar

22

33

Saigaing-Mandalay Rd

Th

Yar

80th St

81st St

84th St

83rd St

85th St

Thakawun Kyaung

Kin Wun Kyaung

29th St 1 30th St

Mandalay

Yangyiaung Rd

34

26th St Mandalay Swan Hotel 39

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Asia Centre Driving Range.....................4 Atumashi Kyaung.................................. 5 Kuthodaw Paya......................................6 Kyauktawgyi Paya..................................7 Ma Soe Yein Nu Kyaung........................8 Mahamuni Paya.....................................9 Main Palace Entrance (Foreign Tourist Entrance)................10 Mandalay Palace Compound................11 Sandamani Paya...................................12 Shwe In Bin Kyaung.............................13 Shwenandaw Kyaung.......................... 14 Tomb of King Mindon..........................15 Yatanaban Swimming Pool..................16

Zoological Garden (East Entrance)........17 C2 Zoological Garden (South Entrance).....18 C2 Zoological Gardens..............................19 C2

To Highway Bus Station (7km); Lashio Taxi Stand (7km); Airport (45km); Yangon (695km)

Theik Pan St

cnr 68th & 27th Sts; h9am-5pm) The government-run tourist office, behind the Mandalay Swan Hotel, can book package trips to Mogok (per person US$400; minimum of two people) or in mid-January to Khamti (aka Naga Land; from Mandalay/Yangon US$670/920) to witness the Naga people’s New Year celebrations on January 15. Only MTT can arrange trips to these destinations. For either, you’ll need to book seven days in advance. MTT staff members speak English and sell a Mandalay map for K100.

Shwenandaw Kyaung (p232) At research time, not all places checked for the ticket; sometimes a secondary entrance bypasses the government fee collector. Some travellers report that local guides were able to steer them clear of fees in all but the palace. Ten dollars may sound steep, but at least a visit now is cheaper than when each sight charged up to US$5 admission.

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Ὀ

82nd St

24 28th St

To Gawwein Jetty for Bagan, Pyay & Katha Ferries (500m)

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32

INFORMATION Main Hospital........................................ 1 C4 Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT)........... 2 D4 New Horizon Travels..............................3 B5

24th St

63rd St

29 27th St

we Ta 73rd St Ch aun gC ana l

Bayintnaung Rd

Ng

To Mingun Ferrry (500m)

21st St

East Moat St

Myainghaywun Park

22nd St

See Central Mandalay Map p230-1

13

To Yankin Paya (2.5km) 19th St

10

65th St

ta Shwe

20th St

Pinya St

5

16th St

11

3

41

12th St

14th St

15

Culture Museum

Inwa St

4

5

Nandawun Park

31

MA N D A L AY • • S i g h t s 229

12 14

Mandalay Palace

Fort Moat

Can 16th St

6

7

North Moat St (12th St)

14th St

Mandalay Hill

Old Racecourse

4

Myauk Pyin (North Mandalay)

D

62nd St

MANDALAY

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230 MA N D A L AY • • C e n t r a l M a n d a l a y

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CENTRAL MANDALAY

0 0

A

C

D

21st St

81st St

42

82nd St

83rd St

87th St

88th St

1

B

200 m 0.1 miles

Approximate Scale

Mosque 23rd St

Shwekyimyint Paya 24th St 8

7

18

32 25th St

19

20

Central Mosque

39

15

29

nal

82nd St

10 Eindawya-Sintada St

24 27th St 26

49 Hindu Temple

Ca

Eindawya St

87th St

21 Eindawya Paya

25

St 86th

13 Hindu Temple

Hindu 16 Temple

11 28th St

Night Market

35

Mosque

Police Station

29th St

5 29th St 36 50

46

Shw eta

2

45

34

28th St

4

1

23

79th St

83rd St

31

52 44

Sacred Heart Cathedral 26th St

38

86th St Market

3

43

Clock Tower

Bayintnaung Rd

28

81st St

30

To Mingun Ferry

Fire Lookout Tower

37

30th St

Mandalay

31st St

4

80th St

81st St

82nd St

Paya

83rd St

32nd St

47 32nd St

22 40

51

48 33rd St

17

34th St

6 Father Lafonís Catholic Church

35th St To Mahamuni Paya

33

B2 C3 C3 C3 B5 C3 C3 C4

EATING Chapati Stand.......................................26 Lashio Lay Restaurant...........................27 Mann Restaurant..................................28 Nepali Food..........................................29 Nylon Ice Cream Bar.............................30 Produce Market....................................31 Shwe Pyi Moe Cafe..............................32 Shwe Taung Food Centre.....................33 Snack Vendors.....................................34

C3 B2 C3 C3 B3 B3 D2 C6 C4

SHOPPING Blazon..................................................35 D4 FUJI Film............................................. 36 D4

Night Market....................................... 37 D4 Zeigyo (Central Market).......................38 B3 TRANSPORT Air Mandalay Office............................. 39 C3 Leo Express...........................................40 B5 Mann Shwe Pyi....................................41 B5 Monywa & Shwebo Bus Station.......................................42 A1 Mr Htoo Bicycles...................................43 B3 Myanma Airways Office.......................44 C3 New Seven Star Tours..........................45 C4 Pick-ups to Amarapura, Ava & Sagaing..................................46 B4 Pick-ups to the Highway Bus Station...................................(see 49) Pyay Bus Office....................................47 C5 Pyin U Lwin & Hsipaw Bus Ticket Office.................48 C5 Pyin U Lwin Share Taxis.......................49 C3 Shwe Airport Taxi................................. 50 C4 Toe Express.......................................... 51 C5 Yangon Airways Office........................ 52 C3

camera/video camera fee K350/1000). Visitors can taxi halfway up along a switchback road (allegedly built with the aid of forced labour), where an escalator leads to the top and an elevator goes back down (it’s too steep up for trishaw drivers). Alternatively, you can make the half-hour barefoot climb that takes in numerous Buddha and nat shrines; there are many pleasant places to stop for a rest or a drink. At the top the reward is a full panoramic view – the hazy blue outline of the Shan hills to the east, the Mandalay Palace (and city sprawl) to the south and the Ayeyarwady to the west. The camera fees are collected at the top of the hill. Those walking the whole way will likely sweat off some of the previous night’s chapatis. But the trek’s not that hard. You can start at either of two entrances on the south side (which wind their way up and meet halfway to the top), or make a steeper ascent from the west. Two immense carved lions guard the southwest entrance to the hill, and the southeast entrance is watched over by the Bobokyi Nat (Boboki spirit). Leave your shoes with the attendants (the fee is K100) or keep them out of view in a bag. For most of the year it makes most sense to climb before 10am or after 4pm to avoid the midday heat. The first shrine you come to, halfway up the hill, contains the so-called Peshawar Relics, three bones of the Buddha. The relics were originally sent to Peshawar, now in Pakistan, by the great Indian king Asoka. The stupa (Buddhist religious monument) into which they were built was destroyed in

the 11th century, but in 1908 the curator of the Peshawar Museum discovered the actual relic casket during excavations. Although Peshawar had once been a great Buddhist centre, it had by that time been Muslim for many centuries; therefore, the British government presented these important relics to the Burmese Buddhist Society. Close to the top of the hill is a huge standing Buddha image that looks out towards the royal palace with its outstretched hand pointing in that direction. It’s not saying ‘go back’ but pointing to where the Buddha prophesised the location of the future capital. According to legend, the Buddha, accompanied by his disciple Ananda, climbed Mandalay Hill while on one of his visits to Myanmar. There he prophesied that, in the 2400th year of his faith, a great city would be founded below the hill. By our calendar that 2400th year was 1857 – the year King Mindon Min decreed the move from Amarapura to Mandalay. Those interested in military history can also find a monument to the British regiment that retook the hill from the Japanese in 1945. The monument is in a small building attached to one of the shrines at the top of a wide, steep flight of steps.

Cultural Museum Mandalay

mNÿel"¨ptiuk' This museum (Map p230; %24603; cnr 24th & 80th Sts; admission US$10 combo ticket; h9.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun) features a collection of Mandalay re-

galia, royally commissioned art and palmleaf manuscripts, coins, and Bagan-period Buddha images. It’s not brilliant, but it can

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9 34th St

78th St

41

33rd St

Pedestrian Overpass

31st St

5

79th St

84th St

85th St

30th St

Setkyathiha Paya

A4 C4 B2 D3 C2 C3 D3 D6

Nylon Hotel..........................................18 Royal Guest House...............................19 Sabai Phyu Hotel..................................20 Silver Star Hotel....................................21 Silver Swan Hotel..................................22 Taung Za Lat Hotel..............................23 Unity Hotel...........................................24 Universe Hotel.....................................25

Mandalay Palace

80th St

84th St

3

Fort Moat

14

2

INFORMATION Central Telephone & Telegraph (CTT)....1 D3 DHL Express Office..............................(see 6) Kyaw Kyaw Aung Email..........................2 C3 Micro-Electronics Email Service...............3 C2 Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT)........... 4 D5 Nan Myint.............................................5 D4 Post Office.............................................6 D2 Winner...................................................7 C2

SLEEPING AD1 Hotel............................................10 Bonanza...............................................11 Classic Hotel.........................................12 Dream Hotel........................................13 ET Hotel...............................................14 Mandalay City Hotel............................15 Mother's World Hotel..........................16 Myit Phyar Ayer Hotel......................... 17

6

12

MA N D A L AY • • S i g h t s 231

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Cultural Museum Mandalay...................8 D2 Judson Baptist Church............................ 9 C6

22nd St

27

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232 MA N D A L AY • • S i g h t s

get you out of the sun (or rain); staff members don’t always seem to check if you have the US$10 ticket or not.

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To the southeast of Mandalay Hill, close to the bus stop and near the road up to the hill, is the Sandamani Paya (Map p228). Similar to Kuthodaw (below), which is to the east, off the main road, the slightly run-down Sandamani features a cluster of slender whitewashed stupas built on the site of King Mindon’s temporary palace while the new Mandalay Palace was under construction. King Mindon had come to power after the successful overthrow of King Pagan Min, an operation in which he had been assisted by his younger brother Prince Kanaung. Mindon tended to concentrate on religious matters and leave the niceties of secular rule to his brother, but in 1866 Prince Kanaung was assassinated in an unsuccessful revolt inspired by Prince Myingun. The Sandamani Paya was built as a memorial to Prince Kanaung on the spot where he was killed. The paya enshrines an iron image of the Buddha cast in 1802 by Bodawpaya and transported here from Amarapura in 1874. Around the stupa lies a collection of 1774 marble slabs inscribed with commentaries on the Tripitaka (Buddhist canon). Another project of the venerable U Khanti, they were erected in 1913. The government doesn’t (yet) charge to visit here.

Kuthodaw Paya

Frequently dubbed ‘the world’s biggest book’ for its surrounding 729 marble slabs (apparently fewer than Sandamani’s count, but why fuss over details?), the Kuthodaw Paya (Maha Lawka Marazein Paya; Map p228; admission US$10 combo ticket) sees a lot of worship – and tourists. The entire 15 books of the Tripitaka are inscribed on the slabs, each of which is housed in its own small stupa. Building of the paya commenced in 1857, the same time work began on the royal palace. Kuthodaw was modelled on the Shwezigon Paya at Nyaung U, Bagan (see p309). It took an editorial committee of over 200 to produce the original slabs. It has been estimated that, reading for eight hours a day,

one person would take 450 days to read the complete ‘book’. King Mindon convened the 5th Buddhist Synod and used a team of 2400 monks to read the whole book in a nonstop relay lasting nearly six months! In 1900 a paper edition of the stone original was printed in 38 volumes, each with about 400 pages. A 730th slab in the corner of the inner enclosure tells of the construction of this amazing book.

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Recently rebuilt by convict labour, the Atumashi Kyaung (Map p228; admission US$10 combo ticket) stands a couple of hundred metres south of Kuthodaw. Originally built by King Mindon in 1857, at the same time as the Kuthodaw, this kyaung (Burmese Buddhist monastery) features the traditional Burmese monastic construction – a masonry base topped by a wooden building – but instead of the usual multiroofed design it has graduated rectangular terraces. Atumashi was once home to a famous Buddha image clothed in king’s silk clothing and with a huge diamond set on its forehead, but the image was stolen following the British takeover of the city in 1885. Five years later, a fire gutted the monastery and destroyed its contents (including four complete sets of the Tripitaka in teak boxes). The renovated version is most impressive from outside (the basement area is particularly betel splattered).

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Just east of the Atumashi Kyaung stands the wooden Shwenandaw Kyaung (Golden Palace Monastery; Map p228; admission US$10 combo ticket). This monastery is of great interest, not only as a fine example of a traditional Burmese wooden monastery, but also as a fragile reminder of the old Mandalay Palace. It was once part of the palace complex – King Mindon lived here, and in fact died in the building. Afterwards, King Thibaw Min had the building dismantled and reassembled outside the walls; it became a monastery in 1880. It’s a good thing he did, as all the other royal buildings were lost to WWII bombs. It’s said that Thibaw used the building for meditation, and the couch on which he sat can still be seen. The building is covered inside and out with carved panels, but unfortunately many

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MA N D A L AY • • S i g h t s 233

of the exterior panels have weathered badly and some have been removed. At one time the building was gilded and decorated with glass mosaics. The carved panels inside are still in excellent condition, particularly the 10 Jataka (past-life stories of the Buddha).

one day’s labour per month). The new version sports a concrete construction topped by aluminium roofs. Many visitors abhor the reconstruction. Considering the toil taken to build it, many locals do too. The pavilions and most of the wall are original.

Kyauktawgyi Paya

HISTORY

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Directly south of Mandalay Hill (across 66th St from the previous sights) stands the Kyauktawgyi Paya (Map p228), built over a 25-year period that ended in 1878. The pagoda’s nice enough, but its fame comes from its central occupant: an 8m, 900-tonne Buddha, carved from a single block of marble. The marble block (from the mines of nearby Sagyin) was so colossal, it’s said, that 10,000 men spent 13 days transporting it from a canal to the current site. Ornamented with royal attire, the image was completed and dedicated in 1865. Around the shrine are figures of the Buddha’s 80 arahats (enlightened disciples), arranged in groups of 20 on each of the four sides. In a building in the southeast of the compound are a giant alms bowl and colourful renderings of King Mindon’s visit here in 1865. Originally, this paya, like its namesake in Amarapura, would be modelled on the famous Ananda Pahto of Bagan (p300), but due to a palace rebellion this grand plan was not carried through. Mandalay’s biggest festival is held at Kyauktawgyi Paya for seven days in early to mid-October to commemorate Thadingyut (see p341).

Mandalay Palace & Fort The overwhelming centrepiece of Mandalay, the palace compound (Map p228; admission US$10 combo ticket; h7.30am-5pm), sprawling south of Mandalay Hill, is surrounded by a fort made up of immense 3.2km-long, 8m-high walls and guarded by a 70m-wide moat. Visitors can enter at the east gate only (by trishaw, taxi, bicycle etc), where a road passes offroad army barracks to the royal palace site, surrounded by an internal ring road in the centre. The rebuilding of the crimson and gold palace was stained the use of prison and forced local labour in the late ’90s (when young males in Mandalay had to contribute

The original palace was more than just royal living quarters; it was a walled city within Mandalay. It served as the home to two Burmese kings, King Mindon Min (who built the palace in 1857) and King Thibaw (who lived here until British forces seized the city in 1885). Afterwards, the British used the palace as the colony’s government house and British Club, packing King Thibaw off to India. The Japanese held Mandalay for much of WWII. In March 1945, amid fierce fighting from advancing British and Indian troops, the royal palace caught fire and was destroyed. Only the huge walls and moat, the base on which the reconstructed palace buildings stand, and a few masonry buildings and tombs remain of the original palace. Beyond, in the restricted areas around the palace, Myanmar soldiers live in meagre barracks and grow fruit and vegetables for a little extra money. THE SITE

Visitors are allowed to tour the central ovalshaped site, which is surrounded by a ring road, and a couple of sites in the field immediately northeast of the entrance. In the oval area, several crimson and gold pavilions loom ahead. Within the palace compound (to the left of the Mye Nan Pyathat temple, where the US$10 combo ticket is asked for, or sold) is the 33m watchtower, Nan Myint Saung, where you can climb the spiral stairs to get views of the compound and city. The central pavilion, just west of the ‘Hall of Victory’, is the so-called Glass Palace, where kings lived. The last building on the site’s west side is the Culture Museum, which includes 13 life-size models of former cabinet members in traditional attire; signs in English tell their tale. One cabinet member, Prince Kanaung, is given props for being ‘very clever’ as he ‘sent young scholars to western (sic) countries to study’. (Not exactly the same message the government gives today.)

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On the lip of a rivulet, this large and elegant wooden monastery (Map p228; 89th & 38th Sts) dates from 1895, when a pair of wealthy Chinese jade merchants commissioned it. Called simply ‘the teak monastery’ by many locals, the central building stands elevated on tall poles, and its balustrades and roof cornices are covered in detailed engravings. It’s incredibly peaceful and seldom crowded.

The Zoological Garden (Map p228; %60267; admission K1500; h8am-6pm) has a small collection of animals. It can be entered from the south (north of the palace walls) or from the east, near the Mandalay Hill Resort. Mandalay has several churches and mosques among the many temples, including the Judson Baptist Church (Map p230; 82nd St, 33/34), named for the American missionary who has virtually become a saint in Myanmar. Other key churches and mosques are marked on the map. Yankin Paya, perched on Yankin Hill about 3km east of Mandalay Palace, is a good spot for watching sunsets. You can bike to its base or go by the No 5 bus.

club hire per club/half set K300/1500; tray of 60 balls ‘1st class’/dented ‘2nd class’ K800/300; h6am-7pm), north

of the zoo, has a line of shaded, fan-cooled outdoor spots facing Mandalay Hill. You can hire clubs. Ask here about playing the nearby golf course (green fee US$30, caddie K500).

DOWNTOWN WALKING TOUR Distance: 2.3km Duration: About two hours

3 24th St

Mandalay Palace

Fort Moat

2

1 25th St

84th St

4

80th St

Clock Tower

26th St

6

27th St 9

Ca

nal

Eindawya St

81st St

83rd St

87th St

5

82nd St

Bayintnaung Rd

Eindawya-Sintada St

28th St 28th St

8

29th St

Approximate Scale

0 0

30th St

200 m 0.1 mi Mandalay

7

84th St

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trance to the Zoological Garden, is the best bet for a cheap dip. A restaurant, bumper cars and a karaoke club surround the Olympic-sized pool, which is generally pretty quiet during the heat of the day. The kids’ pool looked thoroughly urinated in, but the main pool was OK. Pay at the stand under the bleachers on the far side. Asia Centre Driving Range (Map p228; %64583;

Other Sights

85th St

Shwe In Bin Kyaung

The outdoor Yatanaban Swimming Pool (Map p228; admission K200; h5am-6pm), next to the east en-

St

In southwest Mandalay, off the road towards Amarapura, stands the Mahamuni Paya (Map p228), one of Myanmar’s more famous Buddhist sites (it’s also known as Payagyi, or Big Paya, or the Rakhaing Paya). The gold and crimson site was originally built by King Bodawpaya in 1784, when a brick road was constructed from his palace to the paya’s eastern gate. You can still find traces of this royal highway. In 1884 the shrine was destroyed by fire; the current one is comparatively recent. The paya’s fame comes from its shrine centrepiece, the highly venerated Mahamuni Buddha image, which was seized from Mrauk U (Myohaung) in Rakhaing (Arakan) State in 1784. It was believed to be of great age even at that time and it may even have been cast during the 1st century AD (though many in Rakhaing believe it to date from a legendary visit by the Buddha in 554 BC). The 4m-high seated image is cast in bronze, but over the years thousands of devout Buddhists have completely covered the figure in a 15cm-thick layer of gold leaf. Only men are permitted to walk up to the Mahamuni image and apply gold leaf. In the rainy season it is cloaked in monastic robes. During festivals the image is thronged by so many worshippers that caretakers have installed video monitors in other parts of the complex so that the Burmese can pay their respects to the Mahamuni’s video image; you’ll actually see people bowing down before the TV screens. Each morning at 4am a team of monks washes the Mahamuni’s

ACTIVITIES

The surrounding villagelike neighbourhood is like a monk’s district, with hundreds of robed monks walking to and from smaller monasteries on the leafy lanes, or playing football. One of the other more contemporarily active monasteries, Ma Soe Yein Nu Kyaung, is just across the bridge to the south from Shwe In Bin.

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MA N D A L AY • • A c t i v i t i e s 235

86th

Mahamuni Paya

face and even brushes its teeth – an event worth getting up to see. In the northwestern corner of the outer courtyard, a small building houses six bronze Khmer figures brought back from Rakhaing along with the Mahamuni Buddha. Three are lions (the heads of which have been replaced with ones in the Burmese style), two are images of the Hindu god Shiva, and one is Airavata, the three-headed elephant. Originally, these figures were enshrined at Angkor Wat in Cambodia; they were taken from Angkor by the Thais in 1431. King Bayinnaung subsequently looted them from Ayuthaya in 1564 and brought them to Bago, where in 1663 they were nabbed by King Razagyi of Rakhaing. (That’s a lot of nabbing.) According to legend, rubbing a part of the image will cure any affliction on the corresponding part of your own body. Local legend has it that there were once many more Khmer figures here, but they were melted down by order of King Thibaw to cast cannons for the defence of the Mandalay Palace. In the southeastern corner of the courtyard are inscription stones collected by King Bodawpaya, who appears to have had quite a thing for this pursuit. There are many interesting shop stalls at the entrance to the shrine (though the little stone elephants are cheaper from the stone carvers to the west; see p242. See p348 before you buy, though). This was one of the few places in the country where photographs of Aung San Suu Kyi were openly sold during the long period of her house arrest. During the Mahamuni Paya pwe (festival) in early February, thousands of people from nearby districts make pilgrimages to Mahamuni. The temple is always a centre of activity – including many palm readers and sly would-be ‘guides’ (have small notes handy).

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eta

About 100m northeast of the oval palace compound is the tomb of King Mindon. It still has a little of its former gilded glory, when it was decorated with glass mosaics. An 1898 restoration obliterated all traces of the earlier craftsmanship. The large open sheds – back towards the road – contain over 600 inscribed stone slabs that were collected by King Bodawpaya (r 1782–1819) and were later moved to the palace from Amarapura just before WWII. Other reminders of the former glory of the old palace are the Royal Mint and the Sabbath Hall, which are also close by. Foreign visitors must enter the compound from the gate on the eastern wall.

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Shw

234 MA N D A L AY • • S i g h t s

Not much of Mandalay can be seen on foot, but this loose tour takes in some (mostly) secondary sights and the city’s most interesting street life in a few hours. Start a block from the Mandalay Palace moat with tea at the Shwe Pyi Moe Café (1; p240); if the desire strikes, take a cultural chaser a block north at the Cultural Museum Mandalay (2; p231). Head west a couple of blocks to see the lushly shaded and peaceful Shwekyimyint Paya (3; Map p230; btwn 23rd & 24th, 82nd & 83rd Sts), which considerably predates Mandalay itself. Prince Minshinzaw (the exiled son of King Alaungsithu) founded it in 1167, during the Bagan period. The shrine is notable because it contains the original Buddha image consecrated by the prince. It also contains many other images, made of gold, silver or crystal, which were collected by later Myanmar kings and removed from Mandalay Palace after the British occupied it. These images are only shown to the public on important religious occasions. The small, glass-enclosed stupa (near the east entrance) houses several Buddha images. Afterwards, take 83rd St south, perhaps stopping at Nylon Ice Cream Bar (4; p240), then turn right onto busy 26th St. Looming ahead is a clock tower, standing smack-dab in the middle of 26th and 84th Sts on the northern side of the relocated zeigyo (central market; 5; see p242). The original market, designed in 1903 by Count Caldari (the Italian first secretary of the Mandalay Municipality), was dismantled – much to the dismay of locals – around 1990 and moved here to these two three-storey buildings done in People’sRepublic-of-China style. Less atmospheric, for sure, but the market still represents a fascinating collection of stalls and sells all things Myanmar – plus a fair assortment of smuggled goods. Squeeze past vendors on 27th St to the west, then detour onto brick Eindawya St (where shops sell monk gear) to reach the nicely proportioned but slightly scruffy Eindawya Paya (6; Map p230), which is covered in gold leaf that shimmers on sunny days. King Pagan Min built the paya in 1847. Eindawya was the site of one of Myanmar’s many small battles for independence. In 1919 a group of Europeans who defied the Buddhist ban on shoe-wearing within Eindawya were forcibly evicted by outraged monks. Four monks were convicted by a colonial court, and their

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alleged leader, U Kettaya, received a life sentence. (So take your shoes off.) OK, one more paya. Roam south to 30th St and head a block east to reach the elevated Setkyathiha Paya (7; Map p230; 30th St; admission free). It was badly damaged during WWII, but was subsequently repaired. Its main point of interest is the impressive 5m-high seated Buddha image, cast in bronze by King Bagyidaw in Inwa in 1823, just before the First Anglo-Burmese War broke out. Since then it’s been moved to Amarapura in 1849 (during the Second Anglo-Burmese War) and then returned to Mandalay in 1884 (just before British troops overtook the city). Reclining Buddha images can be seen in the paya courtyard, along with a sacred bodhi tree planted by U Nu, a former prime minister of Myanmar. From here, take a trishaw – or walk back via the night market (8; p242) on 84th St. If it’s after 4pm or 5pm, consider finishing the tour off with a hot chapati at the chapati stand (9; p239) at the corner of 82nd and 27th Sts.

MANDALAY FOR CHILDREN Mandalay has no designated kid zones. Most children will get more out of the Mandalay Marionettes & Culture Show (p241) than the Moustache Brothers Troupe (p240). The Mandalay zoo (p235) has several animals to see on shaded grounds. If a pwe is going there’s a lot of fun to be had – including live music, small rides and balloon-popping games. (Note that some can bring a drunken element out as the night wears on, so go early.) Some kids may enjoy taking close-up looks at the moat surrounding Mandalay Palace (p233); there’s a shady promenade on the southern side, not far from downtown. Many stores around town sell makeshift kites; dusk seems to be the peak hour for flying them along busy streets, particularly downtown. Note that some flyers use razorwebbed string and ‘war’ with each other. Plenty of kites dangle from power lines around town.

FESTIVALS & EVENTS Traditional pwe (small or massive) happen all the time, for a wedding, a birthday, a funeral, a holiday and so on. You’ll see them in side streets and payas. Ask a trishaw driver if they’ve passed one.

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Mahamuni Paya pwe This happens in early February, when thousands of people from nearby districts make pilgrimages to Mahamuni (see p234). Thadingyut Mandalay’s biggest festival is held in early to mid-October at Kyauktawgyi Paya (see p233) for seven days.

SLEEPING If you’re just off the bus/train/plane from Yangon, expect greater value for your kyat. If you’re staying cheaply, Mandalay’s guesthouses huddle in the walkable ‘downtown’ and most are up on travel info. Budget rooms are those where doubles are US$16 and under; midrange rooms cost US$17 to US$35; and top-end rooms are more than US$17. From April to October it’s likely that all places will have empty rooms waiting for you. Try calling at least a day or two ahead at other times. All room rates include breakfast and have private bathrooms with hot water unless otherwise stated.

Budget Royal Guest House (Map p230; %65697; No 41 25th St, 82/83; s US$3-7, d US$6-10; a) In the city centre, Royal Guest House tends to be the cheapie that fills first. The scrubbed-clean rooms are small but well designed. Free breakfast is served in the downstairs dining room. Guests can bring beer (from outside) to sit in the tasteful garden out the front or on the small top-floor terrace. The cheapest rooms have fan and shared bathroom; others have private bathroom with hot water; higherpriced rooms have TV. ET Hotel (Map p230; %65006; No 129 83rd St, 23/24; s US$5-6, d US$8-10; a) This friendly guesthouse near the Shan district has basic rooms and a book swap downstairs. Most rooms have TV; cheaper ones have a fan. Nylon Hotel (Map p230; %66550, 60757; nylon@

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from the rest, in the most ‘kept-real’ quarter of Mandalay (between the crazy market and Eindawya Paya), the friendly AD1 is on a brick lane lined with shops selling gear to monks. The halls are a little scuffed, but the 27 rooms are clean and cute, with sky-blue tiles. Breakfast is served on the roof. Classic Hotel (Map p230; %32841; No 59 23rd St, 83/84; s/d US$8/16; a) Near Lashio Lay Restaurant, in the north of downtown, the Classic has tidy rooms with TV; it’s a bit pricier than ET Hotel around the corner, without a real jump up in quality. Mother’s World Hotel (Map p230; %33627; fax 66802; No 58 79th St, 27/28; s/d US$10/18; a) The street’s a little trashy (it’s behind the train station), but the hotel has well-kept carpeted or green-tiled rooms with Chinesestyle woodwork; single room No 506 has full views of Mandalay Hill and the Shan hills. Sabai Phyu Hotel (Map p230; %64506; No 58 81st St, 25/26; s/d US$4/8; a) The 20 slightly worn rooms here have green carpet or bubbly plastic-tiled floors. There are excellent views from the breakfast area on the top floor. Other downtown budget options (by the look of their lobbies, they’re far swankier than the ones listed above but have little bonus value inside the rooms): Bonanza Hotel (Map p230; %31031; cnr 28th & 82nd Sts; s US$7-10, d US$12-15; a) Higher-priced rooms have a bit more space. Taung Za Lat Hotel (Map p230; %33967; No 60 81st St, at 26th St; s/d US$10/15; a) Set up like a midrange hotel; no TV. Tiger Hotel (Map p228; %23134; No 628 80th St; s/d US$13/15; a) On a dusty road south of downtown. Chinese-style woodwork adds some flair, and the front rooms have big windows. THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE

mandalay.net.mm; cnr 25th & 83rd Sts; s US$3-5, d US$6-10; ai) A modern building above a generator

Peacock Lodge (%33411, 61429; No 5 Myaypadethar St, off 61st St, 25/26; s/d US$12/18; a)

shop, the Nylon has an array of rooms (most with air-con, some with TV). Rooms on the 4th and 5th floors have big views (room 401 is a good cheapie up there). Free breakfast is served in the upstairs dining area. Internet is K1000 per hour. Helpful staff can arrange transport, but some guests have paid some extra commission on things like toilet paper and taxis. AD1 Hotel (Map p230; %34505, 09-69 71116; Eindawya Sintada St, 87/88; s/d US$3/6; a) A bit removed

Lost in the back lanes east of the Palace walls, the Peacock offers villagelike peace, and the owners treat you like part of the family. Guests are likely to be offered a whisky over a leisurely afternoon chat in the photo-filled TV room. The seven woodenfloored rooms do fill up in the high season. Bicycles are available. A library of old books includes a 1938 Mandalay phone book (lots of British names in there).

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236 MA N D A L AY • • M a n d a l a y f o r C h i l d re n

238 MA N D A L AY • • E a t i n g

Unity Hotel (Map p230; %35142; unityhotel@mptmail .net.mm; cnr 27th & 82nd Sts; s US$12-16, d US$14-18; a) Building has a lift. Higher-priced rooms have a small sitting area and a desk.

Midrange Many of Mandalay’s midrange hotels don’t reward the extra dollars and seem to run off the same template: a 10-storey Chinesestyle building with door guy, elevator and rather unloved clean rooms. Here are some that rise above the norm. Royal City Hotel (Map p228; %31805; No 130 27th St, 76/77; s US$13-15, d US$18-20; a) Owned by the proprietors of the Royal Guest House, and likewise the top of its price bracket, the polished Royal City often fills up. Its big rooms, stylishly decked, come with TV, phone and serious views from the woodframed windows. Breakfast is served on the outdoor/indoor roof garden, facing east for sunrise. Mandalay View Inn (Map p228; %61119; mandalay

Dream Hotel (Map p230; %60470; dream.mdy@mptmail .net.mm; No 152 27th St, 80/81; s/d US$12/24; a) Pacific Hotel (Map p228; %32506; cnr 30th & 78th Sts; r US$25; a) Across from the train station. Power Hotel (Map p228; %32406; No 686 80th St, 39/40; s/d US$15/20; a) Universe Hotel (Map p230; %33246; No 215 83rd St, 27/28; s/d US$15/20; a) Asian pop lounge on 10th floor.

The government-run Mandalay Swan Hotel is not recommended.

Top End Mandalay’s high-end hotels can’t compare with the standards of Yangon’s. Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel (Map p228; %35688; fax 35639; [email protected]; standard r US$90 & US$120, ste US$150-$500; as) This former

French-run Novotel (now a Thai joint venture) sits impressively between the north end of the Palace and Mandalay Hill. Rooms are fine, but the bathrooms are notably small, even in the suites. The pool is super, though, and there are two bars and a restaurant. Sedona Hotel Mandalay (Map p228; %36488;

than of the Sedona Hotel across the street), this family-style hotel near the Palace is a welcoming place with a dozen rooms, which wins fans of its guests. The higher-priced rooms are worth the US$5, with wood floors and a small balcony. All rooms have satellite TV. Reserve a table ahead. Myit Phyar Ayer Hotel (Map p230; %66521; fax 35646; No 568 80th St, 33/34; s/d US$20/25; a) This is the nicest of the Chinese-style hotels downtown. Marionettes and wood statues adorn the lushly air-con lobby; rooms have wood floors, sitting areas and satellite TVs. Silver Star Hotel (Map p230; %33394; cnr 27th St & 83rd St; s/d US$20/25; a) The high-rise Silver Star follows the same template as most midrange options, but, opened in 2004, it’s newer than most others in this category. Rooms are slightly scented. Silver Swan Hotel (Map p230; %32178; silverswan

fax 36499; www.sedonahotels.com.sg; cnr 26th & 66th Sts; superior r US$108, deluxe r US$120; as) This pala-

[email protected]; No 568 83rd St, 32/33; s US$15-20, d US$20-25; ai) Rooms atop this towering

Mandalay offers a bit more eating potential beyond the usual rice-and-curry shops you see around the country. But not a lot. Those looking for fresh goods can go to the produce market (Map p230; 86th St, 26/28) off the canal between 26th and 28th Sts.

hotel (slightly nicer than some midrange deals) come with a view. Pricier rooms have bathtubs (as opposed to showers) and a bit more space. Some package holidaymakers fill the rooms in December and January. Midrange places with similar (but slightly less appealing) rooms than other midrange options are listed following:

tial hotel (a Singaporean joint venture) faces the southeastern corner of the palace. Rooms are a bit standard for the price, but the pool sprawls, and the deluxe views of the Palace moat and far-off Mandalay Hill can’t be beat. Also, at research time, this hotel was the only one in town that accepted credit cards. Mandalay City Hotel (Map p230; %36136; fax 61705; [email protected]; s/d US$50/55; as) Opened in 2004, this locally run hotel

features a lush garden and a lit-at-night pool in a very unlikely location in a lot behind stores (a bus station used to be here). The hotel seemed to rush its opening (there are some awkward room designs and so on), but it’s the cheapest hotel in town with a pool.

EATING

Bamar & Shan Too Too Restaurant (Map p228; 27th St, 74/75; meals K800; h10am-9pm) Many locals vow that this

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long-running brick-floored hole-in-the-wall serves Mandalay’s best traditional dishes. Go to the counter at the back and pick-andpoint what you want – catfish curry, prawn fish ball, fried chicken. Everything comes with rice and a tableful of condiments. The soups are tasty too. Lashio Lay Restaurant (Map p230; No 65 23rd St; dishes K300-400; h8am-10pm) One of a couple of great Shan restaurants in the area (and with the best food downtown), this two-floor spot is constantly crammed. Two dozen Shan dishes (mostly curries with rice, plus several vegetarian options daily) are on offer, served under blazing fans by attendants sporting a yellow, green and red Shan flag. Aya Myit Tar Myanmar Restaurant (Map p228; 81st St; meals K800-1900; h8.30am-9.30pm) Near the Moustache Brothers and between Mahamuni Paya and downtown, this airy tworoom restaurant sees a busy local crowd. Staff members speak minimal English, but there’s an English menu for traditional dishes – including lobster curry for K1900 – that come with the usual condiments. Green Elephant (Map p228; %61237; No 3H 27th St; curries K2000-4000, soups K1000-1500; h10am-9pm)

This great upscale restaurant, one of a few in the area, occupies a pretty colonial-era building. There are bamboo-covered areas in the garden, and period-piece relics (including a green elephant called ‘Freddie’ – just joking, it’s not named) in the air-conditioned rooms inside. Beef curry with soy paste and lime leaves (K3000) delivers the goods. The sprawling menu includes Chinese and Thai dishes too. Shwe Taung Food Centre (Map p230; %23127; 35th St; meat dishes K1500-2500, veg dishes K800-1000; h10am9.30pm) If you must have air-con, this rather

formal place, south of downtown, serves a cool breeze along with Myanmar fare. There’s a nightly music performance at 7.30pm. Some locals advise that Burmese food is best at lunch (when it’s freshest), and go for Chinese or Indian later on. A key exception can be found at the hopping barbecue restaurants (Map p228; 30th St, 65/66), which are best after dark. Each has open-air and inside seats with fans. Out the front, pick the skewers of meat (pork, chicken, whole fish) or a couple of veggie options (lady fingers, spiced bean curd) and hand to the cooks. A full meal plus a beer or two runs around K3000 to K4000.

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Indian & Nepali Mandalay has many a chapati, veggie curry and dhal filling grateful tummies, particularly in crater-in-the-wall restaurants around downtown. You can find a cluster on 27th St between 80th and 81st Sts. Nepali Food (Map p230; 81st St, 266/27; dishes K900; h7am-9.30pm) Our favourite veggie curries came from this place, run by a welcoming Nepali family. The thali (dollops of curry served on banana leaves or a metal plate) features three curries (the banana-leaf one is particularly good), chapati, rice and dhal. There’s no meat, no alcohol and no eggs. Marie-Min Vegetarian Restaurant (Map p228; 27th St, 74/75; dishes K600-1400; h8am-9pm, closed May) Run by a smiling Indian Catholic family, this traveller-oriented restaurant serves all veggie meals (the sign out the front says, ‘be kind to animals by not eating them’). The tasty lassis are made with purified water. Also there are plenty of chapati meals (aubergine dip with vegetables is a nice choice) and Western breakfasts. The two-floor restaurant/home is down a lane, roughly midway between 74th and 75th Sts. The family also runs an impressive antiques shop (see p242).

Chinese Several Chinese restaurants can be found on 83rd St between 25th and 26th Sts, not far from the zeigyo. Mann Restaurant (Map p230; 83rd St; dishes K600800; h7am-10pm) This bare-bones downtown eatery attracts red-faced local men drinking Tiger Beer presented by a Ms Tiger rep, and more than a handful of foreigners huddled over guidebooks. The food’s good, and the THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE: CHAPATIS AT DUSK For people watching and price, nothing beats the unnamed open-air chapati stand

(Map p230; cnr 27th & 82nd Sts; meals under K300; h5-9pm) where diners in turbans, longyi (sarong-style lower garments), skullcaps and an occasional traveller’s backpack sop up veggie and meat curries with just-made chapatis. It hops in the early evening as rush-hour traffic – and kids with kites – fill the roads and airways around the tiny wooden-stool and plastic-chair sitting areas on the footpath.

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[email protected]; No 17B 66th St, 26/27; r US$3035; a) Though there’s really no view (other

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240 MA N D A L AY • • D r i n k i n g

place is an easy walk from most guesthouses. There are lots of horns on the walls. Oriental House (Map p228; %61143; cnr 27th & 64th Sts; dim sum per piece K200; h6.30am-2pm dim sum, 5-9pm dinner) This big banquet hall – with

waterfalls out the front, kiddie toys in the huge ground floor and more seating upstairs – is best for its midday dim sum.

Thai Ko’s Kitchen (Map p228; %34214; cnr 19th & 80th Sts; soups & dishes K1700-4500; h11.30am-2.30pm & 5.30-10pm) This snazzy two-floor restaurant, facing the Palace walls and moat, smacks of a Western version of Thai (ie quite comfy and cool) and has a big menu, including a knock-out prawn hotpot and several northern Thai specialties, including eggplant chilli dip and crispy pork skin. A favourite salad is the yam pla duk foo (spicy catfish salad with cashews).

Western BBB (Map p228; %25623; No 292 76th St, 26/27; dishes around K3000; h8.30am-11pm) A two-floor bamboo lodge done up to provide serious Western comfort (ie big-time air-con and ESPN on the telly), the BBB (Barman Beer Bar) offers a good respite from dust (and rice) with pastas, burgers, superb BBQ chicken and steak with mushrooms. Soups come with piping-hot bread. Mandalay teems with teashops, which are great for picking up snacks; these are two of our favourites. Shwe Pyi Moe Cafe (Map p230; 25th St, 80/81; tea K80; h5.30am-5.30pm) Downtown’s busiest teashop, Shwe Pyi Moe makes top-quality teas, boils up fresh ei-kya-kwe (long, deep-fried pastries, known as you tio in Chinese; K70) in the giant wok up the front, and fries pancakes with banana (K180). Minn Thi Ha Teashop (no English sign; Map p228; 38th St, 83/84; h5am-6pm) Between downtown and Mahamuni Paya or the jade market, this quiet teashop is another one worth steering to. The young snack-serving staff isn’t 100% used to seeing foreign faces, so get ready for curiosity.

Cafés Nylon Ice Cream Bar (Map p230; No 173 83rd St, 25/26; h8.30am-9.30pm) The de-facto meeting place

for locals and downtown-based travellers, the Nylon has outside tables (the shade starts in the afternoon) worth lingering for in the evening. A scoop of chocolate, strawberry or vanilla ice cream is K200. The shakes and lassis are good too. You can get a Myanmar Beer – to stay or go – for K1000. Snack vendors (mostly serving Indian desserts and sweet rice) fill the downtown streets from 4pm. A good place is in front of the mosque on 82nd St between 27th and 28th Sts (Map p230).

DRINKING See left for details of a couple of teashops in Mandalay.

Beer Stations Mandalay doesn’t have pubs and bars (it’s Myanmar after all). A couple of buzzing eating places good to sit over a beer are the barbecue restaurants (p238) on 30th St, and the Nylon Ice Cream Bar (left) downtown. Hotel-wise, the Gem Club and Kipling’s Lounge at the Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel (p238) are nice, if a little stuffy, though the latter has live music nightly; you can order drinks by the pool too. Small shops around Mandalay sell cold beer for about K1000 to K1200 per bottle of Myanmar Beer, the local Mandalay Beer (a bit watery) or Tiger Beer, which you can take to your hotel (best if it has a roof terrace).

ENTERTAINMENT The neighbourhood surrounding the house of the Moustache Brothers – Mandalay’s ‘West End’, as their troupe leader Lu Maw jokes – is home to many pwe troupes (not banned by the government), which practise their craft during June and July from 10am to 4pm daily. Visitors are welcome to wander and watch, free (donations are appreciated). You’ll see traditional pwe (see p236) in side streets and payas. Moustache Brothers Troupe (Map p228; 39th St, 80/81; donation K2500; h8.30pm) Performed in the home of the banned Moustache Brothers, this famous, colourful troupe has celebrated traditional Myanmar folk opera for over three decades. The show is quite in your face, and pretty cornball, as it’s relayed from atop a miniwood-crate stage, with a dozen or so plastic chairs 1m away. The one-time famous troupe is now banished from public

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MOUSTACHE BROTHERS – FROM SLAPSTICK TO SATIRE A Moustache Brothers show is not just a glimpse of a traditional a-nyeint pwe (a vaudeville folk opera with dance, music, jokes and silly walks); it’s about artists brave enough to continue their work in a country where a joke can get you jailed – or worse. Two of the ‘brothers’ know this all too well. In 1996, after telling politically tinged jokes about Myanmar generals at an Independence Day celebration at Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound in Yangon, Par Par Lay and bare-faced cousin Lu Zaw (two-thirds of the troupe) were seized by police and sentenced to seven years’ hard labour. Initially they worked amid violent criminals, breaking rocks for roads and digging ditches, and were unable to receive visits from their family. In 1997 several Hollywood comedians (including Rob Reiner and political comedian Bill Maher) wrote to the government in protest. Meanwhile, Par Par Lay’s brother, the outgoing Lu Maw, kept up the show here with his wife. After serving five years of their seven-year sentence, Par Par Lay and Lu Zaw were released in 2002. The Moustache Brothers remain ‘blacklisted’ from playing at outside events (marriages, funerals, festivals and so on) – and continue to be off the government’s lists of artists that locals can legally hire. So the brothers celebrated the occasion at home with a series of gala performances, attended – inevitably – by government agents with video cameras. The regional commander soon summoned Par Par Lay and told him not to perform at home any more. When he got home, some Westerners had already gathered for that night’s show, and he and his family cleverly decided to perform without costumes and makeup. Thus the show went on for the tourists (and the ‘KBG’ people – Lu Zaw’s nickname for Myanmar’s military intelligence). They explained they were merely ‘demonstrating’ a performance since they couldn’t do a ‘real’ one without costumes. It worked. Since that defiant evening they have been generally left alone, doing nightly shows at their home for anyone who wants to see them. (And some of the costumes have come out too.) Historically, Par Par Lay was the famous one. As the only English speaker, tireless bundle of energy Lu Zaw has become the clear spokesperson for the group now that the shows are limited to English.

performances, and its original schtick in Burmese has shifted to English. The leader, Lu Maw, kneels over an antique microphone stand and jokes through a minispeaker, as the night meanders through slapstick, political satire, Myanmar history, traditional dance and music, and how to tie up your longyi. Lu Maw’s English is pretty good – he’s particularly fond of expressions like ‘cat out of the bag’ and ‘hold the fort’ – though if you speak English as a second language you may struggle a bit. He retells the story of their woes (even showing a clip from the Hugh Grant film About a Boy, which mentions his brother Par Par Lay). It’s a good idea to bone up on some Myanmar factoids (eg Ne Win, 1988, Aung San) before attending. T-shirts are K5000. You can drop by any time to chat. See also the boxed text, above. Mandalay Marionettes & Culture Show (Map

play on the floor – a couple sit in drum circles, while another plays the distinctive hneh (oboelike instrument) – before a small stage. These musicians introduce traditional dancers and puppeteers, who recreate tales of zat pwe (Buddhist Jataka tales) and Yamazat (tales from the Indian epic Ramayana) traditions. Many handmade marionettes line the walls; all are for sale (puppets start at US$6). At various points the curtain is raised to show the artists – some are pretty wily characters – performing their art. Traditionally, such shows were used for education and to convey news. This troupe (though based on tourism) is the most serious, among several around the country, about preserving the folk art.

p228; %34446; www.mandalaymarionettes.com; 66th St, 26/27; admission K3500;h8.30pm) Opened in

Mandalay is a major crafts centre, and probably the best place in the country for traditional puppets (antique or new) and hand-woven kalaga designed in the style of

1986, this small theatre holds popular hourlong shows daily. Five traditional musicians

SHOPPING

Arts & Crafts

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Teashops

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Myanmar’s royal days. If you enter without a tout or a driver, you can get (slightly) better deals, as touts usually get commissions. Handicrafts are available at a few vendor stalls in the zeigyo or at the Mahamuni Paya (Map p228) entrance. Keep in mind that some of the items sold at these shops – older kalaga, parabaik (Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts), kammawa (lacquered scriptures), gems, jade and any authentic antiques – aren’t legally supposed to be taken out of the country. Mann Shwe Gon (Map p228; No 14 27th St, 72/73; h7am-10pm) This tapestry and handicrafts shop – founded in 1990 and run by a friendly family – was being relocated, without choice, at press time, though the new location wasn’t yet known. Ask around to find it for (some pricey) intricately hand-woven handicrafts including kalaga pillowcases (from US$5) and wall hangings done in the fashion of royal longyi (US$65 and up). Everything’s made at the workshop on site. Sunflower Arts & Crafts (Map p228; 27th St, 74/75) Part of the Marie-Min Vegetarian Restaurant, the Sunflower fills two excellent showrooms on either side of the alley with new and old bronze and wood doodahs (small wooden elephants with bending tusks are about US$7). There are also antique (and quite anatomically correct) puppets. Quoted prices start at around US$15, but new puppets are cheaper (US$3 to US$5). Mandalay Marionettes (p241) sells new puppets during the day or at nightly shows. If you have a dilapidated stupa in need of refurbishing, head for the western exit of the Mahamuni Paya – here you’ll find workshops manufacturing all sorts of temple paraphernalia (Map p228). If the hti (pinnacle of a stupa) has toppled, then this is the place to come for a new one. Mandalay’s gold-leaf makers (Map p228) are concentrated in the southeast of the city, near the intersection of 36th and 78th Sts. Sheets of gold are beaten into gossamerthin pieces, which are then cut into squares and sold in packets to devotees for gilding images or even complete stupas. The typical gold-leaf square measures just 0.000127cm, thinner than the ink on this page. Gilding a Buddha image or a stupa with gold leaf brings great merit to the gilder, so there’s a steady growth of gold leaf on many images in Myanmar.

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Markets Zeigyo (central market; Map p230; 84th St, 26/28) This downtown market offers wall-to-wall stands selling just about everything Myanmar in two large modern buildings and in stalls spilling out onto the footpaths. Produce market (p238; 86th St 26/28) Just to the west, over a small creek, this is an up-toyour-neck, open-air produce market where ox carts, trishaws and trucks bringing and taking goods can fill up the little lanes. Night market (Map p230; cnr 28th & 84th Sts) Offering all kinds of food, music and clothing, this market keeps the area lit up and active after dark.

Other Blazon (Map p230; 80th St, 28/29; h9am-8.30pm) This new four-floor mall sells imported goods (at a price), if you need a US$50 pair of Adidas, US$6 Haagen Daz ice cream, US$20 designer shirts, or food or wine from abroad. Fujifilm (Map p230; 29th St, 80/81; developing fee K200, per photo K50) Develop film downtown in here.

Stones & Sculpture The jade market (Map p228; admission US$1; h7am5pm) is the lively market amid the ‘monk district’ in the back lanes southwest of the centre. It features dozens of open-air stalls and low tables where locals squat and get serious about rough and polished pieces of jade and other gems. While most of the jade seen here is genuine (and unlicensed), not all is of high quality. In the past, some vendors sold jade ‘boulders’ smuggled in from Kachin State; these may be fakes with thin sheets of jade peering through the brown outer ‘skin’, with the inside filled with cement or worthless stone. Only foreigners pay to go in, but often no-one collects the fee. Just across from the west entrance of the Mahamuni Paya is a whole series of stonecarvers’ workshops (Map p228), around the corner of 45th and 84th Sts. You can see workers blast slabs of rock, chip them into shapes (Buddhas, small elephants etc) and polish them. A tiny elephant costs about K1000, a medium-sized Buddha K10,000.

GETTING THERE & AWAY Air

Mandalay’s huge, gleaming airport – a staggering 45km south of the centre – sends and

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receives daily flights around the country via Air Mandalay (AM), Yangon Airways (YA), Bagan Air (BA) and the government’s risky Myanma Airways (MA). Travel agents and airline offices offered the following oneway rates on nongovernment airlines at research time. Most destinations are connected daily. Flights to Thandwe usually make a stop in Yangon. Destination

Price (US$)

Heho Kengtung Nyaung U Tachileik Thandwe Yangon

US$42-50 US$87 US$42-46 US$125 US$107 US$96-102

MA has exclusive services to several destinations, including Kalaymyo (US$55) on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday; and Khamti (US$80) on Monday and Friday. There are also a couple of flights to Monywa (US$35). Flights to Lashio (US$40) only operate when government officials make the flight and open seats get sold! Airline offices downtown (have your passport and US dollars handy): Air Mandalay (Map p230; %31548; 82nd St, 26/27; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) Head office for AM. Myanma Airways (Map p230; %35221; 81st St, 25/26; h9am-2pm) Eerily, a poster (‘You’re safe with us’) hangs behind the front desk. Yangon Airways (Map p230; %31799; 81st St, 25/26; h9am-5pm)

Several travel agents book air tickets (only), often at a slightly discounted rate (about US$5 per ticket). One downtown choice is New Seven Star Tours (Map p230; %60990; No 269 83rd St, 27/28; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat & Sun).

Boat Government-owned Inland Water Transport office (IWT; Map p228; %36035; 35th St; h9am-4pm Mon-Fri), at the western end of Yangyiaung Rd (35th St), sells tickets for destinations up and down the Ayeyarwady including Bagan, Pyay (Prome) and Bhamo. Often hotels can get the tickets (and save you a trip); alternatively, you can get them (at 10% commission) from the MTT offices (see p229). It’s sometimes said that you need to buy tickets a few days in advance,

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but often it’s OK to buy them one day beforehand. IWT generally accepts US dollars only. There are two ferry services between Mandalay and Bagan. The express boat has fewer stops. Everyone gets seats on the deck below, or you can pay K2000 for a deck chair to lounge up top. There’s also a reasonable dining area and plenty of deck space to move about. The slow boat has no reserved seats, but it’s usually not too mad finding a spot. At research time, the following were the prices and times for some trips out of Mandalay. (When applicable, multiple prices are for lower deck/upper deck/cabin.) Destination Price (US$) Duration Frequency Bagan US$10 15hr (slow boat) Bagan US$16 9hr (express boat) Bhamo US$9/24/54 2-3 days Katha

US$7/21/47 1-2 days

Myitkyina

US$9/27/56 3-4 days

Pyay US$10 (slow boat)

2-3 days

5.30am (Sun & Wed) 6am(Mon, Tue & Thu-Sat) 5.30am (Tue, Fri & Sun) 6am (Mon, Thu & Sat) 6am (Mon, Thu & Sat) Tue & Sat

For more on the fun, long-haul boat trips on the Ayeyarwady from Myitkyina, see p219.

Bus Mandalay has moved around its bus stands and stations a lot in recent years – and things could change again. Presently, most buses leaving or arriving in Mandalay en route to destinations to the south and southeast operate from the Highway bus station, 7km south of the centre. This giant dusty lot is lined with a mind-numbing array of bus companies, often selling tickets to the same places leaving at the same time. Schedules, just like bus terminals or the mood of an ox, are prone to constant change, so take the following sample of fares and schedules from the Highway bus terminal as a loose guide only. Local buses have no air-conditioning and some are 32seaters.

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M A N D A L AY

242 MA N D A L AY • • G e t t i n g T h e re & A w a y

244 MA N D A L AY • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d

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Destination Price Duration Frequency Type Bagan

K4200 8hr

Magwe

K3000 12 hr

Meiktila Pyay Taunggyi (to Inle) Yangon

K600 3 hr K3000 20hr

9am, 2pm local & 9pm 4pm & 5pm air-con & local frequent local 1pm local

K4500 10-12 hr K4500 12-15 hr

6pm 5.30pm

air-con air-con

At research time, a 5.30am bus left for northeastern destinations such as Pyin U Lwin, Kyaukme, Hsipaw and Lashio from a ‘new bus station’ a couple of kilometres east of the Highway bus station. Apparently a few drivers frowned on taking foreigners. This is likely to change. A ticket cost K2300 regardless of where you exited. To reach Shwebo or Monywa to the west and northwest by bus, a small bus station downtown (off 88th St between 21st and 22nd Sts) sends frequent local buses to both. It takes three hours to either town. At research time, some drivers were reluctant to allow foreigners on the bus to Monywa (but not to Shwebo); others claimed that foreigners could only take the 6am bus. Some travellers had to pay up to K5000 to get on, others about K1000. The no-problem Shwebo bus costs K700 or K1000. The situation is likely to improve, but you can consider starting at Shwebo for a less tricky route. BUYING TICKETS

If you don’t want to get help from your hotel or guesthouse, several small stands on 31st and 32nd Sts, between 81st and 83rd Sts, sell tickets. Stands selling K4500 tickets for 5pm buses to Yangon and offering a transfer to the bus station at 3.30pm: Leo Express (Map p230; %39323; No 367 83rd St, at 33rd St)

Mann Shwe Pyi (Map p230; %88267; cnr 32nd & 83rd Sts)

Another ticket stand on 32nd between 81st and 82nd Sts sells tickets for Pyay (K3000), which leave at 1pm. Nearby, another bus stand sells tickets for local buses to Pyin U Lwin (K2300) and Hsipaw (K2300), which leave at 5.30am. Note that these buses don’t leave from here.

Hotels in Mandalay can arrange share taxis to Pyin U Lwin, or you can get one downtown for K5000; check at the corner of 27th and 83rd Sts. To get to Hsipaw or Lashio, contact the Lashio taxi stand (%80765) at the Highway bus station. The trip is K8000 per person (to either destination) and takes five hours to Hsipaw, six to Lashio. Taxis run from 7am till noon. Many travellers hire long-term taxis with driver for a couple of days or more. One quote to go from Mandalay to Monywa, tour around its sights, stay overnight and then go to Pakokku to catch the Bagan ferry was US$70. A share taxi to Inle Lake was about US$50 or US$60. For sample fares, ask at your hotel or at New Horizon Travels (p229). For information on taking taxis or pickups to nearby towns, see Amarapura (p250), Inwa (p252) and Sagaing (p254).

Train The newish (largely bare) train station (Map p228; 30th St, 78th/79th Sts) is a mostly unused, modern, multistorey building with four drive-up ramps, elevated taxi stands and escalators leading to waiting areas with TVs. Meanwhile it’s generally the same ol’ poky, packed trains that ferry mostly locals on slow-going trips back home. Just inside the main entrance downstairs is an MTT office (%22541; h9.30am-6pm), which can sell tickets at 10% commission. You may be able to buy tickets (sans commission) at the upstairs counters, but usually they’ll send you to MTT, you foreigner you. At research time, seven trains a day left for Yangon (via Thazi, Pyinmana, Taungoo and Bago). The quickest were the No 6 Down (3.15pm), the No 15 Up (5.15pm), and the No 17 Up (6.30pm), which took about 12 hours. Others took 14 to 16 hours. Note that the private company Dagon-Mann runs the No 17 Up service; bookings can be made through travel agents. Ordinary train tickets cost US$11 to US$15, 1st class are US$30 to US$35, and sleepers are US$45 or US$50. Trains operated by the private Mehka Mandalar company depart Mandalay for Myitkyina at 4.40pm on Wednesday and Sunday. Upper-class seats are US$25. The Malikha Mandalar company runs trains on Monday and Friday, and the fare and departure times are the same. These tickets can

MA N D A L AY • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d 245

be bought at the Mandalay train station at window Nos 7 and 8. Other sample fares (ordinary/1st class/ sleeper) and schedules include the following. Ask travel agents for details of services run by private companies. Destination Price (US$) Duration Departure Bagan (Nyaung U) Hsipaw Lashio Myitkyina Naba Pyin U Lwin Shwebo

US$4/9/-

7hr

10pm

US$3/6/US$5/10/US$10/27/40 US$-/12/18 US$2/4/US$5/15/-

10hr 14¼hr 24hr 12hr 3¼hr 3hr

4.45am 4.45am 1.50pm & 5.45pm 1.50pm & 5.45pm 4.45am 1.50pm & 5.45pm

GETTING AROUND

To/From the Airport & Stations It’s usually more expensive getting to town from the airport than the other way around. The trip takes about one hour. Taxis meeting flights charge K7000 to K9000. Upmarket hotels can arrange transport for US$10. Arranging your own ride to the airport costs K4000 or K5000. You can also contact Shwe Airport Taxi (Map p230; %64084; No 109 29th St, 80/81). A taxi between downtown and the Highway bus station is about K2500 or K3000. You can get a pick-up to the station (Map p230; K1000) from the corner of 27th and 83rd Sts. Note that trishaws are discouraged from hanging out at the train station and aren’t allowed on the entry ramps on the west side.

Bicycle Several bicycle-rental shops stand on footpaths downtown, including Mr Htoo Bicycles (Map p230; 83rd St, 25/26; hire per day K1000; h8am7pm). Most hotels and guesthouses can get

you a bike for comparable prices.

Bus Mandalay’s buses are virtually always crowded, particularly during the 7am to 9am and 4pm to 5pm rush hours. It can be fun. Few locals know routes by number, but here are some of the useful services: Gawwein jetty, train station and airport; blue bus No 2

Mahamuni Paya to Mandalay Hill; redand-yellow Mann Sit Thi bus Mahamuni Paya to zeigyo and Kuthodaw Paya; blue bus No 1 Mandalay Hill from the clock tower and zeigyo; bus No 4 Mandalay Hill to south of the city and airport; red bus No 12 Yankin Hill, zeigyo and the boat jetty to Mingun; white bus No 5

Motorcycle As elsewhere in Myanmar, many locals are reluctant to hire out motorcycles to foreigners due to insurance worries in case of accident. Marie-Min Vegetarian Restaurant (p239) hires out motorcycles for K7500 per day. Downtown guesthouses such as Nylon Hotel (p237) can find one for about the same rate.

Taxi Taxis and ‘blue taxis’ (teeny blue Mazda pick-ups with room for four or so in the covered cab) whisk people around Mandalay most hours. They’re easy to find downtown. Prices are negotiable. A ride from downtown to the Bagan jetty is about K2000. You can hire a blue taxi on a full-day trip to Amarapura, Inwa and Sagaing for about K15,000; a regular taxi is about K8000 to K15,000 more.

Trishaw The classic double back-to-back seat trishaws still ply the back lanes of Mandalay. It’s about K200 to K500 for shorter rides and K1000 or more for longer ones, say from Mandalay Hill to the zeigyo. Probably no-one in Mandalay knows the town and traveller’s info – eg what streets are hosting a pwe, where share taxis to Hsipaw leave from, who sells the cheapest veggie curry – like trishaw drivers. Those lingering by guesthouses usually know some English and are pretty good guys. A good day, one said, is getting a couple of ‘good jobs’ (K1000 to K2000 each) and 90 minutes off at lunch to see his children; ‘it’s enough to rent the trishaw and feed my wife and three kids’. It’s probably worth spreading your kyat by taking one from a nontouristy area too.

M A N D A L AY

M A N D A L AY

Toe Express (Map p230; %64926; 32nd St)

Taxi & Pick-Up

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M A N D A L AY

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A R O U N D MA N D A L AY • • H i s t o r y 247

Around Mandalay

To Mogok (50km)

Kyaukmyaung

Thamantha Wetlet

Ayeyarwady River

Mu r

ve Ri

To Kalaymyo (190km) Kyaukka

Sadaung

Mattaya

Kyabin

MANDALAY DIVISION

Taungbyone Chaung-U

Mandalay Myinmu

ady River

Sagaing

yarw

Aye

Inwa

Anisakan

Amarapura Tonbo Paleik Lema

footfalls of commuting monks and fishers „ Inwa’s Bagaya Kyaung (p251) is an

evocative 19th-century teak monastery „ The view from Sagaing Hill (p253)

catches 500 temple tops peering over the Ayeyarwady River Paya (p255) is an unfinished, but still king-sized, stupa base you can climb

Mingun Ayeyarwady

Mandalay Amarapura

Sagaing Hill

dw

inn

River

the Hpo Win Daung Caves (p259) feature 500 temples dotting the innards of a mountain shaped like a reclining Buddha

Hpo Win Daung Caves

Chin

„ Across the Chindwin River from Mandalay,

River

„ Upriver from Mandalay, the Mingun

Inwa

Myotha

Yesagyo

MAGWE DIVISION

nge

Myit

1

River

„ In Amarapura, U Bein’s Bridge (p248) is the world’s longest teak bridge, creaking under the

Pyin U Lwin

Riv er

To Zeedaw; Maungdon

n

HIGHLIGHTS

3

31

Mingun

n dwi

Further out of town, northwest of Mandalay in Sagaing District, are a couple of towns – real ones, the kind where wide-eyed locals sometimes slip into approving laughter at your mere presence – that usually require overnight stays. Monywa is near a carnivalesque pagoda and hundreds of cave temples carved from a Buddha-shaped mountain; just east, Shwebo is the stupa-filled town where Myanmar’s last dynasty kicked off. Further north, near the Indian border, Kalaymyo is the only place in Myanmar where you can chat with Chin people without an expensive permit from the government.

To Hsipaw; Lashio

Sedaw Mayabin

SAGAING DIVISION

Monywa

Chin

Mandalay’s good, but it gets better just outside its doors. In centuries past, four capitals set up shop at (or near) various points along the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River, and they comprise some of the more compelling images of Myanmar. In Amarapura, for-hire rowboats drift by a 1.2km-long teak-pole bridge used by hundreds of monks and fishers carrying their day’s catch home. At the canal-made island capital of Inwa (Ava), a flatbed ferry and then an ox-cart lead visitors to a handful of ancient sites surrounded by village life. In Mingun – a boat ride up the Ayeyarwady from Mandalay – steps lead up a battered stupa more massive than any other…and yet it’s only a third finished. At one of Myanmar’s most religious destinations, Sagaing’s temple-studded hills offer room to explore, space to meditate and views of the Ayeyarwady that extend kilometres.

31

Halingyi Hanlin

Budalin

SHAN STATE

Singu

Shwebo

Twin Duang

20 km 12 miles

18 Chaunggwa Kyaukse

Yandabo

Myingyan

To Bagan

HISTORY From the fall of Bagan (Pagan) to the end of the third and last Anglo-Burmese War in 1885 (a war that was disastrous for the Burmese), the capitals of Myanmar played musical chairs in the area close to, or in, Mandalay. At first, new kings sought to build their legacy by breaking new ground (and often the bricks and wood from old palace buildings) to build a new capital. By the late-18th century, kings turned to astrological forces to pick a site worthy of a king’s royal headquarters. Generally, when a new reign began, the royal entourage of the new king took much of the might of the old capital and left the area to farming villagers, with neglected stupas picturesquely dotting their fields. In the chaos after the fall of Bagan, it was Sagaing that first rose to prominence (in the early 14th century), but in 1364 Inwa succeeded it. Alaungpaya appointed himself a royal in 1752, and the capital was briefly stationed in his home town of Shwebo (then called Mokesebo). In 1760 the capital shifted back across the river to Sagaing,

To Yangon

SHAN STATE

To Thazi

where it remained for just four years. Inwa only regained its pre-eminent position from 1764 to 1783, after which time Amarapura became the capital. In 1823 Inwa was again the capital but, following the terrible THE LAST KINGS Myanmar’s last dynasty (the Konbaung dynasty) based itself in the area around Mandalay. It began with Alaungpaya (p38) in 1752 and ended 133 years later, when King Thibaw was deposed by the British and exiled to India. Here’s a cheat sheet to the 10 kings: Alaungpaya 1752-60 Naungdawgyi 1760-63 Hsinbyushin 1763-76 Singu Min 1776-82 Bodawpaya 1782-1819 Bagyidaw 1819-37 Tharawaddy Min 1837-46 Pagan Min 1846-53 Mindon Min 1853-78 Thibaw Min 1878-85

A R O U N D M A N D A L AY

0 0

AROUND MANDALAY

Pai River

A R O U N D M A N D A L AY

© Lonely Planet Publications 246

earthquake of 1838, which caused considerable damage to all these cities, the capital was moved back to Amarapura in 1841. Amarapura was capital again for only a short period, and in 1860 the seat of power was transferred to Mandalay, where it remained until the end of the British conquest of Myanmar 25 years later. This dizzying move of capitals around Mandalay gives the area its second nickname: Deserted Cities.

CLIMATE As in Mandalay, it’s hot here, and April and May bake. Dust cakes the trees (and the back of your throat) any time it’s not raining.

GETTING THERE & AROUND All of these destinations are best reached via Mandalay. Three of the ancient cities (Amarapura, Inwa and Sagaing) outside Mandalay’s door are reached by pick-ups, but most visitors go on day trips by taxi. Monywa and Shwebo are a few hours west and north of Mandalay by bus; Monywa also has air and slow-train connections with Mandalay and a useful bus connection with Pakokku (p281) en route to Bagan. The road north from Monywa to Kalaymyo is closed to foreigners; an air service connects Kalaymyo with Monywa and Mandalay.

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are scattered (and sometimes not easy to find). Allow time and energy for walking if you don’t have a driver. Amarapura means ‘City of Immortality’, though its period as capital was brief – just over 50 years. It was founded by Bodawpaya as his new capital in 1783. In 1857 Mindon Min decided to make Mandalay the capital, and the changeover was completed in 1860. Today little remains of the old Amarapura palace area. The city walls were torn down to make quarry material, while most of the wooden palace buildings were dismantled and taken to adorn the palace in Mandalay. All visitors are supposed to have the US$10 combo ticket bought in Mandalay to visit Amarapura, but it’s not always asked for. There is no licensed accommodation in Amarapura.

Sights U BEIN’S BRIDGE

wI"pin't®t;"

Amarapura biggest draw – and easily one of Myanmar’s most photographed sites – is this remarkable 1.2km-long teak footbridge 0 0

AMARAPURA

500 m 0.3 miles

To Mandalay (11km)

ANCIENT CITIES Popular day trips south and southwest of Mandalay take in these ancient cities: Amarapura (below), Inwa (p251) and Sagaing (p252), as well as the Snake Pagoda at Paleik (p252); upriver to the north is Mingun (p254). Technically, you will need to purchase the so-called ‘Mandalay Archaeological Zone’ combo ticket (p229) for US$10 to visit Amarapura, Inwa or Paleik. A separate US$3 ticket allows entry to Sagaing and Mingun.

Myanmar’s penultimate royal capital, the now modern town of Amarapura (admission US$10 combo ticket), 11km south of Mandalay, is more well known by the many day-trippers for its 1849 pedestrian bridge built of over 1000 teak posts. The setting on the wide Taungthaman Lake is gorgeous too, and there’s much more to see, though most sites

leading across the shallow Taungthaman Lake (which is named for an ogre who supposedly came looking for Buddha here). Still strong after 200 years, the world’s longest teak span sees a lot of life: fishers casting a line into the water, locals walking their bicycles home to Taungthaman village across the lake and monks in saffron robes carrying alms bowls between the monasteries on both sides. The best times to visit the bridge are just after sunrise or just before sunset, when hundreds of villagers commute back and forth across it. A popular sunset activity is hiring boats (about K1500) to get close-up looks of the 1060-post bridge from the water. In the dry season, however, the lake dwindles greatly in size; in June or July the water levels sometimes rise above the walkway. The bridge’s name is usually attributed to the ‘mayor’ of Amarapura when the capital moved here from Inwa in 1841, but some say it was named for a Muslim servant of the king who built the bridge. Most of the posts are original, though some have been replaced by concrete blocks. The bridge is curved to better withstand the wind. There are five shaded rest areas on the bridge, including (at times) a couple of places to sample fresh palm toddy. During the dry season, a cement stairway halfway across leads down to a small island with a single teashop (there’s no sign). AROUND THE BRIDGE

Near the start of the bridge are a few food stalls where you can take noodles, tea or beer and enjoy the view.

Palace Ruins

A N C I E N T C I T I E S • • A m a r a p u r a 249

Just west from the start of the bridge is the Maha Ganayon Kyaung, home to several thousand young monks. If you visit at about 11am, you can watch the whole monastery eating silently. (Do try to refrain from thrusting cameras into monks’ faces, as too many visitors do this.) It was founded in around 1914 and is renowned as a centre for monastic study and strict religious discipline. There’s also a new and garish-looking temple with a gigantic seated Buddha. Kyauktawgyi Paya ekY;k'et;'äkI".ur;"

If you cross U Bein’s Bridge (and you should, considering the views to be had of Pahtodawgyi and the lake), you’ll come to Taungthaman village and Kyauktawgyi Paya (about 200m from the bridge). Constructed in 1847 by Pagan Min, this paya is said to have been modelled on the larger Ananda Pahto at Bagan (p300), but its five-tiered roof gives it more the look of a Tibetan or Nepali temple. While the paya doesn’t have the perfectly vaulted roofs or the finer decorations of the original, it does have an excellent seated Buddha image and well-preserved frescoes. Check the entry ceiling murals to see some suspiciously English-looking figures in bamboo hats, looking a little bossy despite the smiles. The paya pwe (pagoda festival), known as the Festival of Lights, takes place here during Thadingyut (October). The atmosphere around Kyauktawgyi is very peaceful and shady, and this is a good

Bagaya Kyaung

PLANNING DAY TRIPS

Pahtodawgyi

Taungthaman Lake

AMARAPURA amrpšr

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To Shwe-kyet-kya; Shwe-kyet-yet No 8 Bus Stop

Village Kyauktawgyi Paya

To Inwa (7km); Sagaing (8km) Maha Ganayon Kyaung

Teashops Food Stalls U Bein's Bridge

Art Gallery

You can’t visit all the ancient cities in one day. Mingun is a half-day trip by boat. With a taxi driver, it’s possible to visit Amarapura, Inwa and Sagaing in one busy day (and many visitors do), but it’s best to save Sagaing for another day. At research time, a taxi from Mandalay for the three sites cost about US$23 to US$30 (about US$15 for a half-day), and a ‘blue taxi’ (a dinky Mazda pick-up) costs about US$10 or US$15. Local packed pick-ups leaving from the corner of 29th and 84th Sts in Mandalay stop by Amarapura (30 minutes) and the Inwa junction (40 minutes), before reaching Sagaing (45 minutes). It’s K100 during the day, K200 after dark. Considering how far apart many sights are, even many shoestringers spring for a full-day taxi, which is the only way to link them up with Paleik. Note that the popular dining time for monks at the Maha Ganayon Kyaung (above) in Amarapura and the snake-feeding time at Paleik (see p252) is 11am daily. Other transport details are listed at the end of each section.

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248 A N C I E N T C I T I E S • • A m a r a p u r a

alternative place to hang around at sunset. There are several smaller overgrown stupas to be seen in the vicinity, including a unique honeycomb-shaped stupa covered with Buddha niches. Lay people often come here to practise meditation. There are a couple of traditional outdoor teashops, serving tea and snacks. You can catch a boat back across the lake for about K1500. SHWE-KYET-KYA & SHWE-KYET-YET

On the bank of the Ayeyarwady, west of Amarapura, stand two 12th-century paya (Buddhist monuments) – the Shwe-kyet-kya and the Shwe-kyet-yet, or Golden Fowl’s Run, a string of stupa ruins cascading down from a high bluff. If the river level isn’t too high, you can get a boatman to take you out in a local hgnet (swallow-tailed boat) for a view of the two paya, the Sagaing hills and the sun setting behind the Ava Bridge. PAHTODAWGYI

puqiu"et;'äkI"

Built by King Bagyidaw in 1820, this wellpreserved paya, near the lake, almost 2km north of the bridge, stood outside the old city walls. The lower terraces have marble slabs illustrating scenes from the Jataka (stories of the Buddha’s past lives). There’s a fine view over the surrounding countryside from the upper terrace. An inscription stone within the temple precinct details the history of the monument’s construction. BAGAYA KYAUNG

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The history of the Bagaya Kyaung, now a government-built reconstruction dating from 1996 and a museum, dates back two centuries. Based on a still-standing predecessor in Inwa, the first version of the Bagaya Kyaung dates from when King Bodawpaya built it after moving the capital to Amarapura, but it was destroyed by fire in 1821. A second version, built in 1847, was again burned down in 1866, leaving only eight brick stairways. These were gradually overgrown until the Myatheindan sayadaw (master teacher) built a two-storey brick building in 1951, in which he deposited 500 Buddha images and 5000 sets of pe-sa (palm-leaf manuscripts) from throughout Myanmar. The project to rebuild it was

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based on ground plans and drawings found at the Kyauktawgyi Paya. Ask the caretaker to open the museum; it’s usually locked. Bagaya Kyaung is located just off the Mandalay road, about 1km northeast of Pahtodawgyi.

but it’s a long, confusing walk to the bridge from there. See p249 for day-trip info. Touring by bicycle from Mandalay is another alternative. Pedalling to Amarapura should take 45 minutes or so.

PALACE RUINS

Cut off from roads by rivers and canals, the ancient city of Inwa (admission US$10 combo ticket) served as capital of the Burmese kingdom for nearly 400 years, longer than any other city. It tilts towards the touristy – it’s part of the Mandalay US$10 ticket. The only way around the scattered sites is via horse cart with prepriced system in place, and some postcard vendors linger at the sites – but it offers a more revealing glimpse into thatched-hut village life than the other ancient cities. Beside the road, villagers till the soil where the royal palace once stood; others fish and bathe in inland ponds near ruined stupas. Inwa – known as Ava to the outside world until relatively recently – is reached by ferry, from near the Mandalay side of the Ava Bridge, a few kilometres southwest of Amarapura. On its south side, the Myittha Chaung (Myittha Canal) connects the Myitnge and Ayeyarwady Rivers, making Inwa an ‘island’ – a good place to base a kingdom. The Inwa Nat Pwe celebrates the nat Thon Ban Hla from the 10th day of the waxing moon through to the full moon of Tabaung (February/March). Convenient horse carts make a clockwise loop through the old gate and past a handful of sites (listed in order below). You’ll need two to three hours to visit. There are a couple of food stalls outside the Maha Aungmye Bonzan, but no places to stay.

nn'"et;'r;-amrpUr

Little remains of the old Amarapura palace, just east of the Bagaya Kyaung, but you can find the old treasury building and watchtower (next to a modern water tower). King Bagyidaw and King Bodawpaya were both cremated here, and their ashes were placed in velvet bags and thrown into the Ayeyarwady. Stupas still stand at the four corners of the once-square city.

Festivals & Events In August, a week after the end of the Taungbyone nat pwe (spirit festival; p61) and the full moon of Wagaung, Myanmar’s nat (spirit being) worshippers move to the Irinaku (Yadanagu) Festival, just south of Amarapura, and to the east of the road. The festival celebrates Popa Medaw, the mother of the Taungbyone brothers. At one point, the festival was one of the wilder ones in Myanmar and an important date in Myanmar’s gay scene.

Getting There & Away If arriving by pick-up, the best access point to U Bein’s Bridge is just after you see a government-made sign for it on the lefthand side of the road. Tell the driver where you’re headed beforehand. You can also get on and off buses just north of Pahtodawgyi, LOCAL FESTIVAL LOWDOWN Mingun Nat Festival (February/March) Mingun (see p256) . Thon Ban Hla (February/March) Inwa (opposite). Paleik festival (June/July) Paleik (see p252). Taungbyone Festival (August) North of

Mandalay (see p61) This includes the grandest of all nat pwe. Irinaku Festival (Yadanagu; August) South of Amarapura (see above). Paya pwe (pagoda festival, Festival of Lights; October) At Kyauktawgyi Paya (see p249) .

INWA (AVA) a='"v

History Inwa’s classical Pali name was Ratnapura (City of Gems), Tadanabon in Burmese. Inwa (Mouth of the Lake) served as the Burmese capital from 1364 to 1841 (give or take an interlude or three), when the final shift was made to Amarapura. Before 1364 Sagaing had been the capital of the central Bamar kingdom, but after Sagaing fell to the Shan, the capital was moved to Inwa. The kings of Inwa set about reestablishing Bamar supremacy, which had

A N C I E N T C I T I E S • • I n w a 251

been in decline since the fall of Bagan. Although Inwa’s reach soon extended as far as Pyay, the Mon rulers of Bago proved to be a strong match for the Bamar. In 1555 Inwa fell to Taungoo, then to the Mon in 1752. A few years later Alaungpaya vanquished the Mon forever, and after a period with Shwebo in the north as capital, Inwa once again became the centre of the kingdom. When the British occupied southern Myanmar following the Second AngloBurmese War, much of northern Myanmar was known as the Kingdom of Ava. The city was finally abandoned as a capital, in favour of Amarapura, in 1841.

Sights BAGAYA KYAUNG

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One of Inwa’s finest attractions is the happily unrenovated Bagaya Kyaung, which dates from 1834. The entire monastery is built of teak and supported by 267 teak posts (the largest measures 18m in height and 2.7m in circumference). The cool and dark interior feels old and inviting. You may catch a class in progress inside. On the outside, look for the Keinayi peacock – half bird and half woman. How long this pristine wooden structure will escape the heavy hand of renovation is not certain, but visit it while you can. A small sign in Burmese at the entrance warns: ‘No footwear; if you are afraid of the heat on the floor, stay in your own house.’ NANMYIN

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The 27m-high masonry watchtower Nanmyin is all that remains of the palace built by Bagyidaw. The upper portion was shattered by the 1838 earthquake and the rest has taken on a precarious tilt – it’s known as the ‘leaning tower of Inwa’ – that is clearly noticeable when you’re climbing the steps. Visible up the top, across the Ayeyarwady, is the hemisphere-shaped Kaunghmudaw Paya (p254). MAHA AUNGMYE BONZAN

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Also known as the Ok Kyaung or the Me Nu Ok Kyaung, this is a brick-and-stucco monastery built by Meh Nu, the chief queen

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of Bagyidaw, for her royal abbot U Bok (Nyaunggan sayadaw) in 1822. Monasteries were generally built of wood and were prone to deterioration from the elements or destruction by fire. This monastery’s masonry construction has ensured its long life. The 1838 earthquake badly damaged it, but it was restored in 1872 by one of King Mindon’s queens. Located nearby, the Htilaingshin Paya dates back to the Bagan period; in a shed in the compound an inscription records the construction of the wooden palace during the first Inwa dynasty.

Ava Bridge, where you can hire a trishaw (K200) or walk 1km to the ferry. (In the rainy season the ferry leaves from near Ava Bridge at the Thabyedan Fort, just below the bridge to the south.)

AVA BRIDGE

PALEIK

Visible from the tower and from the ferry, the British-engineered, 16-span Ava Bridge (aka Inwa Bridge or Sagaing Bridge), which leads to Sagaing, dates to 1934. It was the only structure that crossed the Ayeyarwady River until 1998, when a new Chineseengineered bridge was completed at Pyay. At research time, a new bridge (just north) was about a quarter finished, and may be completed in 2005. In 1942 the British demolished two spans of the bridge to deny passage to the advancing Japanese. Not until 1954 was it repaired and put back into operation. It carries two lanes of traffic, plus a railway line. Photography of – or from – the bridge is forbidden.

Most visitors on the Ancient Cities circuit miss Paleik’s Yadana Labamuni Hsu-taungpye Paya, better known as the Snake Pagoda (Hmwe Paya). It’s named after the three giant pythons that sleep curled around the Buddha images, which are tenderly washed and fed at 11am daily. The modest temple, dating alternatively to the early 11th century or the 15th century, received little notice until 1974, when three pythons appeared from the nearby forest. Now daily revellers (including a scared baby or two) pose for photographs with the snakes, which are led by attendants to the main Buddha image. Paleik is surrounded by an estimated 325 stupas and paya in varying states of repair, many from the Konbaung period – it’s something like a mini-Bagan. A big festival takes place in the two weeks following the full moon of Waso (June or July). Paleik is about 20km south of Mandalay (about 45 minutes) on the highway to Meiktila and Yangon. A lovely tree-lined back road leads 10km east to Inwa; it’s possible to arrive for the 11am event and reach Inwa by noon.

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OTHER SIGHTS

At research time, waterlogged roads prohibited access to these sights, which aren’t always on horse-cart drivers’ itineraries. The massive old city walls can easily be traced around Inwa. The best preserved are near the northern gate, facing the Ayeyarwady (northwest of the Maha Aungmye Bonzan). This gate was also known as the Gaung Say Daga (Hair-Washing Gate), where kings went for a shampoo. On the southern side of the city stand the remains of the huge four-storey Le-htat-gyi Paya. There is also the Lawkatharaphu Paya, while to the south of the city stands the Singyone Fort.

Getting There & Away If you’re not coming by taxi (see p249), pick-ups will drop off passengers near the

Getting Around Essentially, the only way to get around the ancient site is by horse cart (K2500 for one or two people) on a three-hour tour. A motorcycle or bicycle can easily board the ferry to Inwa. If you’re alone, you could hire a motorcycle taxi (rather than blue taxi) in Mandalay to take you to and around Inwa. plip'

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Home to 500 stupas, even more monasteries and nunneries, and some 6000 monks and nuns, lovely Sagaing is where Buddhists in Myanmar go when they’re stressed. Set on the riverbank across the Ayeyarwady from Inwa, its peaceful pace – led by a lot of local meditation – is welcome to visitors as well.

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Those also trying to cram in Amarapura and Inwa in a day usually get only a whirlwind look at Sagaing in 90 minutes. Considering the massive network of leafy paths connecting hilltop stupa to riverside stupa, and with licensed accommodation here, there’s much to explore for those willing to linger. If you’re unable to ruin-hop in Bagan, Sagaing may provide an interesting substitute. Named for the trees hanging over the river, Sagaing became capital of an independent Shan kingdom around 1315, after the fall of Bagan had thrown central Myanmar into chaos. Its period of importance was short, for in 1364 the founder’s grandson, Thado Minbya, hopscotched the capital to Inwa. For four years, from 1760 to 1764, Sagaing was once again the capital, but its historic importance is comparatively minor. Devotion is the name of the game these days. In addition to the many sites, there’s a major monastic hospital here. During the full moon of Tazaungmon (October/ November), devotees from Mandalay and beyond flock to Sagaing to offer robes. Kyaswa Kyaung holds a ‘foreign yogis retreat’ in December or January (foreigners are welcome), and visitors are sometimes invited to stay in monasteries around Sagaing Hill by friendly monks. Sagaing is also famous for its acoustic guitars. Ask a trishaw driver to take you to a ‘factory’ if you want one.

Sights SAGAING HILL

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If you have limited time in Sagaing, come to this hill (admission incl Mingun US$3). The ticket is valid for five days and includes admission to the nearby town of Mingun. Trees hang over stone steps that lead past stupas, monasteries and nunneries to a glorious top, where you can take in many of Sagaing’s 500 stupas and views of the river back towards Mandalay. There are several ways up, not all of which have government ticket stands en route; trishaw drivers (if not taxi drivers) will know where to go. Tilawkaguru (donation K500), near the southwest base of the hill, is an impressive mural-filled cave temple that dates from 1672. Though much was damaged by fire 80 years ago (and frisky bats hang out in some chambers), a walk-through can be

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superb. Monks from the outside monastery may turn on the electricity, but it’s best by the (provided) candlelight, where colourful murals slowly reveal themselves in the dark hallways. Other sights around the hill include Padamya Zedi (which dates from 1300); Umin Thounzeh (30 Caves), which has 45 Buddha images in a crescent-shaped colonnade; and the 29.3m-high Soon U Ponya Shin Paya, built in 1312 and home to large bronze frogs on wheels that serve as collection boxes. If you don’t want to go up the hill, you can still soak up Sagaing’s atmosphere by roaming along the pathways that cover the hillsides and link up the hundreds of tazaung (shrine buildings) down to Thayetpin jetty. About a quarter of the way from the market to Sagaing Hill, you’ll pass the Hsinmyashin Paya. It’s known as the Pagoda of Many Elephants for its elephant statues stationed at each entranceway – a departure from the usual chinthe (half-lion, halfdragon deities). The paya dates from 1429 (the scissors at the eastern entrance are the logo of a recent sponsor’s company). A few kilometres north are a couple of silver shops, where you can see artisans bang away at various pieces. SOUTH OF AVA BRIDGE

Buddhist Sites

Heading along Strand Rd, following the water south of the bridge, you can drop by a couple of interesting pagodas. About 500m south is the Tupayon Paya, built in 1444, which has an unusual style for Myanmar. It consists of three circular storeys each encircled by arched niches. A temporary wooden bridge was constructed across the Ayeyarwady when the hti (umbrellalike pinnacle of a stupa) was raised, and a huge festival was held. The 1838 earthquake toppled the superstructure, and it’s never been completely reconstructed. Another few hundred metres to the south, Strand Rd passes the entrance to the sandstone Aungmyelawka Paya, built in 1783 by Bodawpaya on the site of his residence before he became king. It was built in imitation of the Shwezigon Paya at Nyaung U, Bagan (see p309). It’s a little frayed at the edges, but you can climb up the stupa rim to look around.

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Forts

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The best known of the Sagaing stupas, actually 10km west towards Monywa, is the Kaunghmudaw Paya. The enormous white dome rises 46m and was modelled after the Mahaceti (Great Stupa) in Sri Lanka (although legend also says that it represents the breast of a Myanmar queen). Also known by its Pali name, Rajamanicula, the stupa was built in 1636 to commemorate Inwa’s establishment as the royal capital of Myanmar. Around the base of the structure are 812 stone pillars, each 1m to 1.5m high and with a small hollow for an oil lamp. Images of nat can be seen in the 120 niches that also circle the base. A nearly 3m-high polished marble slab stands in a corner of the paya grounds; its 86 lines record details of the monument’s construction. You’ll need to hire a taxi in Sagaing to get there.

Sleeping & Eating Happy Hotel (%072-21420; s US$8-15, d US$15-$25; a) A couple of blocks north of the highway,

MINGUN

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About 11km upriver from Mandalay (and visible from Mandalay Hill), Mingun (admission incl Sagaing US$3) is as interesting to visit for its ancient sites as for the pleasant boat trip to get there. Mingun’s half-dozen sites run along the bank on the opposite side of the Ayeyarwady from Mandalay. Most famous is the partly completed Mingun Paya, which would have been the world’s largest paya (if King Bodawpaya hadn’t upped and died before it was finished). The village itself is a friendly place – although some hawkers can be a little too friendly. The ticket includes admission to Sagaing and is valid for five days. Depending on water levels, boats usually drop off passengers at the southern end of the site. In the past, some travellers have arranged to stay at one of the monasteries here, but it’s frowned upon nowadays. Food stalls, art galleries and souvenir stands line the road. Most visitors have time

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this pagoda, but no-one was doing so at research time. MINGUN PAYA

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Plaque Display

Alternate Landing Place

Chinthe Ruins

Path when river is low

Getting There & Around Sagaing is about 20km southwest of Mandalay and is reached by a road that crosses the Ayeyarwady via the Ava Bridge (p252). Pick-ups stop on the main road just after the bridge and near the market. See p249 for information about taxis to Sagaing. It’s possible to catch local transport 10km north to Mingun a few times a day. Sagaing is spread out, so it’s best to get around by trishaw or taxi. A trishaw costs about K2500 for half a day.

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River

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this simple hotel has clean rooms. Cheaper, fan-cooled rooms have a shared bathroom; more expensive rooms have generator-run electricity, air-con and private bathroom. Downstairs, you’ll find a good restaurant serving Chinese and Bamar food. Coming from Mandalay, turn right at the market, then take the second right. At research time, the Sein Pann Myaing Inn (%072-21200; Thudumar St; r K3500), one block west and three blocks south of the market, charged foreigners the local price for its clean, basic rooms. Greenland Restaurant, a block north of the Happy, has good noodles, draft beer and a courtyard setting for half the price of Happy.

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Ayeyarwady

Overlooking the Ayeyarwady are three forts, built by an Italian engineer as a lastditch defence by the Myanmar people in the Third Anglo-Burmese War. About 1km south of Aungmyelawka Paya is the most easily accessed, the riverside Asekhan Fort (Fort Savage). Follow Strand Rd south (to its end) and then continue on side roads about 200m further south. Once the site of a minor 1886 battle, the fort now is mostly home to grazing cows (‘they match the intelligence of our army now’, one local joked). Just north, under a large tree, is a small walled cemetery with three tombstones of British soldiers. From the riverside wall you can just make out the other forts across the river. Thabyedan Fort is amid the trees, just south of the Ava Bridge. (You can easily see the walls from the road to Mandalay.) To the south (in Inwa, maybe 200m south of Lawgtharaphu Paya) are the barely visible remains of a concrete wall (low, with much vegetation), where Singyone Fort stood. Some locals lament that the forts weren’t used to stand up to the British more. Advisors persuaded Thibaw that it was futile.

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Mingun Paya

Settawya Paya

Pondaw Paya

Boats to/from Mandalay To Sagaing (18km)

for a quick noodle meal. The path along the road – if the water level is down – is often less dusty.

Sights PONDAW PAYA

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On the southern end of the site (just north of the usual boat drop-off point), this unassuming structure, a 5m-high white pagoda, is a working model for the gigantic, unfinished Mingun Paya, 100m north. It’s worth seeing to get a picture of what could have been. SETTAWYA PAYA

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On the river immediately north of the Pondaw Paya is the Settawya Paya, a hollow, vaulted shrine containing a footprint of the Buddha. King Bodawpaya brought the footprint to Mingun when the relic chamber in the base of his huge pahto (temple) was sealed up. Settawya Paya was built in 1811. Some travellers have reported that an ‘official’ charged extra admission to see

Looming high and wide on the inland side of the road, the Mingun Paya is actually just the cracked brick base of the original plan. The grandiose pagoda King Bodawpaya had in mind was set to reach 150m (three times the paya’s present size). Construction began in 1790 with a labour force of thousands of slaves and prisoners of war. Bodawpaya often supervised construction from a set-up residence on an island offshore. (You can bet the slaves loved that.) Work halted in 1819 when Bodawpaya died. An earthquake split the monument in 1838 and reduced it to partial rubble – it’s possibly the world’s largest pile of bricks. But what a pile! Each side of the enormous base measures 72m, and the lowest terrace measures 140m. There are projecting fourlayer lintels over the porticoes on each of the four sides. Beautiful glazed tiles in brown, pale brown, cream and green were intended to be set in panels around the terrace; some of these tiles can be seen in the small building in front of the enormous ruin. Despite its dilapidated state, you must go barefoot if you intend to climb the base. From the flat top you have a fine view of the Hsinbyume Paya, Mingun village and the river. A pair of large chinthe (half-lion, halfdragon guardian deities) have just about crumbled away at their guard posts closer to the river. MINGUN BELL

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In 1808 Bodawpaya had a gigantic bronze bell cast to go with his gigantic stupa. Weighing 55,555 viss (90 tonnes), the bell is claimed to be the largest hung, uncracked bell in the world. (A larger bell in Moscow is cracked.) The same earthquake that shook the zedi base also destroyed the bell’s supports, so it was hung in a new tazaung (shrine building) close to the riverboat landing. The bell is about 4m high and over 5m across at the lip. You can scramble right inside it, and some helpful bystander will give it a good thump so that you can hear the ring from the interior.

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The Mingun Nat Festival takes place between the 5th and 10th days of the waxing moon of Tabaung (February/March). This celebration pays homage to the brother and sister of the Teak Tree, who drowned in the river while clinging to a trunk.

Getting There & Away

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INFORMATION Monywa e-Business Group Internet....................................1 B2

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Maha Ledi Kyaung.......................2 B1 Shwezigon Paya...........................3 A2

Bogyoke Statue

SLEEPING Golden Arrow Hotel.....................4 B2 Monywa Hotel.............................5 B1 Shwe Taung Tarn Hotel...............6 A2

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MONYWA Set on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River, about 136km west of Mandalay, Monywa is a scrappy trade town of some 300,000 people. There’s not much in its yard for travellers, but a few superb attractions

Win Unity Resort Hotel (in Yangon %01-227 389) This promising new midrange hotel, about 1km north of the clock tower, was under

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Government-run riverboats to Mingun depart at 9am from the western end of 26th St in Mandalay, and leave Mingun at 1pm to make the return journey. A return ticket is K1500. The upriver journey usually takes about an hour (and occasionally goes by the rare Irrawaddy dolphins), though sometimes it can take as long as two hours. It’s possible to buy tickets in advance from the small jetty office (%22294), or from

Sleeping

MONYWA

Bogyoke St

Festivals & Events

North of Sagaing town (p252) near Mandalay, the Sagaing District sprawls northward to the Indian border. Few tourists visit here, which is part of its appeal. Monywa is near some top-shelf attractions; historically key Shwebo (p260) kicked off Myanmar’s last dynasty. Further north – and only reachable by air – Kalaymyo (p262) is a quiet valley town with a sizeable Chin community. During the 17th century, when the Portuguese adventurer Philip De Brito was defeated at Thanlyin, all the Portuguese and Eurasians living at De Brito’s 13-year-old colony were exiled to areas around Monywa and Shwebo (notably the villages of Monhla and Chantha near Monywa). Called bayingyis, rare fair-haired residents may occasionally be seen, although no linguistic or cultural legacies remain.

The Shwezigon Paya, north of the old market, occupies the centre of Monywa, with the chief landmark being the clock tower on Bogyoke St to its southeast, and the Bogyoke roundabout to its northeast. Monywa e-Business Group Internet (Station Rd; per hr K800; h9am-11pm) is on the first floor of an official-looking building.

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Also called the Buddhist Infirmary, this nursing home for the elderly is worth checking out. Visitors (and donations) are welcome. The friendly head nurse here is Thwe Thwe Aye, who speaks excellent English. You can wander into the two monasteries on either side of the building.

UPPER SAGAING DISTRICT

Orientation & Information

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MINGUN SANITARIUM

your hotel. It’s almost always possible to show up and get a ticket. If you miss the return boat, you’ll need to arrange your own ride back (for about K7000). Chartered express boats also go to Mingun from here; a return ticket is K8000 to K12,000. These boats are usually geared to tour groups. A loosely scheduled pick-up connects Sagaing with Mingun, usually arriving in the morning and returning ‘around 1pm’.

The old market, a couple of blocks south of the clock tower, is an interesting area – and as active as the new market built by the government in the 1990s. The central Shwezigon Paya is worth a peek, but Monywa’s primary religious site is the Maha Ledi Kyaung, about 750m northeast of the Bogyoke roundabout (on the other side of the train tracks). Built in 1886 by order of renowned Pali scholar Ledi Sayadaw, this monastery shares a concept with Mandalay’s Kuthodaw Paya (p232); its 806 stone slabs are inscribed with Buddhist scriptures. Monywa’s Strand Rd is a two-level road along the Chindwin River. It functions nicely as a dusk promenade for strolling couples, monks and a couple of testosterone types. About 5km north of town, near the new Chindwin Bridge, is the Shwe Daung U meditation centre.

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Also known as Myatheindan, and built by King Bagyidaw in 1816, three years before he succeeded Bodawpaya as king, this stupa was constructed in memory of his senior wife, the Hsinbyume princess. It is built as a representation of the Sulamani Paya, which, according to the Buddhist plan of the cosmos, stands atop Mt Meru (the mountain that stands at the centre of the universe). The seven white-washed wavy terraces around the stupa represent the seven mountain ranges around Mt Meru, while the five kinds of mythical monsters can be found in niches on each terrace level. This structure was also badly damaged in the 1838 quake, but King Mindon had it restored in 1874. Just north, past some of the souvenir hassle, is the village.

Sights

nearby (see p259) warrant more than an exhausting day trip from Mandalay. In WWII Monywa found itself between the British and Japanese forces twice; it was flattened by bombs in 1942 and 1945. The area – particularly west of the river – was for many post-war years a centre for the Burmese Communist Party. Monywa sees a lot of trade to and from India. Agricultural products and hardwoods (including teak) come in from across the Chindwin River via a new Chindwin Bridge that opened north of town in 2004. Monywa is famous for churning out the rough cotton blankets you see in cheaper guesthouse rooms around the country.

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From Mandalay’s MTT office (see p229) you can arrange (expensive) trips to Khamti (‘Naga Land’) in January and Mogok (socalled ‘Ruby Land’) year round. Trips start at US$400 per person. It’s presently the only way to visit these destinations.

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on

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GOVERNMENT TRIPS

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Between the Mingun Paya and the bell (100m north) stands Molmi Paya; this new pavilion shelters a life-size standing bronze statue of Molmi Sayadaw, a famous Buddhist abbot from the nearby village of Molmi.

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TRANSPORT Bus Station.................................10 Jetty...........................................11 Pick-ups to Kyaukka...................12 Pick-ups to Thanbodday.............13

B3 A3 B2 B2

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construction at research time. Plans for a pool and tennis court, and the riverside location north of town, would likely make it Monywa’s splashiest sleep. Shwe Taung Tarn Hotel & Restaurant (%21478; 70 Station Rd; r per person US$5-8; a) The higherpriced doubles in this central hotel are surprisingly comfy, set behind a lush garden and the old building (which houses the cheaper rooms). There are wooden floors, balconies and air con (if the power’s on – it usually is). The TVs had no channels at last pass. The free breakfast is served in the restaurant next door (see below). Englishspeaking staff members hire out bicycles and help arrange day trips. Monywa Hotel (%21581; Bogyoke St; s/d US$15/ 20; a) About 500m north of the clock tower, off the highway north, the Monywa is a leafy complex reminiscent of a barracks. There are 50 bungalow-style motel rooms, each with nice dark-wood floors and TVs juiced by satellite, but the details are a little cheap (eg bubbly vinyl floors in the bathroom). Rates include breakfast. Golden Arrow Hotel (%21548; Bogyoke St, across from the clock tower; s/d US$5/10; a) This is the best deal for a fiver in town. Clean (to the point of being clinical) rooms above a bank reopened as a hotel in 2004. Rooms have satellite TV, and windows are painted translucent white. Rates include breakfast. Great Hotel (%22431; Bogyoke St; s US$10/15; a) In an unflattering location next to the bus station, rooms here are OK, not great.

Eating Shwe Kyar Restaurant (Thazi St; dishes K1000; h8am9.30pm) A block to the northeast of the Bogyoke roundabout is this clean and airy, concrete-floored, wooden-boothed ChineseMyanmar restaurant. The Shwe Kyar has an English menu with typical but tasty shrimp, pork and chicken dishes (and nine veggie options). There’s no English sign, but it’s at the base of a modern burgundy-coloured building. Su Restaurant (Station Rd; dishes K1500; h9am9pm) Just east of the northern Shwezigon Paya entrance, this friendly Myanmar restaurant has all-you-can-eat, pick-and-point pots of curries (that come with 10 or so condiments) that feed many local families. Shwe Taung Tarn Restaurant (%21478; 70 Station Rd; dishes about K1000) This popular Chinese

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restaurant artfully prepares its tasty rice dishes. There are three eating areas – inside, in the leafy garden, and up on the modern wood-decked rooftop. Fantasy Food Centre (Bogyoke St, near clock tower; BBQ skewers K50-300; h8am-10pm) This big barbecue beer station has plenty of life, thanks mostly to the Myanmar Beer on tap. The menu is mostly meat.

Getting There & Away AIR

The shiny new airport is a 30-minute ride north of town, with connections to Mandalay, Yangon and Kalaymyo. BOAT

Ferries head up the Chindwin River to Kalaymyo in four days, but the route was restricted for foreigners at research time. Sadly, there was no boat service downriver to Pakokku. BUS

Monywa’s bus station, off the highway towards Mandalay 1.5km south of the clock tower, has no English signs. At research time, a nice express air-con bus left for Yangon (K6000, 13 hours) at 6am. Hourly buses connected Monywa with Mandalay from 5am (K700, four hours) and Shwebo (K700, four hours) from 6am. Note that buses to (not from) Monywa from Mandalay were often reluctant to take foreigners at press time (see p244). Four daily buses (presently leaving at 6.30am, 9.30am, 12.30pm and 3pm) go to Pakokku (K600, 4½ hours) to catch the ferry to Bagan (see p281). See opposite, p260 and p260 for details of local transport to sites around Monywa. CAR

By taxi it’s only a three-hour drive to or from Mandalay on a decent two-lane road. The going rate in Mandalay is US$30 or US$35, depending on petrol prices. TRAIN

Monywa is on the Mandalay–Budalin branch railway, but service to Mandalay (six to seven hours) bumps along at a far slower pace than bus or car. At last pass, a ticket agent quoted foreigners K240, then K3000, for the journey; and we saw passengers pushing a faulty

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U P P E R S A G A I N G D I S T R I C T • • A r o u n d M o n y w a 259

carriage to another track, three hours behind the scheduled noon departure.

Getting Around Trishaw and ‘blue taxis’ are the main form of local transport (the police outlawed the four-seater motorcycle taxis in late 2004). A trishaw ride from the bus station to the centre is about K400 or K500; a ride between the centre and the jetty for boats across the Chindwin River is K150. White plain-clothes taxis linger on Station Rd, near the northern Shwezigon Paya entrance. You can generally find cheaper blue taxis near the clock tower. A blue taxi costs K3000 for the 30-minute ride north to the airport. Most hotels hire out bikes for about K1500 per day.

AROUND MONYWA

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The magnificent, carnivalesque Thanboddhay Paya (admission US$3; h6am-5pm) bursts with pink, orange, yellow and blue spikes, and has so many Buddha images in the inside nooks and crannies in halls and archways – one tally makes it 582,357 – that it feels like a Buddha House of Mirrors to walk through. Some compare the building to Borobudur in Indonesia, though Thanboddhay is smaller. It’s certainly unique for Myanmar. Nearby is a display of moving waves surrounding a praying Buddha, where worshippers toss offerings into a ‘floating’ basket, and a pastel tower with encircling steps (and often young kite-flyers up the top). It’s worth heading 4km further east to see a serious Buddha-rama at the western edge of the Po Khaung Hills. Peering from a hilltop is a 90m reclining Buddha you can climb to. Behind it, a giant standing Buddha was under construction at research time – it will break 167m when it’s completed (in 2006), making it the world’s second tallest. Just west, the enormous white Aung Setkya Paya, standing 130m high and surrounded by 1060 smaller stupas, has dark tunnels inside that lead to the stupa rim for nice views. There are more tasty views from the tower amid 8000 (and counting) Buddhas in the sprawling Bodhi Tataung (1000 Buddhas), begun in 1994; it’s a couple of hundred metres west of the stupa.

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Thanboddhay Paya, near the eponymous village, is 20km southeast of Monywa, a few kilometres east of the highway to Mandalay. Share taxis to the sites cost K6000 to K7000. Direct local buses to Thanboddhay village leave frequently from Bogyoke Rd south of the clock tower in Monywa. From the village, you can hire a taxi or take a pick-up.

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Across the Chindwin River and 25km west of Monywa, Hpo Win Daung is a long mountain shaped (locals claimed convincingly) like a reclining Buddha. It features 492 cave temples built inside the limestone cliffs. The caves (admission US$2), built between the 14th and 18th centuries, sprawl up and down the west side (along the ‘Buddha head’) of the mountain, and are packed with 2588 Buddhas and some boldly coloured murals. To the southwest of the long-inhabited hills lies the Pondaung-pon-nya mountain range, where the fossilised remains of Pondaung Man (a primate ancestor who may have lived 30 million years ago) were found. The hills are named after U Hpo Win, a famous zawgyi (alchemist) hermit who once lived among them. From the starting point, the main caves lead up and left (west). A guide is not a bad idea, as some caves aren’t easy to find; one English-speaking guide (at least) hangs around the Monywa jetty and offers fourto six-hour tours for K5000. The cave chambers vary in condition. In some there are giant reclining Buddhas; others are packed with smaller Buddhas and have streams of light shining in from holes in the walls. Many murals are painted ‘3D’ – what’s above the eye level is far, what’s below is near. In one mural, you can see ‘Portuguese-looking persons’ burning in hell. Sadly, relic smugglers have feasted on some statues, but much remains intact and thankfully unrestored. The weeklong Hpo Win Daung festival, the year’s biggest here, takes place in November. The area has 12 monasteries, where it’s possible to overnight or arrange longer stays for meditation. The facing hill to the south, Shwe Ba Taung, features 46 more caves.

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About 45 minutes east of town by taxi (or double by bicycle) along a lovely tamarind tree–lined road, Kyaukka has been a centre for pre–Chiang Mai style lacquerware since the Konbaung era. Pieces are more basic and utilitarian than those you’ll find in Bagan. The prices aren’t necessarily cheaper, but the household factories are worth checking out; there are also some shops outside the interesting 14th-century Shwe Gu Ni Paya (famous for its wish-fulfilling powers), about 750m west of town. Few tourists come out here, and wideeyed looks from locals often lean into outright laughter. All Shwebo-bound buses go by Kyaukka, and pick-ups leave from near Monywa’s old market during the day.

SHWEBO er¯.ui %075

Messier and dustier than Monywa, Shwebo sees even fewer tourists, but its sights and historical importance – King Alaungpaya kicked off Myanmar’s third empire here, and the area has been settled since at least the 4th century AD – can make for a rewarding day or two for the adventurer. (See p38 for more about the great Alaungpaya.) Occupying the flat (and hot) plain between the Mu and Ayeyarwady Rivers, Shwebo has a Bamar majority, and sizeable Muslim and Christian communities. The local economy depends on the trade of nuts, pulses, rice and sesame cultivated on surrounding farms, where more than a

Shwebo’s main street, Aung Zeya St, runs from north to south past the market and leads north. The post office, on a dirt road northwest of the market, sends postcards overseas, but not faxes. There’s Internet access east of the market at MCC Shwebo Computer (per hr K1500; h7am-9pm).

Sights Several pagodas in the blocks south of the market give Shwebo’s centre a gold-studded backdrop. The biggest, Shwe Daza Paya, is said to have been built by King Narapatisithu over 500 years ago. Maw Daw Myin Tha Paya, about 1.5km north of the market, is the city’s most important Buddhist site and a peaceful enough place. Take Aung Zeya St north, past the train tracks, where an English sign points to it, about 100m east. If you’re waiting for the bus, Aung Mye Hsu Taung (aka ‘Army Pagoda’) is about 100m south of the bus station. It’s said to be the spot used by King Alaungpaya as a staging point before going into battle, and it remains the city’s wishing ground (for military too). A 15-ministupa maze up the front has glassspiked 1m-high walls to deter cheats. As the capital, Shwebo was an enormous walled city. Remnants include bits of the walls and the moat (the most visible legacy of Alaungpaya’s original plan); the moat is best seen from Yan Gyi Aung Park, northeast of the centre. The British built a jail on the Alaungpaya Palace grounds (admission K50, camera fee K200), which the government moved recently and rebuilt as the palace; you can see a few structures, similar in form to the Mandalay Palace (but less complete). At the gate is the King Alaungpaya Memorial, where his body was burned following his death in 1760.

To Ye-U

1

3

To Yawdaw Village (7km)

2

Thabin Shwe Hte St

INFORMATION MCC Shwebo Computer..........................................................1 B2 Police Station............................................................................2 B1 Post Office...............................................................................3 A1

Yan Gyi Aung Park

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Alaungpaya Palace Grounds....................................................4 Aung Mye Hsu Taung.............................................................5 King Alaungpaya Memorial......................................................6 Shwe Daza Paya......................................................................7

B

Aung Zeya St

To Train Station (1km)

500 m 0.3 miles

To Maw Daw Myin Tha Paya (1km)

9

13

Yan Gyi Aung St To Kyaukmyaung 2 (29km); Mogok (150km) Shwekyettho Shwe Thein Paya Daw Paya 10 T h el onda Letw ra St 12 Dhamma Thuka St Mayawady St a St Alaung Pay 11 Zeigyo 1 4 6 (Central Market) Hospital

8

Shwe Kyet Taung Paya

Shwebo College

3

Shweb

o Taung

To Mandalay (114km); Monywa (134km) 5

A2 A3 A2 A2

SLEEPING Myo Ma..................................................................................8 A2 Zin Wai Lar Guest House..........................................................9 B1 EATING Eden Culinary Garden.............................................................10 B1 Open-air Burmese Restaurants...............................................11 B2 Shwe Taung...........................................................................12 B1 DRINKING Beer Station............................................................................13 B1 TRANSPORT Bus Station.............................................................................14 A3

Chanthaya Paya Chanthaya-gyi Paya

7

Shwe Daza Paya St

ekY;k'k;

Orientation & Information

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SHWEBO A

U P P E R S A G A I N G D I S T R I C T • • S h w e b o 261

Moat

Kyaukka

couple of snakes do their slither; a Monywan warned, ‘You’re going to Shwebo? Watch out for cobras, brother.’ Nevertheless, many Myanmar folk reach for the dirt when coming to Shwebo. It’s considered good luck to take home some earth from ‘Victory Land’ (as Shwebo’s reputation goes).

Rd

It’s a bit of a heist coming here. From Monywa’s jetty, ‘special boats’ (aka local ferries minus the locals) whisk foreigners across the Chindwin River to Nyaungbingyi village for a whopping K1500 each way; boats run 6am from to 6pm. During festivals you can take a bus from the village to the caves. At other times you’ll need to hire a jeep (K5000 for up to five people) at the yellow booth on the right in Nyaungbingyi. The ride takes 45 minutes each way. It’s possible to go by taxi from Monywa, via the new Chindwin Bridge. No English signs are posted.

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Creek

To Hanlin (27km)

14

Zin Wai Lar Guest House (%21263; Yan Gyi Aung St; r K5500-10,000) Shwebo’s best guesthouse (no doubt), just off the main drag Aung Zeya St, is signed only in Burmese but has friendly English-speaking staff. A modern, three-storey affair, it has 14 ordinary doubles with common bathroom and squat toilet, two double rooms with attached bathroom and sit-down toilet, and a lone triple with attached bathroom, fridge and local TV. Breakfast is included. Myo Ma (%21259; r K9000) A back-up to the Zin Wai Lar, Myo Ma has small cell-like rooms with concrete floors, wall-to-wall thin mattresses, and private bathroom with cold-water shower and squat toilets. A small fan is strapped to the ceiling. The Englishspeaking manager, however, is great, and can help find motorcycle transport to Hanlin (see p262). Myo Ma is south of the market.

Eating & Drinking

Sleeping

Eden Culinary Garden (Aung Zeya St; dishes K450-900; h6am-10pm) An inviting restaurant with

If you’re looking for luxury, stay in Mandalay instead.

baked goods up the front, a leafy courtyard filled with tea-and-noodle diners in the

morning, and some booths in the inside bar at the back. Eden is notable for having good Chinese and Myanmar dishes, some European food (hamburgers, eggs and toast; note that the ‘orange juice’ is actually soft drink), and an English menu. Homeboy waiters sure put up a fuss to serve the rare foreigner. Shwe Taung (Aung Zeya St; dishes K500-800) With its enviable corner spot, this popular Chinese brick-floor eatery is as good a place as any to down a cold beer, eat some noodles and watch Shwebo pedal-squeak by. There’s no menu, but staff will understand ‘no pork, no beef, no chicken’ if you want veggie fare. On the north side of the market are several appealing open-air Myanmar restaurants buzzing (with insects too) after dark. There’s also a small beer station facing the moat from Yan Gyi Aung Park.

Getting There & Away BOAT

Ferries heading up and down the Ayeyarwady River between Mandalay and Katha stop at Kyaukmyaung, 29km to the east; pick-ups run between Kyaukmyaung and Shwebo. BUS

The Shwebo bus station is about 1km south of the centre. A few bus companies travel the 114km route between Mandalay and Shwebo. The busiest is Yan Gyi Aung’s 35seat bus (K700, three hours), which departs hourly from 6am to 4pm from Mandalay’s bus station off 88th St (between 22nd and 21st Sts).

A R O U N D M A N D A L AY

GETTING THERE & AWAY

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Station

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260 U P P E R S A G A I N G D I S T R I C T • • S h w e b o

Hourly buses also connect Shwebo with Monywa – via a quiet 1½-lane road (K700, 3½ hours). Pick-ups make these trips from the same starting and stopping points for a couple of hundred kyat less, but they take an extra hour. TRAIN

The Shwebo train station is 1km north of the centre. Four daily trains travelling between Mandalay and Myitkyina stop here going either way. The best to catch for Myitkyina are the No 55 and the No 57, which leave around 5pm or 7.15pm and take 19 hours. For Mandalay, the No 58 leaves around 7.45am and takes 4½ hours. Trains on this route are often late, though.

Getting Around Trishaws (and a few horse carts) are the main modes of public transport. A trishaw ride from either station to the centre is K200 to K400. There are no taxis, but jeeps are sometimes for hire. Ask at the guesthouses about bike hire for about K1000 per day. Much of the centre is easily walkable.

AROUND SHWEBO About 26 butt-kicking kilometres southeast of Shwebo, the town of Halingyi is set just south of the architectural remains of Hanlin (also called Halin), a massive 3.2km by 1.6km walled city from the Pyu kingdom (which existed between the 4th and 9th centuries). Little is left, but locals can point out overgrown gates to the wall. In another part of town is a monastery with a small museum, which has some pots and other artefacts excavated from the ‘old city’. Halingyi village is interesting in that it’s set atop a network of hot springs; the water is collected in stone cauldrons and pools for bathing and washing clothes. Many stupas in the area are charmingly decrepit, their bricks exposed or covered in vegetation. Foreigners almost never make it here. (At last pass, a teen swore we were ‘the first foreigner’ they’d ever seen.) You may be asked to show your passport and keep notes of what you see and when. Locals will most assuredly lead you around. A donation would be appreciated, but it won’t be asked for. Each day a lone tractor/taxi makes the trip out from Shwebo’s bus station, but it doesn’t always make the trip back. It’s best

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to hire a jeep (if you find one); a motorcycle with driver is about K6500 for the trip, and it’s helpful to have a local figure out where to go. It’s possible to bike (with soft seat!), but it’s a hard full-day trip. The road to Halingyi begins south of the aqueduct next to the bus station. After about 10km you’ll see a big pagoda across the water. At the next village (the biggest you’ll see), turn left over the bridge; you’re halfway there.

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Travellers with up-for-grabs expectations – and an interest in meeting Chin folk without taking a government-guided trip to Chin State – can fly to Kalaymyo, a long way north of Mandalay and about 100km from India. There’s not much to do in town, but it’s interesting for the make-up of its population (half Burmese, half Chin) and its slender setting, ringed by far-off lush mountains (the town is 15km long and rarely more than two blocks wide). Most foreign faces who do make it here belong to Christian missionary types, who donate time and money to the Chin population (who are 95% Christian), who live in the western half of town. The Chin folk sometimes refer to Kalaymyo as ‘Zomi’. There’s some local debate on who lived here first, Bamar or Chin. Moonstar Internet (cnr Bogyoke Rd & Yu Dan Than St; per hr 1500k; hclosed Sat) offers quiet access, 1.5km west of the airport.

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© Lonely Planet Publications U P P E R S A G A I N G D I S T R I C T • • K a l a y m y o 263

University, about 10km west of airport. There are jaw-dropping views.

who provides good local information and has a bike to hire out or lend.

Sleeping & Eating

Getting There & Around

Taung Za Lat Hotel (%21463; Bogyoke Rd; r per person US$10-15) The lone hotel licensed for foreigners is directly across the street from the airport. There are slightly grubby but doable rooms and balconies, fans, screened windows and squashed ’squitoes left on the walls. The Chin staff speaks some English. More expensive rooms are slightly bigger but not really worth it. You’ll find some eateries in Tahan and around the downtown market. The best is Thein Shwe Restaurant (%21313; Bogyoke Rd; dishes K600; h9am-9pm), about 100m west of the roundabout. It’s run by a welcoming English-speaking Burmese-Chinese woman

Boat and bus journeys here from Monywa were off limits for foreigners at research time. Myanma Airways has only a few weekly connections to Yangon (US$120 or US$130 one way), Mandalay (US$50 or US$55) and Monywa (US$35 or US$40). The MA ticket office is halfway between the airport and the downtown market; arrange to buy a ticket (with passport and dollars in hand) at 9am the day before your flight. You can hail a truck between the market and Tahan for K200 during the day and up to K1000 after dark. Many locals offer a seat on the back of a bike or motorcycle for free.

Sights Foreigners are restricted to staying within town. The downtown (Burmese) market, in and around the roundabout about 500m east of the airport, is worth a look. Many locals pluck on guitars around town; you can get your own guitar here for K2000 to K3000. The principal Chin district, Tahan, is 3km west of downtown and has a market too. Just before the sign, turn south on Taung Za Lat Rd to reach the local golf course, set below a small mountain with a pagoda you can reach by foot. About 15km west of the airport, in the Chin Hills (and into restricted areas), is Shukintha (aka Mt Zion View Point), where a local can usually take you if you ask at the unsigned police stand near the Kalaymyo

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262 U P P E R S A G A I N G D I S T R I C T • • A r o u n d S h w e b o

Bagan & Central Myanmar

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Bagan & Central Myanmar

B A G A N & C E N T R A L MYA N MA R 265

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BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR Madaya Monywa

SAGAING DIVISION

Taungbyone

M

Paleik

Yesagyo

To Chin State (50km)

Kyaukse

Pauk

Myingyan Nwa-htou gyi

Yebya

Myittha Pakokku Taungtha

n ai an

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M Mt Popa Kyaukpadaung

Seikpyu Chauk Salay

SHAN STATE

Pl

Ananda Patho

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Bagan

ng y

Gonkor

Lawksawk

MANDALAY DIVISION

Nyaung U

Meiktila

Thazi

Sinbyugyun

dy River

Salin

2

Pyawbwe

Kalaw

Aungban

To Taunggyi

Inle Lake

Yenan-gyoung Yamethin

Sagu Minbu

Magwe

Pinlon

Tatkon Taungdwingyi Beikthano

HIGHLIGHTS

Pyinmana Mandalay

„ As the sun drops, follow the hordes, or find your own

Ananda Pahto Mt Popa

Myayde Tayet

„ The best way to reach Bagan is by a day-trip on a

1

er

iv ung R

Sitto

Bagan

Lewe

MAGWE DIVISION

Mandalay & Bagan Ferry

temple, for Bagan sunsets (p300).

Mandalay–Bagan ferry (p272) down the Ayeyarwady. Yedashe

BAGO DIVISION

„ A rocky outcrop east of Bagan, Mt Popa (p277) is the

spiritual home to the 37 nat – and literal home to loads of monkeys.

RAKHAING STATE

„ The ancient oval Pyu city of Thayekhittaya (p286), near

Pyay, can’t rival Bagan in scope, but visiting is usually just you and your ox cart.

Riv

Paukkhaung

Taungoo

Pyay Thayekthittaya

Thayekthittaya

Shwedaung

Akauk Taung

To Bago (170km); Yangon (250km)

KAYIN STATE

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

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Elsewhere in central Myanmar are the ‘lost cities of the dry zone’ – busy transit towns that mean a lot if you are looking to buy or sell bags of rice, but less to travellers. Yet any of these towns – riverside Pyay and Magwe on the Yangon–Bagan highway; Taungoo, Pyinmana and Meiktila on the busier Yangon–Mandalay highway – could soak up a quality day or two for the adventurer willing to make up their own fun.

Sagaing

ya Aye

Apart from the temple-hop, nearby volcano-created Mt Popa (visible from a number of temples) beckons day-trippers with its spiritual home of Myanmar’s 37 nat (spirits). In the evenings, there’s the pizza chase in Nyaung U’s expanding dining scene, or finer eats on the riverside in New Bagan (Bagan Myothit) or Old Bagan hotels.

Myinmu

Amarapura

Saman River

The tallest and most majestic temples are awesome, mingling Hindu styles from India with local-brewed Buddhist images in, atop and around the structures. Some get touristy, with postcard vendors following tour groups. Many others remain neglected, for you to explore on your own. In any, shine your torch into dark corners and you’re likely to find a tight stairway leading up to wide-open views, or the frayed remains of a vibrant mural depicting Buddha’s past lives that rarely sees an eyeball. See p293 for more details on Bagan’s temples.

Myine

Pyin U Lwin

Mandalay

iver n R dwin Chin

Dotting the 42-sq-km plain east of the curving Ayeyarwady, Bagan’s 3000-some temples not only make up the most wondrous sight in Myanmar, but rival Cambodia’s Angkor Wat in terms of scope and jaw-droppability. If you are lukewarm on ruins, two or three days might change your temperature; if you love them, save as much time as you can afford.

To Hsipaw

Sadaung

Chaung U

„ One of Bagan’s most powerful temples, Ananda Pahto (p300) features a 51m-high corncob (sikhara) top and lush murals at its neighbouring monastery.

40 km 20 miles

Temples of Bagan

13

36 31

Rd ta rah aw An

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r

ve

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Bagan Tower

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Old Bagan

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W

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61 To Airport (2km); Train Station (4km)

Manu Kan

See Enlargement

52 49

21 51

43

23

10

40

14

28

To Tuyan Taung; Tan Kyi; Kyaukpadaung (42km); Mt Popa (53km); 19

Central Plain

3

South Plain

Myinkaba

25

50

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Tetthe

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15

Rd

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27

54

Ay

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Minnanthu Kan

Minnanthu

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30

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West Pwasaw

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55

29

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New Bagan

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16

Nyaung U

20

a ey

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„ New Bagan (Bagan Myothit; p275) Here are popular riverside restaurants (particularly for

41

45

59

US$50 to way more. There’s little life outside the hotels, but they are closest to the big-time temples.

about US$5 and comfortable bungalows for US$20 or less, but Nyaung U is furthest from the bulk of the ruins.

26

35

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WHERE TO STAY?

lunch), and the biggest choice of midrange hotels that charge from US$20 to US$40.

57

44 56 33 58

300 m 34 0.2 miles

Thiripyitsaya Village

„ Nyaung U (p269) It has the liveliest restaurant options, tons of shoestringers guesthouses for

32

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To Sittana Paya (1km); Chauk (30km); Salay (36km)

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Abeyadana Pahto........................ 1 A4 Ananda Ok Kyaung......................2 B1 Ananda Pahto............................(see 2) Anauk (West) Petleik Paya...........3 C4 Anauk Petleik Paya......................4 A5 Ashe (East) Petleik Paya............... 5 D4 Ashe Petleik Paya........................ 6 A5 Aung Myi Bodhi Dhamma Yeiktha....................................7 C2 Buledi...........................................8 C3 Bupaya.........................................9 A1 Dhammayangyi Pahto................10 B3

11

17

Dhammayazika Paya..................11 C4 Eight-Faces Paya........................12 A5 Gawdawpalin Pahto...................13 A1 Gubyaukgyi...............................14 A4 15 C2 Gubyauknge.............................. Thuhekan Hmyathat Umin.........................16 D1 Hsu Taung Pye..........................17 C4 Htilominlo Pahto........................18 B2 Izagawna...................................19 D3 Kyanzittha Umin........................20 C2 Kyat Kan Kyaung.......................21 D3 Lawkananda Paya......................22 A5 Leimyethna Pahto......................23 D3 Mahabodhi Paya........................24 B1 Manuha Paya............................25 A4 Mimalaung Kyaung...................26 A2 Mingalazedi...............................27 A3 Myazedi...................................(see 14) Myinkaba Paya..........................28 A4 Nagayon....................................29 A4 Nandamannya Pahto...............(see 21) Nanpaya....................................30 A4 Nathlaung Kyaung.....................31 B2 New Palace Site..........................32 B1 Ngakywenadaung Paya..............33 B2 Nyein Gon Paya.........................34 A2

East Pwasaw

Old Palace Site........................... Kontangyi35 B1 Pahtothamya..............................36 B2 Payathonzu................................37 D3 Pebinkyaung Paya......................38 A1 Pitaka Taik..................................39 B1 Pyathada Paya...........................40 C4 Sapada Paya..............................41 D1 Seinnyet Ama Pahto..................42 A5 Seinnyet Nyima Paya...............(see 42) Shinbinthalyaung.......................43 A3 Shwegugyi..................................44 B1 Shwesandaw Paya......................45 B2 Shwezigon Paya.........................46 C1 Sint Pahto..................................47 B3 Somingyi Kyaung.......................48 A4 Sulamani Kyaung.......................49 B3 Sulamani Pahto........................(see 49) Tawagu..................................... 50 C4 Tayok Pye Paya......................... 51 D3 Thabeik Hmauk.........................52 C3 Thambula Pahto........................ 53 D3 Thamiwhet Umin....................... 54 D2 Thamuti & Kutha.......................55 B4 Thandawgya...............................56 B1 Tharaba Gate..............................57 B1 Thatbyinnyu Pahto.....................58 B2 Upali Thein.................................59 B2 Wetkyi-in-Gubyaukgyi...............60 C2 Winidho Group.......................... 61 D3

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

Archaeological Museum

„ Old Bagan (p273) In the heart of the old palace walls; high-end hotels on the river cost from

D To Thetkyamuni (1km); Kondawgyi Pahto (1km); Kyauk Gu Ohnmin (2km)

ya

The Bagan Archaeological Zone is a massive area, not immediately a breeze to get to grips with. The Ayeyarwady drifts by its northern and western sides. Its most active town is Nyaung U (p269), in the northeast corner. About 4km west, Old Bagan, in the zone’s northwest corner, is the former site of the village that moved to New Bagan, 3km south, in 1990. Between the two is the scrappy village of Myinkaba, boasting a long-running lacquerware tradition. Intersecting paved roads make a 20km oval that connects them. The Bagan–Nyaung U Rd (to the north) and more-level Anawrahta Rd (to the south), connect Nyaung U and Old Bagan; the Bagan–Chauk Rd leads south from Old Bagan to Myinkaba and New Bagan; the ‘airport road’ heads northeast from New Bagan, past the small villages of Pwasaw and Minnanthu, to the Nyaung U–Kyaukpadaung Rd, leading north to Nyaung U. Just east of the junction is the Nyaung U Airport, about 2km southeast of town. The train station is 2km south of the airport. In between it all, of course, is the bulk of Bagan action: the plain, featuring most of the temples, all connected with a vast

Ὀ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ 24

Old Bagan

0 0

C

9 38

Ayeyarwady River

1

Bagan-Chauk Rd

Nyaung U is the principal gateway for Bagan, with a train station and airport. Most visitors by boat come downriver from Mandalay. Despite being a major destination, most long-haul bus routes (eg Yangon–Mandalay) miss Bagan, instead stopping at towns to the east; Pyinmana and Meiktila. But there are a few direct bus links with Yangon, Mandalay and Inle Lake. Coming from Yangon may require mandatory changes in Pyay and Magwe, and taking a couple of nights. Trains to the Bagan area are very slow. Most people coming directly from Yangon by road do so via Pyay and Magwe by private taxi.

ORIENTATION

B

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GETTING THERE & AROUND

Officially known as the ‘Bagan Archaeological Zone’, this 42-sq-km area, 190km south of Mandalay and 690km north of Yangon, includes the principal areas Nyaung U, Old Bagan and New Bagan. This section includes sleeping, eating and transport options. See p293 for the history and descriptions of the temples themselves.

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This area comprises the bulk of the ‘dry zone’ of Myanmar, and it remains hot and dusty for much of the year. Most visitors come in winter (November to February), when daytime temperatures are a relatively chilly 30ºC during the day; about 10ºC at night. From March to May, the hottest season, daytime temperatures boil at up to 43ºC. Rains peak in June and October, but run throughout the monsoon.

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Moving armies led by various people – the Pyu, the Mon, the Burmese – swishswashed across this central plain, the ‘heart of Myanmar’, over the centuries. The area around Pyay served as the Pyu capital from the 5th to 9th centuries AD; some consider the Pyu as founders of Myanmar’s ‘first empire’, though little remains known of this vanished group. Bagan’s burst of energy ran two-and-a-half centuries, beginning in 1047 and ending – as footsteps of Kublai Khan raiders approached (literally) – in 1287. See p293 for more on Bagan’s history.

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network of bumpy dirt roads and trails. At times, you’ll be well over a kilometre from the nearest paved road. In addition to the maps in this guide, you can purchase The Map of Bagan (K500) at most hotels. It shows many of the paths – though not always 100% accurate – and you’re likely to mark it up with the latest word of ‘nontouristy sunset’ and the like.

INFORMATION All foreign visitors to Bagan Archaeological Zone must pay a US$10 entrance fee. If sellers don’t find you when you arrive, your hotel will sell it to you. It technically lasts as long as you’d like to stay. Be sure to take it with you if you’re leaving the zone on a day trip. For travel information, often an excellent source of local information is hotel staff, or try Nyaung U’s Ever Sky Information Service (opposite) or the government-run MTT office in New Bagan (p275). Nyaung U has a post office. You can get online in Nyaung U and at select hotels. Air ticket offices in Nyaung U and Old Bagan sell domestic fares only.

BOAT TRIPS Sunset chasing in Bagan isn’t restricted to the tops of temples. An interesting alternative is a dusk boat trip on the Ayeyarwady. The boat folk at the Old Bagan jetty tend to cater their hour-long tours for package tourists, but anyone can arrange a ride (K4000 for one person, K7000 for two to four), which leaves around 4.30pm. Cheaper are the boat guys just below the nearby Bupaya Paya (Bupaya Shrine; p299), who take six or seven people for K3000 or K4000 total. You can also arrange an interesting boat/ taxi sidetrip to mountaintop Tan Kyi, one of four stupas that marked the original edges of the city. The boat across the river is about K3500 return; taxis up the mountain and back are about K7000. See p310 for boat trips to temples north of Nyaung U.

TOURS Any accommodation option can arrange a ticket for 45-minute sunrise or sunset flights over Bagan with Balloons over Bagan

(%061-60032; office in Bagan Hotel in Old Bagan; www .balloonsoverbagan.com; per person US$250). Most peo-

ple go in the morning. The price includes pick-up from your hotel (around 5am). The cost is US$25 cheaper if you buy directly from the office a day in advance. Mt Popa Adventure Tours (%061-67158, 09-200 5501; day trip Oct-Apr US$45) offers full-day guided tours of Mt Popa including a swim at the posh Mt Popa Mountain Resort. If you don’t want a guide, you can do the same far cheaper by hired taxi. You can also arrange tours to Chin State from Bagan (see p329).

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Many visitors have a ‘greatest-hits temples’ day on horse cart first, to get a sense of orientation, then follow it up checking further-flung or lesser-known temples by bike.

Horse Cart

From the boat jetty near Old Bagan, there are set fees to go to hotels by trishaw, horse cart or taxi. These fees are shown in the following table.

An understandably popular way of seeing the ruins is from the shaded, padded bed of horse carts. Even if you’re on a package trip – or especially so – it’s a good idea to break away one day for the more intimate trip. Drivers speak some English (at least), know where to find the ‘keymaster’ to locked sites and can point out temples with few/no tourists around. (Some might stop by a shop with hopes for commission; it’s OK to say ‘no thanks’.) Two people can lounge in the back of the cart, four can sit cross-legged. In Nyaung U a day with a horse cart and driver runs about K5000 to K6000. It’s about K2000 or K4000 more if taken from Old Bagan or New Bagan. Finding one is not a problem: in 2004, there were 225 horse carts around (a 30% increase since 2002). Supposedly about 60% to 80% of the intake goes to a few businessfolk who rent out the carts.

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K2000 K1500 K1000

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GETTING THERE & AROUND This section explains how to get around the sites (temples, towns, stations). See also the Getting There & Away sections for Nyaung U (p272), Old Bagan (p275) or New Bagan (p277) for details on getting to Yangon, Inle Lake, Mandalay and other destinations.

To/From the Stations

Taxis meet arriving trains and flights in Nyaung U.

Bicycle Bikes with baskets (and sometimes a bell) are widely available and can be a super way of getting around, despite the direct exposure to sun and some dirt roads that slow you up. Essentially all accommodation rents bicycles: in Nyaung U it costs about K500 per day; Old Bagan and New Bagan charge K2000 or K3000 per day. Traffic is usually light on all roads. Earlymorning or late-afternoon rides along the sealed Bagan–Nyaung U Rd are particularly pleasant. It’s worth planning ahead a little, as the bulk of the temples in the Central Plain (p302) are far from much shade or lunch potential. The most convenient eating options are in Old Bagan (p274).

A pick-up (K200) runs regularly from outside the Nyaung U market, ending near the junction in New Bagan and passing Wetkyiin, Old Bagan and Myinkaba on the way. Technically this could be used to jump from one place to the next, then walk around the temples, particularly in the Northern Plain (p300) or within the old walls in Old Bagan (p297). BAGAN TELEPHONE CODES Are a little crazy. The Bagan area has two area codes: %061 and %02. You may see some old numbers beginning with the borrowed Pakokku code (%062), which were assigned in the rush for new telephone numbers as more businesses opened sine 2000. All old numbers that start with %062 have been switched to %02. All local numbers are five digits. To add to the fun, any old numbers that previously began with 70 changed to 67, meaning the old number %062-70999 is now %02-67999.

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Taxi Hiring a shared taxi for the day in Nyaung U costs US$18 to US$20. An Old Bagan hotel will charge about US$25. Hired taxis are also convenient ways of making day trips to Mt Popa (p278) and Salay (p280).

Trishaw Bagan’s 300 trishaws see little action outside trips within Nyaung U or between the jetty and the hotels.

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Most independent travellers call Nyaung U home while in Bagan. The biggest town in the area – and home to the key air, train and bus links – also has the most life after the sun has fallen. About 5km northeast of Old Bagan, along the Ayeyarwady, Nyaung U has a hopping, relatively lively ‘restaurant row’, a colourful market, and the prototype of many regional stupas, Shwezigon Paya. The main road, aka Bagan–Nyaung U Rd, runs most of the way from the Nyaung U market to the small village of Wetkyi-in, 2km west towards Old Bagan. The strip of restaurants extends south of the main road, from just east of the bus station. Other than Shwezigon Paya, most of Bagan’s key temples are outside Nyaung U, but there are interesting ones nearby (p309).

Information INTERNET ACCESS

Internet Stand (per hr K1000; h8am-8pm) Tiny onecomputer stand across from the market. Memory Email & Phone Service (restaurant row; per hr K3000; h8.30am-9.30pm) Makes overseas calls for US$5 or US$6 per minute. RMCG Computer Centre (per hr K2500; h7am-9pm) Burns digital camera shots onto CD for US$2. POST

Post office (h9.30am-7pm) Sends postcards overseas for K30. TELEPHONE

Stands around town follow the same set prices. It’s US$5 per minute to call Europe or Australia, US$6 to call North America. TOURIST INFORMATION

Ever Sky Information Service (%061-60146; restaurant row; h7am-9.30pm), on the restaurant

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Maps

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strip, helps arrange cars and trips (supposedly without commission) and offers other basic information. It has a small bookstore with several books on Bagan.

Golf & Swimming The well-watered Bagan Golf Course (%06160303; greens fee US$30, club rental US$10), just south of town, has about a half-dozen pagodas on its 18 holes. There’s also a swimming pool.

Sleeping Guesthouses on the main road are the simplest, but usually come with air-con. Off the street, near the ‘restaurant row’ southeast of the centre, are quieter ones that have porches. Some of the best budget deals are not appreciably less comfy than some midrange beds, here or in New Bagan. BUDGET

Main Road

All the following come with free breakfast, can arrange bicycle rental for about K500 per day, and most drop their prices a dollar or three off season.

SLEEPING Aung Mingalar Hotel...................8 A2 Eden Motel..................................9 C2 Golden Village Inn...................(see 14) To Thetkyamuni (1km); 10 B2 Inn Wa Ga.................................. Kondawgyi (1km) Large Golden Pot.......................11 B2 Lucky 7 Guest House..................12 B2 May Kha Lar Guest House..........13 B2 New Heaven Hotel.....................14 B2 New Park Hotel..........................15 B2 Pan Cherry Guest House............16 B2 Shwe Na Di................................17 B2 Thante Hotel..............................18 C2

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INFORMATION Ever Sky Information Service........1 B2 Internet Stand..............................2 B2 IWT Office...................................3 C1 Memory Email & Phone Service....4 B2 Myanma Economic Bank (Foreign Exchange).................5 C3 Police...........................................6 B2 Post Office...................................7 B2 RMCG Computer Centre...........(see 9)

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To Airport (2km); Train Station (4km); Mt Popa (50km)

EATING A Little Bit of Bagan...................19 B2 Aroma 2.....................................20 B2 Aye Tha Har Vegetarian Restaurant..............................21 B2 Myitzima (Middle) Restaurant....22 B2 Nanda........................................23 A3 Pho Cho...................................(see 19) San Kabar Restaurant & Pub......24 B2 Winter Restaurant......................25 B2 TRANSPORT Air Mandalay.............................26 A3 Air Ticket Office.........................27 B2 Bus Station.................................28 B2 Buses to Old Bagan....................29 C1 Train Ticket Office...................(see 12) Yangon Airways Office..............30 B2

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May Kha Lar Guest House (%061-60306, 02-6706; s/d US$6/10, with TV US$8/12; a) This well-kept, three-storey guesthouse has bright, clean rooms with air-con, ceiling fan and screen windows. It’s quite pleasant. The guesthouse is run by the attentive Ms Cho, who will draw up Bagan maps (K500) to highlight temples most visitors miss. Rooms with TV have wooden floors (though the sound may carry through the panelled walls to your neighbour). The excellent Western or Bamar-style breakfast is served upstairs. Eden Motel (%02-67078; s US$4-10, d US$10-15; a) South of the market on the main road, this motel has 18 great-value rooms. Rooms are cheaper – and a bit more inviting, honestly – in the older complex; they’re small and get little light, but the bamboo wall, wooden floors and cranking AC make up for it. The little single up top is just US$4. Across the street, the newer complex has new tiled floors, more space, bathtubs and TV. Inn Wa Ga (%02-67125; s/d US$3/6; a) A stone’s throw from the market, the Wa Ga offers simple fan-cooled rooms and less light on

the main floor, and air-con and huge windows in the rooms upstairs. Shwe Na Di (%061-60409; r per person US$3; a) Run by a local English teacher (the school is just behind), this formerly unlicensed guesthouse offers basic rooms with new air-con units and cold-water bathroom. Pann Cherry Guest House (% 061-60075; s/d US$4/8, with shared bathroom US$3/6) Basic rooms come with a bed, fan, screen window and four walls – but it’s clean and cheap. Lucky 7 Guest House (%061-60474; r per person US$3) It has fan-cooled rooms. Large Golden Pot (Ahnawrahta Rd; s/d with fan US$4/8, with air-con US$5/10; a) A bit low quality – concrete floor bathroom, iffy hot water, scuffed-up walls – but the Pot faces the wee Sapada Paya and is away from the main crawl. At research time the Pot was planning to expand – new rooms may be decked out better. Its super name comes from a consultation with a monk, who said ‘It should be named Golden Pot…wait a tick, make that a large one.’ Near the Restaurant Row

These excellent budget choices give you (for an extra dollar or so) more peace than the main-road options plus a patio facing the leafy back lanes. New Park Hotel (%061-60322; 4 Thiripyitsaya; s US$6-7, d US$10-12; a) The higher-priced rooms in this two-complex, 20-room hotel on a quiet sideline have teak floors rather than carpet and are a bit newer. All rooms have front porches. Golden Village Inn (%02-67088; s US$6-12, d US$8-15; a) The Village is another shady spot with flower vines decorating room patios. The newer, higher-priced rooms come with fridge and satellite TV. Rates drop by US$2 or US$3 off season. New Heaven Hotel (%02-67088; s/d US$5/8; a) Behind the Golden Village, and under the same ownership, the rooms offered here are simpler. MIDRANGE

Thante Hotel (%02-67317, in Yangon %01-664 424; [email protected]; Main Rd; s/d US$30/35; as) South of the market, just off the main road, the Thante offers roomy bungalows on shady grounds with a pleasant swimming pool (US$3 for nonguests). Rooms come with satellite TV, twin beds,

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refrigerator, bathtub, wooden floor and deckchairs on the small porch. Staff members are very welcoming, plus there’s a bakery and restaurant on site. Breakfast is sometimes served on the lawn. Best midrange comfort in Nyaung U. Aung Mingalar Hotel (%061-60171; s/d without TV US$10/15, with TV from US$15/20; a) On the main road, 300m west of the bus station, this laid-back complex faces the Shwezigon Paya (kinda) and has three types of bungalow-style rooms, all with patios. It’s comfy and most guests enjoy it, though the conditions are not appreciably better than the budget deals around restaurant row. Rooms with TV have wood floors. Golden Express Hotel (%02-67101; s) This is a good midrange option, a couple of kilometres west of town. It has four price ranges. The top two tiers (doubles US$24 and US$30) are in nicer new wings; the most expensive is nominally nicer (tub instead of shower). All rooms have hot water – not to mention access to the lovely pool (US$3 for nonguests). There are a couple of practically private pagodas nearby, for sunsets that few outsiders witness.

Eating There are two kinds of food in Nyaung U: pizza and nonpizza. The former, starting at the San Kabar, has prompted an outpouring of (often good) copycats in essentially any noodle shack in town. On ‘restaurant row’ inviting thatch restaurants with candlelit tables serve a grab-bag of cuisines. Aroma 2 (restaurant row; dishes K1500-3500; h11am9pm or 10pm) Aroma 1 is in Inle Lake, and No 2 is about as good as food gets in Bagan, for Indian or otherwise. Lots of fresh curries – fish, mutton, veggie, chicken – come with dollops of condiments plopped on banana-leaf plates. A couple of the best dishes, says the enthusiastic manager, are ones that are ordered a day ahead, like the boneless chicken breast. Pho Cho (restaurant row; dishes from K1000; h8am9pm) Though it cooks up Chinese, Indian and other dishes, Pho Cho is best at Thaistyle dishes. Its spicy ‘Thai sauce’ that accompanies several dishes may not be 100% authentic, but it’s damn good. The vegetable salad is a particularly good deal, coming hot and on a platter. Most dishes are under K2000; prawns ‘in Thai style’ are K4000.

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To Pakkoku; Mandalay

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restaurant (just west of town) serves fine Burmese meals in an open-air setting. Tables are surrounded by floodlit (but fake) ruins and two marionette stages for the nightly shows. The set meal is the best deal, including two meat dishes, soup, salad, a side dish, fruit and coffee; it’s K5000 if you go for prawns. Veggie dishes off the menu cost K800 to K1000. Rates include 10% service charge. San Kabar Restaurant & Pub (Main Rd; pizza K2400-3600, pasta K1600-3600; h7am-10pm) Famous as the birthplace of Bagan pizza, the San Kabar’s streetside candlelit courtyard fills nightly with travellers seeking tomato sauce and thin-crusted pies. It’s quite good. At last pass, the wine – a too-sweet ‘French’ variety – couldn’t compete with the food. Winter Restaurant (Main Rd; pizza from K1500; pasta K2000; h7am-10pm) Back from the main strip, the Winter rallies for best pizza slice in its open-air setting. A Little Bit of Bagan (restaurant row; pizzas K1700K3000, Chinese dishes from K600, veggie dishes from K400; h7am-10pm) Just off the main road, this

thatch-roofed restaurant covers it all – Chinese, Shan, Burmese, Thai, burgers, Indian and Italian. Pizzas are quite thin, but pretty good. The full Indian dinner (with soup, salad and dessert) is K3500.

Shopping The main market, near the roundabout at the east end of the Main Rd, has many traveller-oriented doodahs (woodcarvings, Tshirts, antique pieces) on its northern end.

Getting There & Away See Mt Popa (p278) and Salay (p280) for transport details on these popular day trips from Bagan.

for all but government-run MA. The MA office is in Old Bagan. BOAT

Boats to/from Mandalay go from Nyaung U and Old Bagan, often depending on water levels. The Nyaung U jetty is about 1km northeast of the Nyaung U market. The IWT office, about 300m inland on the main road, sells tickets for Mandalay, Magwe and Pyay. From the jetty, the Shwe Kein Nayi Express boat leaves at 5.30am for Mandalay (US$16, 12 hours) on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some ferries leave for Mandalay from the jetty in Old Bagan (p275). Ask your hotel for the latest times and jetty locations, which can change depending on the river’s water level. You can also take the slow boat to Mandalay (US$10, two nights) on Wednesday and Sunday at 5.30pm. It stays overnight in Pakokku. The slow boat heading downriver leaves at 7am on the same days, stopping in Magwe (US$9, one night) and Pyay (US$9, two nights). Most visitors prefer taking the boat to Bagan from Mandalay (p243), which takes less time. It’s possible to take Mandalay-bound boats and exit at Pakokku (p280) for about K8000, but it’s cheaper on the local ferries, which leave for Pakokku (K1000, 2½ hours) five times daily, from 6am to 3pm or so. It’s also possible to hire a long boat to Pakokku for about K10,000 or more. It’s a fun trip. From Pakokku, there are direct buses to Monywa. The main bus station serving Bagan is on the main road in Nyaung U. At research time, daily service included the following (times will likely change): Destin. Price Duration Frequency Type Magwe K2500 Mandalay K4000

catch an air-conditioned bus in Meiktila going between Yangon and Mandalay also. During peak season, it’s important to book bus tickets for Mandalay, Taunggyi (for Inle Lake) and Yangon a couple of days in advance. PICK-UP

Pick-ups to Mt Popa and Salay, as well as Chauk (K1000, two hours) and Kyaukpadaung (K1000, one hour) leave from the bus station. Pick-ups between Nyaung U, Old Bagan and New Bagan run along the main street, starting from the roundabout outside the Nyaung U market. See New Bagan (p277) for info on pickups to Taunggyi (Inle Lake). TAXI

Many travellers hire share taxis – often quite old cars, some with open backs, most without air-con – to destinations around the country. It’ll save time and bruises. Ask at Ever Sky (p269) or at your hotel. Sample taxi fares: Destination

Fare (US$)

Inle Lake Mandalay Meiktila Myingyan Pyay Yangon

US$75-80 US$50-60 US$25 US$25 US$80 US$150

Another option is to take a van with aircon, which costs 15% or so more.

BUS

AIR

The Nyaung U Airport is a few kilometres southeast of the market. Flight schedules vary. Presently Air Mandalay, Bagan Air, Myanma Airways (MA) and Yangon Airways connect Bagan daily with Mandalay (US$45), Heho (US$65) and Yangon (US$93). Flights to Thandwe (US$121) run daily October to April, though often stop in Yangon. On the main road, a ticket office (%02-67406, 09-204 2001; h9am-5pm) sells domestic tickets

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4-5hr 8hr

Meiktila K4000 Taunggyi K6000 10-12hr Yangon K6500 14-15hr

7am minibus 7am & 9am local (no air-con) 7am & 9am local 5am local 3pm air-con (Ye Thu Aung Express)

A local bus also connects Nyaung U with Yangon for K2500. You may be able to

TRAIN

The Bagan train station is about 4km southeast of Nyaung U. A ticket office on the main road can help with changing times and tickets. Presently, two morning trains a day leave for Mandalay (US$4/9 ordinary/1st class, 10½ hours), a lone evening train heads to Yangon (US$11/31, 20½ hours) and another morning train to Pyinmana (US$5/17, 12 hours).

Getting Around Bicycles are cheaper to rent here than in New Bagan or Old Bagan. It’s about K500 per day. See p268 for more on getting around the Bagan site.

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OLD BAGAN pug®Dmúui¾eh;='"

Although Old Bagan is no longer inhabited (except by hotel and government employees), it represents the core of the Bagan Archaeological Zone and contains several of the main temple sites, city walls and a museum. It’s right on a bend of the Ayeyarwady River – some time during your stay, wander down to the waterfront and watch the coming and going of the river trade. You can take a boat across the river to the village on the other side (see p268).

Archaeological Museum Housed in an absurd, out-of-place, 19thcentury-style temple, the museum (admission US$3; h 9am-4.30pm) was built in 1996 by the same people who redid the Mandalay Palace. It features many fine pieces from Bagan (reclining Buddhas, original images, inscripted stones and mural recreations) and an unexpected room of modern-art renderings of the temples. Not many visitors go, but the collection is often good (though it could benefit from being ordered chronologically).

Sleeping Old Bagan accommodation caters to a upmarket crowd and often fills months in advance of peak season. From any of these hotels, you’ll be fairly close – the eager can walk it – to some of Bagan’s finest temples. All hotels here have pools, most of which nonguests can pay to use for the day. All also have restaurants and bars – some with nice river views. You’ll get teak furnishings, satellite TV and minibar in your room; most rooms have bathtubs (not shower) in the private bathroom. Prices listed don’t include the 10% service charge and 10% government tax. From April to September, expect a drop of up to 50%. Rates often rise US$10 or US$20 from Christmas to the first week of January. Bagan Hotel River View (%061-60032; www .myanmars.net/baganhotel; s/d US$70/80, ste from US$100; as) Probably the most appealing hotel

of the Old Bagan options, set right behind the Gawdawpalin Temple, this hotel features one-storey teak bungalows set around a curvy pool. Guests and nonguests can enjoy the riverside restaurant, bar, salon and ‘night bazaar’ shopping area. A big breakfast

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Nanda (%02-67039; Main Rd; set meals K3500; h9am-10pm) Best at dinner, this higher-end

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Archaeological Museum...............1 A2 New Palace Site............................2 B2

SHOPPING Manu Kan Shwe War Thein Handicrafts Shop..9 B1 TRANSPORT Air Mandalay.............................(see 8) Boats..........................................10 A1 Myanma Airways.......................11 B2

comes with the price. Its 108 rooms are often full. There’s a younger clientele here than at some of its neighbours. Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel (%02-67289; www

Avoid the riverside Aye Yar Hotel as it is government-run.

.bagan-thiripyitsaya-sakura-hotel.com; r US$90-120, ste from US$250; as) Spread out on a wide-open

With few or no eating options amid the temples, Old Bagan’s restaurants are a logical central point for lunch. Sarabha II (dishes K1200-6000; h11am-10pm) Of the two Sarabhas back-to-back, between the gate and the Hotel @ Tharabar Gate, we like the one behind best, away from the road. The quiet area, under a big airy thatch roof, is good for Chinese, Burmese, Thai, some Western dishes and a few veggie options for K1200 to K1500. Chicken Kiev costs K4000, spaghetti K2000. The food’s good, but best is the cold towels handed out to sponge the dust off your face. Golden Myanmar (buffet K1500; h10am-10pm) Keep-it-real seekers (and lots of horse-cart drivers) prefer this roadside eatery with shaded seats on a brick floor. ‘Buffet’ (your pick of chicken, pork, fish or mutton curry) comes with usual tableful of condiments, fruit dessert and a tasty fried ‘bean stick’. About 250m west of the gate (at the turnoff for Bupaya), you’ll see some simple restaurants, including Vegetarian Restaurant and a Chinese restaurant behind. The restaurants at the hotels in Old Bagan add a little comfort (and kyat) to your meal. The Bagan Hotel and Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel are particularly good; the latter offering the biggest view of the river (try it for sunset gin-and-tonic).

bank with big views of the Ayeyarwady, this hotel was government-run until 1995, when it became a Japanese-run joint-venture. It’s about 500m south of the Old Bagan walls. Rates don’t include breakfast (US$8 extra), but the all-day restaurant is excellent. The spa offers various scrubs, rubs and wraps; an hour-long foot massage is US$18. The pool is big, with a nice bar nearby. Bagan Thande Hotel (%061-60025; www.bagan thande.com; s US$24-54, d US$28-60; as) Open since 1922, this riverside hotel is a longstanding Bagan accommodation – and certainly a big fixture on the package-trip circuit. It has three types of rooms, plus US$200 suites. The higher-priced ‘duplex’ rooms have river views. Some guests have been disappointed with the older cheap rooms, though they also come with satellite TV, air-con and minibar. There’s a good pool (nonguests can use it for US$3). Hotel @ Tharabar Gate (%061-60037, in Yangon %01-211 966; www.tharabargate.com; r from US$100; pais) Away from the river (and

500m north of Ananda Temple), this newer hotel has 86 antique-filled rooms around a big, (fake) elephant-guarded pool. The hotel is quite pleasant (despite that tacky ‘@’ in its name).

Eating

Shopping Just east of Tharabar Gate (and well signed off the Bagan–Nyaung U Rd), Shwe War Thein Handicrafts Shop (%061-67032; dsavariau@mptmail .net.mm; h7am-9pm in peak season) is a treasure trove of Myanmar trinkets is one of the region’s best souvenir shops. The collection includes antique and new puppets, wood carvings, chess sets, lacquerware and bronze pieces. There’s essentially no pressure to buy, and staff dig the stuff too (at the last visit, one manager pulled an old puppet off the shelves to keep because she liked it too much). Lacquerware selections are bigger in Myinkaba (below) and New Bagan (p277).

Getting There & Away Depending on water levels, boats from Mandalay arrive in Old Bagan, near the Aye Yar Hotel; see p272 for more on boats leaving Nyaung U, the major gateway for buses, trains and planes out of Bagan. You can buy plane tickets from the Air Mandalay office (%02-67021) and Myanma Airways office; both keep irregular hours on the main road.

MYINKABA ¨m='"kp:

This village, about 1km south of Old Bagan and 2km north of New Bagan, is famed for its family-run lacquerware shops and some choice Early Bagan–period pahto (temples) and stupas (p304). King Manuha, the respected ‘Captive King’, built the poetic Manuha Paya while held here in the 11thcentury.

Sleeping & Eating Phyo Guest House (%061-60307; s/d US$10/15; a) Next to busy-by-day Art Gallery of Bagan, this guesthouse has rather basic, overpriced rooms with clean but worn wood floors and wall panelling, hot showers and a desk. No TV or refrigerator. It’s footsteps from the lovely Gubyaukgyi temple, though. There are a few eating stalls across from Manuha Paya, serving mostly Chinese dishes for around K1000.

Shopping If you’re getting serious about lacquerware, Myinkaba’s yer pal. More than a handful of workshops are signed along the main

B A G A N • • M y i n k a b a 275

road. Most keep long hours (from 7am to 9pm) during peak season. Cheap-quality stuff is generally what you’ll be offered by hawkers at the Manuha Paya (and around Bagan actually). Art Gallery of Bagan (%061-60307) It has a nice-sized showroom, with top-tier 18layer offerings in the air-conditioned room out the back. The workshop next door stays busy until 5pm or so. Golden Cuckoo (%02-67028) Just behind the Manuha Paya, this family-run workshop spans four generations. Seven-layer plates, cups, bowls and trays are up front; the more detailed 14-layer stuff is in the air-conditioned room in the back, where you can find some more unique spins on ‘traditional’ than at most workshops.

Getting There & Around Pick-ups running between New Bagan and Old Bagan (and Nyaung U) stop here. You can rent bikes at Phyo Guest House for K1500 per day.

NEW BAGAN (BAGAN MYOTHIT ) pug®Dmui¾oc''

In 1990 the government relocated the locals from ‘Old Bagan’ here, and – give them credit – the locals have done their best in making the most of their new home. Located 3km south of Old Bagan, New Bagan has a number of new, more midrange guesthouses and hotels, and some nice river-spot restaurants.

Information The telephone office is on the main street. Myanmar Travel & Tours (MTT; %061-60277, 0267418; h8.30am-4.30pm), the government-run tourist office (the only one in the Bagan area), is just north of town. It can help organise excursions (and getting permission) to visit Chin State (p328). At the time of research (before negotiations), the office charged US$150 per day per person on a three-day, two-night trip to visit Chin State villages and climb Mt Victoria, a birdwatching haven.

Sleeping New Bagan is best for its midrange options, usually generator-run motels with a bit more comfort than the cheapies in Nyaung U. All prices here include breakfast.

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Bagan Myothit (New Bagan) 276 B A G A N • • N e w B a g a n ( B a g a n M y o t h i t )

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INFORMATION Myanmar Travel & Tours (MTT)...1 B2 Telephone Office.........................2 B3

1 SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Eight-Faces Paya..........................3 C3

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To Myinkaba (2km); Old Bagan (3.5km); Nyaung U (8.5km) Urban Health Centre

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SHOPPING Moe Moe..................................18 C2 U Ba Nyein.................................19 C3

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D EATING Green Elephant/River View Bagan Restaurant..................14 Silver House Restaurant..............15 Sithu Restaurant........................16 Sunset Garden Riverside Restaurant.............................17

TRANSPORT Airline Office..............................20 B3 Airline Office..............................21 B2 Bicycle Rental...........................(see 15) Tiger Head Express Pick-Ups to Taunggyi............22 B2

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Bagan Beauty Hotel (%061-60351; Main Rd; s/d US$3/6; a) This friendly blockhouse cheapie is clean but no diva. Its 12 simple rooms have hot shower, twin beds and wrinkled vinyl floors. Kyi Kyi Mya Guest House (%02-67037; Main Rd; s/d US$6/12; a) Next to the Bagan Beauty, Kyi Kyi Mya rents its 10 basic rooms with air-con to foreigners (and discourages its fan-cooled rooms). It’s cute enough from the outside, and the welcoming management bursts with good lacquerware tips, but it’s probably not worth the extra kyat compared with the Beauty. Thiri Sandar Guest House (%061-60372; Main Rd; s/d US$6/12; a) Facing the centre zedi (stupa), this two-storey guesthouse has clean, carpeted rooms and hot shower, with breakfast served on a front terrace. It’s a bit nicer than the other budget options. If a room is smoky, ask for another. Little English is spoken. MIDRANGE

Expect hot water and satellite TV at each of the following.

fers two dozen rooms decked in cute lavender hues or bamboo trim. Some rooms have windows on two sides, good for extra light. Rooms have wood floors and are comfy despite a nick or two. It’s better value for a double or triple. Kyaw Hotel (%02-67377; Nwe Ni St; s/d US$15/20; a) Another midrange option nearby, with 10 rooms. There is also a cluster of hotels on the southeast edge of town; one is the Kaytumadi Dynasty Hotel (%02-67123; www.kaytumadi.com; s/d US$25/35; a), with 34 rooms in cabin-duplexes, all covered with toddy palm logs. The grounds are nice (with well-maintained creek and horsecart-wheel bridge), but rooms are a bit worn for the price. TOP END

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NK Betelnut Hotel (%061-60326; Main Rd; s/d/tr US$15/18/23; a) This cheapie midranger of-

Thiri Marlar Hotel (% 02-67370; thirimarlar@ mptmail.net.mm; s/d US$20/25; a) This excellentvalue hotel, a couple of blocks from the road to Old Bagan, has 21 often-filled rooms set around teak walkways facing a leafy courtyard with a bamboo coffeehouse. Up top is a wide-open bar, and further up, near the crenulated rooftop, is a breakfast deck overlooking Bagan’s sprawl. Rooms have twin or double beds and come with showers with curtain and minibar. The staff isn’t always versed in English, but they try hard. Kumudara Hotel (% 02-67080; www.kumudara -bagan.com; s/d US$30/36; a) At the quiet northeastern edge of town, the Kumudara has 50 pleasant motel-style rooms with wood floors, high ceilings and – best of all – back porches, some of which face the Bagan plain. Bagan Central Hotel (%02-67141; Main Rd; s US$10 & 15, US$15 & 20; a) Good-value rooms in stone-covered units with hot water, armoire, wood floors (keep shoes outside!) and twin beds, all set around a courtyard with tables for open-air breakfast. Cheaper rooms are the best deals if you can deal without tub or TV.

Thazin Garden Hotel (%061-60052; www.thazigarden hotel.com; s US$45-55, d US$55-65; as) Several notches in comfort and style above the other midrange options, this hotel is nicely lost in New Bagan’s southern side. It has two complexes: one is a leafy ‘British colonial bungalow’ style; the other is a pagodabrick-style two-storey complex facing the pool and the hotel’s personal pagoda. All rooms have dark-wood floors and some artful touches (such as hanging paper umbrellas). Dinner’s served in high season on the lawn around the pagoda. Nonguests can swim for US$5.

Eating New Bagan’s restaurants serve most meals at lunch, particularly the handful of riverside restaurants that draw some tour groups. At night most host 7pm marionette/music shows and set tables on the lawn overlooking the Ayeyarwady River – not a bad thing to do at all. Fish and prawns culled from the river are highly plugged (and priced). The following three places have fish dishes for K2000 to K4000, prawns for K4000 to K6000 and vegetables from K1000 to K2000. Green Elephant/River View Bagan Restaurant (%02-67099; h11am-4pm & 6-10pm) This place has several bamboo-thatch covered areas around a central lawn, and there’s a nightly music and puppet show. Sunset Garden Riverside Restaurant (%06160404; h11am-3pm & 6-11pm) It has two covered

A R O U N D B A G A N • • M t P o p a 277

areas, with evening sitting on lawn between. There’s no show, but you can overhear the Green Elephant’s. Sithu Restaurant (%02-67173; h11am-3pm & 6-11pm) Another riverside eatery with a night show, Sithu is slightly less stylish than the other two. On the main road in town, the simple Silver House Restaurant cooks up fish and prawns for about the same price, but fried rice (not on the menu; ask) is only K800.

Shopping Nearby Myinkaba village has more lacquerware factories and shops, but New Bagan has two excellent options too. Moe Moe (%062-70031; Main Rd; h9am-9pm) Large showroom with mix of traditional and modern lacquerware; the factory is in full swing during the day. U Ba Nyein (%02-67050; Main Rd; h9am-9pm) Another showroom, across from the centre zedi.

Getting There & Around See Nyaung U (p272) for most transport options to/from the region. Tiger Head Express Co sends daily pick-ups to Taunggyi (K1000, 10 hours) at 3am. There are airline offices on Main Rd a block north. Bicycle rental is K1500 per day at budget hotels or at the stand next to Silver House Restaurant, or about K3000 at others. See p268 for more on getting around the Bagan site.

AROUND BAGAN MT POPA

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If you look towards the range of hills that rise, shimmering in the heat, behind Bagan, you can often see (barely) a solitary peak standing apart from the range’s west end. Rising to 737m from the flat, surrounding Myingyan Plain, and topped with a superb pagoda, Mt Popa (Popa Daung Kalat in Burmese) is said to be the core of an extinct volcano last active 250,000 years ago. It’s a popular and worthwhile half-day trip from Bagan (but you probably should consider it only if you have at least two full days to offer to Bagan).

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

SLEEPING Bagan Beauty Hotel......................4 B3

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C Bagan Central Hotel.....................5 Kaytumadi Dynasty Hotel............6 Kumudara Hotel...........................7 Kyaw Hotel..................................8 Kyi Kyi Mya Guest House.............9 NK Betelnut Hotel......................10 Thazin Garden Hotel..................11 Thiri Marlar Hotel.......................12 Thiri Sandar Guest House...........13

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Sometimes described as the ‘Mt Olympus of Myanmar’, Mt Popa is the most important nat worship centre in the country. The tiger-guarded Mahagiri shrine, at the foot of the mountain – just across from the steps guarded by elephant statues (loads of critters around here) – contains a display of mannequinlike figures representing the 37 nat and is a major pilgrimage destination. Burmese superstition says you shouldn’t wear red or black on the mountain, nor should you curse, say bad things about other people or bring along any meat (especially pork) – any of these actions could offend the residing nat who might then retaliate with a spate of ill fortune. And no-one likes a mad nat. Atop the impressive rocky crag clings a picturesque complex of monasteries, stupas and shrines that you can climb to via a winding, covered walkway, complete with some misbehaving monkeys. The 25minute climb is steep and stiff, but it gets cooler as you get higher. Views are fantastic. Some of the frequent pilgrims here include nonordained, slow-walking hermit monks called yeti, who wear tall, peaked hats. If you come by share taxi, ask the driver to point out bits of petrified forest, which are strewn along either side of the road. Also present is much volcanic ash, which makes the surrounding plains fertile. The heights capture the moisture of passing clouds, causing rain to drop on the plateau and produce a profusion of trees, flowering plants and herbs. In fact, the word Popa is derived from the Sanskrit word for flower.

brothers who were born to a marriage between Mae Wunna and an Indian Muslim in Anawrahta’s employ. The two sons were murdered at Taungbyone, where Anawrahta built a shrine in their honour. Once a year, the Taungbyone nat are believed to travel a spirit circuit that includes Mt Popa, Taungbyone (about 22km north of Mandalay) and China.

Festivals & Events

Most travellers visit Mt Popa in half a day by share taxi or by organised tour from their hotel. In Nyaung U, guesthouses could get you a slot in a share taxi (without guide) for US$5 per person. Hiring a whole taxi is US$15 or US$20. Hotels in Old Bagan and New Bagan charge more; eg the Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel in Old Bagan charges US$100 for a full-day guided trip for up to six persons. Mt Popa Adventure Tours (p268) offers a day trip, including area sights. At research time, a direct pick-up left Nyaung U’s bus station at 8am, waited two hours at Popa, then returned (K2500 return, one hour each way). Otherwise you can take an hourly pick-up from Nyaung U to

Mt Popa hosts two huge nat pwe (spirit festivals) yearly, one beginning on the full moon of Nayon (May/June) and another on the full moon of Nadaw (November/December). Before King Anawrahta’s time, thousands of animals were sacrificed to the nat during these festivals, but this practice has been prohibited since the Bagan era. Spirit possession and overall drunken ecstasy are still part of the celebration, however. There are several other minor festivals, including ones held on the full moons of Wagaung (July/August) and Tagu (March/ April), which celebrate the departure and return of the famous Taungbyone nat – Min Gyi and Min Lay – each year. These nat are

Sleeping & Eating Popa Mountain Resort (% 02-69168, in Yangon %01-202 071; www.woodlandgroups.com; superior s/d US$50/60, deluxe r from US$120; as) On the

mountain overlooking Mt Popa, this spectacular resort (a Singaporean joint venture) teams with sandalwood forest and views. The higher-priced deluxe bungalows, perched on stilts, face Mt Popa – making it one of the better splurge options in central Myanmar. The rates can often be negotiated. The pool is nice (nonguests can swim here for US$2), and there are two restaurants and a bar. It’s possible to climb Ma Gyi Taung (the mountain just behind) in four hours. Hotel transport to Mt Popa from here is US$5. Min Min Soe Guest House (%02-67637; r US$15) In Popa village, a couple of kilometres down from the mountain, are a couple of cheap sleeping places. Best is this seven-room job, with fan-cooled rooms, shiny tile floors, screen windows and also cold-water private showers. There are a few restaurants at the base of Mt Popa and in Popa village.

Getting There & Away

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Kyaukpadaung (K1000, one hour) and then another to Mt Popa (K500, 45 minutes). This would take up a full day.

SALAY cel

This village, 36km south of Bagan, developed in the late 12th and 13th centuries as the expanding influence of Bagan moved southward along the nearby Ayeyarwady River. Today the village of 7000 residents is much more of an active religious centre than Bagan, with some 50 monasteries (that’s one per 140 locals if you’re counting). Day-trippers take in working 19thcentury wooden monasteries, some select Bagan-era shrines and more untouched British colonial buildings than you’ll find in much of Myanmar. It can be paired with Mt Popa on a full-day trip, though the two are in different directions from Bagan. In the late 1960s, Salay got some attention from a Japanese company that built a huge fertiliser plant (and a golf course for visiting execs). Myanmar has run it solo for a couple of decades. In 2004 a massive explosion killed two workers.

Sights YOUQSON KYAUNG

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Designed as a copy of the Crown Prince House in Mandalay, and built from 1882 to 1892, the huge wooden monastery (admission US$3; h9am-4.30pm) is the best place to start a visit in Salay. Along two of its exterior sides are detailed original carvings displaying 19th-century court life, and scenes from the Jataka (stories of the Buddha’s past lives) and Ramayana (one of India’s best-known legends); sadly another side’s pieces were looted in the 1980s. Inside, past the naga (dragon serpent) steps, in the 23m-long hall, are more original details as part of a small museum. The 17th- to 19th-century pieces are behind glass cases, while the Bagan-era woodcarvings (including a massive throne backdrop) stand in open view. The monastery was renovated twice in the 1990s and now features a tin roof to protect the carvings. The Department of Archaeology runs the site; on-site staff can point you to other nearby sites, in and outside town. For general information, try %063-40221.

A R O U N D B A G A N • • S a l a y 279

BAGAN-ERA MONUMENTS

Little of Salay’s history is known outside a small circle of Myanmar archaeologists working with limited funds. So details on the 103 ruins – most of them known only by number rather than name – are sketchy. It is said that most of the monuments in Salay weren’t royally sponsored but were built by the lower nobility or commoners – thus there are no structures on the grand scale of Bagan’s biggest ones. In the pagoda-filled area across from the Youqson Kyaung, you can see Payathonzu (see p308; Temples Nos 18, 19, 20), about 100m east, which is a small trio of brick shrines with sikhara (Indian-style corncoblike temple finial) and some faded murals inside. The westernmost one (to the left if you come from the museum) has the most visible murals and also a narrow set of stairs leading to a small terrace. Legend has it that it was constructed by three sisters. If it’s locked, ask at Youqson Kyaung. More interesting is the modern makeover of the Bagan-era Shinpinsarkyo Paya (Temple No 88; %063-40357), about 6km southwest of town via a dodgy road. The road passes two bridges (one was washed out by rains at last visit, but passable by makeshift road over dry creek bed). Inside the glass and tile-filled pagoda, you’ll find an original 13th-century wood Lokanat (Mahayana Bodhisattva guardian spirit). The nearby northern entrance passageway features interesting 19th-century 3-D murals (some torture to see). Original woodcarvings abound, some of which are painted afresh in original design. Another kilometre south (most taxis won’t drive it, but it’s an easy 15-minute walk) is Temple No 99, an unassuming 13th-century shrine that features 578 painted Jataka scenes inside. It’s noted by some, for the last 16 paintings on the left as you enter; these represent the ‘16 Dreams of King Kosala’. Very few foreigners have come here.

Other Sights One of the most interesting aspects of Salay is the faded colonial buildings around town, many of which still feature the Royal Crown (look around the market area, about 200m west of the museum). Few buildings in Myanmar still sport the lion-guarded crown. In the complex across from the museum (west of the Payathonzu), the Nan Paya (aka

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

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278 A R O U N D B A G A N • • M t P o p a

the Mann Paya) is a modern pagoda housing a 6m gold Buddha made of straw lacquer. As the story goes, the Buddha image was originally located near Monywa, and it was washed downstream during an 1888 monsoon – all the way to Salay! Ask for a peek inside from the latched door out the back. Just north of the Payathonzu, the monastery and meditation centre of Sasanayaunggyi Kyaung (a bit of a stop-off point for daytrippers) features a lovely 19th-century glass armoire with Jataka-painted panels and 400year-old scripture in Pali inside. The monks are chatty and friendly, and will ask for a donation for their onsite school. Adventure-seekers could investigate 41 more Bagan-era temples around Sarlai, 80km (50 miles) south of Salay by bad road. You’d need to hire a 4WD jeep in Bagan. It’s also possible to reach by boat – it’s worth asking at Youqson Kyaung before setting off.

Sleeping & Eating Salay has no hotels or guesthouses – for anyone – and police apparently frown at foreigners staying in local monasteries. Nearby Chauk has no licensed guesthouses either. Eating options are better in Chauk, but you can find some noodles or rice at the Salay market.

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lazy pace and rather tropical feel can make for a very rewarding day. A bustling tobacco centre, the town is about 25km north of Bagan on the Ayeyarwady.

Sights In town there’s little in the way of attractions. About 27km northeast, on the way to Monywa, are the remains of Pakhangyi, a 19thcentury wooden monastery. It’s supposedly US$3 to visit, but the caretaker tends to ask only for a ‘K1000 donation’. About 5km east (via the road behind the big modern pagoda) is the destroyed frame of Pakhanngeh Kyaung, which was once the country’s largest wooden monastery, with 332 teak pillars. Many still stand, and the area – near the fork of the Ayeyarwady and Kaladan Rivers – makes for interesting exploration. You could take a local bus bound for Monywa and stop at Pakhangyi. A shared taxi here is about US$20, a motorcycle taxi about US$10. If time is limited, you might get more out of Pakokku by seeing its market or just wandering its picturesquely decrepit side streets, with old homes backed to the Ayeyarwady.

MYINGYAN

Getting There & Around

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Despite its Ayeyarwady River location 88km north of Nyaung U (towards Mandalay by map), Myingyan – sorta rhymes with ‘engine’ – sees very few travellers, as major bus routes bypass the bumpier roads that come here. Some long-distance boats stop at the Ayeyarwady docks, just west of town, but not the Mandalay–Bagan express boats. If you make it to this sprawled-out town of 260,000, the two-storey central market is a good starting point. About 1.5km east, accessed from the road just north of the train station, is the Bodhi Dat Taw Taik (meaning ‘depository of Buddha’s relics’), where (in the monastery just west) you can see Buddha relics (teeth, hair, bone, even skin) housed intriguingly in the former safe of a British colonial bank. Monks will open it for you. About 1.5km south of the market, via the north–south Mandalay–Meiktila Rd, is the Soon Lu Kyaung, an important monastery where you can see the remains of the wellknown Soon Lu Sayadaw draped in monastic robes. He died in 1951, though his body is (relatively) well preserved. An attendant said, ‘He was a great man, very powerful. No chemicals on his body were used and he still is strong.’

Mya Yatanar Inn (%21457; 75 Lanmataw St; r per person K3500) Pakokku’s main accommodation op-

A stopping point of the Mandalay–Bagan ferries, and terminus of bus routes from Monywa to the north, Pakokku sees few travellers for more than 10 minutes, but its

southeast of the central market. Rooms are fan-cooled, mattresses are thin, and showers are cold. The shared bathrooms – plain concrete floor deals, with mosquito net and a plastic chair – are clean and save you from the rancid smells of some of the privatebathroom options. The staff is nice, but sometimes get confused by questions like ‘Where can I get a trishaw?’ Diamond Restaurant (dishes from K1000) A bit northwest of the market, this is nothing special, but offers a menu in English for its Chinese food, which includes several veggie options.

Sights

Sleeping tion is like no other in Myanmar. The managers are an outgoing English-speaking couple: a 70-something former boxing teacher and his Kachin wife. ‘An old place run by old people’, said one of them. The pair accidentally started the business when they invited in a couple of backpackers sleeping in the street in 1980. Based on the notebook postings scrawled by guests over the years, they’ve provided more than a share of trip highlights. Their appealing two-storey home has some (very) basic rooms with shared bathroom upstairs – electricity is mostly off here, as with all of Pakokku. They can help you find good food or get a taxi deal, or show you to local pagodas or where tattooing is done. It’s on the river, a couple of blocks east of the market. Tha Pye No Guest House (%21166; Myoma Rd; r US$4-8; a) This is a basic backup. The higherpriced room has private bathroom and aircon running on the iffy local current.

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You can travel by local bus to/from Monywa (K600, 4½ hours); four leave Monywa daily. The bus station is 3km south of the centre. A handful of ferries go to Nyaung U (K1000, two to three hours) from a couple of jetties a kilometre or so southeast of the market; the first goes around 5am, the last around 2pm. You can also hire a private boat to make the trip for K10,000 to K15,000 – the earlier in the day, the cheaper. Another way to reach Pakokku is via the Mandalay–Bagan ferry from Mandalay (p243) or Bagan (p272).

One of the town’s biggest pwe festivals, Thihoshin, is held during Nayon (May/June).

Salay is 36km south of Bagan on an oftenflood-damaged road. You pass through the larger town of Chauk on the way. From Chauk, another road goes east to Kyaukpadaung, with a turn-off for Magwe. A hired taxi for a four- or five-hour trip to Salay from Nyaung U runs from US$17 to US$25. Often trips include Mt Popa (extra). There’s also a morning pick-up from Nyaung U to Chauk (about K1000, two hours), where you can catch another (from roughly 11am to 4pm) to Salay (about K500, one hour). Considering that neither town have licensed guesthouses, and that some sites in Salay are spread out, this is not very feasible. %062 pxukð†

Getting There & Away

Festivals

Getting There & Away

PAKOKKU

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Sleeping & Eating One Star Drive In Inn (%21389; Myo Pat St, 16th quarter; r per person K6000) The only licensed accommodation in Myingyan is this odd group of bungalows on a side street about 1km

Frequent buses and pick-ups leave from the street just east of the Myingyan–Meiktila road, a couple of blocks south of the market, for Meiktila (K1000/3000 for a back/front seat, 2½ hours). Passengers tend to take the pick-ups. Some buses, however, continue on to Mandalay. A lone daily pick-up goes to Nyaung U (two hours) at 4.30am. The train station is a fine old building a couple of blocks east of the market. A couple of daily trains connect Myingyan with Bagan (three hours), and Mandalay (6½ hours). Trishaw is the main transport around town. A trip to the two religious sites and back to the hotel is about K1000.

BAGAN TO PYAY There are two major routes that lead north from Yangon. The places described below are on the western route, which is part of the Yangon–Bagan Hwy, sometimes called the ‘low road’. It follows along the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River.

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Capital of the Magwe Division, this dusty, predominately Burmese, midsize town on the Ayeyarwady River (about 150km south of Bagan) has some quirks. In 1988 it was supposedly the country’s only city to sit out the prodemocracy marches, and still favours a noticeable play-it-by-the-rules vibe. It sees a rare tourist heading betwixt Pyay and Bagan, perhaps, as is evident by encircling curious staff at quiet restaurants.

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

280 A R O U N D B A G A N • • Pa k o k k u

Magwe 282 B A G A N T O PYAY • • M a g w e

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Ferry-wise, the IWT office (%21503), one block towards the river from the market’s north side, isn’t a lot of help. It can’t sell tickets or even quote foreigner prices, but can confirm ever-changing boat times or dock location. At research time, the boat to Mandalay (four days) via Bagan left at 9am on Monday and Saturday, and for Pyay (30 to 35 hours) at 7am on Tuesday and Thursday. The ferry presently docks a few blocks west of the market, just south of the Monalizar 2 River View restaurant.

Sights

Sleeping

Getting Around

Magwe’s chief pagoda, the 1929 Mya Tha Lun Paya, 2km north of the bridge, features a gilded stupa and occupies a hilltop site with great river views. Just across the river, about the same distance north of the bridge, is Minbu and the fun Nga Ka Pwe Taung (Dragon Lake), a burping pool of butane gas and mud that has (over the years) built a few acres of lunarlike terrain with bubbling pools atop four odd mounds. The sludge isn’t hot; if your toes slip in, wash them off below at a small

Rolex Guest House (%23536; cnr Mya Than Lun Rd & Ayeyarwady Bridge; s/d US$8/15; a) The more basic of the two licensed accommodation options in Magwe, the Rolex is within walking distance of the market and river, and has a more eager-to-please staff. Oldish but clean rooms include desk, twin or double beds, and bathroom with cold shower. Sein San Hotel (%23499; 235 17th St; r US$15; a) This is a bright complex of spick-and-span rooms – with skinny mattresses – a few long blocks east of the bridge.

Information

0 0

MAGWE A

500 m 0.3 miles

B

To Mya Tha Lun Paya (1.5km)

To Bagan (165km)

1 Approximate Scale

To Minbu (1km); Nga Ka Pwe Taung (3km) Magwe Bridge

Sein Ya Thu

Ὀ

Rolex Guest House

2

Market Telephone Centre

IWT Office

yau

ng

Lan

Padauk Myaing Restaurant

Myo

d Rd

ma

Civic Park

y

d wa ar

St

ey

Stadium Rd

Stadium

ve Ri

r

To Pyay (235km)

To Highway Bus Station (500m)

Hospital Rd

Stran

Ay

3

ang

Sein San Hotel Police Station

Monalizar 2 River View

Yen

Market

Hospital

Eating Monalizar 2 River View (dishes K500-1500; h7am10pm) On the river, just south of the bridge, this Chinese and Myanmar restaurant (and lively beer station) is clearly Magwe’s hot spot. As the sun dips across the river, locals (mostly guys) hit the jars of beer (big pitchers are K1600) as a crew of 15 start up the 6pm music/dance show that some locals watch through the open doors from the outside. There are several simple restaurants on the street a block east of the bridge roundabout. One is the (rather overpriced) Sein Ya Thu (dishes K1000-1500), which has portable privacy walls plastered with beer ads and a lone ‘Myanmar Cares’ sticker.

Getting There & Away Magwe’s highway bus station is about 2.5km east of the central market. A minibus connects Magwe with Nyaung U (K2500, four to five hours), leaving at 6am from Nyaung U, or at 4.30am, 6am or 7.30am from Magwe. A 9am bus leaves for Pyay (K1600, seven or eight hours), and 5pm buses head out for Mandalay (K3000, 12 or 13 hours) and Yangon (K3500, 11 or 12 hours).

A trishaw ride between the bus station and hotels is about K500. It’s slightly uphill on the way from the centre; plan on 30 minutes. Motorcycle-taxis are usually more expensive; you can rent one to see Dragon Lake and Mya Tha Lun Paya for about K3000 or K3500.

PYAY (PROME) ¨p–' %053

This quiet, stupa-studded Ayeyarwady town, 294km north of Yangon, is at the crossroads for bumpy bus rides west to Ngapali Beach, and less bumpy bus rides north to Bagan. Over the years it’s practically seen more archaeologists than travellers, due to the much-excavated ancient Pyu capital of Thayekhittaya (p286), 8km east. But Pyay can fill a good day, with the ruins, hilltop pagodas (particularly the famous, lit-at-night Shwesandaw Paya), and a spectacled Buddha south of town (p286). Locals alternate the town’s pronunciation between ‘pyay’ and ‘pyi’. The Brits, apparently, couldn’t deal with the confusion so called it Prome. The current town site became an important trading centre during the Bagan era. The Mon controlled it when Burmese king Alaungpaya conquered it in 1754. Pyay boomed, along with the British Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in the 1890s. Today it’s an important cargo town still, set at a transshipment point between northern and southern Myanmar.

Orientation & Information Pyay’s centre spills along the streets around the gold Aung San statue, at the corner of the Pyay–Yangon Rd and Bogyoke Rd. The bus station is 2km east.

B A G A N T O PYAY • • P y a y 283

For (slow) Internet access, try the computer software store (Madaw Rd; per hr K1000), a couple of blocks north of Aung San.

Sights SHWESANDAW PAYA & AROUND

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Set on top a hill in the centre, the stunning Shwesandaw paya (and the surrounding pagodas and monasteries) is not only Pyay’s biggest point of interest, but one of the country’s biggest Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Just over 1m taller than the main zedi at Yangon’s Shwedagon – call it Shwe-D – the Shwesandaw stupa follows the classic Bamar design seen at Bagan’s Shwezigon (p309). Legend goes that it was built by a couple of merchants (with the king’s help) in 589 BC, and that the golden zedi houses four strands of the Buddha’s hair (the Golden Hair Relics). Atop the zedi are two hti (umbrellalike pinnacles), unusual for Myanmar. The lower, bigger one dates from Pyay’s days as a Mon city. The higher, smaller one was added by Alaungpaya as a symbol of peace between the Burmese and Mon, after brutally capturing the city in 1754. In the southwest corner of the complex, the Sacred Tooth Hall is said to house an original tooth from the Buddha. It’s in the golden bell (locked with padlock) behind the glass. The locks come off once a year for the November full-moon festivities. The panoramic views from the pagoda are pretty great too. To the east, you’ll see the Sehtatgyi Paya (Big Ten Storey), a giant (maybe not 10 storeys though) seated Buddha watching over the Shwesandaw eyeto-eye. The smaller gold stupa on the highest hill southeast of Shwesandaw is the Wunchataung Paya (Apology Mountain Pagoda), where people can say ‘sorry’ for misdeeds. They get the best view of Shwesandaw and mountains across the river while they’re at it. You can reach it via Sethatgyi Rd, east of the Shwesandaw. You can take an elevator up to the Shwesandaw platform from the northwest side, but it’s not really that big of a hike up. The northern stairway is lined with shops. There’s a K200 fee for ‘small cameras’, K500 for ‘big cameras’ or video cameras.

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

At the time of research, a telephone centre (and no one else apparently) could make international calls for US$5 per minute to Europe and US$6 to North America; it’s a long block east of the market. The main hospital is a couple of more blocks east.

pagoda, which features two giant pythons that get fed ‘buffalo milk’ daily. The largest mound is named Thu Sei Ta, the secondlargest Nanda, for the mythical Dragon King’s daughter and son, respectively. On the winding road north from Minbu are a couple of eateries overlooking the river. Depending on water levels, islands appear in the river. Consider hiring a boat for a day ‘at the beach’ on an isolated one, or to mingle with nomadic fishers who live there till the water rises.

In 2002 the 2930m (8789ft) Ayeyarwady Bridge connected Magwe with its hilly village neighbour of Minbu on the river’s west bank.

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

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Pyay 284 B A G A N T O PYAY • • P y a y

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0 0

PYAY A

B To Magwe (249km); Bagan (398km)

Bazaar

Merchan

Strand Rd

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ady

7

Bogyoke Rd

Set

hat

Tikyutson St

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d e R To Bus Station (2km); Payagyi Paya (3.5km); Mingalar Garden 11 Resort (4km); Thayekhittaya (8km)

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Bog

6

Aung San Statue

Stran

River

g yi

Eating & Drinking

2 Shwesandaw Paya

3

Elevators

n Rd

ango

To Southern Star Restaurant (750m); Nawade Bridge (1km)

To Shwedaung (14km); Yangon (294km)

PAYAGYI PAYA

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This towering pagoda stands on the road to Thayekhittaya, about 1.5km east of the bus station; it served as one of the four corners that bounded that ancient town. Its breastlike structure is slightly swollen, with some vegetation growing out of cracks in the exposed bricks. Three terraces encircle it from its base; ‘ladies’ are not allowed on the upper one. The modern hti is lit up at night. Its history is linked with the nearby Thayekhittaya and most likely dates from the 5thor 6th-century AD. Nearby stand a couple of lofty teak trees, safe from woodcutters’ axes as they occupy sacred ground.

Sleeping All of the following options include breakfast in the price. BUDGET

Myat Lodging House (%21361; 222 Bazaar St; s US$8-10, d US$10-12, tr US$16-18; a) This small backstreet guesthouse has well-loved, but simple rooms (green carpet, writing desks) a block from the

Pyay’s nicest sleeping, by far, comes at Mingalar Garden Resort (%25518; mgresort.pyay@mpt mail.net.mm; s US$30-36, d US$36-42; a), a quiet bungalow resort about 5km east of the centre (near the Pyagyi stupa). Seventeen standard bungalows, 13 Japanese-style bungalows and five ‘European’ superior bungalows are set around a network of nice artificial ponds and a big lake. It’s quite comfy livin’ (for Pyay at least) – enough to attract a passing tour group or two. Breakfast is served in the lakeside gazebos; the lake’s slurping carp fish will clamour for your crumbs. It’s pretty remote if you’re without wheels. A taxi from the centre is about K1500, a trishaw (long ride) about K1000.

Rd

Pyay-Y

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12

TRANSPORT Bus Stop (Thandwe-Yangon Buses)....................................11 D2 IWT Office.................................12 A3

Train Station

Fire Brigade

8

3

To Yangon

Mada w Rd

Post Office

Kan St

Ayeyarw

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

Tat St

A3 A2 B2 B2

MIDRANGE

Pyay ‘action’. The extra US$2 for rooms gets you private bathroom, hot water and satellite TV. The shared bathrooms are spotless too. There’s a lone double with fan and shared bathroom for US$8. The English-speaking family that runs the Myat (Burmese for ‘royal’) give out a Pyay map. Cell-like rooms on the ground floor are for locals only. Aung Gabar Guesthouse (%21400; 1462 Bogyoke Rd; s/d US$3/6) Pyay’s best dirt-cheap spot isn’t bad. Nice people run it (one reader called them ‘Myanmar’s Cheech and Chong’). Small rooms with shared bathroom are basic (concrete floors, fan) but clean (and lighter than the dark hall suggests). Bogyoke Aung San seems to like it; the statue of him on horseback outside looks right at it. The guesthouse was planning to add an air-conditioned room with private bathroom upstairs at research time. Smile Motel (% 22523; 10-11 Bogyoke Rd; s/d US$13/15; a) A block up Bogyoke Rd from Aung San, this new motel has typical rooms with TV and hot-water showers attached. Rooms in front catch some traffic noise, but the place seems happy enough.

Pyay Star Restaurant (cnr Bogyoke Rd & Pyay–Yangon Rd; dishes around K1000) Overlooking the statue, is a buzzing, quite appealing two-floor beer hall with pretty good Chinese food. To the south are several more restaurants, including the more family-oriented Diamond Luck Restaurant, two blocks south. The Strand takes in the river and is home to a few restaurants that double as music halls in the evening. Just west of the Aung San statue, Hline Ayay (Strand Rd; dishes veg K800, fish & meat K1200-2500; h7am-11pm) shows its years (and the bathroom has lots of mosquitos and is dark and damp), but the (mostly Chinese) food is good. A few seats are on the open deck; all have river views. The music starts at 7pm. About a kilometre south, Southern Star Restaurant is a newer open-air riverside eatery that sells pitchers of beer (K1600). After sunset, food is less of a draw than the 7pm singers (female) playing for the drinking posse (mostly male). A few grubbier spots are in the streets north of Aung San, such as the rather lonely Indian Food Stall (Swe Nwee Payar St).

B A G A N T O PYAY • • P y a y 285

petrol availability) depart weekly for Yangon (deck/cabin US$8/18, two or three days) on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Northward ferries leave for Mandalay (US$12/24, about seven days) via Bagan two or three times weekly too. BUS & TRUCK

Pyay is located at the junction between Yangon, Bagan and Thandwe (for Ngapali Beach). The highway bus station, 2km east of the centre (just off Bogyoke Rd), sends frequent buses to Yangon (K1550, six hours) via one of the nation’s smoothest two-lane roads. Half a dozen companies make the trip throughout the day, including Asia Express (%21759), New Generation, Yoma and Sun Moon. There are no direct buses north to Bagan from Pyay. At research time, a daily 9.30am bus headed north to Magwe (K1800, seven or eight hours) where you could change buses to Bagan, usually the next day. Direct buses from Yangon to Thandwe (Ngapali Beach) do not stop at the Pyay bus station, instead letting off passengers a couple of blocks east of the Shwesandaw Paya on Bogyoke Rd. Many buses at the station leave across the Nawade Bridge to Taunggok (K2500 to K4000, eight or nine hours) around 6pm. From Taunggok you can catch a bus or pick-up to Thandwe, or catch the boat north to Sittwe. Two daily buses head to Mandalay (K4550, 13 hours) around 4pm. You can stop off at Meiktila for transfers to Inle Lake. A giant cargo-style passenger truck goes to Pathein (K4000, 13 or more hours) on a bumpy road at 8.30am. You’re far better off going from Yangon. See p292 for a backroads link with Taungoo. TRAIN

The train service is of little use to travellers, but a lone daily train connects Pyay with Yangon in nearly 12 hours.

Getting There & Away

Getting Around

BOAT

Trishaws and blue bed-back taxis are the main ways of getting around. A trishaw ride to/from the bus station is around K1000, K1500 by blue taxi. Some locals may hesitate in renting a bicycle; apparently a foreigner ‘got lost in a rice field’ at Thayekhittaya in recent years.

Routes along the Ayeyarwady start/stop in Pyay, heading either north or south. Few foreigners use either service. The IWT office (%24503; the Strand; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri) is helpful on ever-changing times. Presently two or three ferries (depending on

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

wee P ayar S t 5 Mosque

Park

EATING Diamond Luck Restaurant............7 Hline Ayay Restaurant..................8 Indian Food..................................9 Pyay Star Restaurant..................10

1

Swe N

2

D SLEEPING Aung Gabar Guest House.............4 B2 Myat Lodging House...................5 A2 Smile Motel..................................6 B2

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Sehtatgyi Paya.............................2 C3 Wunchataung Paya..................... 3 D3

ὈὈ Pyay Traditional Hospital

C INFORMATION Computer Software Store.............1 B1

St

t St

1

200 m 0.1 miles

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286 B A G A N T O PYAY • • A r o u n d P y a y

AROUND PYAY

Thayekhittaya About 8km east of the Aung San statue in the neighbouring village of Hmawza, this ancient site (admission US$4; h8am-5pm) – known to Pali-Sanskrit scholars as Sri Ksetra (Fabulous City) – is an enormous Pyu city that ruled in the area from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. Local legend links its origin to the mythical King Duttabaung, who supposedly worked with ogres and other supernatural creatures to build the ‘magical city’ in 443 BC. The earliest Pali inscriptions found here date to the 5th or 6th centuries. Seeing it means taking a three- or fourhour ox-cart loop to spaced-out temples (most just outside its oval city walls). It can’t rival Bagan in terms of majesty, but lack of tourists and real peeks into local farming communities are serious bonuses. Little is known about the Pyu; one useful book is The Ancient Pyu of Burma by Janice Stargardt. SIGHTS

Visitors usually start at the small museum, with a posted map of the area and a collection of artefacts from excavations, including royal funerary urns; a dvarapala (gate guardian); statues of the Hindu deities Tara Devi, Vishnu and Lakshmi; several 6thcentury Buddha images; and silver coins minted in the kingdom. From here, you can arrange an ox cart for K3000, really the only way to make the 12km loop around the handful of sites. Walking is possible, but it’s difficult to find your way without aid. Bicycles aren’t permitted. Behind the museum to the south, the road soon follows the remains of the old palace walls; ox-cart drivers – at a speed that ebbs and flows to the mood of the ox – make a counterclockwise loop of the following sites. After 4km or so, the road passes Rahanta Gate, where fragments of the overgrown brick gate run alongside the dirt road. Immediately south is the Rahanta cave temple, a small, quite rebuilt temple with eight Buddha images lined along the south wall. About 2km south, the Bawbawgyi Paya is Thayekhittaya’s most impressive site: a 46m cylindrical stupa with a slightly banged-up golden hti on its top. It’s among the oldest

Pyu sights, the least obviously renovated, and the prototype of many Myanmar pagodas. You can walk up the three low-lying terraces. A couple of hundred metres northeast is the smaller cube-shaped Bebe Paya, with a cylindrical top and a few Buddha images inside. Just north is the squat Lamyethna Paya, with a visible iron frame keeping it together. Inside four original Buddha reliefs (a bit cracked, some faces missing) are visible. On either side of the roads around here, look out for long ruts in the ground, made from old canals. A couple of hundred metres to the north is a fork in the road; to the right (north) is a tin-roofed cemetery; to the left (west), on the way to ‘Thaungpye Mound’, is the better (but bumpier) way back to the museum. After 1km, you’ll pass by the old city gate along the overgrown trail, and then 2km on, through a booming farming village of thatch huts, with piles of radishes and other produce. Towards the north end of the village is the East Zegu Paya, a small four-sided temple with overgrown walls and (usually) locked doors. It’s off the main road, but worth seeing for the walk past fields and farmers to reach it. GETTING THERE & AWAY

The turn-off here is a few kilometres east of Payagyi Paya. A return blue taxi should cost about K4000 or K5000. No direct pick-up connects the centre with the site. You could take one to the bus station, then hop on another east-bound one to near the site. Hmawza has a train station, but local trains supposedly were off limits to foreigners at research time.

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This small town about 14km south of Pyay, via the road to Yangon, contains the famous Shwemyetman Paya (Paya of the Golden Spectacles), a reference to the large, white-faced sitting Buddha inside the main shrine. The Buddha wears a gargantuan set of eyeglasses with gold-plated rims. Coming south from Pyay, the turn-off for Shwemyetman is located on the right-hand side of the road; a small green-and-white sign in English reads ‘Shwemyethman Buddha Image – 1 Furlong’.

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Spectacles were first added to the image during the Konbaung era, when a nobleman offered them to the temple in an attempt to stimulate local faith through curiosity. Word soon spread that the bespectacled Buddha had the power to cure all ills, especially afflictions linked to the eyes. The first pair of spectacles was stolen at an early stage, and a second pair was made and enshrined inside the image to protect it from thieves. An English officer stationed in Pyay during the colonial era had a third pair fitted over the Buddha’s eyes after his wife suffered from eye trouble and the abbot suggested such a donation. Naturally, as the story goes, she was cured. (This pair is now in a small shrine to the right of the image.) It requires nine monks to remove the present glasses for their fortnightly cleaning. One block south of the pagoda is a grand ol’ 1925 English home; another ’20s beaut is two blocks south and two blocks east. Another famous pagoda in town, south of Shwemyetman, is the Shwenattaung Paya (Golden Spirit Mountain), which reportedly dates back to the Thayekhittaya era. A large paya pwe (pagoda festival) is held here each year on the full moon of Tabaung (February/March). To get here, you can hop on a pick-up headed towards Yangon, which leave frequently from the Pyay bus station and pass by the Aung San statue before hitting the highway.

Akauk Taung

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Carved into cliffs overlooking the Ayeyarwady, about 30km downstream from Pyay, are dozens of Buddha images at Akauk Taung (Tax Mountain). It’s named for the crafty toll-takers from the mid-19th century, who spent the hours between taxing boats by carving reclining and meditating Buddhas in the steep cliffside. To get there, you’ll need to taxi across the Ayeyarwady to Htongo village, about 90 minutes by road from Pyay, then hire a boat (about K5000) for the 45-minute look. To do so, you must bring a copy of your passport or visa to show the strict immigration officers. For some visitors, it’s too much travel for minimal payoff. A return taxi to Htongo from Pyay (sometimes with Shwedaung thrown in) is about K20,000 to K25,000.

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MEIKTILA TO TAUNGOO This popular north–south route following the Yangon–Mandalay Hwy – some call it the ‘high road’, though it runs west of the Shan Hills – is often taken on overnight buses. Meiktila, nearly three-quarters of the way to Mandalay from Yangon, is a gateway between the ‘big four’: Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake and Bagan.

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For many travellers with noses pressed against bus-window glass, Meiktila is a crossroads between Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake first, and a town second. It’s also an important and prosperous trade centre that sees a lot of locals in uniform, as several air-force bases are located north and south of town. Legend goes that King Anawrahta, founder of Bagan, had a pond here broadened to the current lake that looms west of town; when he asked someone to see if it went to Mt Popa, the report came back, ‘Lord, it doesn’t go that far’ (‘Meiktila’ is an abbreviation of the wordy bad-news report). In March 1945, the British surprised the Japanese based here and killed 20,000 Japanese soldiers over the next few months in an important WWII loss for the Japanese. Much of the city was flattened. The trend has continued, sadly, with fires. Town-engulfing fires devastated the city in 1974 and 1991. In 2003 some of the centre was destroyed (evidenced by burned-out buildings facing the Grand Cinema). One local warned, ‘We have a fire every year. Better get fire insurance if you’re planning to stay.’

Information When classes aren’t being held you can access the Internet at KMD Computer Centre (per hr K700; h9am-10pm).

Sights Lake Meiktila is the town’s premier attraction. Though there are no boating options, you can cycle around it. From the bridge north of the centre, a dirt path leads away from the road; it starts just past the Antaka Yele Paya, a small island/pagoda reached

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

serextËr;

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Meiktila 288 M E I K T I L A T O TAU N G O O • • M e i k t i l a

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MEIKTILA

200 m 0.1 miles

A

B

INFORMATION KMD Computer Centre................1 A4

EATING Honey Restaurant........................5 A4 Kan Thar Yar................................6 A4 Shwe Ohn Pin..............................7 B4 DRINKING Gold Rain Tea Center...................8 A4

2

TRANSPORT Bus Ticket Stands.........................9 A3 Pick-Ups to Myingyan................10 A2 Bus Station

10

Htee Thone Sint Paya

To Mandalay (154km)

9

Clock Tower 3

3

Approximate Scale

Market

Train Station

Eating & Drinking

To Wunzin Hotel (250m); British Colonial Diplomat House (250m); Grand Nyaung U (146km)

To Taunggyi (190km); Yangon (554km)

Cinema 1 8

4

2

7

5

Lake Meiktila

6

Honey Hotel (%21588; Pan Chan St; s US$5-10, d US$8-15; a) Right on the lake in town, this friendly lemon-coloured converted mansion sees a fair share of travellers stopping off. The free breakfast is served in a covered gazebo overlooking the water. All 14 rooms are clean and comfy. Cheaper rooms have fan, cold shower and squat toilet; the higherpriced ones have hot water, sit-down toilet and air-con (and some of these rooms are h.u.g.e). Room C-1 is a stand-alone bungalow by the water. Wunzin Hotel (%21848; 49A Than Lwin Rd; r economy US$6, standard from US$30; a) This former government-run hotel on the north bank of the lake is showing its years. All but the economy rooms come with air-condition. Though under private (and quite chatty) management, the hotel does still give off a rather official air. Biking groups stop here often.

4

by a wooden pier in the lake and lit up at night. About 250m south of the bridge, the dark building to the east of the Wunzin Hotel (its economy rooms actually) was once a British colonial diplomat house, and later was a fierce interrogation centre used by the Japanese in WWII. (Supposedly Aung San Suu Kyi and Michael Aris honeymooned here.) Near the west end of the lake, Shwe Kyaung is a walled monastery on the inland side of the road with Japanese signs leading to a WWII monument that British and Japanese survivors put up in 1972. Monks will show you around. Just past, a picturesque path leads between the lake and (usually) flooded rice fields. Much of the east side of

Kan Thar Yar (dishes K800-2000) At the best spot in town, facing the Antaka Yele Paya on the lake and within walking distance of the centre, this open-air restaurant (with tables at the edge of the water) is focused on beer sales (or the staff singing Myanmar rock karaoke), but the food’s not bad. Lots of guys congregate here. Most families prefer nearby Honey Restaurant (same owners as hotel); it faces the water, but all seating is inside. Shwe Ohn Pin (dishes K800-2000; h7am-10pm) This simple tiled restaurant, located on the Mandalay–Yangon road in the centre, hands you an English menu for its Chinese and Myanmar dishes. The curd curry with rice (K1000) comes with big hunks of hlan no kei (Indian-style cheese) mixed with cauliflower and okra in a thick sauce. Gold Rain Tea Center (tea K100) The combo of tree shade, high-up green tarpaulins, guys in air-force uniforms (and some civilians) gives this central, always-busy teashop a bunker feel. But not in a bad way. Around Gold Rain are several snack vendors, certainly Meiktila’s liveliest spots on most nights.

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Getting There & Away

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Express buses zooming between Yangon and Mandalay stop on the road east of the clock tower (and not at the local bus station), and along this road you’ll find half a dozen ticket-sales shops. Air-conditioned buses bound for Mandalay (K1500, four hours) leave around 9am; for Yangon (K4500, 10 to 12 hours) at 7pm or so. There’s also an express bus for Pyay (K4300, 12 to 14 hours) at 5pm. The ‘ordinary’ bus station is just east of the Htee Thone Sint Paya, north of the clock tower. Here you can catch local buses for Mandalay every 30 minutes or so, as well as pick-ups (K2000).

leafy, almost tropical place with a streetspilling market in the walkable centre spiced with mosques, pagodas and the small Shan Lake – a welcome change if you’re arriving from the dusty ‘dry zone’ to the north. There’s little of historic interest, and not much to do, but it’s another great candidate for a ‘real town’ to explore around. Coconut palms are planted along the Ngalaik River, passing through the town’s north side. You can see the Shan Yoma and Aleh Yoma (Shan and Aleh mountain ranges) to the east and west. Traditionally there have been more propaganda signs here, erected to scare off visiting undercover rebels. Insurgent territory, technically, begins just 30km east.

PICK-UP & TAXI

Sleeping

From the bus station, pick-ups for Taunggyi (K1200) leave regularly; three morning buses (K2500) go from 6am to 9am. Three daily pick-up trucks for Nyaung U (K3500) go in the afternoon; about six go to Kyaukpadaung (K1200). Pick-ups south to Pyinmana (K1000/3000 for the back/front seat, four to six hours) leave regularly. Pick-ups for Myingyan (K1000, 2½ hours) leave regularly from the main road in front of the Htee Thone Sint Paya. From the bus station, you can hire saloon taxis for Mandalay (about K35,000), Bagan (about K30,000) and Taunggyi (about K50,000).

Phoenix Hotel (%21646; 18 Boletyar Rd; s US$7-18, d US$12-24; a) is a boxy, four-storey place, a

BUS

TRAIN

There’s a small train station in town, catching slow trains heading east-west. A more useful station is in Thazi, about 25km east, at the crossroads of the Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi lines.

Getting Around Horse cart is the chief mode of getting around town north of the clock tower, blue taxi to the south. A ride from the bus station to Honey Hotel is around K800 by horse, K1000 by blue taxi. You can rent a bike from Honey Hotel for K500 per day.

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Coming from Yangon, Pyinmana is the first major town in Mandalay Division. It is a

couple of blocks northeast of the market, and was the only place in town licensed for foreigners at research time. All rooms have private bathroom with cold water and aircon. The cheaper rooms are on the ground floor, where the lobby TV can disturb winks till midnight; superior rooms upstairs have TV.

Eating Near the bus station are a number of places where you can eat. Yan Naing Restaurant (%21369; 1813 Bo Tauk Htain St; dishes from K1000; h7am-11pm), across the highway, and a couple of hundred metres uphill, has friendly staff members who can help with area information and offer English menus and tasty rice dishes. Golden View Tea & Cold, on the eastern end of Shan Lake, is a nice spot for sunset sipping. A couple of other nice choices are on Bogyoke St, a couple of blocks northwest of the market.

Getting There & Away The bus station, near a monument of a log-pushing elephant, is on the highway, 1km west of central Shan Lake. It’s a short trishaw ride to the lake or hotels in town. Several good-looking (but without aircon) buses leave for Yangon (K2400, eight hours) at 6.30pm and 8pm. Buses to Mandalay (K2700, eight hours) leave at 9am.

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

SLEEPING Honey Hotel.................................4 B4

To Myingyan (95km)

the lake is occupied by the military. Ask at the village for the best way back to Meiktila, or turn back.

Sleeping

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Antaka Yele Paya.........................2 A4 Shwe Kyaung...............................3 A3

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Ask at Yan Naing about catching an express, air-conditioned bus going between Yangon and Mandalay. A local bus leaves for Magwe at 4am. You can also get a pick-up heading north to Meiktila (K1000, four to six hours). Trains chugging between Yangon and Mandalay stop in Bago, Taungoo, Pyinmana and Thazi. From here it takes 7½ hours to reach Yangon, and six to nine hours to reach Mandalay.

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Taungoo (often spelt Toungoo), once the centre of one of the most powerful postBagan kingdoms, is today worth a stop less for historic reasons and more for convenience and comfort (and a beautiful guesthouse just outside town). The area is one of the few places where coffee is grown, and the only place in the country where the antiquated steam engines are repaired. Virtually nothing visibly historic remains to indicate its former 15th- to 16th-century glory. Today it’s simply a typical central Myanmar town supported by the timber trade. Among Burmese, the town is most known for its bounteous areca (betel) palms. In Myanmar, when someone receives unexpected good fortune they are likened to a betellover receiving a paid trip to Taungoo. Kayin State is less than 35km east, and another 65km or so further east is Kayah State. Karen and Kayah insurgents have been known to operate within these distances. A dry-weather road continues east all the way to Loikaw, but any travel beyond the Sittoung (Sittang) River a few kilometres to the east of Taungoo still requires special permission, which is virtually impossible to obtain.

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Mandalay-style sitting Buddha, given to the paya in 1912 by a retired civil servant who donated his body weight in bronze and silver for the casting of the image. He died three years after the casting at age 72; his ashes are interred behind the image. Another pavilion in the northwestern corner of the compound houses a garish reclining Buddha surrounded by devas (celestial beings) and monastic disciples. Glass cabinets along the wall display small, mostly modern, religious objects and Buddhas donated by the faithful. Among the other tazaung (shrines) is one that displays sculptures of the seven Taungoo kings, a small Kuan Yin pavilion to placate the Chinese, a nat shrine with images of Saraswati and her attendants, and a Shin Upagot shrine. MYASIGON PAYA

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Though not as well known as Shwesandaw, this is the most interesting of the three famous zedi in town. A brick pahto (hollow shrine or temple) beneath the stupa features glass mosaic arches, paintings of Taungoo kings and a huge, bronze-and-silver-faced sitting Buddha in royal attire. The image is surrounded by planet Buddhas (Buddhas for specific planets, corresponding to the days of the week), an arrangement usually reserved for stupas. Smaller Buddhas, some of them old, are displayed in glass cases in the same building. Opposite the large sitting image, against a couple of pillars, are two Chinese bronze goddess statues, one sitting on an elephant, the other on a Fu dog. A small museum (admission free; h9am-4pm) on the grounds contains bronze images of Erawan (the three-headed elephant who serves as Indra’s mount), a standing Buddha captured from Thailand by King Bayinnaung and two British cannons dated 1897.

Sights SHWESANDAW PAYA

ELEPHANT CAMPS

Situated in the centre of town, west of the main road, this is Taungoo’s grandest pilgrimage spot. The central stupa, a standardissue bell shape, is gilded and dates to 1597; local legend says an earlier stupa on the site was built centuries before and contains sacred-hair relics. A pavilion on the western side of the stupa contains a 3.6m bronze,

Taungoo is the starting point for visits to the nearby working elephant camps in a mountainous area of Karen villages and teakwood plantations. The Seinyay Forest Camp, once the most accessible, has since closed and will be completely submerged when the area dam project is completed. How far you get and how much you see depends on whether you’re on a day-return

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trip, or spending the night at a camp ‘resort’, or even in one of the villages. It’s cheaper to book a trip to a camp out of Taungoo than Yangon. Ask for Dr Chan Aye of the Myanmar Beauty Guest House ([email protected]), who can arrange a day-return trip for US$45/40 per person for two/three or more people. The price includes the necessary permits, return transport, a walk into the forest, an elephant ride, a lunch of rice and curry, and plenty of bottled water. Bamboo rafting and motorbiking in the jungle can be added for an additional fee. Overnight trips with a stay in either Shwe Daung or Ngwe Daug, both Karen villages, cost US$125 per person for three or four people. The good doctor provides free medical service to villagers in the area. A few travel agencies in Yangon book trips for about US$100 a day, including Woodland Travel (p89). Note: elephants work 6am to around 11am daily, later in the rainy and cool season, so an early start is essential if you want to see the elephants doing anything more than dreaming of very attractive elephants. OTHER SIGHTS

In spite of the fact that seven kings reigned over Taungoo for a total of 155 years, all that’s left of the secular kingdom known then as Kaytumadi are a few earthen ramparts and a moat on the western side of town. Nearby Lay Kyaung Kandawgyi, the town’s ‘royal lake’, features a few small islands topped with pavilions. Follow the road west of the lake to reach Kawmudaw Paya, said to be the oldest religious site in Taungoo. The central pink-and-white, bell-shaped stupa is not that impressive. A mirrored pillar marks the ‘earth-conquering’ spot from which Taungoo kings set off to conquer other armies. Worshippers walk clockwise around the pillar in the hope of conquering their personal problems.

Sleeping Myanmar Beauty Guest House II, III & IV (%23270, 23527; Pauk Hla Gyi St; [email protected]; r US$8-25; a) This place is reason enough to visit Taungoo. The guesthouse is owned by two doctors (husband and wife), Dr Tin Thein and Dr Yee Yee Aye, who seem to delight in conversing with international travellers. We had his most spectacular breakfast

M E I K T I L A T O TAU N G O O • • Ta u n g o o 291

ever here: almost two dozen small plates with every variety of sticky rice, samosas, sweets and exotic fruits. There are three separate teak homes, all with wide porches and gorgeous views of surrounding rice paddies, palm trees and mountains. The room furnishings are also all in teak, some with four-poster beds, satellite TV and hot-water showers. The nicest and largest rooms are the two on the 2nd floor of home number four. If arriving by public transport from Yangon, ask to be let off just after the bridge before town. It’s only a few minutes’ walk down a dirt road on the right-hand side of the highway. Hotel Amazing Kaytu (%21977; zayya@myanmar .com.mm; 8th St Ohtkyauttan; s/d US$18/30; a) This modern hotel is comfortable, especially its beds, and has well-furnished rooms and TV. It’s maybe the most upscale place in town, but it doesn’t compare to the rustic chic of the Myanmar Beauty Guest House. Myanmar Beauty Guest House I (%23270, 23527; 7/134 Bo Hmu Pho Kun St; r with fan/air-con US$5/8;a)

To get here – the original Myanmar Beauty Guest House (also known as Myanma AHla) – from the main road through Taungoo, turn west before the Taungoo Baptist Church onto Bo Hmu Pho Kun St. It’s one block north of the main market. All rooms have mosquito netting on request, and an excellent Bamar-Western breakfast is served. At the front of this compound is a clinic run by Dr Chan Aye – Dr Tin Thein and Dr Yee Yee Aye’s son – and his wife, Dr Yi Lay Mon. The decaying, government-owned Myanma Thiri Hotel is well off the eastern side of the main road towards the southern end of town.

Eating Private Home Restaurant (dishes K1200) This restaurant down a small dirt road off the main highway is difficult to find, but the Chinese and Thai dishes are tasty, especially the soups, and meals are served in small outdoor bungalows. Other recommendations for Bamar and Chinese cuisine: Tin Tin Aye Myanmar Restaurant Look for the redand-yellow Tin Tin Aye sign on the right side of the main road coming from Yangon. Moekaungki Restaurant Around the corner from the Myanmar Beauty Guest House I.

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BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

290 M E I K T I L A T O TAU N G O O • • Ta u n g o o

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BAGAN & C E N T R A L M YA N M A R

Happy Restaurant On the main road near the turn-off for the Myanmar Beauty Guest House II, III & IV.

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CAR

Myanma Airways has an office in town and has flights connecting Taungoo and Heho (US$35), which is close to Inle Lake, four days a week.

Taungoo makes an great stopover if you’ve hired a car. If you have your own vehicle and are feeling adventurous, the 100km unpaved logging road from Oktwin (15km south of Taungoo) to Pakkaung provides a unique shortcut to Pyay. For the remaining 39km from Pakkaung to Pyay the road is sealed but not in good condition. This is a tiring, at least all-day trip; start early and bring at least one spare tyre, plus food and plenty of water. Dr Chan Aye (see p290) can make this trip with you in his Toyota Land Cruiser, including a one- or two-night stop in a village or jungle camp along the way (US$180). Forget about travelling east to Loikaw. The narrow road beyond the Sittoung River is now in relatively good condition, but military checkpoints will undoubtedly turn you away and there are reports of bandits in the mountains.

BUS

TRAIN

Taungoo is considered a midway point for road trips between Yangon, Mandalay, Kalaw and Taunggyi. Coming north from Yangon or Bago or south from Mandalay, Thazi, Kalaw or Taunggyi, if you want a seat on the most comfortable buses you’ll have to pay the full K6000 or so fare even though you’re hopping on/off at Taungoo. Most of these services pass through Taungoo between 6pm and 10pm. The seven-toeight-hour bus to Kalaw arrives extremely early in the morning. Most buses to Taungoo stop at the Golden Myanmar Restaurant on the main road. A few may also collect passengers near the central market. Cheaper, but a lot less comfortable public buses without air-con are available to Yangon (K1700) and Mandalay (K2000) around 6pm daily. These buses can be flagged down anywhere along the main road or at the central market. Count on taking around 10 hours to get to either city. See p123 for bus departure times from Yangon.

The 15 Up or 16 Down (same train) and the 17 Up or 18 Down (same train) are express trains. These trains, which run between Yangon and Mandalay, all stop in Taungoo. The 17 Up and 18 Down services are run by Dagon-Mann, a private company. Tickets for these trains aren’t sold in Taungoo but your guesthouse can make reservations. In the northerly direction, the No 17 Up to Mandalay (upper class US$18) leaves Yangon around 8pm and arrives at Taungoo at around 3am; the No 15 Up departs at 11pm and arrives at 5am; and the No 7 Up leaves at 8pm and gets to Taungoo around 3am to 4am, and Mandalay around 11am. Step lively, as the train only stops in Taungoo for 10 minutes. Two other trains with much more civilised departure times (ordinary class only US$7) leave for Mandalay at 3pm and 10pm and reach Mandalay in about seven hours. All of these trains stop in Thazi, where you can then connect to a train or bus to Kalaw, or a bus to Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake).

At the night market that convenes next to the central market, vendors specialise in chapatis and meat-stuffed palata (fried flatbread). Win Sanda and Sein Taik, near Nansanda Guest House (which doesn’t accept foreigners) at the corner of the market, are two popular side-by-side teashops. One focuses on samosas, the other on paug-si (Chinese buns); they’re both open from 5.30am to around 9pm.

Getting There & Away AIR

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Temples of Bagan Imagine all the medieval cathedrals of Europe sitting on Manhattan island – and then some – and you start to get a sense of the ambition of the Bagan kings, who built as many as 4400 temples over a 230-year period on this riverside plain. Neglect, looting, earthquakes, erosion and bat dung have done their part to undermine its majesty, but Bagan (Pagan) still stands strong. Seeing it – for a couple of days or for a full 28-day visa’s worth – can make a trip. And you’ll only be skimming the surface. This section gives some background to Bagan’s birth, and information on some of the highlights. For details of information, additional sights, accommodation, eating and transport options, see p264. Sites discussed in this chapter are shown on the map on p267.

HISTORY The extraordinary religious fervour that resulted in this unique collection of buildings lasted two-and-a-half centuries. Although human habitation at Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian era, Bagan only entered its golden period with the conquest of Thaton in AD 1057. Just over 200 years later Bagan declined, and in 1287 was overrun by the Mongols of Kublai Khan. But what fantastic effort happened in those years! Since the Mongol invasion, the sites have been deserted and barely touched over the centuries.

Bagari Kings built almost 20 temples a year in the area over a period of 230 years.

Bagan: the Prequel Originally, this bend in the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River was occupied by a stable and thriving Pyu city-state, perhaps allied with Beikthano and Thayekhittaya (Sri Ksetra) to the south as well as Hanlin to the northeast. Excavations along the ruined city walls indicate that by 850 the city had reached complex proportions. The name Bagan may in fact derive from Pyugan, a name first written down by the Annamese of present-day Vietnam in the mid-11th century as Pukam. In post-18th-century Burmese parlance the name became Bagan, which was corrupted as Pagan by the British. READING UP ON BAGAN Some of the following are available from vendors at some major temples, such as Ananda (p300), and usually at the Ever Sky Information Service in Nyaung U (p269) or Old Bagan hotel stores. Glimpses of Glorious Bagan is a 60-page paperback with (dated) colour photos and details of most of the key temples (including some not covered in this section). It’s pretty thorough, and you can pick it up around Bagan for a few thousand kyat. Pagan: Art & Architecture of Old Burma, by Paul Strachan, is a more comprehensive, wellresearched art history of Bagan, in which everything from artefacts to buildings is divided into the three stylistic periods. Vendors sell it for US$20 to US$25. Inventory of Monuments at Bagan, by Pierre Pichard, is a massive seven-volume treatise on the archaeology of Bagan, which provides schematic diagrams of many of the temples. Pichard is an archaeologist from the École Française d’Extrême Orient (EFEO), who worked with the Unesco effort in the early 1990s. At over US$160 per volume, this is for serious enthusiasts only.

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Glory Days

After Bamar King Anawrahta conquered the Mon kingdom of Thaton, he had 30,000 Mon prisoners of war brought back to Bagan.

Marco Polo described the towers of Bagan in his famous 1298 chronicle as being ‘covered with gold a good finger in thickness…one of the finest sights in the world’.

Bagan’s prime began with the Bamar King Anawrahta’s ascent to the throne in 1044. At this time, Myanmar was in a period of transition from Hindu and Mahayana Buddhist beliefs to the Theravada Buddhist beliefs that have since been characteristic of Myanmar. Manuha, the Mon king of Thaton, sent a monk to convert Anawrahta; the latter met with such success that Anawrahta asked Manuha to give him a number of sacred texts and important relics. Manuha, uncertain of the depths of Anawrahta’s beliefs, refused the request. Anawrahta’s reply to this snub was straightforward – he marched his army south, conquered Thaton and carted everything worth carrying to Bagan – including 32 sets of the Tripitaka (the classic Buddhist scriptures), the city’s monks and scholars and, for good measure, King Manuha himself. Immediately Anawrahta set about a great programme of building, and some of the greatest Bagan edifices date from his reign. Among the better known monuments he constructed are the beautiful Shwezigon (Shwezigon Paya), considered a prototype for all later Burmese stupas; the Pitaka Taik (Scripture Library), built to house the Pitaka (scriptures) carried back from Thaton by 30 elephants; and the elegant and distinctive Shwesandaw Paya, built immediately after the conquest of Thaton. Thus began what the Burmese call the First Burmese Empire, which became a major centre for Theravada Buddhism and a pilgrimage point for Buddhists throughout Southeast Asia. King Anawrahta’s successors, particularly Kyanzittha, Alaungsithu and Narapatisithu, continued scratching this phenomenal building itch, although the construction work must have been nonstop throughout the period of Bagan’s glory. Pali inscriptions of the time called the city Arimaddanapura (City of the Enemy Crusher) and Tambadipa (Copper Land).

Decline Historians disagree on what exactly happened to cause Bagan’s apparently rapid decline at the end of the 13th century. The popular Burmese view is that millions of Mongols sent by Kublai Khan swept over the city, ransacking and looting. A more thoughtful view holds that the threat of invasion from China threw the last powerful ruler of Bagan into a panic; after a great number of temples were torn down to build fortifications, the city was abandoned, in which case the Mongols merely took over an already deserted city. Evidence suggests Bagan may have continued as an important religious and cultural centre into the 14th century, after which its decay can be blamed on the three-way struggle between the Shan, Mon and

BAGAN PERIODS Most temples that you’ll come across during your exploration of Bagan are divided into these three periods: Early period (c 850–1120) This period was influenced by Mon and late Pyu architecture, as seen in Pyay (p283),

and is characterised by perforated windows and dimly lit interiors. Middle period (c 1100–70) Temples became bigger during this period and were better lit by broader windows,

with more of an eye to vertical proportions than horizontal lines. Late period (c 1170–1300) The late period saw more intricate pyramidical spires or adorning tile work added

to the buildings, with an increase of Indian influence, and (some say) a seeping in of Mahayana Buddhism influence.

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T E M P L E S O F B A G A N • • H i s t o r y 295

BAGAN’S KINGS The kings who reigned over Bagan Anawrahta Sawlu Kyanzittha (aka Sawlu) Alaungsithu Narathu Naratheinkha Narapatisithu Nantaungmya (aka Htilominlo) Kyaswa Uzana Narathihapati

during its golden period and their major buildings: 1044-77 Shwesandaw Paya 1077-84 1084-1113 Ananda Pahto, Shwezigon Paya 1113-67 Thatbyinnyu, Shwegugyi 1167-70 Dhammayangyi Pahto 1170-73 1174-1211 Sulamani Pahto, Dhammayazika Paya 1211-34 Gawdawpalin Pahto, Mahabodhi Paya 1234-50 1250-55 1255-87 Mingalazedi, Payathonzu

Bamar for supremacy over northern Myanmar. Whatever happened, from the 14th to 18th centuries Bagan was considered a spooky region, riddled with bandits and nat (guardian spirits). The Burmese only began moving back in some numbers after the British established a presence in the area. It’s hard to imagine Bagan as it once was because, like other Burmese royal cities, only the major religious buildings were made of permanent materials. The kings’ palaces were all constructed of wood, and even most kyaung (monasteries) were partly or wholly wooden. So what remains is just a frail shadow of Bagan at its peak.

1975 Earthquake In 1975 Bagan was shaken by a powerful earthquake, registering 6.5 on the Richter scale. Contrary to initial fears, this 1000-year-old site was not totally ruined. Many of the more important temples were badly damaged, but major reconstruction started almost immediately. Since renovation of these important religious monuments has been an ongoing project for many centuries, the old skills have not been lost and many monuments were rebuilt using traditional means. Unesco’s recent restoration projects now support dozens of local artisans and, although you certainly won’t see any modern construction equipment

Bagan scholar Paul Strachan argues in Pagan: Art and Architecture of Old Burma that the city was never abandoned at all.

BAGAN VOCABULARY A few terms used frequently to describe Bagan sites or features: gu – cave temple hti – umbrellalike decorated pinnacle atop stupa Jataka – stories of Buddha’s past lives kyaung – monastery pahto – temple or shrine, with hollow interior (some with one entrance to a windowless vault; others with four

entrances and images around central cube) paya – means ‘holy one’; refers to pagodas, stupas, zedi or other Buddhist monuments, including statues shwe- – prefix meaning ‘gold’ sikhara – Indian-style, corncoblike temple finial stupa – zedi; solid hemispherical or cylindrical cone thein – ordination hall what country you come from? – standard greeting zedi – stupa; solid hemispherical or cylindrical cone

296 T E M P L E S O F B A G A N • • H o w B i g i s B a g a n ?

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in Bagan, modern techniques are being employed as well. For example, Unesco engineers are reinforcing some of the monuments by inserting iron beams in the masonry to preserve the structural integrity in case of an earthquake. As for the hundreds of lesser monuments, anything that was likely to fall off in an earthquake would have fallen off centuries ago. While it was quite evident which of the major temples were repaired, Bagan has never looked like a huge building site. Some of the restoration, such as the repairs to the Gawdawpalin Pahto, took until the early 1980s to complete. Other repairs continue.

Recent History

Myanmar authorities were so thorough erasing all traces of the village that existed in Old Bagan that it’s now hard to tell that a village ever existed here.

The village that grew up in the middle of the walled area of ‘Old Bagan’ during the 1970s was moved to the middle of a peanut field several kilometres away just before the May 1990 elections. Old Bagan residents were only given about a week’s notice by the government to move and rebuild in the new location, known as New Bagan (Bagan Myothit). The latest eyebrow-raising move was the start of the construction of an observation tower and upscale hotel (just southeast of Nyaung U) that breaks the building code the government implemented. Though construction was on hold at research time, it is scheduled to dwarf all temples. The same Yangon entrepreneur responsible was also building a reconstruction of the palace within the walls of Old Bagan. Equally unsettling as the tower is the recently built, and way out of place, 19thcentury-style home of the huge Archaeological Museum (p273) in Old Bagan.

HOW BIG IS BAGAN? Bagan’s big, but no-one really knows how many temples were built. Supposedly, by the end of the 13th century the official count of sites was 4446. By 1901 surveys found 2157 monuments still standing and identifiable. A 1978 count – a few years after the disastrous earthquake – found 2230, a figure which doesn’t include brick mounds, which would make the total 4000. The catch is that the number of temples keeps growing. With so many Buddhists looking to snare a little ‘merit’ to ensure an upgrade in the next life, rich Yangon residents (including many government officials) build new stupas; apparently 300 new ones have gone up around Bagan in the first few years of this century. This leads many to shake their heads as they look upon new, obviously modern temples staining one of the world’s most impressive ancient cities, but many others enjoy seeing Bagan still breathing new air. WATCH THAT BAG! Every year many tourists, trying to hurry past others, inevitably scrape their backpack or oversized camera bag against already-crumbling but priceless murals. Be sure not to add to the problem; it’s generally safe to leave your backpack outside. The Department of Archaeology has closed off upper terraces of some of the more popular temples, including Ananda and Sulamani, while outside investors have donated the money to cover murals with clear glass. In the mid 1990s, Unesco worked with the government to preserve Bagan, though – apparently – frustration with government interference drove them out in 1996. Of the US$10 fee collected from visitors to Bagan, apparently only half goes to the Department of Archaeology, which seems sincere in its efforts to preserve the sites.

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O L D B A G A N • • G a w d a w p a l i n Pa h t o 297

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This roughly counterclockwise circuit takes in temples within the old city walls. From the Archaeological Museum (p273) or some Old Bagan hotels, you could loop through these sites on foot, if desired, in a 2km loop.

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Just north of the Archaeological Museum, on the road between Nyaung U and New Bagan, Gawdawpalin is one of the largest and most imposing Bagan temples – at 60m, you can’t miss it. Built during the reign of Narapatisithu and finished under Nantaungmya’s, it’s considered the crowning achievement of the Late period. Its name means ‘Platform to which Homage is Paid’. The most recent homage was its heavy-duty reconstruction following terrific damage sustained in the 1975 earthquake (it stands near that quake’s epicentre). Inside, past a fair share of vendors, is a quite modern, active altar (tile floors, donation boxes); along the four walls are 10 Buddha images and some barely visible murals. Stairs ascending through the walls to the top terrace are closed to visitors.

MIMALAUNG KYAUNG mI"mel;='ekY;='"

A nice set of chinthe (half lion/half dragon mythical beasts) guards the stairway leading up this small, square monastery platform, constructed in 1174 by Narapatisithu. It’s about 200m south of Gawdawpalin, on the other side of the road. In front of the monastery is a brick-and-stucco Tripitaka library next to a large acacia tree. Atop the steps, a tiered roof (with a newer gold-capped hti, an umbrellalike decorated pinnacle) contains a large sitting Buddha. Archaeologists discovered an intricately carved 6cm votive tablet here that contained 78 sculpted figures.

PAHTOTHAMYA puqiu"s;"mY;"

On the dirt road 150m east towards the dominating Thatbyinnyu, the Pahtothamya (or Thamya Pahto) was probably built during the reign of Kyanzittha around the turn of the 12th century, although it is popularly held to be one of five temples built by the little known king Taunghthugyi (aka Sawrahan; 931–64). The interior of this single-storey building is dimly lit, typical of the early type of Pyu-influenced temples, with their small, perforated stone windows. In its prominent vertical superstructure and reconstructed lotus-bud sikhara (corncoblike temple finial), however, the monument is clearly beginning to move forward from the Early period. Often kids with a torch will point out the super painting remnants along the interior passages, perhaps the earliest surviving murals in Bagan. Steps lead up to a roomy viewing platform.

NATHLAUNG KYAUNG nt'elH;='ekY;='"

Between Pahtothamya and Thatbyinnyu, this is the only Hindu temple remaining in Bagan. The exterior of the stubby temple remains much damaged from the 1975 earthquake. Only the main hall and superstructure stand.

During the 1890’s two enterprising Germans removed plaques, statues and murals from Bagon. You can see many of these at the Berlin Völkerkunde Museum or the Hamburg Ethnographical Museum.

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A sign dates it to the early 11th century. It’s also said to have been built in 931 by Taunghthugyi; if true, this was about a century before the southern school of Buddhism came to Bagan, following the conquest of Thaton. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Gupta-style reliefs of the 10 Avatars were placed around the outside wall; seven of these survive. The central square of brick supports the dome and crumbled sikhara, and once contained freestanding figures of Vishnu, as well as Vishnu reliefs on each of the four sides. The statues were stolen by a German oil engineer in the 1890s, but the badly damaged brick-and-stucco reliefs can still be seen. This temple’s name means ‘Shrine Confining Nat’, a reference to a purported time when King Anawrahta is said to have confiscated all nonBuddhist religious images – both indigenous Burmese nat and Hindu devas (celestial beings) – and placed them in this shrine as part of an effort to establish ‘pure’ Theravada Buddhism. The king eventually gave in to the cult and standardised the current roster of principal Burmese nat by placing 37 chosen images at Shwezigon Paya. The veracity of this account has never been confirmed, but most Bagan residents – in fact virtually all Burmese – accept it as fact.

PITAKA TAIK

THATBYINNYU PAHTO

The former eastern entrance to the walled city is 100m east of the original palace site. The still-impressive Tharaba Gate (aka Sarabha Gate) squeezes the road to Nyaung U. The ruins are the best preserved remains of the 9th-century wall, and the only gate still standing. Traces of old stucco can still be seen on the gateway. The gate is guarded by highly revered brother and sister nat, the male (Lord Handsome) on the right, the female (Lady Golden Face) on the left. In their human histories, the siblings died in a fire, so worshippers offer the images flowers and water, rather than candles or incense. Just east, the road passes over the one-time wall-surrounding moat. (There are several restaurants 200m east.)

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The small ‘tally zedi’ (stupa) just northeast of the temple was built using one brick for every 10,000 used in constructing the main temple.

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Named for ‘omniscience’, Bagan’s highest temple (about 150m east of Nathlaung and 200m south of Shwegugyi) is built of two white-coloured boxy storeys, each with three diminishing terraces rimmed with spires and leading up to a gold-tipped sikhara, 63m up. Its monumental size and verticality make it a classic example of Bagan’s Middle period – and neatly provide a chronological link between two nearby big cats, the Early-period Ananda and Late-period Gawdawpalin. Built in 1144 by Alaungsithu, its terraces are encircled by indentations for 539 Jataka. Plaques were never added, leading some scholars to surmise that the monument was never consecrated. Visitors are barred from climbing Thatbyinnyu’s inner passages to the top terrace, which is supposedly an amazing network of passageways. Most of the temple’s inside walls are whitewashed, but there are some original murals near the west entrance. The temple is located near the southeastern corner of the old city wall. A couple of hundred metres south, you can see a fragment of the wall on either side of the road, where you can climb up on the brick for a view.

SHWEGUGYI erágUäkI"

Built by Alaungsithu in 1131, this smaller but elegant pahto (temple or shrine), 200m north of Thatbyinnyu, is an example of the Middle period, a transition in architectural style from the dark and cloistered to the airy and light. Its name means ‘Great Golden Cave’, and its corncob sikhara is a scaled-down version of the one at Ananda (p300), while its reach marks a move towards verticality. Inside you’ll find fine stucco carvings, a teak Buddha and stone slabs (in Pali) that retell its history, including that it took just seven months to build. Missing from the scripts are details of its builder’s demise – Alaungsithu’s son brought his sick father here in 1163 to smother him to death.

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Following the sacking of Thaton, King Anawrahta carted off some 30 elephant-loads of Buddhist scriptures and built this library (just northeast of Shwegugyi) to house them in 1058. The square design follows the basic Early Bagan gu (cave temple) plan, perfect for the preservation of light-sensitive palm-leaf scriptures. The old library is notable for the perforated stone windows, each carved from single stone slabs, and the plaster carvings on the roof, which are in imitation of Burmese woodcarvings.

PALACE SITES At research time, construction of Anawrahta’s palace replica was underway on the north side of the road to Nyaung U, a couple of hundred metres northeast of Shwegugyi. It’s likely to be open during your visit (possibly for an extra fee, as a Yangon entrepreneur is footing the bill). Just east, on the other side of the road, is the original site of Anawrahta’s palace, currently closed off by barbed wire and under excavation by the Department of Archaeology.

THARABA GATE srp:t®x:"

MAHABODHI PAYA mh;eb;/i.ur;"

Unlike any other Bagan temple, this monument, located on the north side of the main road 350m west of the gate, is modelled after the famous Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, India, which commemorates the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Built during the reign of Nantaungmya in 1215, the spire is richly coated in niches enclosing seated Buddha figures, rising from a square block. The stairway to the top is closed to visitors. Inside is a modern makeover – with tile floor and carpet. The ruined buildings just north feature some original glazed painting fragments.

BUPAYA bU".ur;"

Right on the bank of the Ayeyarwady (reached from the Nyaung U road, about 200m east of the Mahabodhi Paya), this cylindrical Pyu-style stupa is said to date further back than any Bagan temple. Locals claim it dates to the 3rd century; most likely it was erected around the same time as the city walls (around 850). It’s named for bu (gourd). What’s seen now – a gold stupa above a row of crenulated terraces leading down to the water – is a complete reconstruction, however; the 1975 earthquake demolished

The Mahabodhi Paya features an unusual pyramidal spire.

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THE SUN’S FALLING! THE SUN’S FALLING! Each dusk at Bagan can see a great sunset chase, with scurrying tourists carrying cameras up pagoda stairways to watch the Bagan sprawl turn all shades of tangerine, lavender and rust. Many leave once the sun dips behind the mountains, though colours only start their show at that point. By all means do witness the scene, from different spots, short and tall. Some temples teem with tourists, while hundreds of lesser-known ones (including dozens and dozens of good choices not in this section) stand empty. Yeah, but what’s ‘the best’ place to witness sunsets and sunrises? Well, Dhammayangyi Pahto (p303) is the long-standing favourite at dusk; east-facing Mingalazedi (p304) at dawn. Near Bagan’s belly, Buledi (p302) is a newcomer ‘alternative’ favourite, while another belly-spot, Pyathada Paya (p304), has a sprawling viewing deck, sometimes empty. Some Bagan repeat-visitors insist it’s all a myth – that it’s is as good to watch from an unnamed, two-storey temple as at Dhammayangyi. You decide.

the original. If you want to sit on the benches facing the water, please don’t prop up your feet on the wall, as some travellers do. Off the road to the southeast is the Pebinkyaung Paya, a 12th-century pagoda built in a unique Sinhalese style.

NORTH PLAIN The bulk of Bagan temples are out ‘there’ – in the vast, ruin-filled plains between Nyaung U, Old Bagan and New Bagan. This broad area – skinny on a map – runs between the Old Bagan walls and Nyaung U, and (mostly) between the two roads that connect the two. Sights are ordered (more or less) west to east.

ANANDA PAHTO a;nNÌ;puqiu"

Like many paya around Bagan, the Ananda Pahto took a huge hit from the 1975 earthquake, but has been totally restored.

If you see only a temple or two – and darn you for limiting yourself – make it to Ananda, one of the finest, largest, best-preserved and most revered of all Bagan temples. The terraced temple, with a corncob golden hti towering 52m high, features four more gilded spires at the ends of a raised square platform. You’ll see it shimmering from all over the plain. It’s roughly 450m east of Thatbyinnyu, 500m north of Shwesandaw and 1km northwest of Dhammayangyi Pahto. Most visitors access it – often through the sea of vendors – from the northern side. Thought to have been built between 1090 and 1105 by King Kyanzittha, this perfectly proportioned temple heralds the stylistic end of the Early Bagan period and the beginning of the Middle period. In 1990, on its 900th anniversary, the temple spires were gilded. The remainder of the temple exterior is whitewashed from time to time. The central square measures 53m along each side. Upper floors are closed to visitors. The entranceways make the structure a perfect Greek cross; each entrance is crowned with a stupa finial. The base and the terraces are decorated with 554 glazed tiles showing Jataka scenes, thought to be derived from Mon texts. Huge carved teak doors separate interior halls from cross passages on all four sides. Facing outward from the centre of the cube are four 9.5m standing Buddha statues. Only the Bagan-style images facing north and south are original; both display the dhammachakka mudra (a hand position symbolising the Buddha teaching his first sermon). The other two images are

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replacements for figures destroyed by fire in the 1600s. All four have bodies of solid teak, though guides may claim the southern image is made of a bronze alloy. Guides like to point out that if you stand by the donation box in front of the original southern Buddha, his face looks sad, while from a distance he tends to look mirthful. The western and eastern standing Buddha images are done in the later Konbaung, or Mandalay, style. If looked at from the right angle, the two lions at the eastern side resemble an ogre. A small, nutlike sphere held between the thumb and middle finger of the east-facing image is said to resemble a herbal pill, and may represent the Buddha offering dhamma (Buddhist teachings) as a cure for suffering. Both arms hang at the image’s sides with hands outstretched, a mudra (hand position) unknown to traditional Buddhist sculpture outside this temple. The west-facing Buddha features the abhaya mudra (the hands outstretched, in the gesture of no fear). At its feet sit two life-sized lacquer statues, said to represent King Kyanzittha and Shin Arahan, the Mon monk who initiated the king into Theravada Buddhism. Inside the western portico are two Buddha footprint symbols on pedestals. The British built a brick museum nearby in 1904, now used as a storage facility. Around it stand a few ordination markers, inscribed stellae and Buddha images.

On the full moon of Pyatho (December/ January), a huge paya pwe (paya festival) attracts thousands to Ananda. Up to 1000 monks chant day and night during the three days of the festival.

ANANDA OK KYAUNG a;nNÌ;aut'ekY;='"

Just west of Ananda’s northern entry, this small vihara (sanctuary or chapel) features some detailed 18th-century murals bursting with bright red and green, showing details of everyday life from the Bagan period. In the southeast corner, you can see Portuguese traders engaged in trade. Built in 1137, the temple’s name means ‘Ananda Brick Monastery’. Usually the door is unlocked; ask at Ananda Pahto for the ‘keymaster’ if not.

UPALI THEIN wp:lisim'

Just north of the Bagan–Nyaung U Rd, almost midway to Nyaung U, this mid-13th century ordination hall, houses some brightly painted frescoes depicting big scenes on the walls and ceilings from the late 17th or early 18th century. Sadly many pieces crumbled in the 1975 earthquake. The building, named for a well-known monk from the 13th century, is often locked to protect the art. The roof battlements imitate Burmese wooden architecture, and a small centre spire rises from the rooftop.

HTILOMINLO PAHTO qI"lium='"liupuqiu"

Across the road from Upali Thein, this 46m-high temple was built by King Nantaungmya in 1218. Nantaungmya erected the temple on this THE ‘KEYMASTER’ During peak season, from October to April, many of the lesser temples have attendants hanging about to unlock the doors and maybe sell a postcard or two. Some do not, and the ‘keymaster’ needs to be tracked down. It’s usually not hard. Often someone with a ring full of keys lurks in the area. Ask any vendor and you’re likely to get the missing keys within a few minutes. A little bit of ‘tea money’ is appreciated.

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TOP FIVE MURALS Much of Bagan is also famous for the fabulous murals that are found on the walls inside. These are our favourites. Upali Thein (p301) Brightly painted frescoes from the late 17th or early 18th century. Nandamannya (p309) Vaguely Chinese or Tibetan-looking murals. Payathonzu (p308) Similar to the murals at Nandamannya. Ananda Ok Kyaung (p301) Paintings depict everday scenes from the Bagan period. Abeyadana (p306) Has figures of Bodhisattvas and Hindu deities.

Much of the mural work at Bagan is thought to be similar to how the interiors of Buddhist temples in northeastern India must have appeared before their destruction at the hands of Muslim invaders.

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features a handful of well-worthy sites running west to east (towards the clearly visible Bagan Tower construction site, near Nyaung U).

SHWESANDAW PAYA eráz®et;'.ur;"

Free from tourists and postcard vendors not long ago, this temple – with steep stairs leading to a narrow terrace around the stupa – has become something of an alternative sunset spot. It’s about 600m south of the Htilominlo, across Anawrahta Rd. It’s also known as ‘Temple 394’.

Bagan’s most famous ‘sunset pagoda’, the Shwesandaw is the graceful white pyramid-style pagoda with steps leading past five terraces to the circular stupa top; it’s located roughly midway between Thatbyinnyu and Dhammayangyi. Its roomy top terrace teems with camera-toting travellers before sunset and offers a deserving full 360-degree look of Bagan. If you go during the day, you’re likely to be alone. Following his conquest of Thaton in 1057, King Anawrahta built this at the centre of his newly empowered kingdom. The terraces once bore terracotta plaques showing scenes from the Jataka, but traces of these, and of other sculptures, were covered by rather heavy-handed renovations. The now-gilded zedi bell rises from two octagonal bases, which top the five square terraces. This was the first monument at Bagan to feature stairways leading from the square-bottom terraces to the round base of the stupa itself. This stupa supposedly enshrines a Buddha hair relic, brought back from Thaton. Only the south entrance doesn’t have handrails leading up the steep steps. The hti, which was toppled by the earthquake, can still be seen lying on the south side of the paya compound. A new one was fitted soon after the quake. About 150m north stands Lawkahteikpan Pahto – a small but interesting Middle-period gu containing excellent frescoes and inscriptions in both Burmese and Mon. It’s usually locked – ask at Shwesandaw for the keymaster.

GUBYAUKNGE

DHAMMAYANGYI PAHTO

Off Anawrahta Rd, about 1.5km east of Htilominlo, this Early Bagan– period temple has some excellent stucco carvings on the outside walls (particularly on the north side) and some original paintings visible inside.

Visible from all parts of Bagan, this massive walled 12th-century temple (about 500m southeast of Shwesandaw) has a similar plan to Ananda; with projecting porticoes and receding terraces, though its sikhara is reduced to a stub nowadays. It is generally thought that it was commissioned by Narathu (who was assassinated in 1170), though some have attributed the building to the earlier reign of Alaungsithu. Like Ananda, there are two encircling ambulatories, but the inner one is closed off, intentionally filled by brick rubble centuries ago. No-one is sure why, but many believe it was ‘payback’ to the ruthless king who mandated the mortarless brickwork fit together so tightly that even a pin couldn’t pass between any two bricks. Walking around the outer ambulatory, under ceilings so high up you can only hear the squeaks of bats circling in the dark, you can see some intact stucco reliefs and paintings, suggesting the work had been completed. The mystery goes on. Three out of the four Buddha sanctums were also filled with bricks. The remaining western shrine features two original side-by-side images of Gautama and Maitreya, the historical and future Buddhas (it’s the only Bagan site with two side-by-side Buddhas). Perhaps someday, when Myanmar’s archaeological department, or Unesco or some other party, clears out all the brick rubble, one of the great architectural mysteries of Bagan will be solved. The top terraces are closed to visitors, though there are some nooks that some vendors lead visitors to (slightly illegally).

spot because it was here that he was chosen (by a leaning umbrella), from among five brothers, to be the crown prince. It’s probably most impressive from outside. Its terraced design, similar to Sulamani Pahto (p304), is based on a 42m-square base. Have a walkaround to take in the fragments of the original fine plaster carvings, glazed sandstone decorations and nicely carved reliefs on the doorways. Inside are four Buddhas on the lower and upper floors, though the stairways are closed. Traces of old murals are also still visible. There are plenty of vendors here.

BULEDI

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gUe¨p;k'=y'

WETKYI-IN-GUBYAUKGYI 0k'äkI"a='"gUe¨p;k''äkI"

Just west of Nyaung U, and about 100m or so east of Gubyauknge, this off-the-main-circuit, detailed 13th-century temple has an Indian-style spire, like the Mahabodhi Paya in Old Bagan. It is interesting for the fine frescoes of scenes from the Jataka, but unfortunately, in 1899 a German collector came by and surreptitiously removed many of the panels on which the frescoes were painted. Those that remain in the entry are in great shape. Steps inside lead to four Buddha images and you can see Hindu figures engraved on the spire.

CENTRAL PLAIN In this vast plain (roughly south of Anawrahta Rd between New Bagan and Nyaung U), it’s possible to stumble into village life and goat herds just 2km from the paved roads. Some corners, unsurprisingly, are well away from the normal package-tour stops, while a few are must-sees for all. Some temples are locked, but a ‘keymaster’ should be in the area; ask around. This list

The Shwesandaw Paya, along with Mingalazedi Paya, now offers the highest accessible points within the Bagan archaeological zone.

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The Dhammayangyi Pahto is generally ascribed to Narathu (who was assassinated by foreign agents – some debate whether from Sri Lanka or India), much to the delight, apparently, of the slaves working on this monster.

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SULAMANI PAHTO cUL;m,ipuqiu"

As fine as Paul Strachan’s work is (see p293), one flaw of his book was to ask why the reclining Buddha next to Shwesandow Paya couldn’t have been left lying on its left side rather than the right. To have done this, though, would have violated classical Buddhist iconagraphy.

About 1km east of Dhammayangyi, this broad two-storey temple is one of Bagan’s most attractive, with lush grounds (and a fair share of vendors) behind the surrounding walls. It’s a prime example of later, more sophisticated temple styles, with better internal lighting. This temple, known as the Crowning Jewel, was constructed around 1181 by Narapatisithu. Combining the horizontal planes of the Early period with the vertical lines of the Middle, the receding terraces create a pyramid effect. The brickwork throughout is considered some of the best in Bagan. The gilded sikhara is a reconstruction; the original was destroyed in the 1975 earthquake. Stupas stand at the corners of each terrace, and a high wall, fitted with elaborate gateways at each cardinal point, encloses the entire complex. The interior face of the wall was once lined with 100 monastic cells, a feature unique among Bagan’s ancient monasteries. Carved stucco on mouldings, pediments and pilasters represents some of Bagan’s finest ornamental work and is in fairly good condition. Glazed plaques around the base and terraces are also still visible. Buddha images face the four directions from the ground floor; the image at the main eastern entrance sits in a recess built into the wall. The interior passage around the base is painted with quite big frescoes from the Konbaung period, and there are traces of earlier frescoes. The stairways to the top are closed. A walled enclosure in the north of the compound contains the remains of Sulamani Kyaung. A water tank in the compound is thought to be the only original Bagan reservoir still in use by local residents.

THABEIK HMAUK spit'emH;k'

Facing Sulamani from 150m east, this sikhara-topped temple looks like a smaller version of Sulamani, but is (for the time being) blissfully free of visitors or vendors. Much of its interiors were damaged by the 1975 earthquake, but there are multiple stairways up to a wrap-around meditation chamber with little light (and a few bats). There are two outside terraces, reached by narrow stairs, with superb views.

PYATHADA PAYA ¨pSd:".ur;"

About 750m southeast of Sulamani, reached by dirt roads that sometimes get obscured in goat fields, this impressive pagoda is a superb sunsetviewing spot, with a giant open terrace – Bagan’s largest – atop the steps, and another small deck further up. Many days, visitors have it to themselves; on others a lone group may be here.

MYINKABA AREA ¨m='"kp:

The sites north and south of Myinkaba village are all just off the main road and easy to access. These are listed in order from north to south.

MINGALAZEDI mg¿l;ectI

Close to the riverbank, towards Myinkaba from the Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel, Mingalazedi Paya (Blessing Stupa; aka ‘Sunrise Pagoda’) is a hot

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spot for sunrise (and sunset too): it faces the full Bagan plain to the east. It’s noted also for its enormous bell-like dome, reached by steep stairs up three receding terraces, and for the beautiful glazed Jataka tiles around each terrace. Although many Jataka have been damaged or stolen, there are still 561 of the 1061 originals left. The smaller square building in the zedi grounds is one of the few Tripitaka libraries made of brick. The Mingalazedi is the very last of the large Late-period monuments. It was built from 1268 to 1274 by Narathihapati, who tempted fate (the story goes) by overlooking a prophecy that Bagan would fall if the pagoda was ever finished. Ten years after it was, Mongols invaded – and Bagan’s prominence fell.

The Mingalazedi Paya represents the final flowering of Bagan’s architectural outburst.

GUBYAUKGYI gUe¨p;k''äkI"

Situated just to the left of the road as you enter Myinkaba, Gubyaukgyi (Great Painted Cave Temple) sees a lot of visitors (and vendors) during peak season for its well-preserved, richly coloured paintings inside. These are thought to date from the temple’s original construction in 1113, when Kyanzittha’s son Rajakumar built it following his father’s death. In Indian style, the monument consists of a large vestibule attached to a smaller antechamber. The fine stuccowork on its exterior walls is in particularly good condition. Perforated, Pyu-style windows means you’ll need a powerful torch to see the ceiling paintings clearly. If it’s locked off-season, ask in the village for the keymaster. Next to the monument stands the gilded Myazedi (Emerald Stupa). A four-sided pillar in a cage between the two monuments bears an inscription consecrating Gubyaukgyi and written in four languages – Pyu, Mon, Old Burmese and Pali. Its linguistic and historical significance is great, since it establishes the Pyu as an important cultural influence in early Bagan and relates the chronology of the Bagan kings.

MANUHA PAYA mnUh;.ur;"

In Myinkaba village, about 500m south of Gubyaukgyi, stands this active (and rather modern-looking) pagoda, named after the Mon king from Thaton, who was held captive here by King Anawrahta. In the front of the building are three seated Buddhas; in the back is a huge reclining Buddha. All seem too large for their enclosures – supposedly representing the stress and discomfort the king had to endure. However, these features are not unique in Bagan. It should be pointed out that conquerors of the 11th century weren’t in the habit of sparing the lives of leaders – even for a captive life. Aung San Suu Kyi, in fact, described the ‘sympathetic account of Manuha [as] one of the most admirable parts of Burmese history…unstinting respect for a noble enemy’. It is said that only the reclining Buddha, in the act of entering parinibbana (final passing away), has a smile on its face, showing that for Manuha, only death was a release from his suffering. But if you climb to the top of this paya via the stairs in the back (ask for keys if it’s locked), you can then see the face of the sitting Buddha through a window – from up here you’ll realise that the gigantic face, so grim from below, has an equally gigantic smile. An outdoor corner of the temple compound is dedicated to Mt Popa’s presiding nat, Mae Wanna and her sons Min Lay and Min Gyi. Devotees

Legend says that Manuha, the captured Mon king, built the Bagan temple that bears his name in 1059, and the design represents his displeasure with captivity.

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of Manuha Paya celebrate a large paya pwe on the full moon of Tabaung (February/March).

NAN PAYA nn'".ur;"

Recent research suggests that the Nan Paya was constructed by Manuha’s grandnephew in the late 11th century.

Just south of the Manuha Paya by dirt road, this shrine is said to have been used as Manuha’s prison, although there is little evidence supporting the legend. In this story the shrine was originally Hindu, and captors thought using it as a prison would be easier than converting it to a Buddhist temple. It’s worth visiting for its interior masonry work – sandstone block facings over a brick core, certainly some of Bagan’s finest detailed sculpture. Perforated stone windows are typical of earlier Bagan architecture – in fact it was probably Bagan’s first gu-style shrine. In the central sanctuary the four stone pillars have finely carved sandstone bas-relief figures of three-faced Brahma. The creator deity is holding lotus flowers, thought to be offerings to a freestanding Buddha image once situated in the shrine’s centre, a theory that dispels the idea that this was ever a Hindu shrine. The sides of the pillars feature ogrelike kalaate heads with open mouths streaming with flowers. Legend goes that Shiva employed such creatures to protect temples, but they proved too ferocious; so Shiva tricked them into eating their bodies, then fed them flowers to keep their minds off snacking on worshippers. In the centre of the four pillars is an altar, on which once stood a standing Buddha or (some locals believe) a Hindu god. Ask at Manuha if the temple is locked.

ABEYADANA PAHTO ap:y'rtn;puqiu"

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The temple itself – with corncob sikhara, which some believe to be the Ananda prototype – can be climbed via tight stairs. Usually a keymaster is around to unlock the door.

SOMINGYI KYAUNG ciu"m='"äkI"ekY;='"

Named after the lady who supposedly sponsored its construction, this typical Late Bagan brick monastery (about 200m south of Nagayon) is thought to have been built in 1204. A zedi to the north and gu to the south are also ascribed to Somingyi. Many brick monasteries in Bagan were single-block structures; Somingyi is unique in that it has monastic cells clustered around a courtyard.

NEW BAGAN AREA pug®Dmui¾oc''

Sights are a little scarcer heading south of New Bagan (Bagan Nyothit), towards the outskirts of the Bagan area.

SEINNYET NYIMA PAYA & SEINNYET AMA PAHTO cim'"Mk'Mim NH='¾ cim'"Mk'ampuqiu"

This stupa and shrine stand side by side (about 250m north of New Bagan) and are traditionally assigned to Queen Seinnyet in the 11th century, although the architecture clearly points to a period two centuries later. The zedi rests on three terraces and is topped by a beautiful stylised umbrella.

About 400m south of the Manuha, this 11th-century temple with a Sinhalese-style stupa was supposedly built by Kyanzittha’s Bengali wife Abeyadana, who waited for him here as he hid for his life from his predecessor King Sawlu. It’s famed for its original frescoes, which were cleaned in recent years by Unesco staff. With a torch, you can make out many figures that Abeyadana, believed to be a Mahayanist, would likely have asked for: Bodhisattvas such as Avalokitesvara, and Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Indra). The inner shrine contains a large, brick, seated Buddha (partly restored); surrounding walls are lined with niches, most now empty. Inside the front wall are many Jataka scenes. Ask at the caretaker’s house to the south if it’s locked.

LAWKANANDA PAYA

NAGAYON

Just inland to the northeast from Lawkananda Kyaung are the excavated remains of these twin 11th-century paya. Found in 1905, the lower parts of the pagodas are ho-hum from the outside but feature hundreds of terracotta Jataka lining the vaulted corridors (particularly impressive in Anauk Petleik Paya). A keymaster usually appears to unlock the door and turn on the fluorescent lights.

ng:"T®u

Slightly south of Abeyadana and across the road, this elegant and wellpreserved temple was built by Kyanzittha. The main Buddha image is twice life size and shelters under the hood of a huge naga (dragon serpent). This reflects the legend that Kyanzittha built the temple on the spot where he was sheltered while fleeing from his angry brother and predecessor Sawlu – an activity he had to indulge in on more than one occasion. The outer, dark corridor has many niches with images of the earlier Buddhas. Paintings also decorate the corridor walls. The central shrine has two smaller standing Buddhas as well as the large one. Unfortunately the walls have been whitewashed, obscuring any traces of possible murals.

el;knNÌ;.ur;"

At the height of Bagan’s power, boats from the Mon region, Rakhaing (Arakan) and even Sri Lanka would anchor by this riverside pagoda (about 250m southeast of the New Bagan crossroads – a sign in Burmese points the way) with its distinctive elongated cylindrical dome. It was built in 1059 by Anawrahta. It is still used as an everyday place of worship and is thought to house an important Buddha tooth replica. There are lots of benches for wide-open views of the Ayeyarwady, but it’s sometimes hard to enjoy hassle-free.

ASHE (EAST ) & ANAUK (WEST ) PETLEIK PAYA aerH¾ NH='¾ aen;k' fk'lip'.ur;"

SITTANA PAYA About 1km further south, this large, 13th-century bell-shaped stupa is New Bagan’s most impressive structure. Built by Htilominlo, it’s set on four square terraces, each fronted by a standing Buddha image in brick and stucco. A rather rickety stairway leads up the stupa’s southern side, where you can circle the structure on the terraces. At the southwestern corner is a chamber; you can climb up the wall and then down into the

If you climb up the staircase of the Sittana Paya you will spot Mt Popa to the southeast.

308 S O U T H P L A I N • • D h a m m a y a z i k a Pa y a

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interior, but have a torch handy. Usually somebody is around to show you the spot.

SOUTH PLAIN This rural area, along Bagan’s southern reaches, follows the main road between New Bagan and the Nyaung U airport. It passes Pwasaw and Minnanthu villages on the way. Other than a few places, such as Payathonzu, most sights see few tourists. Many horse-cart drivers will take in the cluster of sights north of Minnanthu and go via dirt paths towards Central Plain sights, such as Sulamani Pahto (p304). Views west from some temples here rival any of Bagan’s in terms of scope of the site. The following sites are listed in order from west to east. Questions such as ‘You want to buy painting?’ may disturb your study of the 800-year-old paintings at Payathonzu.

DHAMMAYAZIKA PAYA /mμr;jik.ur;"

About 3.5km east of the New Bagan crossroads, and standing north of the main road, this pentagonal zedi is similar to the Shwezigon (opposite) but with a more unusual design. Set in the south-central end of Bagan, it also has lovely views from its highest terrace. Now set among lush garden grounds with a gilded bell, the Dhammayazika dates from 1196. Apparently the stupa is haunted by the general who started its construction (before being finished by Narapatisithu); it’s said the general has appeared in many photos taken at the site, including one of recent government officials! An outer wall has five gateways. Up top, five small temples, each containing a Buddha image, encircle the terraces; some of them bear interior murals added during the Konbaung era. It’s possible, with perseverance, to cycle the thrilling dirt roads here from Dhammayangyi Pahto, 2km north.

LEIMYETHNA PAHTO el"mYk'nH;.ur;"

Built in 1222, this east-facing, whitewashed temple near Minnanthu village (about 3km east of Dhammayazika on the north side of the road) stands on a raised platform and has interior walls decorated with wellpreserved frescoes. It is topped by a gilded Indian-style spire like that on Ananda. The jarlike structures out front were pillars of a building toppled by the 1975 earthquake.

TAYOK PYE PAYA tTut'e¨p".ur;"

A couple of hundred metres north of Leimyethna by dirt road, this spired temple gets attention for the views from its upper reaches.

PAYATHONZU .ur;"ou®"zš

Across the main road from Tayok, this complex of three interconnected shrines (the name means Three Stupas) is a highlight for visitors who want to see 13th-century murals close up. It was abandoned shortly before its construction was complete – possibly due to the invasion of Kublai Khan. Dating to the late 13th century, each square cubicle is topped by a fat sikhara; a similar structure appears only at Salay (p279). The design is remarkably similar to Khmer Buddhist ruins in Thailand.

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N YAU N G U A R E A • • S h w e z i g o n Pa y a 309

You enter the middle shrine. To the right (south) are whitewashed walls, but some Pali writing is still visible. The other two shrines (particularly the northernmost one) are home to lovely, vaguely Chinese- or Tibetan-looking, mural paintings that contain Bodhisattva figures. Whether these indicate possible Mahayana or Tantric influence is a hotly debated issue among art historians. The three-shrine design hints at links with the Hindu Trimurti (triad) of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma, a triumvirate also associated with Tantric Buddhism. One might just as easily say it represents the Triple Gems of Buddhism (Buddha, dhamma and sangha), except that such a design is uncommon in Asian Buddhist archaeology, although it does appear in the Hindu shrines of India and Nepal. During peak season the doors will be unlocked.

THAMBULA PAHTO smõBlpuqiu"

This square temple, just north of Payathonzu, is decorated with faded Jataka frescoes and was built in 1255 by Thambula, the wife of King Uzana. Its doors were kept locked at research time, but you can see a boat race along the eastern wall if looking in from the southern entrance.

NANDAMANNYA PAHTO nNÌ;mM;

Dating from the mid-13th century, this small, single-chambered temple has very fine frescoes and a ruined, seated Buddha image. It’s about 200m north of Thambula; a sign leads down a short dirt road. (It’s the one to the right.) Nandamannya earns its repuation by its mural of the ‘Temptation of Mara’, in which nubile young females (vainly) attempt to distract the Buddha from the meditation session that led to his enlightenment. The undressed nature of the depicted females shocked French epigraphist Charles Duroiselle, who wrote in 1916 that they were ‘so vulgarly erotic and revolting that they can neither be reproduced or described’. Times change: the topless ladies can be seen, particularly on the back left wall. The murals’ similarity with those at Payathonzu has led some art historians to suggest they were painted by the same hand. Just behind the temple is the Kyat Kan Kyaung, a working underground monastery dating from the 11th century. Mats on the tunnel floors are used for meditation. Apparently a monk died during meditation in recent years and was left for days – everyone thought he was still meditating.

NYAUNG U AREA e–;='wI"

The main site in this area is the superb Shwezigon Paya.

SHWEZIGON PAYA erácM'"xu®.ur;"

At the west end of Nyaung U, this beautiful zedi was started by Anawrahta but not completed until the reign of Kyanzittha. The latter is thought to have built his palace nearby. Supposedly, the Shwezigon was built to enshrine one of the four replicas of the Buddha tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and to mark the northern edge of the city. The other three

The design of the bell-shaped Shwezigon Paya became a virtual proto type for all stupas in Myanmar.

310 N YAU N G U A R E A • • K y a n z i t t h a U m i n

The 12th-century original nat (spirit) figures of the Shwezigon were spirited away by a collector and are now reportedly somewhere in Italy.

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tooth replicas went to Lawkananda (p307), a smaller stupa to the south; to Tan Kyi, a stupa on the western bank of the Ayeyarwady; and to Tuyan Taung, a stupa on the summit of a hill 32km to the east. The stupa’s graceful bell shape became a prototype for virtually all later stupas over Myanmar. The gilded zedi – lit up impressively at dusk – sits on three rising terraces. Enamelled plaques in panels around the base of the zedi illustrate scenes from the Jataka. At the cardinal points, facing the terrace stairways, are four shrines, each of which houses a 4m-high bronze standing Buddha. Gupta-inspired and cast in 1102, these figures are Bagan’s largest surviving bronze Buddhas. Their left hands exhibit the vitarka (exposition) mudra while the right hands are held palms outwards, fingers straight up, portraying the gesture of abhaya (no fear). A 10cm circular indentation in a stone slab, before the eastern steps up, was filled with water to allow former Burmese monarchs to look at the reflection of the hti without tipping their heads backwards (which might have caused them to lose their crowns). For a few kyat visitors can view the bejewelled hti through a telescope reserved for that purpose. Surrounding the zedi are clusters of zayat (rest houses) and shrines, some of them old, others more modern, though none of them is original. In addition to ranking as one of the oldest stupas in Bagan, Shwezigon is known as the site where the 37 pre-Buddhist nat were first officially endorsed by the Bamar monarchy. To the southeast of the platform, a yellow compound called ‘37 Nats’ (in English) features figures of the 37 nat. Ask around if the compound is locked. At one end stands an original stone figure of Thagyamin, king of the nat and a direct appropriation of the Hindu god Indra. This is the oldest known freestanding Thagyamin figure in Myanmar.

KYANZITTHA UMIN kYn'cc's;"wm='

Although officially credited to Kyanzittha, this cave temple may actually date back to Anawrahta. Built into a cliff face 250m southwest of Shwezigon, the long, dimly lit corridors are decorated with frescoes, some of which are thought to have been painted by Bagan’s Tartar invaders during the period of the Mongol occupation after 1287. An attendant usually will greet you with a torch to borrow and keys to unlock the doors. It’s very quiet in there, and you can actually see the 800-year-old brush strokes.

NORTH OF NYAUNG U From the Nyaung U jetty, you can negotiate a fun boat trip to see three temples just off the Ayeyarwady riverbank. A kilometre north, you can find the 13th-century Thetkyamuni, with a few murals inside (hard to make out) and tight, dark steps leading up to a small terrace up top. On the hill nearby is the same-era Kondawgyi Pahto, with better preserved murals and views from the surrounding platform. Another kilometre or so north is the 11th- and 12th-century Kyauk Gu Ohnmin cave temple, built in the side of a ravine. The inside tunnels lead about 50m to blocked-off rubble; some locals say the tunnel was intended to go 18km. You can climb on top of the temple from the new steps to the right. These sights are accessible, with more difficulty, by road. A boat trip takes about two or three hours, and your driver will show you the temples. It costs about K3000 or K4000 for three or four people.

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Western Myanmar Stretching 600km head to toe, slender Rakhaing (Arakan) State makes up the bulk of this enigmatic area of Myanmar that boasts both the country’s finest midrange beach resort and the biggest ancient city apart from Bagan. Just inland are the way-remote, restricted-totravellers areas of Chin State where locals are more linked with the peoples and traditions of neighbouring Bangladesh than with those of Myanmar. The whole area is cut off from the Ayeyarwady River and central plain of Myanmar by the impressive Rakhaing Yoma (Arakan Mountain Range), meaning limited road connections are rather adventurous to navigate. Historically, locals here have, unsurprisingly, looked more to the sea than inland to the Myanmar people. And it still feels a little that way.

The Rakhaing people add a different slant to any Myanmar trip. Conversations are often more direct and open than elsewhere, and are usually peppered with endearing, ever-proud (sometimes exaggerated) claims of how their ancestors instilled the language and Buddhist religion in Myanmar. And then there’s the food – just-caught squid or tiger prawns, plus spicier curries and noodles – which is just better than most of the food around the country.

HIGHLIGHTS „ Ngapali Beach (p314) is Myanmar’s best sun

spot – a 3km palm-backed white-sand stretch facing the Bay of Bengal

Chin State

„ The food! Extra spice in the same ol’ curries puts

Ngapali’s fresh seafood (p316) among Myanmar’s tastiest meals

Mahamuni Paya

Mrauk U

„ The ancient Rakhaing capital of Mrauk U (p322)

rewards equally as a peaceful village (with cool ruins) and a remarkable temple-filled site „ The Mahamuni Paya (p328) is the original site of

the Mahamuni Buddha (now, er, in Mandalay) „ Chin State (p328) teems with birds, mountain

climbs and traditional cultures – only parts of it have been opened up to foreigners

Ngapali Beach

W E S T E R N M YA N M A R

In Ngapali Beach increasing numbers of travellers are flying in to plop onto a quiet patch of the 3km stretch of palm-backed sand on the turquoise Bay of Bengal. Further north, reached via the port town of Sittwe, Mrauk U is the country’s second-most-impressive archaeological site after Bagan. Here angular hillocks are dotted with half-a-millennium-old temples amid a sprawling thatched-hut village.

312 W E S T E R N MYA N MA R • • Pe o p l e

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WESTERN MYANMAR

50 km 30 miles

Hakha

Shwebo

Ch in d

Budalin

win

BANGLADESH

Ayadaw

ver Ri

SAGAING DIVISION

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Gangaw

Lotaw

Chaung U

CHIN STATE

Tilin Myaing

Yesagyo

Matupi

Pakokku

Mindat

Mt Victoria

Mt Popa Kyaukpadaung

Buthidaung

Salin

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Yenangyaung

Minbya

Taungdwingyi

y

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eya

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Taunggok

Manaung Kyun

Myayde

Thayet

Lamu River

Sinte Padaung

Pyay (Prome) Shwedaung

INDIAN OCEAN

PEOPLE

The Rakhaing Much of western Myanmar is home to the fascinating Rakhaing ethnic group, which is in itself a controversial topic – are the Rakhaing actually Bamar (Burmans) with Indian blood, Indians with Bamar characteristics or a separate race (as is claimed

Ky e Rivintal er i

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Ri

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Sitkwin Letpandon

Kanthaya To Yakyi (Yegyi) (35km)

BAGO DIVISION

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Ri and ve we r

Ay ey

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Thandwe (Sandoway) Ngapali Beach Lontha Andwe Kywe (Andrew Bay) Myabyin Kyaukkyi Th Thabyugyaing

Kyeinthali

The Burmese government denies the existence of a Rohingya minority, a group of around one million people who distinguish themselves from the Rakhaing majority by their Islamic faith. Many Rakhaing Muslims – Rohingya as they prefer to be called – have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh and India to escape Bamar persecution. In recent years some have taken up arms, though there are no reports of skirmishes with the government. Reportedly the Rohingya must apply for permission to travel – even to visit the next village. In the past couple of decades about half a million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, though by the mid-1990s half that many were repatriated to Myanmar following agreements between Yangon (Rangoon) and Dhaka.

Gwa

Hinthada

by the Rohingya insurgents)? Although the first inhabitants of the region were a dark-skinned Negrito tribe known as the Bilu, later migrants from the eastern Indian subcontinent developed the first HinduBuddhist kingdoms in Myanmar before the first Christian millennium. These kingdoms flourished before the invasion of the

In hilly and sparsely populated Chin State, the people and culture exhibit a mixture of native, Bengali and Indian influences similar to that found among the Rakhaing, with a much lower Burman presence. As in Rakhaing State, there have been clear governmental efforts in recent years to promote Burmese culture at the expense of Chin culture, and many Chin have fled west to Bangladesh and India. Of Tibeto-Burman ancestry, the Chin people call themselves Zo-mi or Lai-mi (both terms mean ‘mountain people’), and share a culture, food and language with the Zo of the adjacent state of Mizoram in India. Outsiders name the different subgroups around the state according to the district in which they live, eg Tidam Chin, Falam Chin and Haka Chin. Traditionally the Chin practise swidden (slash-and-burn) agriculture. They are also skilled hunters, and animal sacrifice plays a role in important animistic ceremonies.

W E S T E R N MYA N MA R • • C l i m a t e 313

Currently, Chin State has the largest proportion of animists of any state in Myanmar, but the Zo culture is fast disappearing in the face of Christian and Buddhist missionary influences. Some Chin follow the Pau Chin Hau religion, which is based on the worship of a deity called Pasian and named after Pau China Hau, a spiritual leader from the Tidam District, who lived from 1859 to 1948. Hau also devised the written Chin language and is at least partly responsible for resurgent Chin nationalism. The more traditional Zo or Chin groups live in the south near the Chin-Rakhaing border. Chin Christians from the north have bombarded the area with a project called Chin Christianity in One Century (CCOC), the goal of which is to convert all Chin to the ‘one true faith’. The government, on the other hand, has its own Buddhist missions in the area and is pushing against both the animists and the Christians in a battle for the Chin soul. The Chin National Front, a nonviolent nationalist movement active on both sides of the India-Myanmar border, would like to create a sovereign ‘Chinland’ to be divided into the states of East Zoram (the current Chin State in Myanmar), West Zoram (part of southeastern Bangladesh plus Tripura in, India), Central Zoram (the state of Mizoram in India) and North Zoram (Manipur in India). Rumours of activity spread during the research of this book in late 2004. This was a unified area before the British came along.

CLIMATE Those wishing to dodge the heat or rains outside the high season (about October to March) will find that downpours or jellyfish will discourage much fun at Ngapali Beach. Sittwe and Mrauk U receive more rain than most of the country – about 500cm per year. Sudden rainstorms during the monsoon (mid-May to mid-September) are dangerous if travelling by boat to Mrauk U, or between Sittwe and Taunggok. But rains do bring surfable waves to Ngapali Beach. Cyclones and tropical storms tend to occur just before and after the rainy season.

DANGERS & ANNOYANCES Malaria precautions should be taken during monsoon season. Seven people were killed

W E S T E R N M YA N M A R

RAKHAING STATE

Pauktaw

Boister Kyun

Dalet River

d Rd

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dan

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Kodangauk

Mahamuni

Kala

Kyauktaw

Maungdaw

Tibeto-Burmans from the north and east in the 9th and 18th centuries. The current inhabitants of the state may thus be mixed descendants of all three groups: Bilu, Bengali and Bamar. The Rakhaing proudly speak ‘Arakan’, a language they claim birthed Bamar (and is certainly related). Supposedly, the study of ‘Arakan script’ has been made illegal by a government keen to stress a Bamar line.

The Rohingya

MANDALAY DIVISION

Nyaung U Bagan

ver

Teknat

W E S T E R N M YA N M A R

Sami Pindawa

Mayu Ri

Taungbyo

Lemyo Ri ver

Paletwa

Aungthabye

Myingyan

Pauk

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314 S O U T H E R N R A K HA I N G • • N g a p a l i B e a c h

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when their boat was hit by a chance storm in late 2004, while heading from Sittwe to Mrauk U (see p322 for details).

No topless or nude bathing is allowed. Surfing is possible during monsoon season (mid-May through to mid-September), when malaria precautions should be taken. Most hotels stay open all year, but it’s quiet from April to October. The December 2004 tsunami essentially had no impact here. The earthquake was felt, but the area suffered no injuries or damage, as only a very subtle change in the tide was noticed.

NGAPALI BEACH =plI %43

Myanmar’s most popular beach destination features a 3km palm-backed stretch of (for the time being) pretty quiet, pretty empty white-sand public beach. Named, some say, by a wayward Italian thinking of his Naples home, Ngapali has about 10 bungalow hotels, with traditional fishing villages in the area. Local life still shares the sand with (mostly European) foreign guests, as occasional ox carts meander by sunbathers. Historically isolated – the bus trip here still remains the monster trip of Myanmar’s most popular desolations – the nearby Thandwe airport has triggered a more midrange crowd streaming in. At research time, five new hotel projects (some joint ventures) were under way (these are listed on the map), and one-time cheapie guesthouses have scrubbed their rooms clean and upped their prices.

W E S T E R N M YA N M A R

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Ngapali Golf Course.....................2 A3 SLEEPING Amata Resort & Spa.....................3 Bayview Beach Resort...................4 Grand Resort................................5 Laguna Lodge..............................6 Lin Tha Oo Lodge........................7 Ngapali Beach Hotel.....................8 Royal Beach Motel.......................9 Sandoway Resort.......................10 Silver Beach Hotel......................11

To Airport (3km)

k

2

To Thandwe (7km)

1

2

3

Ice Factory

Linthar Village

INTERNET & TELEPHONE

Ngapali’s limited Internet access can usually be accessed at several hotels; nonguests can get online at the Silver Beach Hotel (p316) and the Ngapali Beach Hotel (p316) for about K4000 per hour. The government telephone centre (in Ngapali village) charges US$5 for overseas calls. There are phone centres in the beach area at Ngapali Beach Hotel (per min US$7) and Silver Beach Hotel (per min to North America/UK & Australia US$5/4) The Silver Beach’s phone stand is outside the hotel.

Sights FISHING VILLAGES

With a bicycle you can tour several of the fishing villages. Just north of Ngapali Beach are the small villages of Linthar and (further north, at the turnoff to Thandwe) Ngapali. South of the hotels, and easily reached barefoot by the beach, is the more interesting village of Jade Taw, where you’ll see fish drying on bamboo mats. Even further south is the bigger village of Lontha and an inlet of the same name, backed by a sweeping curve of mangrove and sand facing south. It’s prettiest at high tide. On a bayside hill east of Lontha is a modest white stupa with coloured bulbs attached

5

k

ee

Cr 12 11

Rooms over US$100 are included in the Top End section. Accommodation is open all year unless otherwise noted. A couple of former cheapies have been knocked down to make way for new resorts. At budget or midrange hotels, electricity runs from 6pm to midnight (usually) unless you spring for rooms with generators.

Ngapali Reservoir

Thandwe Beach Hotel (Construction Site) 4

Jade Marina Resort (Construction Site) 7 14

Tamarind Beach Hotel (Construction Site)

15 13

8

4

Sleeping

EATING Best Friend Restaurant................12 B3 Catch.........................................(see 4) Laguna Lodge Bar......................(see 6) Moonlight..................................13 B4 Smile Restaurant........................14 B4 Sunset Bar..................................(see 4) Two Brothers Restaurant............15 B4

Ngapali Village

Information

B4 B3 A3 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B3

Bay of Bengal 10

To Pearl Island (250m)

To Jade Taw Village (200m); Lontha Village (2km)

Island’ off the south end of the beach. Coral’s not super – there are some towering cones to swim around – but there’s plenty of bright red and blue fish to follow. About anyone you ask can help arrange a trip. Another boat trip most hotels arrange is to Pirate Beach (US$17 to US$20), a full-day trip to an isolated beach an hour south; trips should include a BBQ lunch there. It’s not an island, but it can’t be reached by land (easily), so it feels like one. Ngapali Golf Course (green fee US$5) is a ninehole course a couple of kilometres north of the beach. Hire clubs are available.

3 6

9

to it. It’s worth seeing for its glorious panoramic views – and for the adventure to reach it. To get there, turn left at the town junction (near the market and where Thandwe-bound pick-ups await their turn). The road parallels the boat-filled bay and quickly degenerates into a path too sandy and rocky to ride on; if on a bike, leave it with a local or walk it. About five minutes or so after passing a rickety bridge, you reach the hill steps. It’s about a 15-minute walk up the hill to the stupa.

Activities Four-hour snorkelling trips (4-5 people incl boat, mask & snorkel US$12-15) usually go at 7am or 8am to catch the clearest water. Most trips take in a few spots around (private) ‘Pearl

BUDGET

Grand Resort (s/d US$6/10) Facing Ngapali Beach from a rocky stretch of beach at the north end, the rather rough Grand Resort is not the most desirable budget sleep in Myanmar (and calling it a ‘resort’ is a real stretch), but it gets you on the water cheaply. A sign in Lontha village, north of the beach, leads a few hundred metres south from the main road. Its four rooms have concrete floors, mattresses on the floor, a rickety fan that runs for a few hours, and an OK bathroom attached. MIDRANGE

Lin Thar Oo Lodge (%42333, in Yangon %01-229 928; www.linntharoo-ngapali.com; s US$15-30, d US$2035; a) This 300m strip of 42 bungalows towards the northern end of the bay has a long, shaded deck outside and a great scene. Superior bungalows have air con, hot water and satellite TV; standards come with cold water and no TV. Electricity runs from 1pm to 3pm and from 5pm to 10pm or so. This used to be a golden cheapie; rates have risen, though room conditions (clean and simple, but showing some wear) haven’t always gone up with the hike (yet). Royal Beach Motel (%42411, in Yangon %01243 880; [email protected]; r US$15-40; a)

W E S T E R N M YA N M A R

This part of slender Rakhaing State boasts some of Myanmar’s best beaches and, unsurprisingly, sees most of the visitors who do make it to the region. It’s the only part of the state with bus connections, in addition to air.

1

Rd

SOUTHERN RAKHAING

B

Ngapali Rd

Services are limited. A hotel is your best bet for help for traveller’s info, money exchange or to locate medical help.

2 km 1 mile

INFORMATION Government Telephone Centre....1 A2 Telephone Centre......................(see 8) Telephone Centre....................(see 12)

Orientation Ngapali Beach is a 3km stretch paralleled by an unnamed road, with hotels spread along its curve. Ngapali village is about 2km north. Most visitors arrive at the Thandwe airport, which is actually closer to Ngapali, about 5km north of Ngapali Beach.

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Thandwe (Sandoway) is the major access point for visitors headed to Ngapali Beach. Most arrive by air from Yangon. Two long bus routes from Yangon go to Thandwe too, one via Pyay (Prome), and the other via Gwa. See p318 for more details. Sittwe is the necessary access point to Mrauk U. It’s possible to reach it by plane from Thandwe or Yangon (p321), or by boat from Taunggok, near Thandwe (p318). Note that a Myanma Airways flight from Thandwe to Sittwe crashed in January 1998, killing several passengers. The overland routes that link up north and south Rakhaing State are all closed to foreigners.

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NGAPALI BEACH

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[email protected]; bungalow s US$55-85, d US$65-95; ai) At the beach’s north end,

the Silver’s stylish bungalows have minibar, satellite TV and hot shower. The lobby has a small library and Internet (per hour K4000), which is often out. The private bungalows, opened in 2003, are a few notches up in comfort, with back patios facing the water, hardwood floors and art details on the walls. The duplex bungalows include front patio and are set around a lawn.

Lushly shaded in palms, with evocative walkways leading past gardens and ponds, this Italian-Burmese joint venture is one part villa, one part cottage ‘resort’. Cottages are two storeys, with rich dark woods, airy loft beds with resting area, and a view over the water. Bathrooms have clear roofs. Twofloor villas follow the same plan, but are a couple of notches more luxurious. Rates from 22 December to 15 January rise by up to US$90, and fall by as much as US$50 in October, April and May. The new swimming pool and library should be ready before you arrive. The restaurant has an Italian chef. Amata Resort & Spa (%42177, in Yangon %01542 535; www.amataresort.com; r US$120, ste US$140, cabanas cottage/sea-view US$180/420; ais) This

swish complex of two-storey cabanas (the cottage is a steal compared to the sea-view cost) is reached by a long open-air hallway and pool sandwiched between the bar and beach. Rooms are on the ground floor (suite above) in the complex away from the water. Ngapali Beach Hotel (%42200, in Yangon %01211 888; www.ngapalihotel.com; r US$100-160; ai)

This former government-run hotel (leased to private operators since 1999) has nice bungalows with back patios facing one of Ngapali’s longest (and calmest) stretches. But comfort-wise it’s a bit out of its league compared to the others.

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Eating & Drinking

These hotels are designed to compete as ‘international resorts’ with the best in Thailand. Most need to be booked way in advance. At least five new ones were in the works at research time; see the map for locations. Bayview Beach Resort (%20188, in Yangon %01-

Cheap, fresh and plentiful, Ngapali’s seafood ranks easily amongst Myanmar’s best dining. The long lights that line the western horizon offshore at dusk much of the year aren’t India’s skyline but fishing boats with bright bulbs that are used to attract squid. Unsurprisingly, Ngapali restaurants cook a particularly mean squid, best when dunked in a spiced ginger-and-garlic sauce. The government technically restricts bars (and therefore the sale of alcohol) on beach areas. Hotels, all of which have restaurants, often keep the drinks tucked away from the water.

504 471; www.Bayview-Myanmar.com; r US$155, in the rainy season US$60; ais) This luxurious

German-Burmese joint venture occupies a nice trip of beach, with a rare beach bar, a spa, a shop and a restaurant. Swankish bungalows are filled mostly with package tourists (many Germans and Austrians); you’ll need to reserve by April for a room in winter. Garden-view bungalows have doubles and triples; beachfront ones are doubles only. Activities include windsurfing, kayaking and catamaranning. Sandoway Resort (%42244, in Yangon %01-296 987; www.sandowayresort.com; cottages s US$170-260, d US$180-270, villas s US$260-330, d US$270-340; as)

MAIN ROAD RESTAURANTS

A dozen take-your-pick open-air restaurants line the main road, with clusters grouped around most hotels. Each offers practically identical menus (posted in English) with practically identical prices. A

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dish of crab, squid or barracuda runs about K2000, barbecued tiger prawn is K3500, and lobster is K9000 and up. Moonlight (Ngapali Rd; h7.30am-10pm Oct-Apr) There’s no prices on the menu, but the friendly English-speaking manager brings the Yangon hotel experience to a simple deck restaurant (rimmed by wagon wheels). Its barbecue squid (K2000) may be Ngapali’s tastiest. Squid comes flattened as ‘fillets’ – not diced up – and barbecued. Other very good choices: Best Friend Restaurant (Ngapali Rd) One of a pack of eateries at the beach’s north end.

Smile Restaurant (Ngapali Rd) Outside Ngapali Beach Restaurant.

Two Brothers Restaurant (Ngapali Rd) Outside Amata Resort & Spa.

The islet at the southern end of the beach has a small café you can wade to for tea, beer and potato chips; there’s good shade at midday. HOTEL RESTAURANTS

Only hotel restaurants provide beachside eating. Most hotels have kitchens open to all. Here are a few. Bayview Beach Resort (%20188) This place has two restaurants. The Sunset Bar has US$5 pizzas, noodle dishes and burgers. Happy hour runs from 6pm to 7pm (beers US$1, cocktails US$2). Its main restaurant, the Catch, serves seafood from US$8 to US$22. Amata Resort & Spa Restaurant (h7-10am, 11am-2pm & 6.30-10.30pm; pizzas & pastas US$8-12, specialities US$14-20) This hotel restaurant over-

looks the pool and beach. On offer are a juicy beef tenderloin for US$17, a big icecream assortment (US$5) and real espresso (US$3). Laguna Lodge Bar (%43122) Here you can get cocktails and fruit juices (including a rare carrot juice for K1000) on the sand.

Getting There & Away See p318 for information on buses and flight info to/from this region. Buses to Yangon, Pyay and Gwa offer pick-up service at Ngapali Beach hotels. See p318 for information on the nearby boat service.

Getting Around A pick-up from Thandwe to Ngapali Beach and on to Linthar village (K200, one hour) runs frequently. Catch one in either direction

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on the main road. Bicycles can be rented from most hotels for about K2000 per day.

THANDWE o®tâE

Though it plays a tertiary fiddle to Ngapali in terms of travel appeal, ‘Thandwe’ (aka Sandoway or Thantwe) is what your airor bus-ticket stub will read. Located about 10km inland to the northeast of Ngapali Beach, Thandwe is home to some 50,000 residents (30% of which are Muslim) and nicely fills a hilly valley with its low-key streets. Thandwe has been a key Rakhaing centre for many centuries. When the British stationed a garrison here around the turn of the 20th century, they twisted the name into Sandoway.

Sights THE MARKET & AROUND

Housed in a former British jail in the centre of town, the Thandwe market is where a handful of guests from upscale beach resorts on day trips go seeking a ‘real deal market’. It is kinda real deal actually. Vendors sell medicinal herbs, clothes, textiles, some souvenirs, hardware and free-market consumer goods. On its northern side, the Point is a friendly art gallery and teashop that hosted some free language courses for locals until it was shut down by the government in 2004; ask to see if things have changed if you want to volunteer. Across the street on the north side is the Suni Mosque, Thandwe’s largest of five. HILL PAGODAS

Three golden (and rhyming) stupas stand on hilltops at four points around Thandwe. None are spectacular in themselves, but each offers excellent viewpoints of the town’s tin roofs peeking out of a sea of palms and hills leading in east and west. It’s worth visiting at least one. The tallest, Nandaw Paya, 1.5km west of the market, was supposedly erected in 761 by King Minbra to enshrine a piece of a rib of the Buddha. The long shrine facing the stupa to the south houses some nice wood-carving reliefs of Buddha’s life. Most visitors skip the overgrown steps up and walk up the hill-encircling road that starts on the hill’s northeast side.

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An excellent midranger on the beach’s south end (just before the fishing village starts), the Royal has five price ranges for rooms in its super-comfy, shady and more compact complex. All rooms have wood floors and mosquito nets, and include breakfast alfresco in the restaurant bar. A small forest of palms separates the rooms from the beach. The two highest priced rooms (US$35 and US$40) come with 24-hour power and air con. Staff members bring buckets of hot water if you don’t want your shower cold. Laguna Lodge (%43122, in Yangon %01-501 123; r US$45-70) Ngapali’s smallest accommodation is this quiet, small bungalow with four rooms upstairs; the two US$70 rooms (and probably the only worthwhile options) face the water, with big, creaking wood floors and shared balcony. It’s open from midOctober to May. Silver Beach Hotel (in Yangon % 01-381 898;

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TAUNGGOK This surprisingly hopping lil’ town 80km or so north of Thandwe is a stopping-off point for travellers between Pyay and Thandwe by bus, or for catching a boat to Sittwe.

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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Fish Market..................................5 Fruit Bat Trees..............................6 Jama Mosque..............................7 Maka Kuthala Kyaungdawgyi.......8 New Clock Tower........................9 Old Clock Tower........................10 Rakhaing State Cultural Museum................................11

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Only the heartiest travellers travel to/from here by bus. There are now two routes to/ from Yangon: over mountains via Pyay, and a smoother way along the coast via Gwa. Both services leave at 3pm from the bus station in Thandwe, about 1km north of the market (just before the river). A ticket for either is K4500. The 17- or 18-hour route between Thandwe and Yangon via Pyay (K4500, about 12 hours), run by Aung Thit Sar (%43499), has

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KANTHAYA This small Rakhaing coastal town, 130km south of Thandwe and 26km north of Gwa, is a struggling attempt at a new beach resort. Its isolation has meant few people make it here, and the beach doesn’t have the reputation of Ngapali’s. There are a couple of plain guesthouses that accept foreigners, if you’re looking to break the journey between Thandwe and Yangon using the Gwa route.

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Propped impressively where the wide tidal Kaladan River mouth kisses the Bay of Bengal, Sittwe (also called Sittway) may sound like a quaint spot for water-watching strolls. For most visitors, it’s just a hurry-and-leave transfer point for visitors heading to Mrauk U (p322). The fish market, friendly folk and

The Strand

See Taunggok (right) for info on the boat service to Sittwe.

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Most of Sittwe’s action runs along the almost north–south Main Rd, which parallels the Kaladan River. The airport is about 2.5km southwest of the centre; the main boat jetty is about 1km north. The main hospital and post office are near the new clock tower, south of the centre (where you’ll find the old steel clock tower, erected by the Dutch in the 18th century). Internet is slow and expensive in Sittwe. At research time, there was a lone Internet stand (Main Rd; per hr K4500; h8am-9pm); it’s

SITTWE

PICK-UP

Pick-ups leave every 90 minutes from 6am to 6pm for Taunggok (K800/1200 in back/ front seat, four or five hours) from a small station a couple of hundred metres north of the bus station (across the river).

Orientation & Information

This area, brushing against the Bangladesh border, can be reached only by air or boat.

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Thandwe airport (%42611) is closer to Ngapali village, about 3km north of the crossroads between Ngapali Beach, Thandwe and the airport. Hotel buses meet planes offering free transport to Ngapali Beach, reservations or not. Yangon Airways (YA), Air Bagan and Air Mandalay (AM) serve Yangon (US$72 to US$80) daily, with several flights each week to Sittwe (US$64 to US$70). Flights to Heho (US$110) or Nyaung U (US$121) often go via Yangon. The connections run daily from October to April. Government-run Myanma Airways (MA) goes to Sittwe on Tuesday (US$50) and Yangon (US$65) daily.

NORTHERN RAKHAING

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spicy dishes can easily fill the half-a-day you need on either side of a Mrauk U trip. The population is about 30% Muslim. A port town of note for a couple of hundred years, and inhabited for a couple of thousand, Sittwe boomed when the British moved the Rakhaing capital here from Mrauk U in the early 19th century. Incoming wealth from cargo trade with Calcutta fuelled the construction of some fine colonial mansions, but much of the grace was lost under heavy WWII raids.

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Getting There & Away

If you’re staying overnight, the Royal Guest House (%043-61088; s/d K3000/6000) has clean basic rooms with private bathroom a couple of blocks from the bus station. Fast boats leave from the Taunggok docks to Sittwe (US$40, eight hours) on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Several buses leave for Pyay (K2500) around 4am and 7.30pm daily.

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Thandwe has no licensed places to stay. You can find some noodles around the market, and a couple of rice-‘n’-curry restaurants on sidestreets a block north and south.

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Sleeping & Eating

the reputation of being the hardest, bounciest, most stomach-churning trip in Myanmar; one traveller from Switzerland said, ‘It was worse than training camp for the Swiss army.’ One local complained about bags of dried fish filling the aisles and floors on a supposedly ‘cargo-free bus’ and left it: ‘My daughter will vomit all night.’ Some buses hand out vomit bags. The roughest part, between Taunggok and Pyay, winds mercilessly in the Arakan Mountains at night, when most passengers close up the windows for the cold keeping the fish stench contained. But, really, it’s not that bad. On the cargo bus, we found seats one to three (on the front row) and five (second row, with no seat before it) particularly good to keep an eye on the road. Also, a hearty dose of garlic beforehand seems to help neutralise the fish odour. If you don’t want to take the trip to Pyay at night, you can take a pick-up or bus to Taunggok, spend the night, and grab a morning bus to Pyay. Ye Aung Lan (%43500) sends buses to Yangon (K4500, about 17 or 18 hours) via Gwa. You can stop off at Kanthaya beach (K3000, six to seven hours).

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Just east of town, right across a small river about 1km from the market, the Sandaw Paya was supposedly built in 784 by Rakhaing king Minyokin to house a Buddha hair, and was rebuilt by the Burmese in 1876. Across the river north (past the bus station and east on a stone road about 2km from the market), the Andaw Paya is the lowest, but has revealing looks at the river’s fork from the hills east. It claims to house a Buddha molar relic and dates from 763. You can get a trishaw to take you to all three for K2000 or so.

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cheaper at the Noble Hotel or Shwe Thazin Hotel (opposite). Outside the generator-run midrange hotels, electricity runs generally from 6pm to 11pm only.

Sights Busy with to-and-fro boats, the Sittwe waterfront is not as grubby as many port towns can be. The riverside Strand leads about 2km south to a smashing location called the Point (admission K50, per bicycle K50),where you can sip on a beer or fresh coconut as the sun sets over the Bay of Bengal. An extortionate fee is tolled for cameras (K1000), digital cameras (K2000) and video cameras (K3000). Just west is a grey-brown sand beach that has a tricky undertow, where a few (often drunk) swimmers lose their lives each year. The morning fish market kicks off around 6am and is worth popping by before your boat or plane leaves. On the stone pier, thousands of fresh fish are splashed on the stone pier, where fishers sell baskets full for US$3 or US$4. RAKHAING STATE CULTURAL MUSEUM

The government-run Rakhaing State Cultural Museum (Main Rd; admission US$2; h 10am-4pm Tue-Sat) is worth a look for its two floors of Rakhaing cultural goodies. On the ground floor, diagrams, artefacts and signs in English detail how the Rakhaing started their civilisation here around 3000 BC and about Buddha’s purported visit in 554 BC. There’s an imaginative rendering of Mrauk U in full steam that looks more Jules Verne, with housed archways connecting hilltops. Upstairs are displays on local customs (eg models showing off some of the 64 Mrauk U royal hairstyles), festivals (including the ra hta pwe, a three-day tug of war) and watercolour drawings detailing key moves you may need if you ever undergo a game of traditional Rakhaing wrestling. BUDDHIST MUSEUMS

A life’s work by Sittwe monk Bhaddanta Wannita, who spent 49 years collecting old coins and Buddha images from monasteries to protect them from thieves, has resulted (seemingly) in a little tug-of-war between his former monastery and a governmentopened museum.

His former monastery, the Maka Kuthala Kyaungdawgyi (Large Monastery of Great Merit; Main Rd; admission free), is housed in (of all things) a grand, century-old British colonial mansion north of the centre. The modest museum upstairs contains cases of ‘Union of Burma’ notes, Buddhas and votives and coins from the Mrauk U and other ancient periods, plus a full case of more recent golf trophies. A less satisfying collection, borrowed from some of Wannita’s collection apparently, is at the Buddhistic Museum (Baw Dhi St; admission free), an official-looking building made by the government in 1992. Inside are dozens of small ancient Buddha images and votive tablets. The big pagoda between the museum and the centre is the Lokananda Paya, put up by General Than Shwe himself in 1997. On Saturday, soldiers shuffle to scrub clean the giant walkway around it. Just north is a small ordination hall, which houses the Sachamuni image, a 1.5m bronze Buddha pock-marked with mini-Buddhas. Apparently the image was found by Mrauk U fishers in recent years – previously thrown in the river to ‘escape British destruction’, one local said. It was housed at the Bandoola Monastery in Mrauk U (p326) until the government moved it here in 1997. It’s (unrealistically) claimed to date from 24 BC. OTHER SIGHTS

In the centre of town, an old steel clock tower, topped with a weathervane, was erected by the Dutch in the 18th century. As a countersymbol of Myanmar nationalism, in 1991 the government built the more ornate (and working) clock tower, south on Main Rd. Hundreds of fruit bats slumber during the day in the trees around Sittwe University, then head off at dusk to island hop across the river. Next to the Rakhaing State Cultural Museum, the Jama Mosque (1859) is easily Sittwe’s most impressive building.

Sleeping BUDGET

Both shoestring options could use a little more love. Electricity runs from 6pm to 11pm unless otherwise noted. Palace Hotel (%21657; Main Rd; s/d US$5/10) Barebone and rather rundown, the Palace

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has basic rooms with concrete floors, thinmattress beds with mosquito net, and coldwater showers. It doesn’t smell bad though. There’s no breakfast. Electricity pumps life into either a fan or a fluorescent light bulb. Prince Hotel (%21395, in Yangon %01-286 701; www.mraukuprincehotel.com; Main Rd; s US$5-15, d US$1020; ai) It’s another run-down guesthouse

but a bit more traveller-focused, the Prince has some dingy rooms with shared bathroom on the ground floor, and bigger rooms (with low ceilings) on the top two floors. The most expensive one has air-con from 7pm to 11pm (it’s an extra K1500 per hour to keep the generator running). Breakfast is served on a small ‘veranda’ or on the shaded patio. Ask to see a few rooms before choosing one. MIDRANGE

These more comfy options include roundthe-clock generators. Noble Hotel (%23558; 45 Main Rd; noble@myanmar .com.mm; s/d US$25/35; ai) This newcomer sits in the centre across from the Rakhaing State Cultural Museum. Rooms are small, but clean and quite modern – with satellite TV, minibar and hot-water shower. Staff members help you get online (per hr K3000) or on a bike. Shwe Thazin Hotel (%23579; [email protected] .mm; 250 Main Rd; s/d US$30/35; ai) This new hotel offers the same amenities as the Noble, but with a super 7th-floor lookout deck (Sittwe’s highest point, actually), good for glimpses of those fruit bats across Main Rd. Internet is K2500 per hour. At research time, the Sittway Hotel, west of the Point, was still government run.

Eating The same old curries and rice dishes come with extra spice in Rakhaing State. Ask for local specialties at any restaurant and you’ll usually get the tastiest stuff. Nyein Chan (dishes K1000-2000; h 6am-10pm) This friendly family Chinese/Burmese restaurant is one along a strip of Sittwe’s most appealing eateries a few blocks inland from the new clock tower. One local specialty is the super Rakhaing-style curry soup packed with prawns (15 at last count) and spiced with chilli and ginger. Staff dutifully put on Myanmar national news at 9pm, but sometimes keep on the live audio feed of US pro wrestling.

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City Point Music Restaurant (Strand; most dishes K1000-2000; h7am-11pm) The nicest restaurant on the river, City Point has a big grass lawn on the bank and a nightly one-guy music show. It’s got a good location, but spray up before eating at dusk as mosquitos swarm. Mondi is the Rakhaing-style fish noodle soup downed by locals for breakfast. (One local passionately explained its difference with the ubiquitous Burmese noodle soup: ‘Mohinga has peanuts, mondi has chillis!’) Sittwe’s best – many claim – is served at the small mondi stand (bowl K150; h6am-6pm) facing the city hall on the road to the airport. In the centre, you’ll find a few basic restaurants on Main Rd. On the Strand, May Yu Restaurant is good for Chinese food (and beer).

Getting There & Away Overland routes between Sittwe and Yangon (as well as to Mrauk U) are presently closed to foreigners. AIR

Sittwe’s airport is about 2.5km southwest of the centre. Taxis and trishaw drivers await flights. In peak season (between October and April), daily flights go to/from Yangon and (at research time) there were flights five days a week to/from Thandwe. SPREADING THE COMMISSIONS At research time a lone licensed guide was essentially running a monopoly on all independent travellers’ commissions (paid behind the scenes from taxis, hotels, boats companies, airline offices and trishaw drivers you pay for) in Sittwe and Mrauk U. Many travellers have enjoyed his service – and he seems a nice, capable (if a little pushy) fellow. But if you want more than one person to cash in on you, don’t tell the first English-speaker you meet at the jetty or airport where you’re staying. At the airport, avoid the extortionate US$3 taxi ride 2km to the centre and walk 100m outside the airport gates and get a trishaw (about K1000). You could always ask to go to the Rakhaing State Culture Museum, then walk to your place alone. Drastic, but it might work.

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WATERFRONT

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322 N O R T H E R N R A K HA I N G • • M r a u k U

Air Mandalay (%21638; h9am-5pm) and Yangon Airways (%24102; h9am-5pm) sell tickets for flights to Yangon (US$105 one way) and to Thandwe (US$75). A bit cheaper, government-run Myanma Airways (%23157; Main Rd; h9am-5pm) has flights to Yangon (US$90) and a Tuesday flight to Thandwe (US$50). BOAT

The only way to/from Mrauk U for foreigners, presently, is by boat. There are three speeds to go by. Government-run Inland Water Transport (IWT) has an office 100m west of the Mrauk U jetty, though there’s no need to buy tickets in advance. The two-level ferry chugs up the Kaladan River to Mrauk U (US$4, six to seven hours) on Thursday, Saturday, Monday and/or Tuesday. It can be quite pleasant upstairs on a deckchair (K300) in good weather; there’s a stall serving basic food. On days it doesn’t run, at least one ‘private boat’ (US$10, four to five hours) leave at 7am and often at 2.30pm. Often these can be arranged any day. Many are small openair boats with folding seats and a quicker motor than the IWT ferry. Nawarat Shwe Pyi Thar (%23159) runs a ‘fast boat’ (US$20, three hours), leaving Sittwe at 2.30pm. These are enclosed 32-seater boats with small windows. To Taunggok & Baronga Islands Malikha Express (%23441; Main Rd; h9am-5pm) sells

tickets for the fast boat (enclosed with windows) for Taunggok (US$40, eight hours), which departs on Monday, Thursday and BOAT TRAGEDY In November 2004, five Italian tourists and two locals were killed on a fast boat just outside Mrauk U when a cyclone overturned the boat. The boat had left Sittwe at 2.30pm and was struck after dark. Such storms in winter are very, very rare. Some locals suggested, however, the government ferry is ‘bigger and safer’ as it’s less likely to overturn. Certainly the daytime trip offers higher visibility in case of an accident.

Saturday. See Taunggok (p318) for schedule times to Sittwe. The pier that ran boats to Taunggok and the nearby Baronga Islands, near the fish market, was destroyed by a storm during the 2004 rainy season. It’s possible services will resume from there at some point in the future. Boats for Taunggok were leaving from the Mrauk U jetty at research time.

Getting Around Petrol is more expensive in Sittwe, evident in the US$3 shared taxi fare to/from the airport. Trishaws await most planes (outside the airport gate) and all boats, and should cost K1000 or less to get anywhere. You can rent a bicycle from some hotels for about K3000 per day.

MRAUK U e¨m;k'wI" %043

Simply the journey to the ancient Rakhaing capital of Mrauk U (Myohaung) – 65km by boat from Sittwe on an increasingly narrow waterway – gives a sense of time and place to this lovely area in the foothills of the Chin Mountains. Once in Mrauk U, its 150 or so temples stand atop, under and between rounded hillocks so curved and perfect they look like they’re from a child’s drawing. For those who’ve visited Bagan, Mrauk U (roughly pronounced m’yawk-oo) is at once smaller – in temple size and scope – but more alive in the sense that thatched hut villages perforate the site, with refuse fires adding a smoky haze at dusk, as shepherds lead their animals home. Curiously, locals call out ‘bye bye’ and wave. The town is intersected by several chaung (canals), the main source of transport and water. Much daily activity seems to be taken up with water trips. Instead of the usual clay pots or rectangular oil cans, Mrauk U residents carry shiny aluminium water pots (imported from India) on their hips. Since 1996, the government has funded a massive restoration of Mrauk U. So far 37 temples have been restored of 145 planned. Not all visitors (or residents) share equal enthusiasm for how they look. One-time cracked stupas now look as if they’re made of potters’ clay. One of the most interesting times to visit Mrauk U is during the huge weeklong paya

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N O R T H E R N R A K HA I N G • • M r a u k U 323

pwe (pagoda festival) held near Dukkanthein Paya (p325) in mid-May. Some harmless characters are likely to find you to say ‘hi’. There’s a ‘literature man’ who makes a point to chat with all foreigners, and another guy who likes to murmur in various languages in your presence.

The temples are grouped in relation to the central Palace Site: the North Group is home to the most popular temples, the remote East Group has the finest engravings at Kothaung, and the South Group the highest point.

History

Foreigners must pay a once-only US$10 fee to visit Mrauk U and any of its 157 known monuments. Attendants at several temples (irritatingly) light up old details with fluorescent lights and expect a K1000 ‘donation’; both fees should be paid at the Shittaung Paya (p324). It may be possible to visit Chin state from here (see p329). There are a couple of useful books on Rakhaing history and Mrauk U, but at research time you needed to buy them beforehand from Bagan Books in Yangon (p87). Tun Shwe Khine’s A Guide to Mrauk U (1993) is more artful and better organised, but U Shwe Zan’s The Golden Mrauk U: An Ancient Capital of Rakhine (1997) has more detail and is considered by some to be more accurate. Group Star Co-Op Ltd (per hr K5000; h9am-5pm) offers Mrauk U’s lone Internet connection.

Mrauk U served as the last great Rakhaing capital for 354 years from 1430 to 1784. In its heyday, it served as a free port trading with the Middle East, Asia, Holland, Portugal and Spain. A Dutch bloke who visited in the 16th century called it one of the richest cities in Asia, comparable to London or Amsterdam. The remains of a European quarter called Daingri Kan can still be seen just southwest of town. The Mrauk U dynasty was much feared by the peoples of the Indian subcontinent and central Myanmar. Mrauk U kings even hired some Japanese samurai as bodyguards against assassination. At Mrauk U’s peak, King Minbin (1531–53) created a naval fleet of some 10,000 war boats that dominated the Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Martaban. Many of Mrauk U’s finest temples (Shitthaung, Dukkanthein, Lemyethna and Shwedaung) were built during his reign. Mrauk U was a successor to two earlier kingdoms in the area: Dhanyawady (c 1st to 6th centuries AD) and Wethali (3rd to 10th centuries), the remains of which are still visible to the north. All three kingdoms blended elements of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism with Hinduism and Islam. In the late 18th century, the Konbaung dynasty asserted its power over the region and Mrauk U was integrated into the Bamar kingdoms centred around Mandalay. After the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824–26, the British Raj annexed Rakhaing and set up its administrative headquarters in Sittwe, thus turning Mrauk U into a political backwater virtually overnight. The Burmese name gradually changed to Myohaung (Old City), though the Rakhaing continued to call the town Mrauk U.

Orientation Temples and town mingle together over a 7-sq-km or so area. The boat jetty is 1km south of the market and main strip of town; just east is the central Palace Site.

Information

Sights PALACE SITE & AROUND

Just east of the main strip of Mrauk U village, the onetime royal palace of Mrauk U now is mostly crumbling walls (though the outer walls still stand 3.5m high) and gateways of sandstone blocks. It’s a good place to get your bearings – with Haritaung just north, golden Shwetaung on the hill to the southeast. According to the legend, King Minbun’s astrologers advised a move here in 1429 after the palace at Launggret had been invaded by ‘poisonous snakes and evil birds’. His representatives witnessed some strange things at this spot – an old guy playing a flute pointed to a cat-chasing rat and then a snake-biting frog – apparently suggesting its soil as being worthy of a king. Construction began in 1430 (though some sources say it didn’t start until 1553); the palace layout is roughly based on the Mahamuni Paya (p328) to the north. In the centre of the site is a hole dug that served as an escape tunnel to Shittaung Paya.

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Just inside the western walls, the Department of Archaeology’s museum (admission free; h11am-3pm Mon-Fri) includes a few rooms with some good pieces culled from area sites for safe-keeping. Included are Buddha images, inscripted stone slabs (a 15th-century one features ancient Arabic writing), reliefs with some original colour intact, cannons, Wethali-era coins and a helpful model of the Mrauk U site. Old photos on the walls include a before-restoration shot of Ratanabon’s (opposite) crack. It’s worth poring over the Shittaung pillar replica (see right), which is far easier to make out than the deteriorated original. Items are signed in English. Off the road just north of the Palace walls, steps lead up to hilltop Haridaung Paya (built around 1750), a small white paya with particularly good westward views. NORTH GROUP

For many, this area is the pick of the litter for Mrauk U, with all sites within walking distance. There are a couple of food stalls and a gift shop below the Shittaung.

B2 C2 B3 C3

EATING Da Nya Wadi Restaurant........(see 25) Moe Cherry..............................24 B2 Pyae Wa Restaurant.................25 B2 TRANSPORT Jetty........................................26 A3 Taxi Stand................................27 B2

Myataung Fortress Laythataung Fortress

Shittaung

The usual starting point is at Mrauk U’s most complex temple, the Shittaung (Sittaung in Burmese). King Minbin, the most powerful of Rakhaing’s kings, built it in 1535. It’s a frenzy of stupas of various sizes; some 26 surround a central stupa. Shittaung means ‘Shrine of the 80,000 Images’, a reference to the number of holy images inside (the actual tally is more like 84,000, though some have since been stolen). Thick walls, with windows and nooks, surround the two-tiered structure. A recent (exhaustive) restoration has sadly left much of the exterior looking more like moulding clay than an ancient ruin. Outside the southwest entrance stairway, and inside a locked mint-green building, is the much-studied Shittaung Pillar, a 3m sandstone obelisk brought here from Wethali by King Minbin. Considered the ‘oldest history book in Myanmar’ (by the Rakhaing at least), three of the obelisk’s four sides are inscribed in a faded Sanskrit. Little can be made out now, but there’s a clearer replica at the palace museum, left.

The east-facing side likely dates from the end of the 5th century. The western face displays a list dating from the 8th century outlining Rakhaing kings from 638 BC to 729 AD (King Anandacandra). Lying on its back next to the pillar is a cracked, 3.6mlong sandstone slab featuring an engraved lotus flower (a Buddhist motif) growing from a wavy line of water (Brahman motif) and touching an intricately engraved dhammachakka (Wheel of the Law). Inside the temple’s prayer hall (where attendants collect the US$10 entrance for Mrauk U and a K1000 ‘light’ fee) you’ll see several doors ahead. Two lead to passageways that encircle the main Buddha image in the cave hall (which is seen straight ahead). The far left (southwest) doorway leads to the outer chamber, a 94m passageway with sandstone slabs cut into six tiers. Over 1000 sculptures (perhaps over-illuminated considering the windows) show a lot of detail of Rakhaing customs (eg traditionally dressed dancers, boxers, acrobats), beasts of burden, and hundreds of Jataka (scenes from Buddha’s past 550 lives). At each corner are bigger figures, including the maker King Minbin and his queens at the southwest corner. The passage exits back into the prayer hall on the opposite side. Next to the outer chamber entry is a coiling inner chamber leading past dozens of Buddha images in niches, passing a Buddha footprint where – it’s said – Buddha walked during his post-enlightenment. Once you get to the dead end, double back to the hall, and see if you can feel the passageway becoming cooler. Some claim it does, symbolising the ‘cooling effect’ of Buddhist teachings. Along the outer walls, several reliefs can be seen engraved (some are hard to reach); a few on the south side are rather pornographic. Andaw Paya

Immediately northeast of Shittaung stands a smaller, eight-sided monument with a similar linear layout: rectangular prayer hall to the east, multispired sanctuary to the west. Sixteen zedi (stupas) are aligned in a square-cornered U-shape around the southern, northern and western platforms. As at Shittaung, small windows admit light and ventilation, but here the fluorescent glare is dimmer. Two concentric passageways are

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lined with Buddha niches; in the centre of the shrine, an eight-sided pillar supports the roof. The original construction of the shrine is ascribed to King Minhlaraza in 1521. King Minrazagyi then rebuilt Andaw in 1596 to enshrine a piece of the tooth relic supposedly brought from Sri Lanka by King Minbin in the early 16th century. Most likely the roofline sikhara date to his later recon struction, as their slender, terraced style is very different from that found at Shittaung. Ratanabon Paya

This massive stupa (sometimes called Yadanapon), just north of Andaw Paya, is ringed by 24 smaller stupas. It was apparently built by Queen Shin Htway in 1612. During WWII a bomb nailed it, but it had already been picked at by treasure hunters attracted by the name, which means ‘accumulation of treasure’. Recent renovations repaired the enormous bomb-made crack and reinserted the tall chattra (spire). Dukkanthein Paya

Across the road to the northwest of Shittaung, the Dukkanthein (the name loosely means ‘ordination hall that spiritually reinforces the town’) smacks of a bunker (with stupas) set impressively on its small bluff amid a green field. Wide stone steps lead up the south and east side; take the latter to reach the entrance. Built by King Minphalaung in 1571 in particularly troubled times, Dukkanthein’s MRAUK U’S TOP FIVE VIEWS Bagan boasts its sunsets, but Mrauk U’s best vantage spots – great any time of the day – rival it, with smoky refuse fires adding a spookiness to the hills and temples. Here are five goodies: „ Shwetaung Paya (p326) is the highest

in Mrauk U „ Haridaung (opposite) has great west-

ward views „ Hillock just north of Ratanabon (p326) „ Ratanamanaung, accessed from the

road just west of Sakyamanaung (p326) „ Hill just east of Lokamanaung, 500m

west of the Palace (Map p324)

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interior features spiralling cloisters lined with images of Buddha and, as per astrologers’ strategic advice to the king, of common people, landlords, governors, officials and (notably) their spouses, who famously show off all of Mrauk U’s 64 traditional hairstyles. Along the way, stairs lead off to an ordination hall. The passageway nearly encircles the centre three times before reaching the sun-drenched Buddha image set above the inner stairway. A fine paya pwe is held near the paya in mid-May. The Laymyetnha Paya, 100m north, looks a bit like a squashed-up version of the Dukkanthein, but was actually built 140 years earlier. Inside the unrenovated pagoda, a round passage is lined with Buddha images. Around the hillock northeast of the Ratanabon are a few worthy sites. The first is this squat hilltop Mahabodhi Shwegu (built in 1448), above on the right, with a narrow passageway leading to a 1.8m central Buddha and four Buddhas in niches. The best are the 280 Jataka scenes, acrobats, worshippers, and animal love scenes (!) engraved onto either side of the narrow, arched entry walls. Back on the road, and 120m north, is the octagonal Laungbanpyauk Paya, a slightly leaning zedi built by King Minkhaungraza in 1525. Some locals call it the ‘Plate Pagoda’ as its outer wall is still adorned with glazed platelike tiles in bright colours. Encircling the zedi are 16 Buddhas in niches with still-surviving detail. Its restoration feels more authentic than some temples. At the end of the road, 200m north, the compact, highly ornate Pitaka Taik is the last remaining of the 48 libraries that were in Mrauk U. It was built in 1591 by King Minphalaung as a repository for the Tripitaka (Three Baskets; the Buddhist canon), which was received from Sri Lanka in the 1640s. It’s wee – only 4m long and 2.7m high. The Pitaka Taik is near the old city wall, which ran east–west just to the north. EAST GROUP

Starting east of the Palace walls, this area stretches a couple of kilometres east. Sakyamanaung Paya

Roughly 1km northeast of the Palace walls, and behind Shwegudaung hill, this graceful

zedi was erected in 1629 by King Thirithudhammaraza. At this later stage, stupas were built more vertically and ornate than before (an absorption of Bamar and Shan styles). The lower half of the well-preserved 85m zedi features a multitiered octagonal shape as at Laungbanpyauk Paya, but beyond this the bells reverts to a layered circular shape mounted by a decorative hti (umbrellalike top). At the western gate are a couple of half-kneeling, painted giants. To the west is Ratanamanaung, which offers fine views. Kothaung Temple

One of the Mrauk U highlights, this temple (undergoing heavy restoration at research time) is a couple of kilometres east of the Palace. It’s not necessarily the easiest to find by bicycle; locals will point the way. At 69m by 75m, the massive structure is Mrauk U’s largest. Built in 1553 by King Minbun’s son, King Mintaikkha, to outdo his pop’s Shittaung by 10,000 images (‘Kothaung’ means ‘Shrine of 90,000 Images’), much of it was found in fragments. Legends vary – that lightning destroyed it, jewel-seekers overturned walls, or that it was built with inferior stones by a superstitious king bent on beating a six-month timeline. Most of the outer passageway is accessible. It’s lined with thousands of bas reliefs on the walls and Buddha images (some headless) – probably the most jaw-dropping detail of Mrauk U. Stairways lead up to a top terrace, where restoration is underway to rebuilt the 108 stupas that once dotted the temple top. SOUTH GROUP

South of the palace site, and across the river, are evocative, easy-to-lose-your-way back lanes through thatched-hut villages and a host of pagodas. About 1km south, the Laksaykan Gate leads to the eponymous lake, a source of clean water and pride among locals. To the west is the interesting hilltop Bandoola Kyaung, a monastery where many worshippers climb the steps to see several Buddha images in covered areas. Southwest of the Palace, the Shwetaung Paya (Golden Hill Pagoda) is the highest in Mrauk U; you can see it for nearly half the trip from Sittwe. Built by King Minbin in 1553, it’s accessed by a few trails largely lost

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under thick vegetation (best not to return after dark). The views are worth the scrapes: a full panorama of the Chin Hills, Mrauk U and the river leading towards Sittwe.

Festivals & Events A huge weeklong paya pwe (pagoda festival) is held near Dukkanthein Paya in mid-May.

Sleeping All hotels offer free breakfast. Electricity runs from about 5pm to 10pm or 11pm, unless otherwise noted. Royal City Guest House (%23808-19; s/d with shared bathroom US$5/7, r/bungalow US$10/15) A couple of hundred metres towards town from the docks, this friendly guesthouse is right on the river and next to two loud timber yards that quieten after dark. Some staff members sing lovely Rakhaing folk songs to fill the day’s space. New bungalows are across the road. The cheapest rooms are very basic and very small (bed, window, small table and the space to put ’em in). The shared bathroom has no roof (nice for moonlit tinkles), but is kept quite clean. All beds have mosquito nets. Vesali Resort Hotel (in Yangon %01-526 593; [email protected]; s/d US$30/35) The superinviting, relaxing bungalows at the Vesali come with dark, wooden floors and mosquito nets. Night-lights run all night, but fans and electricity run only from 5.30pm to 11pm or midnight. It’s slightly removed from town, and the bulk of the temples. Sometimes discounts can be arranged if you book ahead, and the 18 rooms do fill in winter. Some package tourists. Nawarat Hotel (%24001, in Yangon %01-703 885; fax 01-661 159; s US$30-36, d US$40-48; a) Opened in 2001, this hotel is enviously set in walking distance from the Shittaung temple, but is a tad overpriced. Its bungalow-style motel units are clean and comfy, if a bit generic. The higher priced rooms get you 24-hour electricity; otherwise power clicks off from 6pm to 6am. All rooms have hot-water tubs, satellite TV, minibar and a photo of elephants behind the twin or double beds. The free breakfast is served in a restaurant open all day. It’s on the package-tour circuit too. Prince Hotel (in Yangon%01-441 0150, 01-286 701; www.mraukuprincehotel.com; r US$15-20) Next to the

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Vesali Resort Hotel, this leafy complex of seven bungalows used to be dark and dreary, but fixed itself up (somewhat) in 2004. Bamboo details fill the rooms, and staff will bring a bucket of hot water to ease your coldshower fears. The hotel also makes up a useful Mrauk U map, and can point you to a nearby trail up the hill to Shwetaung Paya. The Mrauk U Hotel, across from the Nawarat, is government-run.

Eating & Drinking Mrauk U has few eating options. The Nawarat Hotel has a good restaurant. Moe Cherry (dishes K1000-2000, beer K1500;h11ammidnight) This traveller-focused, two-storey restaurant, east of the palace walls, serves a few meals and what’s on offer changes nightly (there’s no menu; just ask). There’s a deliciously Rakhaing edge to the chicken curry, prawn and veggie dishes. At last visit, the cauliflower dish was a knockout. The restaurant also arranges car service to the Mahamuni Paya or around the sites. In 1998 the restaurant was uprooted from its location on the east side of the palace – along with other businesses/homes – by the government. Pyae Wa Restaurant (dishes from K600; h7am9pm) The food’s pretty good at this lively Chinese hole-in-the-wall across from the market, but coming here is more about taking in Mrauk U’s main action pedalling by. Veggie noodles are K600; meat dishes keep in the gristle just like the locals prefer. Da Nya Wadi Restaurant (dishes from K500, draught beer K350) It’s another mostly Chinese restaurant near the market, but this one has white bunnies hopping on the concrete floor.

Getting There & Away For information on the difference between the boat services to Mrauk U, see Sittwe (p322). At the time of research, the government boat to Sittwe (US$4, five hours) left at 8am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; on other days a private boat (US$10, four hours) left at the same time. Fast boats (US$15 or US$20, three hours) usually depart at 7.30am. Arrive at least 30 minutes early to purchase a ticket for the government or private boat (and have dollars ready), or ask your hotel to help beforehand. The Mrauk U jetty is about 1km south of the market; trishaws meet arriving boats.

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Getting Around A horse cart around the temples costs about US$8 to US$10 per day. A jeep is about US$20. Hotels can get you a bicycle for K2000 or K3000. There’s a taxi stand on the north side of the palace.

AROUND MRAUK U It’s not usually possible to visit the sites listed following by public transport. A jeep to both runs to about US$25. Also see right for details of trips to nearby Chin State. (Note that details change frequently.)

Wethali

Almost 10km north of Mrauk U are the remains of the kingdom of Wethali (aka Vesali, or Waithali in local parlance). According to the Rakhaing chronicles, Wethali was founded in AD 327 by King Mahataing Chandra. Archaeologists believe that this kingdom lasted until the 8th century. Little remains to see of the oval-shaped city. Many of the hillocks around the area are actually stupas, which have become covered. The walls of the 500m by 300m central palace site are reasonably well-preserved; its prayer hall is now used as an irrigation tank during the rainy season. The main attraction for visitors en route to Mahamuni Paya is the so-called Great Image of Hsu Taung Pre (Pye), home to a 5m Rakhaing-style sitting Buddha. It’s said to be carved from a single piece of stone and date to AD 327 (most visitors argue the features look more modern). The highly revered image is swathed in embroidered red holy cloth and attended by monks and nuns, who live nearby. Just behind are remnants of the moat and stupa-created hillocks or two. Regular transport is rare. It’s possible to reach here by bicycle (take the sign that says ‘VSL’ and ‘you are here’ east from the main road).

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Many local Rakhaing recollect, with fresh, fiery passion, how the Bamar King Bodawpaya sent soldiers to dismantle and remove the Mahamuni Buddha in 1784. Originally housed here at the Mahamuni Paya, 40km north of Mrauk U and just north of the

former ancient capital of Dhanyawady, the image is one of the country’s most famous and venerated. Still, it’s fascinating to visit the site. Some Rakhaing believe the image was cast when Buddha visited the area in 554 BC. Others say the Bamar unknowingly took a counterfeit back to Amarapura (it now resides in Mandalay; p234) and the true one rests under the banyan tree at the site’s southwest corner. The Rakhaing don’t let go easily. The current Konbaung-style shrine dates from the 18th or 19th centuries, as earlier ones were destroyed by fire. The Mahamuni Buddha is gone, but ‘Mahamuni’s brother’ is now one of three fine golden images resting inside. Outside, on the southeast wall, is a 5th-century AD slab depicting a Naga queen. Down the steps, near the south walls of the shrine, is a museum with a couple of dozen relics and engraved stones. An 18thcentury bell, placed nearby to keep invaders at bay, mysteriously disappeared a few years ago. The hilltop golden stupas visible (barely) to the east mark Salagiri Hill, the fabled site where Buddha visited in 554 BC. The area is closed to foreigners. The easiest way to get to the site is by hired jeep (about US$20 or US$25 from Mrauk U, including a stop at Wethali). It takes about three hours from Mrauk U. Public transport is infrequent.

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As in the past, the only way to visit Chin State is by seeking (expensive) permission from a Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT) office. In addition to the following access point, Kalaymyo (in Sagaing Division) is home to many Chin people, and can be accessed without permission; see p262. Before setting out, it’s best to check with MTT in Yangon (p89) for the latest info. See p313 for more on the Chin people.

TOURS

From Bagan or Yangon At research time, the only way to visit Chin State was via a guided trip from Yangon or Bagan. The trips enter Chin State west of the Chauk Bridge, south of Bagan. Nights are spent in Mindat, and excursions include hikes up Mt Victoria (Natmataung), which is excellent for bird-watching, and ‘tattooed women’ villages. Generally trips last three days. MTT quote prices at US$150 per day per person, which includes a guide, transport and accommodation in a simple guesthouse. It might be possible to negotiate prices.

You need to book the trip at least five days in advance. Apparently the MTT office in New Bagan (p275) can arrange tours, but it seemed a bit up-in-arms about it when last checked; more dependable is pre-arranging from the MTT office in Yangon (p89). To save money, ask to meet the guide from Bagan at a specified date.

From Mrauk U The one-time popular trips to Chin State from Mrauk U were shut down by the government in October 2004. Trips are likely to recommence. Rumours of why the shutdown occurred range from insurgents battling government troops to a potential entrepreneur negotiating to ‘buy a village’ to corner the tourist market. If tours should begin again, it’s likely the government will play a more active (perhaps exploitive) role than previously, when a US$30 permission fee, US$25 boat fee and US$3 for a horse cart allowed travellers access to Chin State for far less than trips organised from Bagan.

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At research time, much of Chin State remained a question mark for travellers. Across the state line in southern Chin State, traditional cultures continue more richly than elsewhere in the state. Many women still have traditionally tattooed faces, though it’s a fast-fading custom. At higher elevations, they wear thick, striped cotton blankets draped over the body, and copper and bronze ornaments. Among the Khamui, a subtribe that inhabits lower elevations of the area, unmarried women wear short skirts and little else. Chin men tend to wear simple Western-style dress. Paletwa village, just across the state line, is on the Kaladan River.

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ACCOMMODATION Outside the touristy destinations – Yangon, Bagan (Pagan), Mandalay, Inle Lake and Ngapali Beach – most accommodation options hover between bare-bones guesthouses with concrete floors and cold-water showers down the hall to Chinese-style hotels with green carpet, minibar, satellite TV, private bathroom with hot water, and some wood carvings perhaps. Some places are quite comfy and well cared for. Joint-venture hotels and a few locally run ones offer highclass comfort and service at prices soaring from US$100 to US$500. Nearly all accommodation is privately run. Some top-end

Nearly all hotels quote prices in US dollars or the fast-fading Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC; see p345). If you pay in kyat, the price will be quoted at a slightly PRACTICALITIES When it’s working: 230V, 50Hz AC electricity. Most power outlets have two-pronged round or flat sockets. Outside Yangon, no-one in Myanmar calls an ambulance in an emergency; they go to the hospital. You could call top-end hotels in a crisis and ask about English-language doctors. All guesthouses and hotels wash dirty laundry, starting at K1000 for a small load. Yangon publishes two English-language newspapers: Myanmar Times, which offers some useful travel and entertainment information, and the serious government mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar. Two tourismrelated magazines are harder to come by: Perspectives and Enchanting Myanmar. All national radio and TV broadcasts are state controlled. Many locals listen to short-wave radios for BBC and VOA broadcasts. Satellite TV has brought some dramatic changes in recent years, with CNN, MTV Asia, BBC World Service and – sacre bleu! – Fashion TV all piping in. The standard video system in Myanmar is NTSC, but many people also own PAL models, which are compatible with Thailand, Australia and most of Europe. 1 Burmese viss or 100 ticals = 1.6kg; 1 gaig = 91cm; petrol is sold by the gallon; distances are in miles, not kilometres.

Foreigners are only allowed to stay at ‘licensed’ hotels and guesthouses, which means that establishments keep at least five rooms and reach a certain standard. In the past, some owners bent the rules in less visited towns, but that seems to be waning. Staff will often say ‘we have no rooms’ instead of owning up that they lack the license. Other places post the license clearly – on the door or on the entry wall. At night, all hotels and other accommodation options must fill in police forms on behalf of all guests, which include the details of your visa and your passport number. Hotels will not have to keep your passport, however.

unfavourable rate (say K1000 for every US$1 asked for, instead of the exchange rate of K950). Prices quoted at budget and midrange hotels include all taxes; usually top-end hotel prices don’t include the 10% government tax and 10% service charge in their quoted prices. The vast majority of hotels, apart from top-end ones, have a two-tier pricing system (for foreigners or locals) and often two or more types of rooms for each. In some cases shoestringers can insist on staying in a ‘local’ room, which is often a cubicle wall with a hard mattress, a fan (maybe), and a cold-water shared bathroom. Often there are two ‘foreigner’ room types too; a few extra dollars gives you air-con instead of a fan, a private bathtub rather than a private (or shared) shower, and satellite TV instead of local TV or no TV at all. Almost all hotels offer a free breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee or tea; occasionally the traditional mohinga (noodles with fish or chicken) breakfast is offered – it’s definitely worth trying. It’s possible to bargain at most hotels, especially during the low season (March to October). Most people checking in early – say if they’re arriving off an overnight bus, which often gets in at around 6am or 7am – are only charged for the following night. Most hotel staff speak some English and can certainly help you exchange money at good rates, but not always the best. In some cases, staff will charge some commission, often at the same rate you’ll find on the street. The staff is also usually well informed about travellers’ needs, and can help arrange a taxi, rent a bicycle or (importantly) procure ever-confusing bus or train tickets. In all, their help is invaluable. Note that a 10% tax (at least) on all hotel payments goes straight to the government.

Staying at cheapie guesthouses means that less money is directed this way. Essentially, no guesthouses in the country have direct government ties.

Government Hotels The government – the Ministry of Hotels & Tourism (MHT) to be more precise – directly operates a dwindling number of hotels around the country. Travellers keen to minimise the money going into the government’s coffers should avoid staying at these hotels, which are often empty and/or poorly cared for. See the boxed text, p332, for more information on this.

Guesthouses Considering the absence of hostels and camping options, the (usually family-run) guesthouses are the de-facto sleeping option for shoestringers. Rates range from US$3 to US$8 or so – a little higher in TOP CHEAP SLEEPS Sometimes it’s not money that makes a place so homey and right that it feels wrong to leave. Here are three places that we enjoyed. Mya Yatanar Inn, Pakokku (p280) Crusty,

but ‘real Myanmar’ all the way – more home than guesthouse actually – run by a former boxing coach and his wife; K3500. Myanmar Beauty Guest House IV, Taungoo

(p291) Myanmar’s biggest breakfast is served in this teak home amid rice paddies, palms and mountains; from US$8. Viewpoint, near Kalaw (p176) While this is more of a place for a curry and to enjoy the views, it makes a good place to spend the night if you can organise it; the Viewpoint is atop a mountain and charges K1500 for bed and curry.

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Yangon. Some are lovingly cared for, some aren’t. In some towns one guesthouse is the lone option – and you get what you get. For most, variables include concrete or bubbly vinyl floor; private or shared bathroom; hot or cold water; local, satellite or no TV; aircon or fan or nada. Usually a mark left by a bumped suitcase on the wall is left there, as are – in the grubbiest places – squashed mosquitoes.

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ACTIVITIES See p33 for an itinerary in Myanmar that features a number of activities.

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D I R E C T O R Y • • A c t i v i t i e s 333

RESPONSIBLE DIVING & SNORKELLING If you want to enjoy Myanmar’s underwater realm, remember these simple rules to minimise your impact:

Bird-Watching

Don’t use anchors on a reef and ask your operators not to either

The nation’s best bird-watching is to be found on the hike up Mt Victoria in Chin State, presently accessed only through expensive government-sponsored tours (see p329).

Be conscious of your fins or your body dragging across fragile reef ecosystems – both parties in question can be hurt Take out all rubbish or litter, including what you find; plastic in particular can wreak havoc on marine life Don’t feed fish; it disturbs their normal eating habits and can prompt aggressive behaviour

Hotels & Resorts

Cycling

‘Hotels’ means everything from eight-room guesthouses that strategically use the name to joint-venture hotels with lush gardens surrounding a giant pool. Rates range from US$8 to well over US$100. Many of the midrange hotels are modern, Chinese-style multistorey jobbies. In more touristy locations, some are bungalow-style, with porches and a sitting garden where breakfast is served. Doubles at these range from US$20 to US$35. Those more accustomed to high-end comfort will find escaping the main travel destinations harder to stomach. Upmarket hotels, including some joint-venture, luxury resorts with standards rivalling those in Thailand, are found in Yangon, Bagan, Ngapali Beach and Mt Popa. Slightly less classy options can be found in Mandalay, Inle Lake, Pyin U Lwin, Chaungtha Beach, Ngwe Saung and Kyaiktiyo (the Golden Rock). Most upmarket hotels are in the US$70 to US$100 price range, but some reach US$500 a night.

Some cycling groups have made it on tours to Myanmar. But you don’t have to be on a tour to enjoy cycling here. The most popular route is between Mandalay and Bagan, via Myingyan. This is a fairly flat route that keeps to the east of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River. For something more hilly and scenic, go northeast of Mandalay to Pyin U Lwin, Hsipaw and Lashio. Some of that road has dividers, meaning no oncoming traffic swaying into your lane. Another very scenic route starts in Thazi (accessible by train) and runs east through hilly Kalaw and Pindaya to Inle Lake. Short trips out of Mandalay to Monywa, Sagaing, Inwa (Ava) and Amarapura also make satisfying rides. See p360 for more on bringing bicycles into the country.

Diving & Snorkelling The beach resorts of Ngapali Beach (p314) andChaungthaBeach(p135 )offerhalf-and )

)

WHERE DOES THE ACCOMMODATION MONEY GO? The big question on the minds of travellers keen to avoid government-run businesses – what’s government run? – is not always the easiest to answer. In recent years the government has leased some of its deteriorated hotels to foreign businesses in the form of joint ventures, or to private entrepreneurs, who often face insurmountable odds to right the ship. Throughout this book we flag government-run services and hotels (see the tips on p24), or ones recently leased. Note that the situation at each place could change – and, hopefully, will in the case of Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo), where the government runs hotels out of some lovely old British homes. Joint-venture hotels, often rebuilt from scratch at great expense, generally work on a 30-year lease basis. Big operations do employ many locals, and often at higher wages than elsewhere. However, it’s not really known what amount in fees or profit share (beyond the 10% tax) goes to the government. Some claim it’s zero, though others dispute this. It’s worth noting that essentially every local has a brother, sister-in-law or uncle that’s in either the military or the government. All this doesn’t necessarily mean that profits go into the generals’ pockets. It’s estimated that over 80% of tourists’ expenditure on the ground gets absorbed into local economies.

If you’re diving in the Myeik Peninsula, be sure that you possess a current diving certification card Be aware that underwater conditions vary significantly from one region to the next – dive only within the limits of your experience

full-day snorkelling trips. It’s no Great Barrier Reef, but there are plenty of fish to see swimming around a coral tower or two. The best diving, by far, is at the Mergui (Myeik) Archipelago in southwestern Myanmar, which apparently received no damage from the 2004 tsunami. Presently trips here can be arranged in advance through Phuket-based operators, some of whom were gearing up to make the trips following the tsunami. A typical trip involves seven nights onboard a boat, and includes meals, equipment and transport from Phuket or Ranong (Thailand). Diving or diving/ kayaking trips cost from about US$1200 to US$1500; longer ones that take in part of Thailand are pricier. Many of the islands reached are isolated, with good kayaking possibilities. Phuket outfitters must negotiate deals with the Myanmar government, and we hear that sometimes a government official tags along for the ride. Trips run weekly from November to April. The first trip to the archipelago was in 1996. Some companies work to educate locals regarding the negative impact of dynamite fishing and logging. Reliable outfitters: Asian Adventures (www.asian-adventures.com) Fantasea Divers (www.fantasea.net) Faraway Sail & Dive (www.far-away.net) South East Asia Liveaboards Co (http://seal-asia.com)

Golf Golf courses are everywhere – little towns such as Salay (p279) even have rather brown courses. Pyin U Lwin (p204) hosts a tournament in April. Many courses are ‘private’,

though murmurs of government involvement surround many. In some towns, locals can’t be members. Green fees skyrocket above the prices for locals, with some courses charging US$15 or US$20 to play. Be aware that some female caddies double as sex workers.

Rafting Since 2003 Ultimate Descents (www.ultimatedes cents.com) has enabled paddlers to make the first trips down some key tributaries of the Ayeyarwady in northern Kachin State, at the foothills of the Himalaya. It’s best to get in touch with the local contact, Ayeyarwaddy Expeditions (in Yangon%01-652 809; thelisu@myanmar .com.mm; Suite 03-06, Sedona Hotel, Yangon), to set up a trip. Four-day trips (with two days’ trekking) on the Nam Lang River start at US$800 per person (and are run weekly from October to April). The very serious, experienced-only three-week descent of the Mayhka River (Mother River; aka ‘the Everest of Rivers’) costs US$10,000 to US$15,000 per person.

Trekking Great hiking potential abounds in northern and eastern Myanmar, particularly in Shan State. Here are some popular hikes: Hsipaw area (p208) Five hours northeast of Mandalay; offering fine DIY day hikes. Kalaw to Inle Lake (p208) Longhouses and teahouses freckle the mountain tops on this highlight trek. Kengtung Area (p196) A very remote area (reached by air from central Myanmar) near the Thai border; hikes take in villages of the Wa people (former head-hunters). Namhsan (p213) North of Hsipaw; guided hikes in a far-flung area. Pindaya area (p178) Near Inle Lake.

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SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR HIKING We’ve heard about some travellers finding new paths and staying in the hills for a week or more. Most, however, stick with day trips. Here are a few points to consider before lacing up the boots: Hike with at least one companion; in most cases it’s best to hire a guide Do not venture by foot into areas restricted to foreigners; ask around before taking off Camping in the hills is not technically legal, as foreigners must be registered with local authorities by owners of ‘licensed accommodation’ nightly Trail conditions can get slippery and dangerous, especially in the rainy season Walk only in regions within your capabilities – you’re not going to find a trishaw out there to bring you back

In the past it wasn’t feasible to do multiday treks – at least not legally – but the practice is opening up. Generally it’s necessary to hire a guide (licensed or otherwise). Rates range from US$4 to US$10 per day, and are about US$25 in more remote Kengtung. Climbs up Chin State’s Mt Victoria (p329) require you to take a costly governmentsponsored tour.

BUSINESS HOURS Most government offices – including post offices and official telephone centres – are open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Don’t arrive at a government office at 4pm expecting to get anything done, though; most government workers start drifting to the local teashops after 3.30pm. Private shops are generally open daily from 9am (or 9.30am) to 6pm or later. Most restaurants – even ones without many breakfast visitors – open at 7am or 8am and close late, at 9pm or 10pm. Internet cafés, where they exist, tend to keep shorter hours. Payas (Buddhist monuments), including pahto (temples), never close.

CHILDREN As in many places in Southeast Asia, travelling with children in Myanmar can be very

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rewarding as long as you come well prepared with the right attitude, the physical requirements and the usual parental patience. Lonely Planet’s Travel with Children, by Cathy Lanigan, contains useful advice on how to cope with kids on the road and what to bring along to make things go more smoothly. Special attention is paid to travel in developing countries. Myanmar people love children – dote on them – and in many instances will shower attention on your offspring, who will find ready playmates among their local counterparts and an impromptu nanny service at practically every stop. Due to Myanmar’s overall low level of public sanitation, parents ought to lay down a few ground rules with regard to maintaining their children’s health – such as regular hand-washing – to head off potential medical problems. All the usual health precautions apply (see the Health chapter on p369); children should especially be warned not to play with animals they encounter along the way, as a precaution against rabies. Nappies (diapers) are hard to come by outside Yangon, but it’s wise to bring all the nappies or formula you’ll need for the trip from home. Most high-end hotels and restaurants will have high chairs available.

CLIMATE CHARTS

forgoing music, dancing, jewellery, perfume and high or luxurious beds. Daily schedules are rigorous and may involve nearly continuous practice from 3am till 11pm. Students may be given permission to travel in Myanmar at the end of a long period of study, but this is not automatic. Westerners who have undergone the training say it is not recommended for people with no previous meditation experience.

Sights & Activities Kids, like adults, often get a thrill from little things such as rides on trishaws, motorised canoes and horse carts. While in Bagan, give your driver (if you have one) the day off and take a horse cart around by yourselves (p269). Inle Lake’s famous boat trips (p191) are in dugout canoes. The ancient cities outside Mandalay offer fun, brief boat trips. Options include rowing boats in the lake by Amarapura’s U Bein’s Bridge (p248), a flat-bed ferry and then an ox-cart loop around Inwa (p251), and a boat ride up the Ayeyarwady to Mingun (p254). Big Buddhist sights and ancient ruins can be good gawking material, including Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya (p90), the reclining Buddhas in Bago (Pegu; see p140) or the 10-storey Buddha in Pyay (Prome; see p283). You can climb into the back of the lacquered Buddha image at Nan Paya in Salay (p279). Some kids might dig ruins of old palace walls and moats, which you can see at Bagan and Mrauk U; see p323.

Myanmar has three seasons that follow the classic ‘dry and hot, wet and hot, dry and less hot’ pattern common to other parts of mainland Southeast Asia. Rain falls mostly from mid-May to October. In most places, temperatures fall from November to February, then rise from March through to May. See p27 for more information on the best times to visit. MANDALAY °C

°F

Average Max/Min

74m (250ft)

Temp/Humidity

Rainfall

%

in

40 104

100

12

300

30

86

75 8

200

20

68

50 100

50

25

4

10 0

32

0

YANGON °F

0

0

J F MAM J J A S O N D

°C

J F MAM J J A S O N D

Average Max/Min

14m (46ft)

Temp/Humidity

mm

Rainfall

%

in

40 104

100

12

300

30

86

75 8

200

20

68

50 100

50

25

4

10 0

32

0

J F MAM J J A S O N D

mm

0

0

J F MAM J J A S O N D

COURSES

Meditation For foreigners interested in meditation, Yangon provides the most opportunities for the study and practice of satipatthana vipassana, or insight-awareness meditation. This is based on instructions in the Maha Satipatthana Sutta of the Theravada Buddhist canon, and instruction at most places is in English. Many Westerners have come to Myanmar to practise at the various centres for periods ranging from 10 days to more than a year. Visitors typically attach themselves to a respected sayadaw (master teacher) in the Buddhist tradition for the duration. CONDITIONS

Food and lodging are generally provided at no charge at the centres, but meditators must follow eight precepts, which include abstaining from food after noon and

VISAS

For practice sessions of less than a month, a tourist visa will suffice. To obtain the necessary ‘special-entry visa’ for a long-term stay of more than a month, applicants must receive a letter of invitation from the centre where they would like to study, which may in turn require a letter of introduction from an affiliated meditation centre abroad. This invitation is then presented to a Myanmar consulate or embassy, which will issue a visa for an initial stay of six to 12 weeks, as recommended by the centre. It takes eight to 10 weeks to be issued, and cannot be issued while you’re in Myanmar on a tourist visa. The special-entry visa, however, may be extended in Yangon. CENTRES IN YANGON

The most famous centre in Yangon is the Ma hasi Meditation Centre (Map p90; %01-541 971; 16 Thathana Yeiktha Rd, Bahan Township), founded in 1947 by the late Mahasi Sayadaw, perhaps Myanmar’s greatest meditation teacher. The Mahasi Sayadaw technique strives for intensive, moment-to-moment awareness of every physical movement, every mental and physical sensation, and, ultimately, every thought. The centre is off Kaba Aye Paya Rd, north of Kandawgyi, about 10 minutes from the city centre or 20 minutes from the airport. Mahasi is funded by donations. Two of the Mahasi centre’s chief meditation teachers, Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Janaka, have established their own highly regarded centres in Yangon: Panditarama Meditation Centre (%01-535 448; http://web .ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/pandita.htm; 80-A Than Lwin Rd, Bahan Township) and Chanmyay Yeiktha Meditation Centre (%01-661 479; www.chanmyay.org; 55-A Kaba Aye Paya Rd). Both have second branches. Pan-

ditarama’s is 3km northeast off the highway to Bago; Chanmyay’s branch (%01-620 321), set among gardens in Hmawbi, is a

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50-minute drive north of Yangon. Each of these centres represents a slight difference from the Mahasi Sayadaw technique. Another famous centre is Yangon’s International Meditation Centre (%01-535 549; 31-A Inya Myaing Rd), founded by the late U Ba Khin. The U Ba Khin technique focuses on a deep appreciation of impermanence and on consciously moving or ‘sweeping’ one’s mental awareness throughout the body. Instruction at all of the above centres is given to foreigners in English. Another Yangon centre is the Dhamma Joti Vipassana Centre (%01-549 290; Nga Htat Gyi Paya Rd,

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and it will be confiscated. There’s no problem if you’re on a business visa. Any foreign currency in excess of US$2000 must be declared upon entry. We’ve heard reports of travellers being arrested for bringing in US$4000 undeclared. It’s problem free to declare – just a form to fill out. Mobile phones may be confiscated and held by customs personnel upon when you arrive at Yangon international airport; they’ll be returned upon your departure. See p349 for a list of items that cannot be taken out of the country.

Bahan Township).

DANGERS & ANNOYANCES

For further information on the teachings of Mahasi Sayadaw and U Ba Khin, read Living Dharma: Teachings of Twelve Buddhist Masters, edited by Jack Kornfield.

Considering all the bad news that trickles out of Myanmar, it may sound like a rather unsafe country to visit. For the vast majority of visitors, the truth is quite the opposite.

CENTRES OUTSIDE YANGON

Air Travel

Meditation centres can be found outside Yangon, particularly in Sagaing, which is Myanmar’s principal monastic centre in terms of numbers of monks, nuns, monasteries and nunneries. In Sagaing, Kyaswa Kyaung (%072-

Government-operated Myanma Airways has a sketchy safety record. In 1994 a flight missed the runway at Kawthoung, killing 16; in 1998 it took authorities 24 hours to realise one of its planes had crash-landed near Tachileik, while another flight crashed en route from Thandwe (Sandoway) to Sittwe, killing 10 passengers.

21541; [email protected], [email protected])

hosts a Mahasi Sayadaw–style retreat oriented towards foreigners, under the direction of Sayadaw U Lakkhana. Just south of Mawlamyine (Moulmein), Venerable Pak Auk Sayadaw teaches satipatthana vipassana using a penetrative and highly technical approach at Pa-Auk-Taw-Ya Monastery (%032-22132; www.paauk.org; c/o Major Kan Saing, 653 Lower Main Rd) in Pa-Auk village. It’ll cost you though – about US$1479 for a month, including lodging and meals.

CUSTOMS Besides personal effects, visitors are permitted to bring in the following items duty free: two cartons of cigarettes, 100 cigars, 0.67kg of tobacco, 500mL of cologne or perfume and two bottles of liquor. Technically, cameras (including video cameras), radios, cassette players and iPods can be brought into the country, but they’re supposed to be declared on arrival and taken out upon departure. In reality no-one ever seems to check, and if you try to declare your cameras on arrival you’re usually waved on through. If you’re holding a tourist visa, it’s possible that a laptop computer may make customs officials suspicious that you are a journalist,

Bugs, Snakes, Rats & Monkeys Mosquitoes, if unfended, can have a field day with you. As a Burmese character in George Orwell’s Burmese Days says: ‘At night, master too drunk to notice mosquitoes; in the morning, mosquitoes too drunk to notice master’. As alcohol won’t help, bring repellent from home, as the good stuff (other than mosquito coils) is hard to come by here. Also, many guesthouses and hotels don’t have mosquito nets. See also entries on malaria (p373) and dengue fever (p372). Myanmar has one of the highest incidences of death from snakebite in the world. Watch your step in brush, forest and grasses. See p377 for information on what to do if you’re bitten. Rats aren’t all that rampant. Family-run guesthouses, like regular homes, might have a rodent or two. Wash your hands before sleeping (we’ve heard of happy rats licking cake-covered fingers clean at night) and try to keep food out of your room. If you trek in Shan State and stay in local accommodation, you may hear little footsteps at night.

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Monkeys, too, can get a little friendly in some places. A guide outside Monywa pointed out natural medicines for ‘not shitting’, ‘shitting’ and ‘snakebite’, but said there’s nothing for monkey bites. ‘Monkey bite is normal’, he said. But we think you should try to minimise your chances of getting rabies (see p374).

Crime Most travellers’ memories of locals grabbing your money are of someone chasing you down because you dropped a K500 note (about US$0.50) in the street (‘you dropped this, sister’). In remote towns such as Shwebo or Monywa, you can feel pretty confident leaving a bag on the ground at a bus station while you go for a quick tea. But don’t tempt anyone: inflation is rising in an already poor country (that K500 note is worth at least a half-day’s work for many). There has been a smattering of reports of street crime, particularly in Yangon, which include burglaries of some expats’ homes. Exercise guarded caution on vulnerable occasions – ie when you’re carrying your bags – and when in particularly touristy places.

Electricity, or Lack Thereof Power outages everywhere – Yangon and Mandalay included – can render your fan useless for hours. Many smaller towns have outright short scheduled periods for electricity, such as a few hours in the afternoon (or in the evening if Myanmar TV is airing a premiership game). Many hotels and shops run generators 24 hours, and won’t be affected.

Insurgents & Bombs Just before this book went to press, Myanmar saw some bombs set off, purportedly placed there by insurgent groups. In May 2005 three bombs at two Yangon shopping centres and a Thai trade expo killed up to 20 people and injured several hundred. (At first, the junta blamed the USA for the incident; no-one has claimed responsibility.) During the previous month a bomb killed at least three at a Mandalay market. In December 2004 a small bomb went off at a central Yangon restaurant, injuring one person. The Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors supposedly claimed responsibility for this act. A few other explosions in

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Yangon were reported, without injuries, in mid-2004 and mid-2003. An explosion in May 2003 in a cinema in Pyu, near Bago, killed one and injured 47 people. Despite treaties between the government and most insurgent groups in the late 1990s that give limited autonomy to many areas, violent incidents on the Myanmar-Thai border could erupt at any time, including several outbursts (and bombs) in and around Tachileik. Land mines are another threat (on the Myanmar side of the border). Most travel advisories warn against travel in this area, most of which is restricted to foreigners. Crossing the border here, though, is likely to be OK, but seek advice first. In Kayin State, splintered Kayin groups live in a potential battleground between the Karen National Liberation Army and government troops. The Myanmar border in a restricted area of Kayin between Um Phang and Mae Sariang occasionally receives shelling from Myanmar troops in pursuit of Kayin (also known as Karen) or Mon rebels. The risks of catching a piece of shrapnel are substantially lower if you keep several kilometres between yourself and the ThaiMyanmar border in this area – fighting can break out at any time. The presence of Shan and Wa armies along the Myanmar-Thai border in northern Mae Hong Son makes this area dangerous if you attempt to travel near amphetamineand opium-trade border crossings (off limits to foreigners); obviously, these aren’t signposted, so take care anywhere along the border in this area. In the past there have been reports of bandits holding up vehicles at night, most commonly in the Tanintharyi (Tenasserim) division in southeastern Myanmar – often in pockets restricted to overland travel for foreigners. Some ‘revolutionaries’ maintain the sympathy of most locals. In the aftermath of the 1990 election controversy (see p44), a group of student protestors hijacked a plane from Bangkok to get worldwide attention, and tearfully handed out snacks with apologies to the inconvenienced passengers.

Politics Talking politics can get not only you but also the locals you’re speaking with into trouble. Let them introduce the subject and proceed

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to talk with discretion. Human-rights activist James Mawdsley was arrested in 1999 after handing out political leaflets; he was freed after 415 days. (He describes the experience in his 2002 book The Iron Road: A Stand for Truth and Democracy in Burma.) Following the 10th anniversary of the 1988 democracy demonstrations, 18 foreigners were arrested for handing out leaflets. In January 2005 another Westerner was arrested for handing out leaflets outside Yangon’s City Hall. Be aware that if you’re interested in seeing Aung San Suu Kyi’s house in Yangon, or are dropping by an NLD office, you not only risk trouble (possible deportation) but you implicate your taxi or trishaw driver too. Guides, trishaw drivers, vendors and hotel staff are often able to talk at length with foreigners without suspicion due to their day-to-day contact with foreigners. Some can be surprisingly frank in their views. Teahouses carry the reputation as being open-discussion forums for some locals – but not all. Again, let the local lead the conversation that way.

Restricted Roads Many overland roads are closed to foreigners. However, in places you can enter there are (perhaps) surprising levels of freedom to stop and look around where you want. See the map on p359 to see which areas of Myanmar were closed to travellers at the time of research.

Scams & Hassle Myanmar touts are pretty minor-league in comparison with those in India or the tuktuk drivers in Bangkok. Most hassle is due ONLINE TRAVEL ADVISORIES Governments’ advisory websites for people travelling to Myanmar: Australia (www.smarttraveller.gov.au) Click on

‘Travel Advisories’. Canada (www.voyage.gc.ca) UK (%0870 606 0290; www.fco.gov.uk) The

most comprehensive; click on Travel Advice and select Burma. USA (travel.state.gov) See the Consular Information Sheet for Burma.

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to commissions. These small behind-thescenes payments are made, like it or not, for a taxi or trishaw driver or guide who takes you to a hotel, to buy a puppet or even to eat some rice. Often it doesn’t affect the price you pay. Arriving at a bus station, you’re likely to be quickly surrounded by touts, some of whom will try to steer you to a particular hotel that offers them a commission. Be wary if you hear that your chosen place is ‘no good’, though in some cases we found that trishaw drivers who had warned us ‘foreigners can’t stay there’ ended up being correct. If you know where you want to go (and it’s a good idea to pretend to, if you don’t), persist and they’ll take you. See p321 for an example of a commissions monopoly, which can apply in many places. Bus tickets in Yangon are sometimes sold at inflated prices; see p89. Be wary of offers of fanciful jade or other gems – Myanmar has rich mines for these precious stones – as some are filled with worthless rock or concrete mixture. Many people may approach to say ‘hello’ on the street. In some cases, they’re just curious or perhaps want to practice some English. In other cases, the conversation switches from ‘what country you from?’ to ‘buy some postcards?’ or ‘where you need to go?’ It’s all pretty harmless. You’ll be asked to change money frequently. See p345 for tips on doing so with caution.

DISABLED TRAVELLERS With its lack of paved roads or footpaths (and even when they’re present the latter are often uneven) Myanmar presents many physical obstacles for the mobility-impaired. Rarely do public buildings feature ramps or other access points for wheelchairs, and hotels make inconsistent efforts to provide access to the handicapped (exceptions include the Strand Hotel and the Traders Hotel in Yangon; both have some ramping). Hence you’re pretty much left to your own resources. Public transport is particularly crowded and difficult, even for the fully mobile. For wheelchair travellers, any trip to Myanmar will require a good deal of planning. A few useful USA-based organisations you

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can contact are Accessible Journeys (www.disability travel.com), which includes info on visiting the dodgy border near Tachileik; Mobility International USA (www.miusa.org) and the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (www.sath.org), which publishes the magazine Open World.

DISCOUNT CARDS No can do. However, we’ve heard some travellers managing to get a discount with an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) at monuments in the past. It’s more likely that amused staff wanted to give the travellers what they wanted than any burgeoning policy change. Senior-citizen cards are also unlikely to save any money.

EMBASSIES & CONSULATES

Myanmar Embassies & Consulates Contact details for some Myanmar embassies and consulates: Australia (%02-6273 3811; 22 Arkana St, Yarralumla, ACT 2600)

Bangladesh (%02-60 1915; 89B, Rd No 4, Banani, Dhaka) Cambodia (%023-213663; 181 Preah Norodon Blvd, Boeung Keng Kang 1, Phnom Penh) Canada (%613-232 6434/46; Apt 902-903, 85 Range Rd, The Sandringham, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8J6) China (%010-6532 1584/6; 6 Dong Zhi Men Wai St, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100600) France (%01 42 25 56 95; 60 rue de Courcelles, 75008 Paris) Germany (%030-206 1570; Zimmerstrasse 56, 10117 Berlin) India (%011-688 9007/8; No 3/50F Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021) Indonesia (%021-327 684; 109 Jalan Haji Agus Salim, Jakarta Pusat) Israel (%03-517 0760; 26 Hayarkon St, Tel Aviv 68011) Italy (%06-854 3974, 06-858 63343; Viale Gioacchino Rossini, 18, Int 2, 00198 Rome) Japan (%03-3441 9291; 8-26, 4-chome, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001) Laos (%021-314910; Thanon Sok Pa Luang, PO Box 11, Vientiane) Malaysia (%03-4256-0280; 10 Jalan Mengkuang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur) Nepal (%01-521 788; Chakupat, Patan Gate, Lalitpur, Kathmandu) Philippines (%02-817 2373; 4th fl, Xanland Center, 152Amorsolo St, Legaspi Village, Makati, Manila) Singapore (%735-0209; 15 St Martin’s Dr, Singapore 257996) South Korea (%02-792-3341; 723-1/724-1 Hannam-Dong Yongsam-ku, Seoul 140-210)

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Switzerland (%022-731 7540; 47 ave Blanc, 1202 Geneva) Thailand (%02 233-2237; 132 Thanon Sathon Neua, Bangkok 10500) UK (%020-7499 8841; 19A Charles St, London W1X 5DX) USA (%202-332-9044/5/6; 2300 S St NW, Washington, DC 20008) Vietnam (%04-823 2056; Bldg No A-3, Ground fl, Van Phuc Diplomatic Qrtrs, Kim Ma St, Hanoi)

Embassies & Consulates in Myanmar Yangon can be a good place to get visas for other countries; because it isn’t a big tourist stopover, visas are usually issued quickly. However, embassies for neighbouring countries accept only US dollars for payment of visa fees. Australia (Map p102; %01-251 810, 01-251 809; fax 01-246 159; 88 Strand Rd) Bangladesh (%01-515 275; 11B Thanlwin Rd, Kamayut Township) Cambodia (Map p90; %01-549 609; 25 New University Ave, B3/4) Canada Affairs handled by Australian embassy China (Map p98; %01-221 281; 1 Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Rd) France (Map p98; %01-212 523, 01-212 532; 102 Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Rd) Germany (Map p90; %01-548 951; fax 01-548 899; 32 Nat Mauk Rd) India (Map p102; %01-282 933; 545-547 Merchant St) Indonesia (Map p98; %01-254 465, 01-254 469; 100 Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Rd) Israel (Map p86; %01-515 155; fax 01-515 116; 15 Kabaung Rd, Hlaing Township) Italy (Map p90; %01-527 100; 3 Inya Myaing Rd) Japan (Map p90; %01-549 644; 100 Nat Mauk Rd) Korea (Map p90; %01-527 142; 97 University Ave Rd) Laos (Map p98; %01-222 482; A1 Diplomatic Quarters, Taw Win St) Malaysia (Map p98; %01-220 249; 82 Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Rd) Nepal (Map p90; %01-545 880; fax 01-549803; 16 Nat Mauk Rd) Netherlands Affairs handled by German embassy New Zealand Affairs handled by UK embassy Pakistan (Map p98; %01-222 881; 4A Pyay Rd) Philippines (Map p86; %01-558 149; 50 Saya San Rd) Singapore (%01-559 001; 238 Dhama Zedi Rd) Sri Lanka (Map p98; %01-222 812; 34 Taw Win St) Sweden Affairs handled by UK embassy Switzerland Affairs handled by German embassy Thailand (%01-224 550; 73 Manaw Han St) UK (Map p102; %01-256 918; fax 01-254 657; 80 Strand Rd) USA (Map p102; %01-379 880; fax 01-256 018; 581 Merchant St) Vietnam (Map p90; %01-548 905; 36 Wingaba Rd)

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FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Union Day (12 February) This day marks Bogyoke Aung

Water Festival (or Thingyan) This is the celebration of

Traditionally, Myanmar follows a 12-month lunar calendar, so the dates of old holidays and festivals will vary from year to year (see p351 for a list of the lunar months). Myanmar also has a number of more recently originated holidays whose dates are fixed according to the Gregorian calendar. Festivals are drawn out, enjoyable affairs in Myanmar. They generally take place or culminate on full-moon days, but the build-up can last for a while. There’s often a countryfair atmosphere about these festivals – at some convenient location there will be innumerable stalls and activities that go on all night. Pwe (festivals and feasts), music and Myanmar kickboxing bouts will all be part of the colourful scene. The normally calm Myanmar people can get really worked up during these festivals – at a full-moon festival on one of our visits to Yangon the supporters of the defeated favourite in a boxing bout were so enraged that they wrecked the arena, and subsequent bouts had to be cancelled. See p28 for the top 10 festivals.

San’s short-lived achievement of unifying Myanmar’s disparate ethnic groups. For two weeks preceding Union Day, the national flag is paraded from town to town, and wherever the flag rests there must be a festival. The lunar month of Tabodwe culminates in a rice-harvesting festival on the new-moon day.

the Myanmar New Year. See opposite for more details. Workers’ Day (1 May) Although the government renounced socialism in 1989, the country still celebrates May Day as Workers’ Day.

January/February Independence Day (4 January) This major public holiday is marked by a seven-day fair at Yangon’s Kandawgyi lake, and nationwide fairs.

June/July

Martyrs’ Day (19 July) This date commemorates the February/March

Shwedagon Festival The lunar month of Tabaung brings the annual Shwedagon Festival, the largest paya pwe (pagoda festival) in Myanmar. The full-moon day in Tabaung is also an auspicious occasion for the construction of new paya, and local paya pwes are held. Peasants’ Day (2 March) Dedicated to the nation’s farmers. Armed Forces (or Resistance) Day (27 March) Armed Forces Day is celebrated with parades and fireworks. Since 1989 the government has made it a tradition to pardon a number of prisoners on this day.

assassination of Bogyoke Aung San and his comrades on that day in 1947. Wreaths are laid at Bogyoke Aung San’s mausoleum north of the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon. Start of the Buddhist Rains Retreat The full moon of Waso is the beginning of the three-month Buddhist Rains Retreat (sometimes referred to as ‘Buddhist Lent’). Lay people present monasteries with stacks of new robes for resident monks. Ordinary people are also expected to be rather more religious during this time – marriages do not take place, and it is inauspicious to move house. This is also the traditional time for young men to temporarily enter the monasteries.

April/May

Buddha’s Birthday The full-moon day of Kason is

July/August

celebrated as the Buddha’s birthday, the day of his enlightenment and the day he entered nibbana (nirvana). As such, it is known as the ‘thrice-blessed day’. The holiday is celebrated by the ceremonial watering of the sacred banyan tree. One of the best places to observe this ceremony is at Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya, where a procession of girls carries earthen jars to the pagoda’s three banyan trees.

Wagaung Festival At the festival during Wagaung, lots

THE WATER FESTIVAL Around the middle of April, the three-day Thingyan (Water Festival) starts the Myanmar New Year. This event occurs at the height of the dry and hot season and, as in Thailand’s Songkran, it is celebrated in a most raucous manner – by throwing buckets of cold water at anyone who dares to venture into the streets. Foreigners are not exempt! In cities, temporary stages called pandal (from the Tamil pendel) are erected along main thoroughfares. Each pandal is sponsored by various groups, the members of which stand next to rows of water barrels and douse every person or vehicle that passes by. On a spiritual level, Myanmar people believe that during this three-day period the king of the nat (spirit beings), Thagyamin, visits the human world to tally his annual record of the good deeds and misdeeds humans have performed. Villagers place flowers and sacred leaves in front of their homes to welcome the nat. Thagyamin’s departure on the morning of the third day marks the beginning of the new year, when properly brought-up young people wash the hair of their elder kin, Buddha images are ceremonially washed, and hpongyi (monks) are offered particularly appetising alms food. Although the true meaning of the festival is still kept alive by ceremonies such as these, nowadays it’s mainly a festival of fun. In between getting soaked, there will be dancing, singing and theatre. And drinking. In theatre, the emphasis is on satire – particularly making fun of the government, the latest female fashions and any other items of everyday interest. Cultural taboos against women acting in a boisterous manner are temporarily lifted, so women can ‘kidnap’ young men, blacken these men’s faces with soot or oil, bind their hands and dunk their heads in buckets of water until they surrender and perform a hilarious monkey dance for the women.

are drawn to see who will have to provide monks with their alms. If you’re in Mandalay, try to get to Taungbyone, about 20km to the north, where there is a noisy seven-day festival to keep the nat happy (see p61 for more on this festival). September/October Boat Races This is the height of the wet season, so what better time to hold boat races? They’re held in rivers, lakes and even ponds all over Myanmar, but the best place to be is Inle Lake, where the Buddha images at the Phaung Daw Oo Paya are ceremonially toured around the lake in the huge royal barge, the Karaweik. The Phaung Daw Oo festival comes just before the festival of Thadingyut (see below) and usually overlaps in late September and early October. Thadingyut During Thadingyut, the Buddhist Rains Retreat comes to an end and all those couples who had been putting off marriage now rush into each other’s arms. Monks are free to travel from kyaung (monastery) to kyaung or to go on pilgrimages to holy spots such as Kyaiktiyo or Mt Popa. For the three days of the festival all of Myanmar is lit by oil lamps, fire balloons, candles and even mundane electric lamps. Every house has a paper lantern hanging outside. It’s a happy time, and is particularly eventful in Mandalay. October/November

Tazaungmon The full-moon night of Tazaungmon is an occasion for another ‘festival of lights’, known properly as Tazaungdaing. It’s particularly celebrated in Shan State – in Taunggyi there are fire-balloon competitions. In some

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areas, and notably at Yangon’s Shwedagon Paya, there are also speed-weaving competitions to produce robes for Buddha images between dusk and dawn. The results, finished or not, are donated to the monks. Kahtein Tazaungmon also brings kahtein, a one-month period at the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat during which new monastic robes and requisites are offered to the monastic community. Many people simply donate cash; kyat notes are folded and stapled into floral patterns on wooden ‘trees’ called padetha and offered to the monasteries. National Day Myanmar’s national day falls in late November or early December. November/December

Nadaw During Nadaw, many nat pwe (spirit festivals) are held; Nadaw is spelt with the characters for nat and taw (a respectful honorific). Christmas Despite Myanmar’s predominantly Buddhist background, Christmas Day is a public holiday in deference to the many Christian Kayin, Kachin and Chin. Many shops sell artificial trees and lights. December/January Kayin New Year Held on the first waxing moon of Pyatho, the Kayin New Year is considered a national holiday. Kayin communities throughout Myanmar celebrate by wearing their traditional dress of woven tunics over red longyi (sarong-style lower garments) and by hosting folkdancing and singing performances. The largest celebrations are held in the Kayin suburb of Insein, just north of Yangon, and in Hpa-an, the capital of Kayin State. Ananda Festival This festival, held at the Ananda Paya in Bagan, also takes place during Pyatho.

Paya Pwe In addition to these main pan-Myanmar festivals, nearly every active paya or kyaung community hosts occasional celebrations of its own, often called paya pwe or ‘pagoda festivals’ in Burmese English. Some get quite rollicking – even to the point of novice monks throwing fireworks at the feet of passers-by. The typical paya pwe features the same kinds of activities as a major festival – craft and food vendors, music and dance – on a smaller scale. The biggest proliferation of paya pwe occurs on full-moon days and nights from January to March, following the main rice harvest, providing local paddy farmers and their families with a good excuse to party. The festivals also offer added market venues for local basket-weavers, potters, woodcarvers, blacksmiths, longyiweavers and other artisans.

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Particular paya pwe are described in the appropriate destination sections throughout this guidebook. A few highlights include Nayon (May/ June) and Nadaw (November/December) at Mt Popa (p278); Pyatho (December/January) at Bagan’s Ananda Pahto (p300) and the biggest, in August, at Taungbyone, north of Mandalay (p61).

FOOD Most restaurants are quite cheap (around US$1 or US$2 per person including beer), so we haven’t divided them into budget, midrange and top-end categories in this book. See p74 for more on the types of cuisine and restaurants you’ll find in Myanmar. A 10% government tax is applied to prices at upmarket restaurants in Yangon and in top-end hotel restaurants.

GAY & LESBIAN TRAVELLERS Most of Myanmar’s ethnic groups are very tolerant of homosexuality, both male and female. Generally a local woman walking with a foreign man will raise more eyebrows than two same-sex travellers sharing a room. Muslim and Christian Myanmar communities are the exceptions, but as they form relatively small minorities they rarely foist their world perspectives on people of other faiths. Public displays of affection – whether heterosexual or homosexual – are frowned upon. Although it’s difficult to tell, given the opaqueness of the current military-directed government – which contains no true judiciary branch – there appear to be no laws that discriminate against homosexuals. Certainly we have never heard of anyone facing prosecution or arrest for homosexual behaviour. In 2001 the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) decriminalised same-sex acts, opening up their prodemocracy movement to gay and lesbian members for the first time. The gay and lesbian scene around the country is relatively low-key – it’s certainly nowhere near as prominent as in neighbouring Thailand. Whether in terms of dress or mannerism, lesbians and gays are generally accepted without comment. Yangon has the biggest active gay scene, particularly at the Silver Oak Café (p118) near

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Strand Rd, and at the Patty O’Malleys pub in the Sedona Hotel (p112). On the Chinese border, remote Mong La (p201) is home to a bit of a gay and transvestite scene. The following websites have information about gay and lesbian travel and rights, though they contain nothing specific to Myanmar: www.damron.com www.gay.com www.iglta.com

Track human-rights progress at the website for the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (www.iglhrc.org) or site for The Gully (www.thegully.com).

HOLIDAYS Major public holidays include Independence Day (January 4), Peasants’ Day (March 2), Armed Forces (or Resistance) Day (March 27), Workers’ Day (May 1), National Day (late November or early December) and Christmas (December 25). Government offices take just about any excuse for taking the day off, though many private businesses remain open. For a broader list of festivals and events see p340.

INSURANCE A travel-insurance policy to cover theft, loss and medical problems is a very wise idea. There is a wide variety of policies, and your travel agent will have recommendations. Check the travel-insurance-policy finder at www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services /trvl_trvlinsurance.cfm, which gives sample prices for policies, including those covering emergency evacuation. Also, international travel policies handled by STA Travel and other student-travel organisations are usually good value. Some policies offer lower and higher medical-expenses options, but the higher ones are chiefly for countries that have extremely high medical costs, such as the USA. See p369 for advice on health insurance.

INTERNET ACCESS Internet was introduced in 2001, and the first Internet café started operation in 2002. Despite government efforts at restriction, the impact has been huge – and is poised to grow. The costs are prohibitively expensive for many, and possessing

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a modem or fax machine without permission is a crime. Internet access outside Myanmar’s belly (roughly from Yangon to Mandalay, including Bagan and Inle Lake) wanes to non existence. As the Internet is relatively new to Myanmar, the situation is likely to improve over time. Access is sometimes clunky. In Yangon or Mandalay options abound and access costs about K1000 per hour. In places such as Inle Lake, Bagan, Pyin U Lwin and Ngapali Beach prices rise to K3000 per hour. Even off-the-beaten-track towns such as Shwebo and Sittwe have Internet. Presently you cannot access the Internet from hotel rooms. Often links are quicker early in the morning or at periods during the day; they can get clunky when residents hit the local chat rooms in the evening, sometimes contacting people overseas. At the time of research, the government had banned the use of Yahoo and Hotmail in the country, in a rather vain attempt to censor incoming information, but sites for the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk) and the New York Times (www.nytimes.com) – and even www .espn.com – were available at most Internet cafés. Email accounts that end in something other than ‘.com’ are sometimes easier to access than those that do. Secondary email services, such as www.walla.com, became restricted at the time of research. There are two ISPs: a dial-up service controlled by the Ministry of Telecommunications and a broadband service called Bagan Cybertech, which was run by former prime minister Khin Nyunt’s son until he was ousted (it’s now operated by the military, we hear). Some fine sources of online information can be found on p29.

LEGAL MATTERS The Myanmar government includes no judiciary branch separate from the executive powers vested – by force of totalitarian rule – in the Tatmadaw (military). So you have absolutely no legal recourse in case of arrest or detainment by the authorities, regardless of the charge. Foreign visitors engaging in political activism (such as James Mawdsley; see p337) risk deportation or imprisonment. However, if you were arrested you

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would most likely be permitted to contact your consular agent in Myanmar for possible assistance. If you purchase gems or jewellery from persons or shops that are not licensed by the government, you run the risk of having the goods confiscated if customs officials find them in your baggage when you’re exiting the country. Journalists often claim a different profession in order to get a visa, and they risk deportation if authorities suspect that they’re researching a political exposé while in the country. Drugs are another area where you must be very careful. We know of a French traveller arrested for possession of opium or heroin in Kengtung and held for several weeks before he was able to bribe his way out. Many foreigners have foolishly entered Myanmar illegally from northern Thailand, but not all have succeeded in avoiding arrest. In late 1998 three Western motorcyclists crossed illegally from Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province into Shan State; they were held for three months before being released and deported.

MAPS

Country Maps If you want a map before you go, the best available is the 1:2,000,000 Periplus Editions Myanmar Travel Map, a folded map with plans for Mandalay, Yangon and the Bagan area. The inferior Nelles Myanmar, a folded map on coated stock, contains many errors and splits the country in half on either side, but it’s also easily available outside Myanmar. Good places to buy maps online include Travel Maps and Books (www .itmb.com) and MapLink (www.maplink.com). In Yangon you can pick up the fullcolour, folded Tourist Map of Myanmar, published on coated stock by Design Printing Services (DPS), from many hotels and bookshops. Sometimes you can grab one free at the Yangon Airport arrival hall; in some places it costs up to K1000. The Myanmar government’s Survey Department publishes a very good paper sheet map of the country, simply entitled Myanmar, which has a scale of 1:2,000,000. It’s big, and the noncoated paper decays rapidly. You can often find it on sale from vendors on Bogyoke Aung San Rd in Yangon, just east of the market.

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Myanmar’s Survey Department also publishes a multipage 1997 Myanmar Atlas, complete with colour relief but it is labelled in the Bamar language only. This atlas provides the most up-to-date and detailed set of maps available. If you’re lucky you may find it for sale among the book vendors in Yangon.

City Maps DPS publishes very useful and fairly detailed city maps of Yangon Mandalay, and the extremely useful plan for Bagan. As with its Tourist Map of Myanmar, these city maps are printed on durable coated stock. They’re available from various hotels and bookshops in Yangon, and to a lesser degree in Mandalay and Bagan. They usually cost K500. If you anticipate spending a lot of time in the capital, look for a new DPS bilingual atlas, The Map of Yangon, which is a detailed street and place directory. Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT) also prints city maps oriented towards tourists, but they tend to be out of date and less detailed. These maps are available from the MTT office (Map p102; Sule Paya Rd) in Yangon, or from individual MTT offices in other major towns and cities.

MONEY Myanmar’s national currency, the kyat (pronounced chat, and abbreviated K) is divided into the following banknotes: K1, K5, K10, K15, K20, K45, K50, K90, K100, K200, K500 and K1000. See the inside front cover for exchange rates as this book was going to press. Considering the economy’s freefall, and rising inflation, rates are likely to change. See p27 for details on costs in Myanmar and p24 for tips on spreading your budget through the private sector rather than to the government. KYAT & DOLLARS Prices in this book alternate between kyat and US dollars, depending on the currency in which prices are quoted. Be careful to keep some US dollars with you in case you’re turned back by a strict and unbending museum cashier who will not take kyat. For more information, see right.

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ATMs Myanmar has no ATMs (automatic teller machines).

Banks In 2003 Myanmar’s 20 private banks collapsed, and economic bans by the EU and the USA sent 38 foreign bank representatives packing, rendering credit cards and travellers cheques useless in the country. The few national banks that remain are of little use to travellers, as official exchange rates massively overvalue the kyat. So there’s really no reason to exchange money at a bank.

Cash Most guesthouses and hotels quote prices in US dollars. These places usually accept kyat, but at a slightly disadvantageous rate (say K1000 to each US$1, rather than K950). If you’re counting pennies, bring lots of small US dollar bills – ones, fives and 10s – and use them to pay for your hotel. Many hotels, shops and government ferry clerks are reluctant to give change in foreign currency and instead offer kyat (you’ll lose a little in the conversion). Government-run services (such as archaeological sites, museums and ferries) and flights are paid for in US dollars or FEC (see opposite) – not euros; in some cases you may be able to beg to pay in kyat (at a slightly worse exchange rate than on the street), but airlines tend to accept dollars only. Items such as meals, bus tickets, trishaw or taxi rides, bottles of water and market items are usually quoted in kyat.

Credit Cards & Travellers Cheques At research time, credit cards and travellers cheques were essentially useless in Myanmar. Surprised tourists in Yangon found themselves helpless trying to use them. Depending on how the banking situation and international sanctions develop, this may change. However, a few businesses (including hotels – see below) are able to accept credit cards or cash travellers cheques because of a processing system linked outside the country, usually in Singapore. But it’s unwise to count on using credit cards or travellers cheques. Many travellers pre-book hotels – usually top-end joint-venture ones – using credit cards online.

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Some upscale hotels in Yangon can exchange travellers cheques for a 3% to 10% commission. In Mandalay, the Sedona Hotel (p238) accepts credit cards (Visa and Mastercard are your best bets), and a lone shop accepts travellers cheques for a 20% commission.

Moneychangers You will be asked to ‘change money’ many times on your trip. Technically, the only reasonable way to exchange currency for kyat is through the ‘black market’ – meaning from shops, hotels, travel agents, restaurants or less reliable guys on the street. You can change US dollars or euros in Yangon, but generally only US dollars elsewhere. Rest assured; hanging money on the black market is accepted in Myanmar. Moneychangers accept crisp, clean, uncreased bills. The newer (and the higher in denomination) the better. The US$100 bill gets a slightly better exchange rate than a US$50 or US$20, and so on. Erroneous rumours of some counterfeit notes have meant that many moneychangers won’t trade bills that start with the serial numbers ‘CB’. Don’t expect to change any rumpled, torn bills. It’s safest to change money in hotels or shops, rather than on the street. The moneychangers standing around just east of the Mahabandoola Garden in Yangon have a reputation for short-changing new arrivals for several thousand kyat. Never hand over your money until you’ve received the kyat and counted them. Honest moneychangers will expect you do this. Considering that K1000 is the highest note (roughly US$1), you’ll get a lot of notes. Moneychangers give ready-made, rubberbanded stacks of a hundred K1000 bills. It’s a good idea to check each note individually. Often you’ll find one or two (or more) with a cut corner, or taped together, neither of which anyone will accept. We heard from some travellers that Yangon moneychangers have asked for a ‘commission’. Many travellers do the bulk of their exchanging in Yangon, where you can get about K100 more per dollar than elsewhere, then carry the stacks of kyat for a couple of weeks around the country. Considering the relative safety from theft, it’s not a bad idea, but you can exchange money elsewhere.

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Before handing over, say US$500, one idea is to change just US$100 first. Count the notes, and then take them back to your room and re-count. If all’s OK, return with more money – even with the caveat that you ‘may need to change more later on’, to help ensure you’ll have good reason to be back. Nothing spells ‘u.n.i.n.f.o.r.m.e.d t.o.u.r.i.s.t’ more than changing money at the airport. The airport exchange counter, at research time, gave K450 for US$1, while the worst black-market exchange rate around the country was about K925. If you’ve just arrived, you can use a few US dollars to pay for your taxi to the centre, then find a better rate in town.

FECs Previously, all travellers entering the country had to exchange US$200 into FEC (Foreign Exchange Certificates), the government’s primary way of acquiring dollars from tourists. This requirement was suspended indefinitely in August 2003 (though word hasn’t spread to everyone in the country yet). Some government businesses – such as Myanma Airways and museums – may still quote prices in FEC, and technically they can still be used anywhere. Most private shops prefer foreign currency. One FEC is equal to US$1.

Tipping, Donations & Bribes Tipping as known in the West is not customary in Myanmar, though little extra ‘presents’ are sometimes expected (even if they’re not asked for) in exchange for a service (such as unlocking a locked temple at Bagan, helping move a bag at the airport, showing you around the ‘sights’ of a village). Almost all paya, pahto and kyaung are free to enter. It’s a good idea to keep some small notes (K50, K100, K200) when visiting kyaung, as donations may be asked for. Also, you may wish to leave a donation. In the past, many travellers have offered a little ‘tea money’ to officials in order to help expedite bureaucratic services such as visa extensions or getting a seat on a ‘sold out’ flight. You shouldn’t have to do this. If you overstay your visa, you’ll often pay a US$3 ‘fee’ for the paperwork, in addition to the (actual) US$3 penalty per day. See p352 for more details. At the time of research, an

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author was asked pay an extra few thousand kyat to board a perfectly legal bus! Drivers of pick-ups charge a little extra to sit in the front seat, but they do that for locals too. See also p338 for details on the ‘commissions’ paid to guides and drivers.

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO Some Internet cafés can burn digital photos onto a CD for about K1000, but you should have your own adapter. Colour film – Fuji and Kodak – is widely available in Yangon and Mandalay, a bit less so in smaller towns. Photo-supply shops don’t often sell cameras, but they can develop film. Usually it’s about K200 to develop a roll, then K50 per photo printed. Avoid taking photographs of military facilities, uniformed individuals, road blocks and bridges. Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s home is absolutely off limits to all photographers. We’ve heard of travellers who took photos of the house having their film confiscated. Most locals are not at all unhappy about being photographed, but please ask first. If you have a digital camera with a display screen, some locals (kids, monks, anyone) will be overjoyed to see their image. Some sights, including some payas and other religious sites, charge a camera fee of K100 or so. Usually a video camera fee is a little more. For tips on how to shoot photos, pick up Lonely Planet’s Travel Photography: A Guide to Taking Better Pictures.

POST Most mail out of Myanmar seems to get to its destination quite efficiently, though occasionally we hear reports of something never arriving. International-postage rates are a bargain at least. A postcard, including registration, is K75; a letter K80. If you’re blind, you can send mail for free! There’s a free posterestante service on the 2nd floor of Yangon’s main post office (Map p102; Strand Rd; h7.30am-6pm Mon-Fri). Officially, post offices all over Myanmar are supposed to be open from 9.30am to 3.30pm or 4pm Monday to Friday, but in reality the staff open and close the office when they feel like it. DHL Worldwide Express (in Yangon %01-664 423, in Mandalay %02-39274; 7A Kaba Aye Pagoda Rd, Yangon)

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is a more reliable way of sending out bigger packages – though you can only send documents to the USA, because of the sanctions; you can’t even send postcards. Rates to send a 0.5/1kg package to Europe are US$65/76, Australia US$50/56 and Canada US$65/77 (not including an 8% ‘security charge’). There’s also a useful DHL branch at the Traders Hotel in Yangon (p110). For larger air- or sea-freight shipments, Express Air & Sea Transportation Co (EAST; %01667 057; 14A A1 Lane, 9 Mile, A1 Compound, Yangon) is recommended.

SHOPPING There are some good bargains to be had in Myanmar, particularly for textiles and handicrafts. It’s a good idea to seek out local artisans and buy handicrafts directly from them, rather than directing profits towards government-owned shops. See p28 for a list of top souvenirs. In larger towns and cities, bargains are usually found in the public markets, called zei, or zay, in Burmese. The main central market is often called zeigyo (also spelt zei-gyo or zay-cho); other markets will be named after the district or township where they’re found. Though the Bogyoke Aung San Market in Yangon (p121) and the zeigyo in Man dalay (p242) offer many arts and crafts from around the country, it’s not a bad idea to buy items where they are made. Some regional specialties are not widespread (eg cotton and silk shirts at Inle Lake, bestquality parasols at Pindaya and Pathein, regional longyi styles, and Bagan’s lacquerware selection). The big hotel shops, the large air-con handicrafts emporiums and the shops in the departure lounge at Yangon airport are very expensive. Outside the hotel shops, haggling is generally in full force, and very few things have marked prices. Often the acceptable selling price is about half of what is originally offered; cheaper items, such as T-shirts, are less likely to drop that much.

Antiques Although they’re not all as ancient as they’re made out to be, a-le (opium weights) are popular things to collect. These are the little animal shapes in descending sizes that

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are traditionally used for weighing opium, gems and other precious goods. The older system of scales used a series of nine weights; the newer system uses six weights. Production of the traditional zoomorphic weights came to a halt once the British colonial administration standardised the system of weights and measures in 1885. The pre-1885 weights were made of bronze; reproductions made for the tourist trade are usually brass. The most common animal figures are to-aung (a creature that looks like a cross between a bull and a lion), hintha (a swan-like bird) and karaweik (the Myanmar crane). Folding scales in carved wooden boxes go with the weights. If you can, check prices in shops in Bangkok before blithely looking for bargains in Myanmar. KAMMAWA & PARABAIK

Kammawa (from the Pali kammavacha) are narrow, rectangular slats painted with extracts from the Pali Vinaya – the Pitaka – concerned with monastic discipline; specifically, extracts to do with clerical affairs. The core of a kammawa page may be a thin slat of wood, lacquered cloth, thatched cane or thin brass, which is then layered with red, black and gold lacquer to form the script and decorations. The parabaik (Buddhist palm-leaf manuscript) is a similarly horizontal ‘book’, this time folded accordion-style, like a road map. The pages are made of heavy paper covered with black ink on which the letters are engraved; some parabaik may feature gouache illustrations, and some can be erased and written over again. Typical parabaik contain Jataka (stories from the Buddha’s past lives) or royal chronicles. Both kammawa and parabaik are among the items prohibited for export – though it’s difficult to say how well this is enforced. Plenty are for sale in high-end shops in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

Books Bookshops are plentiful, but for Englishlanguage books (and those in some other foreign languages), Yangon’s Bagan Bookshop (p87) is by far the best place to dig up old Myanmar-related books. Here you may find many regional-based books – such as for Mrauk U – that are not available elsewhere. Yangon is also the best place to pick

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up English-language magazines such as Newsweek and Time.

Clothing & Shoes LONGYIS

Myanmar is the only country in Southeast Asia where the majority of the population wear non-Western clothes as part of their everyday dress. Native fabrics are for the most part limited to the longyi. Men wear ankle-length patterns of checks, plaids or stripes. To tie them they gather the front of the longyi to create two short lengths of material, then twist them into a half-knot, tucking one end in at the waist while allowing the other to protrude from the knot. Any kind of shirt, from a T-shirt to the formal mandarin-collar eingyi, may be worn with a man’s longyi. On very formal occasions such as weddings, the gaung-baung (Bamar turban) is added to the outfit. Burmese women favour calf-length longyi in solid colours, stripes or flower prints, topped off by a form-fitting, waist-length blouse. A black waistband is stitched along the waist end, which is folded in front to form a wide pleat, then tucked behind the waistband to one side. The most expensive designs tend to feature wavy or zigzag acheiq patterns, the rarest of which are woven using a hundred or more spools of thread and called lun-taya (hundred-spool) acheiq. OTHER ITEMS

Simple flip-flops with leather soles and velvet thongs are the most common footwear for both men and women. If you need them big, some shops can have them tailor-made for you in about three days. Tailoring in Myanmar is very inexpensive compared with just about anywhere else in the world. Many of the textiles seen in tailors’ shops are imported synthetics. So, if you want, say, a shirt made from pure cotton, consider buying a longyi and having the tailor cut and sew from that. Trousers, of the same cut as those sold in Thailand as ‘fisherman’s pants’, can be found in Shan State, particularly around Inle Lake but also in Hsipaw. Unlike the Thai variety, those sold in Myanmar are made of thicker, hand-woven cotton and use natural dyes. You can also get high-quality jeans (fake Levis etc) for about US$14 in some Yangon malls.

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Jewellery & Precious Stones

HISTORY

Tapestries

Myanmar generates a considerable income from the mining of precious stones, mostly in the north. Be very wary of people who come to you with stories of large profits to be had by taking Myanmar gemstones to sell in Western countries. Precious stones are supposed to be a government monopoly, and the government is very unhappy about visitors buying stones from anywhere other than licensed retail shops. If any stones are found when your baggage is checked on departure, they may be confiscated unless you can present a receipt showing that they were purchased from a government-licensed dealer. The finer imperial-jade or pigeon-blood rubies can only be purchased at exclusive special dealer sessions during the governmentsponsored Myanmar Gems, Jade & Pearl Emporium held each year in October, December and February in Yangon. Still, many visitors manage to buy stones from unlicensed dealers, who far outnumber those who are licensed. The government turns a blind eye to most domestic trade; Mandalay’s jade market (p242) is an example. Black-market prices are considerably lower than prices found in licensed retail shops, but of course the risk of being conned is far greater as well. The best place to buy unlicensed stones is at the source, where fakes are much less common. The catch is that, of the main mines – Mogok (Sagaing Division), Pyinlon (Shan State), Maingshu (Shan State), Myaduang (Kayah State) and parts of Kachin State – only Mogok can be visited, and this can be done only on expensive government-sponsored tours (see p229).

The earliest lacquerware found in Myanmar can be dated to the 11th century and sported a very Chinese style. The techniques used today are known as yun, the old Bamar word for the people of Chiang Mai, where the techniques were imported from (along with some captured artisans) in the 16th century by King Bayinnaung. An older style of applying gold or silver to a black background dates back to, perhaps, the Pyay era (5th to 9th centuries) and is kept alive by artisans in Kyaukka (p260), near Monywa.

Along with lacquerware, tapestries (kalaga) are one of the better bargains in Myanmar. They consist of pieces of coloured cloth of various sizes heavily embroidered with silver- or gold-coloured thread, metal sequins and glass beads, and feature mythological Myanmar figures in padded relief. The greatest variety is found in Mandalay, where most tapestries are produced, but the mark-up can be high because of touts taking you there. Try to locate shops on your own – and go by bike – and bargain for the best prices. You can also purchase tapestries in Yangon at craft shops in the Bogyoke Aung San Market (p121). Good-quality kalaga are tightly woven and don’t skimp on sequins, which may be sewn in overlapping lines, rather than spaced side by side, as a sign of embroidery skill. The metals used should shine, even in older pieces; tarnishing means lowerquality materials. Age is not necessarily a factor in the item’s value except when related to better-quality work. Prices vary according to size and quality; they range from US$5 to US$10 for smaller squares to US$65 for larger ones.

Lacquerware Probably the most popular purchase in Myanmar is lacquerware – you’ll find bowls, trays, boxes, containers, cups, vases and other everyday items (including tables!) on sale in the main markets of Yangon and Mandalay; in the entrance walks to Mahamuni Paya in Mandalay; and most particularly in Bagan, where most of the lacquerware is made. If you purchase large lacquerware items, most shops will wrap and crate them for you for easier shipping.

HOW ITS MADE & WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Many lacquerware shops – in Kyaukka (p260), Myinkaba (p275) and New Bagan (Bagan Myothit; p277) – include active workshops, where you can see the longwinded process involved in making the bowls, trays and other objects. The craftsperson first weaves a frame (the bestquality wares have a bamboo frame tied together with horse or donkey hairs; lesser pieces are made wholly from bamboo). The lacquer is then coated over the framework and allowed to dry. After several days it is sanded down with ash from rice husks, and another coating of lacquer is applied. A high-quality item may have seven to 15 layers altogether. The lacquerware is engraved and painted, then polished to remove the paint from everywhere except from within the engravings. Multicoloured lacquerware is produced by repeated engraving, painting and polishing. From start to finish it can take up to five or six months to produce a high-quality piece of lacquerware, which may have as many as five colours. A topquality bowl can have its rim squeezed together until the sides meet without suffering any damage or permanent distortion.

Parasols The graceful and beautifully painted little parasols you see around Myanmar are cheap and a product of the port of Pathein (p134) – in fact they’re known in Myanmar as Pathein hti (Pathein umbrellas). Everyday parasols have wooden handles, and the more ceremonial ones have handles of silver. The Bogyoke Aung San Market in Yangon is another place to look.

Woodcarving & Puppets You can still find some pleasantly carved new Buddha images and other items from workshops in Mandalay or in the corridors leading to Shwedagon Paya in Yangon, but in general you won’t see much woodcarving on sale. Older items from the Amarapura, Yadanapon and Mandalay periods are plentiful, but you can’t be sure that Myanmar customs will allow them out of the country (and it’s not a good idea to remove historical items for your personal use elsewhere anyway). Again, the high-end antique shops of Bangkok and Chiang Mai seem to have an endless supply of pieces that once graced Burmese kyaung. Wooden puppets, old and new (cheapies go for as little as US$2 or US$3 in Mandalay and Yangon), are other popular items.

Export Restrictions The following items cannot legally be taken out of the country: prehistoric implements and artefacts; fossils; old coins; bronze or brass weights (including opium weights);

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bronze or clay pipes; kammawa or parabaik; inscribed stones; inscribed gold or silver; historical documents; religious images; sculptures or carvings in bronze, stone, stucco or wood; frescoes (even fragments); pottery; and national regalia and paraphernalia.

SOLO TRAVELLERS For some travellers, the already hospitable locals are even more so if you’re travelling alone. Solo travellers will likely attract more questions on the matter. Nearly all accommodation options have reduced rates for single rooms. However, some side trips (which require you to hire a boat, taxi or big horse cart) will mean extra expenses that could otherwise be shared. Generally, outside budget guesthouses in bigger destinations, the easiest way to meet fellow travellers is on transport where you can roam a bit, such as boat rides.

TELEPHONE Approach the telephone with a prayer. Aung San Suu Kyi Most business cards in Myanmar purposely list a couple of phone numbers, and a mobile (cell) phone number, as lines frequently go dead and calls just don’t go through. Many streetside stands have phones that can be used to make local calls in town or around the country for a couple of hundred kyat; you can also make calls from many shops (look for a drawing of a phone hanging outside). Official telephone (call) centres are sometimes the only way to call overseas, though sometimes this can be done on the street too. Generally, it costs about US$4 or US$5 per minute to call Australia or Europe and US$5 or US$6 per minute to phone North America. Often you’ll be asked to pay in US dollars, but many government phone centres will accept kyat after a moment of hesitation. Like electronic devices, all mobile phones must be declared upon arrival; these don’t work here – only satellite phones do, but this type of phone is trickier to get past immigration. Mobile-phone numbers in Myanmar begin with %09. A useful resource is the Myanmar Yellow Pages (www.myanmaryelowpages.biz).

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CALLING MYANMAR To call Myanmar from abroad, dial your country’s international access code, then %95 (Myanmar’s country code), the area code (minus the ‘0’) and the five- or sixdigit number. To dial long distance within Myanmar, dial the area code (including the ‘0’) and the number. Area codes for selected towns and cities: Aungban %069 Bagan %02 & %061 Bago %052 Chauk %061 Dawei (Tavoy) %036 Heho %059 Hinthada %044 Hpa-an %058 Inle Lake see Nyaungshwe Kalaw %081 Kyaukse %066 Lashio %082 Loikaw %083 Magwe %063 Mandalay %02 Mawlamyine %057 Meiktila %064 Minbu %065 Monywa %071 Myeik %059 Myingyan %066 Myitkyina %074 Ngapali Beach %043 Nyaungshwe (Yaunghwe) %081 Pakokku %062 Pathein %042 Pyay %053 Pyin U Lwin %085 Pyinmana %067 Sagaing %072 Sittwe %043 Taunggyi %081 Taungoo %054 Thanlyin (Syriam) %065 Yangon %01

TIME The local Myanmar Standard Time (MST) is 6½ hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC). When coming in from Thailand, turn your watch back half an hour; coming from India, put your watch forward an hour. The 24-hour clock is often used for

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train times (eg 16.00 instead of 4pm). For an idea of comparative times around the world, see the map on p392.

TOILETS Toilets, when you need them most (at bus stops, off the highway), are often at their worst. Outside most guesthouses, hotels and upscale restaurants, squat toilets are the norm. Most squat toilets are located down a dirt path behind a house. Usually next to the toilet is a cement reservoir filled with water, and a plastic bowl lying nearby. This has two functions: as a flush and for people to clean their nether regions while still squatting over the toilet. Toilet paper is available at shops all over the country, but not often at toilets. Some places charge a nominal fee to use the toilet. Note that the plumbing in flush, sitdown toilets is generally not equipped to flush paper. Usually there’s a small waste basket nearby to deposit used toilet paper. It’s perfectly acceptable for men (less so for women) to go behind a tree or bush (or at the roadside) when nature calls.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Government-operated Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; www.myanmars.net/mtt) is part of the Ministry of Hotels & Tourism and the main ‘tourist information’ service in the country. Those who want to avoid using government services should avoid the tours and services offered here, including buying train or plane tickets. MTT offices are located in Yangon (p89), Mandalay (p229), New Bagan (p275), and Inle Lake (p183). Other than at Yangon, these offices are pretty quiet. The staff is friendly and speaks English, however, so you could easily drop by for free information – though details of open/restricted areas aren’t always reliable. There are no MTT offices abroad. Try www.myanmar.com for (often useful) travel information provided by the government. Much of the tourist industry in Myanmar is now privatised. Travellers who want to arrange a driver, or have hotel reservations awaiting them, would do well to arrange a trip with the help of private travel agents in Yangon (p89). Many ‘travel agents’ outside Yangon only sell air tickets.

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D I R E C T O R Y • • V i s a s 351

LIVING ON MYANMAR TIME That bus may roll in late, but much of Myanmar actually does work on a different time system. Most Myanmar Buddhists use an eight-day week in which Thursday to Tuesday conform to the Western calendar but Wednesday is divided into two 12-hour days. Midnight to noon is ‘Bohdahu’ (the day Buddha was born), while noon to midnight is ‘Yahu’ (Rahu, a Hindu god/planet). It’s rare that the week’s unique structure causes any communication problems, however. The traditional Myanmar calendar features 12 28-day lunar months that run out of sync with the months of the solar Gregorian calendar. To stay in sync with the solar year, Myanmar inserts a second Waso lunar month every few years – somewhat like the leap-year day added to the Gregorian February. The lunar months of Myanmar: Tagu March/April Thadingyut September/October Kason April/May Tazaungmon October/November Nayon May/June Nadaw November/December Waso June/July Pyatho December/January Wagaung July/August Tabodwe January/February Tawthalin August/September Tabaung February/March Most traditional festivals take place according to the lunar calendar, making it difficult to calculate festival dates using the fixed-date Gregorian calendar. Ask most Buddhist villagers when a pwe is scheduled and you may hear something like, ‘It’s on Pyatho, 8th day of the waning moon’. OK, see you there! Traditionally, Burmese kings subscribed to various year counts. The main one in current use, the thekkayit, begins in April and is 638 years behind the Christian year count. Therefore, the Christian year of 2005 is equivalent to the thekkayit of 1367. If an ancient temple you see sounds way too old, it may because locals are using the thekkayit. Another calendar in use follows the Buddhist era (BE), as used in Thailand, which counts from 543 BC, the date that Buddha achieved nibbana. Hence AD 2005 is 2548 BE.

VISAS Passport holders from Asean countries, China, Bangladesh and Russia do not need to apply for visas to visit Myanmar. All other nationalities do. A tourist visa’s validity expires 90 days after issue and only allows a 28-day, single-entry visit. It costs US$20. You’ll need three passport-sized photos for the process. There are also 28-day business visas (US$30) and 28-day special visas (US$30) for former Myanmar citizens (these visas can be extended for three to six months once in Yangon, for US$36). A multipleentry business visa is US$150. There is also a meditation visa (US$30), which requires an invitation from a monastery; those seeking to enter Myanmar on this type of visa must do an autobiographical ‘sketch’ as part of the process. It may be possible to apply for an e-visa online at www.visa.gov.mm, though the site was suspended at the time of research. Evisas previously cost US$30. If you’re planning to enter the country overland, however,

you must first get a visa directly through a Myanmar consular service. At research time, Bangkok travel agents, particularly on Khao San Rd, specialised in getting quick tourist visas for Myanmar. Rates depended on turnaround times, which aren’t always met: a visa in one day costs B1800, in two days B1600 and in three days B1100. The process at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok (see p339) takes at least a day. Show up early. See p357 for more information on entering Myanmar overland from Thailand or China, which includes details of short-term visas (with very limited access to Myanmar) available at the borders.

Applications Myanmar’s embassies and consulates abroad are scrupulous in checking out the backgrounds of anyone applying for a tourist visa. In particular, writers and journalists may have a difficult time obtaining visas. Therefore, it’s probably not a good idea to list your occupation as any of the

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following: journalist, photographer, editor, publisher, motion-picture director or producer, cameraperson, videographer, or writer. Of course, plenty of journalists and photographers do get into the country – by declaring a different profession on the visa application. Myanmar foreign missions may also be suspicious of anyone whose passport shows two or more previous visits to Myanmar in a five-year period. Obviously the government can’t believe anyone would want to visit Myanmar more than once or twice! In cases such as these you’ll need more of a reason than simply ‘tourism’ for receiving another visa. Be creative.

Extensions At research time, it was possible to extend a tourist visa by an additional 14 days beyond its original 28-day validity in Yangon only. The extension costs US$36 and usually takes about three days to issue. A travel agent can help sort through the bureaucracy, or you can drop by the MTT office, which charges an extra US$2 for the service. You’ll need two copies of your passport details and visa, two passport-sized photographs, and a letter of recommendation from your hotel. The process cannot be started in advance or from elsewhere in Myanmar apart from Yangon.

Overstaying Your Visa Another option, if you want just a couple more days, is overstaying your visa. Many travellers have overstayed up to seven days without incident. Check with a Yangon travel agent before your visa’s up, but at research time there was generally little hassle if you overstayed if you were leaving from the Yangon or Mandalay airports. Be prepared to spend at least 20 minutes doing some paperwork, and pay US$3 per day, plus a US$3 ‘registration fee’. Have correct change, as immigration will likely not be able to change your US$100 bill. If you’re leaving overland to Thailand on an expired visa, it’s best to enlist help from a travel agency before popping up at the border. In one case an extra US$35 fee was slung onto the US$3-per-day penalty to cross to Ranong, Thailand. It’s likely not an official fee, but it seems to be regularly applied.

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VOLUNTEERING Some foreigners have been able to volunteer as English teachers at monasteries. In November 2004, seven foreigners doing so at Mandalay’s Phaungdaw Kyaung were deported, though this is likely to have been a repercussion of the monastery’s connection with ousted prime minister Khin Nyunt.

WOMEN TRAVELLERS In Myanmar no Myanmar woman would even consider travelling without at least one female companion, so women travelling alone are regarded as slightly peculiar by the locals. Women travelling alone and being seen off on boats and trains by local friends may find the latter trying to find a suitably responsible older woman to keep them company on the trip. As in most Buddhist countries, foreign women travelling in Myanmar are rarely hassled on the road as they might be in, for example, India, Malaysia or Indonesia. However, we have received a few reports of foreign women being harassed while travelling in Myanmar. Dressing modestly should help to reduce the risk of sexual harassment. Wear a local longyi instead of a skirt above the knee, and any old T-shirt instead of a spaghetti-strap top. If you didn’t bring tampons, they’re available at Yangon’s City Mart Supermarket (p88). Women travelling in Myanmar during the April Water Festival (Thingyan) should take extra precautions. As in neighbouring Thailand, drunkenness and an ‘anything goes’ atmosphere, combined with Western women in tight, wet T-shirts, is apparently too much for some Myanmar men to bear – we’ve heard of women being groped during the festival. Again, dressing modestly should help to prevent such incidents. ‘Ladies’ (per the posted signs in certain areas) cannot go up some altars or onto decks around stupas, including the one affording a close-up look at the famous Golden Rock at Kyaiktiyo (p149). Most locals tend to visit teashops, restaurants or shops with members of the same sex. Asian women, even from other countries, travelling with a Western man may encounter rude comments. In one case a local explained to the heckler that they were not a couple, and the comments ceased.

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In some cases it can be considered an insult for a woman to be on the roof of a small vehicle or boat when male passengers are below; ask first. Also, monks are not supposed to touch or be touched by women. If

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you’re handing something to a monk (and you’re a woman), place the object within reach of him, not directly into his hands. See p61 for background on the role of local women in society.

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Air China (%01-505 024; www.airchina.com; airline

Transport Getting There & Away Entering the Country Air Land River & Sea Tours Getting Around Air Bicycle Boat Bus Car & Motorcycle Hitching Local Transport Pick-up Trucks Tours Train

354 354 354 357 358 358 358 358 360 361 363 364 365 365 366 366 366

GETTING THERE & AWAY ENTERING THE COUNTRY If you’re arriving by air, and have your visa ready (see p351) and your valid passport in hand (see following), you should have no trouble entering Myanmar. Arriving so by land is less predictable. Presently you can cross at three places – from Ruili (China) to Mu-se; from Mae Sai (Thailand) to Tachileik; and from Ranong (Thailand)

Passport You will need to have a passport that has at least six months of validity from the time of entry.

AIR

Airports & Airlines All international flights arrive at Yangon (Rangoon) airport (RGN), except flights originating from Chiang Mai (Thailand) that go directly to Mandalay airport (MDL). Both airports can land DC10s, but only Mandalay’s airport (far more modern and impressive than Yangon’s) can land Boeing 747s. The most common route to Yangon is via Bangkok, though flights also connect Yangon with Calcutta and Delhi (in India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Kunming (China) and Singapore. Airlines with offices in Yangon and regular international links with Myanmar:

WARNING – THINGS CHANGE The information in this chapter is particularly vulnerable to change: prices for international travel are volatile, routes are introduced and cancelled, schedules change, special deals come and go, and rules and visa requirements are amended. Airlines and governments seem to take a perverse pleasure in making price structures and regulations as complicated as possible. You should check directly with the airline or a travel agent to make sure you understand how a fare (and ticket you may buy) works. In addition, the travel industry is highly competitive, and there are many lurks and perks. The upshot of this is that you should get opinions, quotes and advice from as many airlines and travel agents as possible before you part with your hard-earned cash. The details given in this chapter should be regarded as pointers and are not a substitute for your own careful, upto-date research.

The following are airlines with representatives in Yangon, despite not offering direct services to Myanmar: Air France (Map p102; %01-255 430; www.airfrance.fr, in French; airline code AF; 339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) All Nippon Airways (ANA; Map p102; %01-248 901, 01-255 412; www.ana.co.jp/eng; airline code NH; 339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd, Sakura Tower) China Airlines (%01-245 484; www.china-airlines .com; airline code CI; 353 Bo Aung Gyaw St) EVA Air (%01-298 001; www.evaair.com; airline code BR; 94 Bogalay Zay St) Japan Airlines (JAL; Map p102; %01-240 400; www.jal .co.jp; airline code JL; FMI Bldg, 380 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines (Map p102; %01-274 466; www.klm.com; airline code KL; c/o Myanma Airways, 104 Strand Rd) Korean Air (%01-661 524; www.koreanair.com; airline code KE; 2nd fl, 112 Pyay Rd, 8 Mile Junction)

picking up a one-way ticket to Yangon for US$90 or US$100 from there. If you’re getting quoted obscene fares to Yangon – say US$2500 or the equivalent from London or Los Angeles – look into getting tickets to Bangkok. Once in Myanmar you can only buy international tickets from travel agents or airline offices in Yangon. AIR PASSES

If you’re coming from the USA, Malaysia Airlines’ Access Asia Pass allows flights around 25 cities (including Yangon) over a 21-day period within Southeast Asia (covering all countries except Laos), and also Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Taiwan and – gulp – Sweden. INTERCONTINENTAL (RTW) TICKETS

The following online ticket agencies arrange RTW tickets (which will get you to Bangkok): www.airbrokers.com www.airstop.com www.airtreks.com www.aroundtheworlds.com

Reconfirming Tickets It’s important to reconfirm your outgoing tickets from Myanmar a few days in advance for all airlines other than Thai Airways and Silk Air. If you’ve forgotten what time your flight is, the inside back page of the Myanmar Times lists the weeks’ international flight schedule.

Asia STA Travel (www.statravel.com) often has good deals. It has branches in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Some other locally based agents that can help with tickets: China China International Travel Service/FIT Office (in Kunming %0871 313 8888; King World Hotel) One-way fares from Kunming to Mandalay or Yangon are about Y1500.

See p358 for a list of domestic carriers.

Tickets

DEPARTURE TAX

Because most flights to Myanmar will involve changes of planes, possibly to a different airline, in Bangkok, it’s occasionally possible to save money (up to US$1000!) by taking a cheapie flight to Bangkok and then

The international departure tax of US$10 is not included with your air ticket. Have the US dollars in hand when leaving the country. Kyat is not accepted.

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to Kawthoung (see p357 for more details on these). There is no way that foreigners can reach Myanmar by land or sea from Bangladesh, India or Laos. At the time of research, a road link between Bangladesh and Myanmar – strategically linking Myanmar with India – was under construction, though it is unlikely that this route will be made open for foreigners to use. There is no requirement for you to show an onward ticket out of the country to enter Myanmar.

code CA; B13/23 Narnattaw Rd, Kamayut Township) Flies to/from Kunming. Air Mandalay (Map p90; %01-525 488; www.air mandalay.com; airline code 6T; 146 Dhamma Zedi Rd) Connects Mandalay with Chiang Mai. Biman Bangladesh Airlines (%01-275 882, 01-240 922; www.bimanair.com; airline code BG; 106-108 Pansodan St) Flies to/from Bangkok and Dhaka. Indian Airlines Limited (Map p102; %01-253 598; http://indian-airlines.nic.in; airline code IC; 127 Sule Paya Rd) Flies to/from Bangkok and Calcutta. Malaysia Airlines (Map p102; %01-241 007; www .malaysianair.com; airline code MH; 335 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Flies to/from Kuala Lumpur. Myanmar Airways International (MAI; Map p102; %01-255 260; www.maiair.com; airline code 8M; 123 Sule Paya Rd) Flies to/from Bangkok, Delhi, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Silk Air (Map p102; %01-255 287; www.silkair.com; airline code MI; 339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Flies to/from Singapore. Thai Airways International (Thai; Map p102; %01-255 499; www.thaiair.com; airline code TG; 1st fl, 339 Bogyoke Aung San Rd) Flies to/from Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

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356 G E T T I N G T H E R E & A W AY • • A i r

www.hkst.com.hk, in Cantonese only) India STIC Travels (in Delhi %011-2335 7468; www .stictravel.com) Dozens of branches. It offers a R7700/13,500 one-way/return fare from Calcutta; return from Delhi is about R11,500 on Myanma Airways. Japan No 1 Travel (in Tokyo %03-3205 6073; www .no1-travel.com) No direct flights, but you can change in Bangkok. Thailand Pilot Purely Tour Ltd (in Bangkok %02281-8565; [email protected]; 139 Khao San Rd, Banglampu) Long-time resident company on Khao San Rd; sells one-way/return tickets to Yangon for B4400/7200.

You can often get pan-Asian fares cheaper in Asia than from elsewhere. However, here are some sample one-way fares for online tickets purchased outside Asia: from Bangkok (US$165), Chiang Mai (US$165), Delhi (US$470), Hong Kong (US$470), Kuala Lumpur (US$460) and Singapore (US$560). Flights from Chaing Mai to Mandalay on Air Mandalay cost about B5000 (about US$130) one way.

Australia & New Zealand In Australia, STA Travel (%1300 733 035; www.sta travel.com.au) and Flight Centre (%133 133; www .flightcentre.com.au) have offices throughout Australia. An online booking agent is www.travel .com.au. Sample return fares from Sydney to Yangon range from about A$1000 to A$1300, including tax. In New Zealand, Flight Centre (%0800 243 544; www.flightcentre.co.nz) and STA Travel (%0508 782 872; www.statravel.co.nz) have many branches. The site www.travel.co.nz is good for online bookings.

Canada Travel Cuts (%800 667-2887; www.travelcuts.com) is Canada’s national student-travel agency. For online bookings, try www.expedia.ca and www.travelocity.ca. It may be cheaper to buy separate tickets – to Bangkok, then to Yangon. There are far cheaper fares from New York than from Toronto or Montreal; one sample fare from Toronto to Yangon was C$3200, while from New York the cost was US$1250.

Continental Europe FRANCE

Gulf Air and Emirates Air often have bargain flights from Paris to Bangkok. Tickets

for flights between Paris and Yangon could be bought for €860. Recommended travel agencies: Anyway (%08 92 89 38 92; www.anyway.fr, in French) Nouvelles Frontières (%08 25 00 07 47; www.nouvelles -frontieres.fr, in French) OTU Voyages (www.otu.fr, in French) Student oriented. Voyageurs du Monde (%01 40 15 11 15; www.vdm.com) GERMANY

Find fares at these online agencies: Expedia (www.expedia.de, in German) Just Travel (%089 747 3330; www.justtravel.de) Last Minute (%01805 284 366; www.lastminute.de) STA Travel (%01805 456 422; www.statravel.de) OTHER COUNTRIES

Airfair (%020-620 5121; www.airfair.nl, in Dutch) A recommended agency in the Netherlands. CTS Viaggi (%06-462 0431; www.cts.it, in Italian) A student-oriented agent in Italy.

UK & Ireland Look for advertisements in Time Out, the Evening Standard and the the Web-based TNT Magazine Online (www.tntmagazine.com). Geared towards students or travellers under 26 (but helpful to all), popular STA Travel (%0870 160 0599; www.statravel.co.uk) has many branches around the UK. Recommended travel agencies: Bridge the World (%0870 444 7474; www.b-t-w.co.uk) Flight Centre (%0870 890 8099; www.flightcentre .co.uk)

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found in Los Angeles, New York and other big cities. One of the most reliable discounters is Avia Travel (%800 950-2842, 510-558-2150; www .aviatravel.com), which specialises in customdesigned round-the-world fares. Travellers aged under 26, including students, should check with STA Travel (%800 781-4040; www.sta travel.com) for discount fares. Agencies recommended for making online bookings: www.cheaptickets.com www.expedia.com www.itn.net www.lowestfare.com www.orbitz.com www.travelocity.com If the fares quoted to you are high, considering buying two individual tickets – one to Bangkok, then another to Yangon. Generally, flights to Bangkok are about US$200 cheaper from the west coast than from the east coast (it’s about US$750 from Los Angeles in the high season, not including Christmas). It’s possible to book a return Bangkok to Yangon flight online for about US$300, which is about US$100 more than the cost of the day-in-advance return tickets easily bought in Bangkok. An early high-season sample fare for a return trip to Yangon was US$1250 from New York; curiously, it was much more from LA (about US$2000).

Flightbookers (%0870 010 7000; www.ebookers.com) North-South Travel (%01245-608 291; www.north

LAND

southtravel.co.uk) Part of the company’s profits goes to projects in the developing world. Quest Travel (%0870 442 3542; www.questtravel.com) Trailfinders (www.trailfinders.co.uk) Travel Bag (%0870 890 1456; www.travelbag.co.uk)

There are presently only three places to cross into Myanmar overland. No bus or train service connects Myanmar with another country, nor can you travel by car or motorcycle across the border – you must walk across. Have your visa before you get to the border (see p351). Note that both border crossings with Thailand involve reaching closed-off areas of Myanmar, from where you will have to fly to reach the other parts of the country (including Yangon or Mandalay). The majority of travellers crossing the border at these places are making day trips – or are seeking to renew a Thai visa.

We found sample return fares from London to Yangon from £650 to £1000 – often £500 more if starting from Belfast, so consider getting a cheap fare to London and leaving from there. A one-way ticket is usually only slightly cheaper than a return ticket.

USA Discount travel agents in the USA are known as consolidators (although you won’t see a sign on the door saying ‘Consolidator’). San Francisco is the ticket consolidator capital of America, although some good deals can be

Border Crossings

TO/FROM MAE SAI, THAILAND

North of Chiang Rai it’s possible to cross to dreary Tachileik (p202). Travellers already

G E T T I N G T H E R E & A W AY • • L a n d 357

possessing a 28-day visa (obtained from Bangkok or elsewhere) are permitted to enter Myanmar here and travel to the rest of the country. If you don’t have a visa, a US$5 day pass (paid to Myanmar immigration on the spot) allows travel only within 5km of town; a US$10 14-day pass, also obtainable at the border, allows travel to Kengtung and Mong La. It’s not a problem to leave Myanmar here, as long as your visa hasn’t expired. See p352 for more on this. TO/FROM RANONG, THAILAND

Travel agents in Ranong help arrange 28day visas allowing you to cross into Kawthoung (p169) and travel to the rest of Myanmar. You can also enter the country for two days by purchasing a US$5 ‘day pass’, which doesn’t subject you to the same 5km restriction. Travellers can exit Myanmar here too. Presently immigration charges US$25 for you to do so; this is likely not an official fee but seems to be pretty standard. TO/FROM RUILI, CHINA

At the time of research, you could come into Myanmar from China, but not enter China, at this border. You can arrange a regular 28-day tourist visa in a day or two in Kunming at the Myanmar Consulate (%0871371 6609; fax 0871-317 6309; Camellia Hotel, Bldg No 3; h8.30am-noon & 1-4.30pm Mon-Fri), in Yunnan

Province. The cost is Y185 to Y285, depending on how quickly you need it. To cross overland at Ruili it’s necessary to book a multiday ‘visa-and-package trip’ – you can’t go on your own – to go across the border at Mu-Se and on to Lashio. This package costs about Y1400, generally about the same as a one-way flight to Mandalay from Kunming. We’ve heard it can take more than a week to arrange, or as little as two days. The package, which includes basic transport and a ‘guide’ to ensure all goes OK, doesn’t include food or accommodation. The border, at Ruili, is 20 hours by road from Kunming. The drive from Mu-Se (just across the border) to Lashio is on a good portion of the old Burma Rd and takes about five hours. The China International Travel Service in Kunming (see p355 for details) can arrange this package.

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Hong Kong Hong Kong Student Travel (%2730 2800;

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358 G E T T I N G A R O U N D • • A i r

Many foreign-run companies book package tours to Myanmar. We’re not recommending them as, in most instances, more money will reach the local people if you travel on your own or arrange a driver and guide from a locally based agent. See p26 for tips on arranging your own tour in Yangon. Travel agents along Bangkok’s Khao San Rd offer a host of short-term package trips to Myanmar, some of which are geared more to midrange locally run hotels than topend joint-venture hotels. Four-night trips to Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan (Pagan) start at US$329 to US$399, including hotels and flight.

GETTING AROUND

Myanmar has 66 (and counting) airstrips around the country, of which 20 are served by regular flights. Many are located 20 or 30 minutes by car outside town. In many towns you’ll note new, spotless, largely empty airports serving, well, no flights. One Magwe resident said: ‘Our airport? It’s for show. We don’t get flights here’. As with international flights, domestic flights involve immigration and customs checks.

MAJOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT ROUTES Pangsaw Pass

BHUTAN

Putao

Airlines in Myanmar Four airlines – three private ones and the government-run Myanma Airways (MA) – serve Myanmar’s domestic skyways. Most routes connect the big four: Yangon, Bagan (Nyaung U), Mandalay and Heho (Inle Lake). Daily flights also connect Yangon with Ngapali Beach (Thandwe). Even more far-flung airports, such as the ones at Myitkyina, Kengtung and Sittwe, see regular flights during the week. Following is the contact information for the offices in Yangon for the four airlines; the regional offices are listed in the respective chapters. Air Bagan (%01-514 741, 01-513 322; www.airbagan .com; airline code AB; 56 Shwe Taung Gyar St, Bahan) New privately run carrier that started up in 2004. Air Mandalay (Map p90; %01-525 488; www.air mandalay.com; airline code 6T; 146 Dhamma Zedi Rd) Running since 1994, this is a Singapore/Malaysia joint venture. Myanma Airways (MA; Map p102; %01-374 874, 01277 013; fax 01-373 828; 104 Strand Rd) Government airline. Yangon Airways (Map p102; %01-383 106; www.yan gonair.com; airline code HK; MMB Tower, Level 5, 166 Upper Pansodan Rd) Thai joint venture operating since 1996, with a cute flying-elephant logo; their slogan ‘you’re safe with us’ is a poke at government-run Myanma Airways’ safety record.

Khamti

INDIA Myitkyina

BANGLADESH

CHINA Tamu Kawlinn Mawlaik Tiddim

Kalaymyo

Hakha

Shwebo

Pakokku

Mt Victoria (3053m) Mrauk U

Nyaung U Bagan

Minbu

Magwe

Taunggok

Mong La

Mandalay

Heho Thazi Kalaw

Minbya

Bay of Bengal

Lashio

Hsipaw Kyaukme Pyin U Lwin

Pindaya Mt Popa Meiktila Taunggyi

Kyaukpadaung

Sittwe

Nanhsan

Myingyan Kengtung

Nyaungshwe Kakku

Tachilek

Inle Lake

LAOS

Mae Sai

Pyinmana

Taungoo

Pyay Shwedaung

Thandwe

Ngapali

Bago Chaungtha Ngwe Saung

Kyaiktiyo

Hpa-an Pathein

Thaton

Mouths of the Ayeyarwady

Air routes change in the air; that’s how domestic we are. Yangon travel agent

Myawadi

YANGON Letkhokkon Beach Kyaikkami

Schedules

The agent is not joking. These comments are particularly true of MA flights, where dates and departure times are often not written on your ticket, so the airline doesn’t have to honour the days and hours for which reservations were originally made. (In some cases, if officials are flying somewhere – say to Lashio – seats may open to the public.) Schedules are more reliable on the other three airlines, and between main destinations during the high season. Sometimes ‘direct’ flights from, say, Bagan to Thandwe (Sandoway) stop in Yangon.

Mogok

Sagaing

Mu-se

Namkham

Mingun

Monywa

Bhamo Ruili

Katha

er Riv

AIR

(TIBET)

Ayeyarwady

Much of Myanmar is off limits to foreigners or can only be accessed after getting permission or by taking an expensive tour organised by the government’s Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT). But in the places where you are able to go there’s surprising freedom to stop and roam where you want. See the map on p359 for transport routes that were open at research time. Some isolated towns such as Kengtung, Sittwe and Kawthoung require jumps by air or bus to reach. It’s worth adding that the government is very happy about their (literal, not political) bridge building, capped by the country’s largest in Mawlamyine (Moulmein); this 3km bridge over the Thanlwin (Salween) River was completed in 2004. See the list of bridges at www.myanmar.com/build/bridge.

CHINA

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In the wake of Visit Myanmar Year in 1996, forced labour was reportedly used to ready new airstrips. Many travellers avoid air travel, as taking a flight means that more money goes to the government.

M a j o r Pu b l i c T r a n s p o r t R o u t e s 359

Riv er

It is not possible for foreigners to go to/ from Myanmar by sea or river.

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Ayeyarwady

RIVER & SEA

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Gulf of Mottama

Mawlamyaine Thanbyuzayat

Payathonzu

THAILAND

Dawei Border Crossing Rail Route Air Route Boat Route

ANDAMAN SEA

Government Permission Routes Myeik

Closed Roads This map outlines major open public transport and restricted routes for foreigners. These routes may change without notice.

Gulf of Thailand

Kawthoung

Ranong

360 G E T T I N G A R O U N D • • B i c y c l e

Many posted flight schedules around the country only use domestic airport codes. Bhamo BMO Dawei (Tavoy) TVY Heho (Inle Lake) HEH Kawthoung KAW Kengtung KET Mandalay MDL Myeik MGZ Myitkyina MYT Nyaung U (Bagan) NYU Sittwe AKY Tachileik THL Thandwe (Ngapali Beach) SNY Yangon RGN

You can find some schedule information on the airline websites and at www.myan mar.com/information/flight.htm.

Tickets One-way fares are half a return fare, and can usually be bought a day in advance. To buy a ticket, you’ll need to pay with US dollars or FEC (see p345), and bring your passport to the travel agent or airline office. It’s sometimes difficult to buy a ticket that departs from a town other than the one you are in. You can usually get discounts (maybe US$10 per ticket) by buying from an independent travel agent. MA tickets are generally a bit cheaper than the other airlines’. But that discount comes with a ride on the government’s dated fleet of Fokker F-28 jets and F-27 turboprops, and their iffy safety record (see p336 for details). Rumours persist that safety procedures haven’t been updated since the 1950s. It’s also worth noting that some intelligence officials, arrested in October 2004 (when prime minister Khin Nyit was ousted), flew MA to their new homes in up-country prisons. You have to go to MA or the government’s MTT office to purchase tickets on that airline. All prices for airline tickets should include US$3 for ‘insurance’. There is no domestic departure tax.

BICYCLE You’ll sure see a lot: bicycles are clearly the number one means for locals to get around.

Bikes can easily be hired around the country, but they’re best for getting around a town rather than for use on long-haul trips.

Around Town In places such as Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake you’ll see ‘bike rental’ signs; rates start at K500 to K1000 per day. Most guesthouses in such places keep a few bikes on hand; if not, staff can usually track one down. More expensive hotels and secondary towns such as Sittwe tend to charge K1000 or K2000 more. Note the condition of the bike before hiring; check the brakes and pedals in particular. Many rental bikes have baskets or bells. If renting doesn’t appeal and you plan to ride a fair bit, you can buy sturdy utilitarian bikes made in India, China or Thailand from about US$75. Someone may be able to help you track down a second-hand bike for less. Apart from in Yangon and Mandalay, vehicular traffic is quite light.

Long-Distance A few visitors bring their own touring bikes into Myanmar; there doesn’t seem to be any problem with customs as long as you make the proper declarations upon entering the country. Gradients in most parts of Myanmar open to tourism are moderate. Frontier regions, on the other hand – particularly Shan, Kayin, Kayah and Chin States – tend to be mountainous. You’ll find plenty of opportunity everywhere for dirt-road and off-road pedalling. Especially in the north, where main roads can resemble secondary roads elsewhere, a sturdy mountain bike would make a good alternative to a touring rig. Some routes are listed below. More detail about these routes is provided on p332. Thazi to Inle Lake via Kalaw Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo) to Lashio via Hsipaw Mandalay to Bagan via Myingyan Mandalay to either Monywa, Pyin U Lwin, Sagaing, Inwa (Ava) or Amarapura November to February is the best time to cycle in terms of the weather. If you’re bringing your bike, bring the spare parts you need. There are (at least) basic bicycle shops in most towns, but they

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usually have only locally or Chinese-made parts to equip single-speed bikes. You can also buy lower-quality motorcycle helmets here; many are disturbingly adorned with swastikas – a fad, not a political alliance. Bring reflective clothing and plenty of insurance. Don’t ride at night. Travellers on a bike will need to sleep in towns few travellers make it to, and a lack of licensed accommodation may be an issue. Technically, you will need permission from local immigration to stay at such places. Be patient. Most cyclists get permission from local authorities to stay one night, but the paperwork (coming with some frowns) may take an hour to arrange. It’s possible to store your bicycle in the undercarriage storage on buses. You may have to pay a little extra, though. On smaller buses you may need to buy a ‘seat’ for your bike. Check the Myanmar webpage on www .cyclingaroundtheworld.com to read a detailed route, with tips, from a 1998 trip around Bagan and central Myanmar. A few cycling groups (eg www.spiceroads .com/burma) offer guided tours; most are for about two weeks and take in much of the same ground covered in the 1998 trip. Prices for tours run at about US$1750, and include bike and accommodation but not airfare.

BOAT A huge fleet of riverboats, remnants of the old Irrawaddy Flotilla Company (IFC), still ply Myanmar’s major rivers, where the bulk of traveller-oriented boat travel gets done. Some boats are ramshackle (but certainly lively) government ferries, some date from the British era and others are old-style IFC liners that run luxury cruises. River ferry is, without doubt, one of the most enjoyable ways to cover long distances in Myanmar. See p32 for an itinerary suggestion that goes down the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River. The main drawback is speed; a boat typically takes three to four times as long as road travel along the same route. There are 8000km of navigable river in Myanmar, with the most important river being the Ayeyarwady. Even in the dry season, boats can travel from the delta region (dodging exposed sandbars) all the way north to Bhamo, and in the wet they

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can reach Myitkyina. Other important rivers include the Twante Chaung (Twante Chanel), which links the Ayeyarwady to Yangon, and the Chindwin River, which joins the Ayeyarwady a little above Bagan. The Thanlwin River in the east is only navigable for about 200km from its mouth at Mawlamyine, though the five-hour trip to Hpa-an is one of the country’s most scenic waterway journeys (see p157). It takes great expertise to navigate Myanmar’s waterways. Rapidly changing sandbanks and shallow water during the dry season mean the captains and pilots have to keep in constant touch with the changing pattern of the river flows. For example, seven pilots are used on the stretch from Mandalay to Pyay (Prome). Each is an expert on his own particular segment of the river. In addition to the rivers, it’s possible to travel along the Bay of Bengal between Sittwe and Taunggok (north of Ngapali Beach); see p318. Note that higher-priced cruises are either privately run boats on lease from the government or a joint-venture operation.

Cargo Ships Although the obstacles standing in your way are daunting, it may be possible to travel along Myanmar’s coastline via Myanma Five Star Line (MFSL; in Yangon %01-295 279; fax 01-295 174; 132/136 Theinbyu St), the country’s governmentowned ocean transport enterprise. MFSL maintains just 21 craft, which sail north and south from Yangon about twice a month. Only eight vessels sometimes offer passenger service: MV Taunggyi, MV Hakha, MV Myitkyina, MV Loikaw, MV Lashio, MV Bagan, MV Hpa-an and MV Htonywa. Southbound MFSL ships from Yangon sail regularly to Kawthoung, a two-day and two-night voyage (at least), to pick up goods shipped through Thailand’s Ranong Province, with stops at Dawei and Myeik (Mergui). Northbound ships call at Thandwe (a full day from Yangon), Taunggok and Kyaukpyu (one night ashore) before docking in Sittwe (five hours later) for cargo from India and Bangladesh. Schedules can be irregular. If you’re bent on trying for a ticket, it would be best to have a local make inquiries on your behalf.

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(www.orient-expresstrains.com/tplanner/rtm/index.html)

Similar trips are offered by Pandaw 1947

A thousand or so private cargo and passenger boats travel the waterways of Myanmar. That is just a pale shadow of the former glory of the original Glasgow-owned IFC, which ceased operations in 1948. We have tried to give preference to private ferries throughout this book.

offers three-, four-, seven-, nine- and 11-day trips (ranging from US$1950 to US$4200 per person) that centre on Mandalay. The most popular connect Mandalay with Bagan. The three-day trip downriver from Mandalay leaves on Wednesday (weekly from October to April, monthly July to September), and the four-day return trip from Bagan goes on Saturday (weekly from October to April, monthly July to September). Longer trips venture further north, up the Ayeyarwady to Bhamo, or up the Chindwin past Kalaymyo. Yangon travel agents can help arrange this, but ships are often booked in advance. A locally run operation is Pandaw Cruises

(%01-376 109; www.pandaw1947.com), apparently

Inland Water Transport (IWT; Map p98; in Yangon %01-284 055; Strand St) is the governmentowned water-transport corporation. It has over 500 boats totalling nearly 1.5 million tonnes and carrying at least 14 million passengers annually. Today most of the IWT boats are rather run down and ramshackle. Many of the passengers on the long-distance ferries are traders who make stops along the way to pick up or deliver goods. Along the heavily travelled 423km-long Yangon–Pyay– Mandalay route, there are 28 ferry landings, where merchants can ply their trade. Only a few riverboat routes are regularly used by visitors. New ‘tourist boats’ carry foreigners on the upper deck and locals on the lower. Key routes: Mandalay to Bagan (see p243) Mandalay to Myitkyina via Katha and Bhamo (see p219 and p221) Mawlamyine to Hpa-an (see p157) Sittwe to Mrauk U (Myohaung; see p322) Yangon to Pathein (Bassein; see p122) There is no direct service between Yangon and Mandalay – to do the trip, you’ll need to change boats in Pyay, a two-day trip south of Bagan and two days north of Yangon. IWT offices are usually near the jetty. They can offer information, schedules and fare details, and usually tickets. IWT offices, officially, accept US dollars and FEC only.

Luxury Boats Be aware that the higher-priced cruises are either privately run boats on lease from the government or a joint-venture operation. You can book services with travel agents in Yangon, but keep in mind that many trips are booked out by tour groups. Several luxury ferries travel the upper and lower reaches of the Ayeyarwady River. One Orient Express Cruises (E&O, London) liner, the joint-venture Road to Mandalay

(%02-44256; www.pandaw.com; 13/14 Strand Rd, btwn 35th & 37th Sts, Mandalay), which offers three 12-

day trips in ships done up like the original teak-and-brass IFC fleet. The Golden Land trip goes from Pyay to Mandalay via Bagan; prices run from US$3150 to US$3450, and ships depart weekly from early November to March. The Upper Ayeyarwady trip, heading north of Mandalay to Bhamo, is US$3450 to US$3950; ships depart weekly from mid-September to early November. A lone September trip up the Chindwin River for 12 days is cheap, at US$1950. At the time of research, Pandaw Cruises’ permit to operate was up in the air, but apparently things are being worked out. HELP WITH TRANSPORT Your guesthouse or hotel can help you considerably by getting whatever tickets you need (air, bus, boat, train) or by finding a long-distance taxi – or even by finding shifting bus stations! Sometimes the price quoted by the guesthouse owner, particularly for taxis, will fluctuate depending on how much your bed costs. Often, though, you’ll only pay what you’d pay if you traipsed across town to do it yourself. Some may charge extra for a commission; it’s not a bad idea to ask around the street to gauge the prices. Usually the MTT office offers taxi service for only slightly more than the going fare – use their quote only as a gauge, if you’re keen to spend dollars that don’t reach the government sector.

run by a Yangon travel agency. A far cheaper option (US$170 per person), yet retaining a little luxury and going where fewer tourists go, is available aboard the privately run Delta Queen (%01-246 752; www.myanmar-rivercruises.com), which travels between Yangon and Pathein in about 20 hours (p134).

BUS Almost always faster than trains, Myanmar buses come in different sizes. Options include luxury air-con express buses, less luxurious but nice buses (without air con), local buses, and mini 32-seaters. Most are operated by private companies, but some – particularly on shorter routes that are geared more to locals bringing home rice – are still run by the government. See Pick-up Trucks, p366 for other transport options.

Classes & Conditions Many long-haul trips, such as from Yangon to Mandalay, allow the greatest comfort, with new(ish) air-con express buses – some of which are quite nice. A lot of bus activity happens at night, with buses leaving from 3pm to 6pm or later, and arriving at the final destination in the wee hours (often 5am or 6am). If you want extra air-con comfort but don’t want to go the whole way on one of these routes, you usually have to pay the full fare (eg going from Mandalay to Taungoo you pay the full fare to Yangon) and will have to deal with a 3am arrival time. Similarly, by paying the full fare for the

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route, you can jump on a bus at a stop along the way, eg catch the Mandalay to Yangon bus at Meiktila. Staff at your guesthouse or hotel should be able to help with this. A bottle of water is often handed out on better-quality buses. There are no bathrooms on the bus, but frequent toilet-andsoup stops perforate the night – frustrating if you’ve just got to sleep and the bus stops at 3am for ‘breakfast’. Often TVs blare for much of the trip – usually sticking with Myanmarmade movies detailing things such as, oh, protagonists dying bloody deaths in car crashes, but the occasional Raiders of the Lost Ark slips in. Be aware that temperatures can drop substantially at night. Take a jacket or blanket (preferably both) on air-con buses in particular, which can get quite bone-chillingly cold. Similar sized but older buses, with no air con, make shorter-haul trips, such as direct links from Yangon to Pyay or Pyinmana to Yangon. Local buses, or 32-seat minibuses, bounce along the highways too. These tend to use the aisles, if not for blokes, for bags of rice, veggies or (worst) dried fish. Sometimes the floor in front of you is filled too, so you’ll find your knees to your chin for some bouncy hours. Getting up to stretch your legs while moving just isn’t an option. (Try to sit in the front couple of rows, which sometimes have fewer bags stored, and better visibility.) Trip durations for all forms of public road transportation are very elastic. We hear of travellers on the nicest buses who were stopped for hours on the Yangon–Mandalay highway. (The LP authors on this book had no such troubles, however.) Myanmar

ITINERARIES & OVERNIGHTERS There’s not one obvious way to travel by bus between Myanmar’s big four – Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake and Mandalay. Some of these places have far fewer connections than others. Most trips are at night, which can take a day or two to recover from – depending on your inner shocks from the bus bumps. Catching a bus from Yangon on the 12- to 15-hour trip to Mandalay is a breeze, but only one or two services regularly connect to Inle Lake or Bagan – and all of these are overnighters. Trips between Bagan, Inle and Mandalay can be done by day (though only one or two run daily, and seats fill a couple of days in advance). Another good way to cut back on overnighters is by hopping off en route to or from Yangon and stopping for a night at appealing towns such as Taungoo (p290), Pyinmana (p289), Meiktila (p287) or Pyay (p283 ). These places can be reached by pick-up or local bus, which operate during the day.

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Private Ferries

Government Ferries TRANSPORT

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superstition says that when you’re on a journey you shouldn’t ask anyone ‘How much longer?’, or ‘Brother, when will we arrive?’, as this is only tempting fate. Buses of all types do break down sometimes. Older buses often stop to hose down a hot engine. Some roads – one-lane, mangled deals (read: very rough) – don’t help matters, and tyre punctures occur too. Formerly, many buses were operated by the government’s Road Transport Enterprise (RTE). Now essentially only buses between Yangon and Monywa, and Yangon and Kyaukpadaung, are RTE. These are more geared towards transporting cargo. There’s no clear sign to indicate which vehicles belong to the RTE, but it’s very unlikely you’ll be on one.

Costs Unlike for train, plane and most boat tickets, you can pay kyat for all bus fares. But, similarly, foreigners will pay more than locals. Generally minibuses, local 32-seaters, express buses with no air con, and air-con luxury jobbies charge roughly the same on overlapping routes. Sample foreigner fares and trip times: From

To

Price

Duration

Bagan Mandalay Mandalay Mandalay Pyay Yangon Yangon Yangon Yangon Yangon Yangon Yangon Yangon

Taunggyi Bagan Hsipaw Taunggyi Taunggok Bagan Bago (Pegu) Chaungtha Kyaiktiyo Mandalay Taunggyi Pyay Thandwe

K6000 K4200 K2300 K4500 K2500-K4000 K6500 K500-K1000 K5000 K2500 K6000 K6000 K1550 K4500

10hrs 8hrs 5hrs 10-12hrs 8hrs 14-15hrs 2hrs 6-7hrs 4½hrs 12-15hrs 20hrs 6hrs 17-18hrs

Reservations From November to February, it’s necessary to book buses that ply some key routes a couple of days in advance, notably to/from Bagan or Inle Lake, where options are few. Seat reservations are made for all buses. Ask to see the bus ahead of time to choose the seat you’d like.

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ROAD RULES: TO THE RIGHT!

BEWARE JUNK CARS

All Myanmar traffic goes on the right-hand side of the road. This wasn’t always so. In an effort to distance itself from the British colonial period, the military government instigated an overnight-switch from the left to the right in 1970. By far, most cars either date from before 1970, or are low-cost Japanese models, so steering wheels are perilously found on the right-hand side – this becomes particularly dicey when a driver blindly zooms to the left to pass a car! If you’re in the passenger seat, help them look for oncoming traffic.

We hear reports of some travellers having to abandon travelling in a ‘junk car’. The wisest thing to do before you hire a car is to ask at a guesthouse or hotel for reliable drivers, and also ask a travel agent or two. Be sure to meet the driver and see the car before making a decision to hire.

Restricted Roads Foreigners are permitted to buy bus tickets of any class, using kyat, to any destination within or near the main Yangon–Bagan– Mandalay–Taunggyi quadrangle. We also found that buses were easily boarded in most other places in the country, except for areas of restricted travel towards the Thai border. See the map on p359 for roads that are closed to travel.

CAR & MOTORCYCLE Many travellers hire a car and an accompanying driver. To drive one yourself is possible, but permission must be arranged via the government-run MTT and Road Transport Administration Department, and you must be accompanied by a local at all times. Business travellers and expats have to apply to and register with the Road Transport Administration Department and have an International Driving Licence. These visitors are not bound by the restriction to have a Myanmar national in the car at all times. Anyway, we see our foreign friends driving alone. Driving conditions are poor but often better than on many roads in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos. Of the 24,000km of roads in Myanmar, about half are paved; the remainder are graded gravel, unimproved dirt or simple vehicle tracks.

Hiring a Car & Driver Hiring a car and driver is an increasingly popular way to get around the country; it’s also favoured as an easier, time-saving

way of making a day trip. It’s quite easy to hire a reasonably new, air-con car with a driver for around US$100 a day; older cars without air con cost about half that. For longer-term trips you can negotiate lower daily rates. Prices include fuel and up to 12 hours of driving per day, and you won’t have to cover the driver’s own expenses. The cost will usually go up only a few US dollars per extra person in the car or van. Keep in mind that it can get quite dusty, particularly around Bagan, if you don’t have air con. There are no car-rental agencies per se, but most travel agencies in Yangon, Mandalay or Bagan – as well as guesthouses and hotels elsewhere – can arrange cars and drivers. In most cases you will be asked to sign a simple contract and pay a good-faith deposit. Note that you’ll pay more for your hired car if you arrange the deal through touts, such as trishaw drivers and moneychangers. Among the most popular and reliable rental cars in the country are second-hand, reconditioned Toyota hatchbacks imported from Japan and called Super-roofs. Myanmar assembles its own Mazda jeeps – MJs – using 85% local parts. Though mostly a government monopoly, these jeeps make decent off-road vehicles. The old US-made, WWII-era Willys Jeeps that once characterised outback Myanmar travel are becoming few and far between. Prices for new cars have risen with recent inflation: from about US$3000 in 1996 to US$20,000 in 2004. Petrol is rationed (four gallons per week) to vehicle owners. If you need more than this you’ll have to purchase petrol from black-market outlets run from makeshift stands everywhere. Prices rise and fall, but black-market petrol is usually twice as

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expensive (about K2000 per gallon at the time of research). When Myanmar vehicle owners make an upcountry ‘road trip’ (the Burmese-English term for any driving out of Yangon), they have to buy fuel on the black market or carry along numerous jerry cans of petrol. Another small cost to consider when travelling by car is the customary K25 or K50 ‘toll’ collected upon entering many towns and villages throughout Myanmar – a legacy of the tributes paid to warlord states in centuries past. Many drivers are adept at handing these to the toll collectors while barely slowing down.

Motorcycle Motorbikes were once restricted for foreigners, but it’s now possible to rent one, though few locals advertise this. Ask around. In Mandalay, for example, it’s about K8000 per day to rent a motorbike; it’s a couple of thousand kyat less in towns such as Myitkyina. Unlike while cycling, you are supposedly required to wear a helmet while riding a motorbike. If one’s not available, you can buy one (pretty cheaply made) for K2000 and up.

HITCHING Hitching is never entirely safe in any country in the world, and we don’t recommend it. Travellers who decide to hitch should understand that they are taking a small but potentially serious risk. People who do choose to hitch will be safer if they travel in pairs and let someone know where they are planning to go. One extra reason to avoid hitching in Myanmar is that local drivers may not know which areas are off limits to foreigners and may unwittingly transport them into such areas. In such cases the driver will probably be punished.

LOCAL TRANSPORT Larger towns in Myanmar offer a variety of city buses (ka), bicycle rickshaws or trishaws (saiq-ka, for sidecar), horse carts (myint hlei), ox carts, vintage taxis (taxi), more modern little three-wheelers somewhat akin to Thai tuk-tuks (thoun bein, meaning ‘three wheels’), tiny four-wheeled ‘blue taxi’ Mazdas (lei bein, meaning ‘four wheels’) and modern Japanese pick-up

TRANSPORT

TRANSPORT

GOVERNMENT BUS

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trucks (lain ka, meaning ‘line car’; see PickUp Trucks, below). Small towns rely heavily on horse carts and trishaws as the main mode of local transport. However, in the five largest cities (Yangon, Mandalay, Pathein, Mawlamyine and Taunggyi) public buses take regular routes along the main avenues for a fixed per-person rate, usually K5 to K25. Standard rates for taxis, trishaws and horse carts are sometimes ‘boosted’ for foreigners. A little bargaining may be in order. Generally a ride from the bus station to a central hotel – often a distance of 2km or more – is K1000. Rides around the centre can be arranged for K200 or K300. Ask around locally to find out what the going fares are. The supply of drivers and vehicles often exceeds demand, so it’s usually not hard to bargain the fare down towards the levels the locals pay.

PICK-UP TRUCKS Japanese-made pick-up trucks feature three rows of bench seats in the covered back. Most pick-ups connect short-distance destinations, making many stops along the way to pick up people or cargo. They are often packed (yet somehow never ‘full’ according to the driver). Pick-ups trace some useful or necessary routes, such as from Mandalay to Amarapura, from Myingyan to Meiktila and from Pyinmana to Taungoo. Unlike buses, they go regularly during the day. Fares are not necessarily cheaper than those charged for local bus trips of the same length, and prices often double after dark. You can, however, pay 25% to 50% extra for a seat up the front. It’s often worth the extra expense, if don’t want to do scrunch duty. Sometimes you may share your spot with a monk riding for free; usually you get exactly what you pay for (‘the whole front’), unlike in some other parts of Southeast Asia. Pick-ups often start from the bus station (in some towns they linger under a big banyan tree in the centre) and then, unlike many buses, make rounds through the central streets to snare more passengers.

TOURS Many high-end hotels offer expensive day tours. If you want to have your trip planned

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out, you can still do it and keep your money in the private sector. See p26 for tips on creating your own package trip. Some restricted areas can only be visited on a tour; see p106 for details. For details of bicycle tours, see p361.

TRAIN There are as many opinions of Myanmar’s oft-maligned train service as there are people riding it. For some a train ride on narrow-gauge tracks is like going by horse, with the old carriages rocking back and forth and bouncing everyone lucky enough to have a seat on the hard chairs; others dig it, as some routes get to areas not reached by road. One local said, ‘It’s not as bad as some people say, not as good as you hope’. What’s known for sure is that train trips along the same routes as buses mean extra travel time. As most trains are run by the government, many travellers stick with private buses. But see below for details of some privately run services. Long-distance trains have dining cars accessible to passengers in 1st, upper and sleeper class. The food isn’t bad – fried rice and noodles. Attendants can also take your order and bring food to your seat. Trains stop pretty often too, with vendors on platforms offering all sorts of snacks. Toilet/ bathrooms are basic; there are also sinks to wash hands and brush teeth. Attendants sometimes hire out bamboo mats to spread on the floor in aisles or under seats if you can’t sleep upright. North of Mandalay it can get cold at night, so bring a jacket and/ or a blanket. To guarantee a seat on most trains with upper and sleeper cars, book three days or more in advance. At smaller stations, agents may get confused by the fact that you want a ticket from them and sell you a ride at the local price – the difference can be paying K250 instead of K4000! Major train routes tend to require payment in US dollars or FEC.

Private Railways Although most trains are operated by the government-owned Myanma Railways, a few private enterprises have come into existence as well. Between Yangon and Mandalay, the private Dagon Mann (DM) runs

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express trains that are more pleasant than the state-run express trains. These trains stop at Thazi. See departure times in the table, p368. Two private companies, Malihka Mandalar and Mehka Mandalar, operate trains along the Mandalay–Myitkyina line. On this route the only alternative is the very slow and uncomfortable government train. For information on reserving a seat on a privately run train, see p368.

Myanma Railways Myanmar maintains 4684km of 1m-gauge railway track – much of which is now open to foreign tourists – and 550 train stations. The 647km-long trip from Yangon to Mandalay is the only train trip most visitors take – though there are plenty of other routes for the more adventurous. Other train journeys worth considering are the Mandalay (or Pyin U Lwin) train to Lashio (or Hsipaw), which takes in hilly terrain the roads miss, and the Yangon to Mawlamyine route. On the Yangon to Mandalay route there are daily and nightly reserved carriages on express trains, where you can be sure of getting a seat. One way to tell whether an approaching train is express or local is to check the engine colour: express engines are generally painted yellow; local ones blue. The express trains are far superior to the general run of Myanmar trains. Other trains are late, almost by rule – taking one 12-hour train trip that ends up running as much as 15 hours late is enough for most travellers. The Mandalay to Myitkyina route, though scheduled to take around 24 hours, often takes up to 40 hours. In 1995 this train derailed, killing 120 people, and in 2001 a bridge collapsed, killing an equal number. Even on the far more travelled Yangon–Mandalay route, delays are common. Apart from the straightforward Yangon– Bago–Pyinmana–Thazi–Mandalay route, you can also take the branch line from Pyinmana to Kyaukpadaung (about 50km south of Bagan) or the branch from Thazi to Shwen-yaung (about 11km north of Inle Lake). From Yangon lines also run northwest to Pyay, with a branch to Pathein;

G E T T I N G A R O U N D • • T r a i n 367

from Bago there’s a branch southeast to Kyaiktiyo (the jumping-off point for the Golden Rock; see p149) and on to Mottawa, a short ferry ride from Mawlamyine. An express line now runs between Bagan/ Nyaung U and Mandalay (though this was built with forced labour in the mid-1990s). At Mandalay there are three branch lines: one running slightly northwest across the Ava Bridge and up to Ye-U, one directly north to Myitkyina in Kachin State and one northeast through Pyin U Lwin to Lashio in the northern part of Shan State. Note also that Myanmar trains are classified by a number and the suffix Up for northbound trains or Down for southbound trains. Train numbers are not always used when purchasing tickets.

Classes Express trains offer two classes of passage, upper class and ordinary class, while many trains also offer sleepers. The main differences between ordinary and upper are that the seats recline and can be reserved in the latter, while ordinary class features hard upright seats that can’t be reserved. Some trains also offer another class of service called 1st class, which is a step down from upper in comfort. The No 15 Up/No 16 Down train between Yangon and Mandalay is a ‘special express’ that uses relatively new Chinese equipment. The upper-class Chinese cars contain 30 wide seats in rows of three; other express trains may use older South Korean cars that also seat three across but contain 40 seats (so there’s less room). The No 15 Up/No 16 Down and the No 17 Up/No 18 Down trains also have sleeping cars. These are sometimes occupied by Myanmar VIPs or foreign tour groups. Some sleeping cars contain five cabins, each with four berths, a fan, a light and a small table with a washbasin underneath. Older sleeping cars are divided into two sections, each with four berths and a toilet and shower room. Foreigners aren’t permitted to ride in ordinary class on the Yangon to Mandalay line.

Costs Following are sample fares and scheduled times as quoted in Yangon.

TRANSPORT

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© Lonely Planet Publications 368 G E T T I N G A R O U N D • • T r a i n

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YANGON TO MANDALAY TRAINS The main trains of interest to travellers are listed below

TRANSPORT

Yangon to Mandalay via Thazi Train departure (Yangon) 11 Up 6am 17 Up 3.15pm (Dagon-Mann) 15 Up 5pm (Special Express) 5 Up 6.30pm 3 Up 7.30pm

arrival fare (1st class) fare (Mandalay) (Thazi) (Mandalay) (sleeper)*

5.52pm 2.35am

9.10pm 5.20am

5.15am

8am

6.17am 8.37am

US$26 na

US$30 US$45

n/a US$48-50

na

US$35

n/a

9.40am noon

US$26 US$26

US$30 US$30

US$33 US$33

arrival (Thazi)

arrival (Yangon)

fare (1st class) (Thazi) (Yangon)

fare (sleeper)*

3.15pm

6.15pm

6.20am

na

US$45

US$48-50

4.15pm 5.15pm 6.15pm

7.15pm 8.15pm 9.13pm

7.15am 8.25am 10.40am

US$15 US$15 US$15

US$35 US$30 US$30

n/a US$33 US$33

Mandalay to Yangon via Thazi Train departure (Mandalay) 18 Down (Dagon-Mann) 16 Down 6 Down 4 Down

arrival (Thazi)

* Note that fares for a sleeper to/from Thazi are the same as those to Mandalay or Yangon.

Reservations For bookings on the private Yangon– Mandalay or Mandalay–Myitkyina train services, hook up with travel agents; see p89 for Yangon and p229 for Mandalay. For government-run services along the Yangon–Mandalay line, all foreigners are supposed to purchase tickets from the MTT or from the Advance Booking Office (Bogyoke Aung San Rd; h6am-10am & 1-4pm), directly opposite the Sakura Tower. MTT sets aside seats for foreigners, which means that they often have seats when the booking office or station window says that the train is full. Contrary to rumour, we found the fares to be exactly the same at both places, though prices differ according to which express train you take, even along the same line. A day’s notice is usually enough to book a seat. If you want to try your luck at getting a coveted sleeper, you’ll need at least a couple of days’ notice – longer during the high

season (November to March), when berths are booked weeks in advance. If you hold a seat on a train pulling a sleeper car, you can try to upgrade to a berth after you board. If any berths are available due to last-minute cancellations, you should be able to move from seat to berth by paying the additional fare directly to the conductor. To buy tickets at other train stations you can use the same ticket windows as the locals. For common tourist destinations – Bago, Pyin U Lwin, Kyaiktiyo – a US dollar/ FEC fare is usually collected. Going to other points via nonexpress trains, you may be able to pay in kyat – but consider yourself lucky if you can. If you’re having trouble buying a ticket or making yourself understood at a train station, try seeking out the stationmaster – the person at the station who is most likely to speak English and most inclined to help you get a seat.

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Health

Dr Trish Batchelor

CONTENTS 369 369 370 370 371 371 371 371 371 372 372 372 374 375 377 377 377

Health issues and the quality of medical facilities vary enormously depending on where and how you travel in Myanmar. Many of the major cities are now very well developed, although travel to rural areas can expose you to a variety of health risks and inadequate medical care. Travellers tend to worry about contracting infectious diseases when in the tropics, but infections are a rare cause of serious illness or death in travellers. Pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease, and accidental injury (especially traffic accidents), account for most life-threatening problems. Becoming ill in some way, however, is relatively common. Fortunately, most common illnesses can either be prevented with some common-sense behaviour or be treated easily with a well-stocked traveller’s medical kit. The following advice is a general guide only and does not replace the advice of a doctor trained in travel medicine.

BEFORE YOU GO Pack medications in their original, clearly labelled, containers. A signed and dated letter from your physician describing your

INSURANCE Even if you are fit and healthy, don’t travel without health insurance – accidents do happen. Declare any existing medical conditions you have – the insurance company will check if your problem is pre-existing and will not cover you if it is undeclared. You may require extra cover for adventure activities such as rock climbing. If your health insurance doesn’t cover you for medical expenses abroad, consider getting extra insurance. If you’re uninsured, emergency evacuation is expensive – bills of over US$100,000 are not uncommon. Find out in advance if your insurance plan will make payments directly to providers or reimburse you later for overseas health expenditures. (In many countries doctors will expect payment in cash.) Some policies offer lower and higher medicalexpense options; the higher ones are chiefly for countries that have extremely high medical costs, such as the USA. You may prefer a policy that pays doctors or hospitals directly rather than you having Dr Trish Batchelor wrote the Health chapter. She is a general practitioner and travel medicine specialist who works at the Ciwec Clinic in Kathmandu, Nepal. She is also a medical advisor to the Travel Doctor New Zealand clinics. Trish teaches travel medicine through the University of Otago, and is interested in underwater and high-altitude medicine, and in the impact of tourism on host countries. She has travelled extensively through Southeast and East Asia, and particularly loves highaltitude trekking in the Himalaya.

H E A LT H

Before You Go Insurance Recommended Vaccinations Medical Checklist Internet Resources Further Reading In Transit Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Jet Lag & Motion Sickness In Myanmar Availability of Health Care & Costs Infectious Diseases Traveller’s Diarrhoea Environmental Hazards Travelling With Children Women’s Health Traditional Medicine

medical conditions and medications, including generic names, is also a good idea. If carrying syringes or needles, be sure to have a physician’s letter documenting their medical necessity. If you have a heart condition, bring a copy of your ECG taken just prior to travelling. If you take any regular medication bring double your needs in case of loss or theft.

370 B E F O R E Y O U G O • • R e c o m m e n d e d Va c c i n a t i o n s

to pay on the spot and claim later. If you have to claim later, make sure you keep all documentation. Some policies ask you to call back (reverse charges) to a centre in your home country, where an immediate assessment of your problem is made.

RECOMMENDED VACCINATIONS Specialised travel-medicine clinics are your best source of information; they stock all available vaccines and will be able to give specific recommendations for you and your trip. The doctors will take into account factors such as past vaccination history, the length of your trip, activities you may be undertaking and underlying medical conditions, such as pregnancy.

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Most vaccines don’t produce immunity until at least two weeks after they’re given, so visit a doctor four to eight weeks before departure. Ask your doctor for an International Certificate of Vaccination (otherwise known as the yellow booklet), which will list all the vaccinations you’ve received.

MEDICAL CHECKLIST Recommended items for a personal medical kit: Antifungal cream, eg Clotrimazole Antibacterial cream, eg Muciprocin Antibiotic for possible skin infections, eg Amoxicillin/Clavulanate or Cephalexin Antibiotics for diarrhoea, such as Norfloxacin or Ciprofloxacin; for bacterial

The only vaccine required by international regulations is yellow fever. Proof of vaccination will only be required if you have visited a country in the yellow-fever zone within the six days prior to entering Myanmar. If you are travelling to Myanmar from Africa or South America you should check to see if you require proof of vaccination. The World Health Organization recommends the following vaccinations for all travellers to Myanmar: Adult diphtheria and tetanus Single booster recommended if none in the previous 10 years. Side effects

include sore arm and fever. Hepatitis A Provides almost 100% protection for up to a year; a booster after 12 months provides at least another

20 years’ protection. Mild side effects such as headache and sore arm occur in 5% to 10% of people. Hepatitis B Now considered routine for most travellers. Given as three shots over six months. A rapid schedule is also available, as is a combined vaccination with Hepatitis A. Side effects are mild and uncommon, usually headache and sore arm. Lifetime protection occurs in 95% of people. Measles, mumps and rubella Two doses of MMR required unless you have had the diseases. Occasionally a rash and flulike illness can develop a week after receiving the vaccine. Many young adults require a booster. Polio In 2002 no countries in Southeast Asia reported cases of polio. Only one booster required as an adult for lifetime protection. Inactivated polio vaccine is safe during pregnancy. Typhoid Recommended unless your trip is less than a week and only to developed cities. The vaccine offers around 70% protection, lasts for two to three years and comes as a single shot. Tablets are also available; however, the injection is usually recommended as it has fewer side effects. Sore arm and fever may occur. Varicella If you haven’t had chickenpox, discuss this vaccination with your doctor. These immunisations are recommended for long-term travellers (more than one month) or those at special risk, for example due to spending a lot of time in rural areas: Japanese B Encephalitis Three injections in all. Booster recommended after two years. Sore arm and headache

are the most common side effects. Rarely, an allergic reaction comprising hives and swelling can occur up to 10 days after any of the three doses. Meningitis A single injection. There are two types of vaccination: the quadrivalent vaccine gives two to three years’ protection; meningitis group C vaccine gives around 10 years’ protection. Recommended for long-term backpackers aged under 25. Rabies Three injections in all. A booster after one year will then provide 10 years’ protection. Side effects are rare – occasionally headache and sore arm. Tuberculosis A complex issue. Adult long-term travellers are usually recommended to have a TB skin test before and after travel, rather than vaccination. Only one vaccine given in a lifetime.

diarrhoea, such as Azithromycin; and for giardiasis or amoebic dysentery, such as Tinidazole Antihistamine – there are many options, eg Cetrizine for daytime and Promethazine for night Antiseptic, eg Betadine Antispasmodic for stomach cramps, eg Buscopa Contraceptive method Decongestant, eg Pseudoephedrine DEET-based insect repellent Diarrhoea treatment – consider an oral rehydration solution (eg Gastrolyte), diarrhoea ‘stopper’ (eg Loperamide) and antinausea medication (eg Prochlorperazine) First-aid items such as scissors, Elastoplasts, bandages, gauze, thermometer (but not mercury), sterile needles and syringes, safety pins, and tweezers Ibuprofen or another anti-inflammatory Indigestion tablets, such as Quick Eze or Mylanta Iodine tablets (unless you are pregnant or have a thyroid problem) to purify water Laxative, eg Coloxyl Migraine medicine – sufferer should take their personal medicine Paracetamol Permethrin to impregnate clothing and mosquito nets Steroid cream for allergic/itchy rashes, eg 1% to 2% hydrocortisone Sunscreen and hat Throat lozenges Thrush (vaginal yeast infection) treatment, eg Clotrimazole pessaries or Diflucan tablet Ural or an equivalent if prone to urine infections

INTERNET RESOURCES There is a wealth of travel-health advice on the Internet. For more information, Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) is a good place to start. The World Health Organization (WHO; www .who.int/ith/) publishes a fine book, International Travel & Health, which is revised annually and is available online at no cost. Another website of interest is MD Travel Health (www .mdtravelhealth.com), which provides complete travel-health recommendations for every country and is updated daily. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; www.cdc.gov) website also has good general information.

I N T R A N S I T • • D e e p Ve i n T h r o m b o s i s ( D V T ) 371

HEALTH ADVISORIES It’s usually a good idea to consult your government’s travel-health website before departure, if one is available: Australia (www.dfat.gov.au/travel/) Canada (www.travelhealth.gc.ca) New Zealand (www.mfat.govt.nz/travel) UK (www.doh.gov.uk/traveladvice/) USA (www.cdc.gov/travel/)

FURTHER READING Lonely Planet’s Healthy Travel – Asia & India is a handy pocket size and is packed with useful information including pretrip planning, emergency first aid, immunisation and disease information, and what to do if you get sick on the road. Other recommended references include Traveller’s Health, by Dr Richard Dawood, and Travelling Well, by Dr Deborah Mills – check out the website (www.travellingwell.com.au).

IN TRANSIT DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS (DVT ) Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when blood clots form in the legs during plane flights, chiefly because of prolonged immobility. The longer the flight, the greater the risk. Though most blood clots are reabsorbed uneventfully, some may break off and travel through the blood vessels to the lungs, where they may cause life-threatening complications. The chief symptom of DVT is swelling or pain of the foot, ankle or calf, usually but not always on just one side. When a blood clot travels to the lungs, it may cause chest pain and difficulty in breathing. Travellers with any of these symptoms should immediately seek medical attention. To prevent the development of DVT on long flights you should walk about the cabin, perform isometric compressions of the leg muscles (ie contract the leg muscles while sitting), drink plenty of fluids, and avoid alcohol and tobacco.

JET LAG & MOTION SICKNESS Jet lag is common when crossing more than five time zones; it results in insomnia, fatigue, malaise or nausea. To avoid jet lag

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try drinking plenty of fluids (nonalcoholic) and eating light meals. Upon arrival, seek exposure to natural sunlight and readjust your schedule (for meals, sleep etc) as soon as possible. Antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and meclizine (Antivert or Bonine) are usually a traveller’s first choice for treating motion sickness. The main side effect is drowsiness. A herbal alternative is ginger, which works like a charm for some people.

IN MYANMAR Local medical care is dismal, and local hospitals should only be used out of desperation. Contact your embassy for advice, as staff will usually direct you to the best alternatives. Be aware that getting Western-style health care may not come cheap. Self-treatment may be appropriate if your problem is minor (eg traveller’s diarrhoea), you are carrying the appropriate medication and you cannot attend a recommended clinic in Yangon or Mandalay. If you think you may have a serious disease, especially malaria, do not waste time – travel to the nearest quality facility to receive attention. It is always better to be assessed by a doctor than to rely on self-treatment. Buying medication over the counter is not recommended in Myanmar, as fake medications and poorly stored or out-of-date drugs are common.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Cutaneous Larva Migrans This disease is caused by dog hookworm. The rash starts as a small lump, then slowly spreads in a linear fashion. It is intensely itchy, especially at night. It is easily treated with medications and should not be cut out or frozen.

Dengue This mosquito-borne disease is becomingly increasingly problematic throughout Myanmar. As there is no vaccine available it can only be prevented by avoiding mosquito bites. The mosquito that carries dengue bites day and night, so use insect-avoidance

measures at all times. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache and body ache (dengue was previously known as ‘breakbone fever’). Some people develop a rash and experience diarrhoea. There is no specific treatment, just rest and paracetamol – do not take aspirin, as it increases the likelihood of haemorrhaging. See a doctor to be diagnosed and monitored.

Filariasis A mosquito-borne disease that is very common in the local population, yet very rare in travellers. Mosquito-avoidance measures are the best way to prevent this disease.

Hepatitis A This food- and waterborne virus infects the liver, causing jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), nausea and lethargy. There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A; you just need to allow time for the liver to heal. All travellers to Myanmar should be vaccinated against hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B The only sexually transmitted disease that can be prevented by vaccination, hepatitis B is spread by body fluids, including sexual contact. In some parts of this region up to 20% of the population are carriers of hepatitis B, and usually are unaware of this. The long-term consequences can include liver cancer and cirrhosis.

Hepatitis E Hepatitis E is transmitted through contaminated food and water and has similar symptoms to hepatitis A, but is far less common. It is a severe problem in pregnant women and can result in the death of both mother and baby. There is currently no vaccine, and prevention is by following safe eating and drinking guidelines.

HIV Myanmar is among the list of countries in Asia with the highest rate of HIV infection – and the problem is increasing. Heterosexual sex is now the main method of transmission.

Influenza Present year round in the tropics, influenza (flu) symptoms include high fever, muscle

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aches, runny nose, cough and sore throat. It can be very severe in people over the age of 65 or in those with underlying medicalconditions such as heart disease or diabetes – vaccination is recommended for these individuals. There is no specific treatment, just rest and paracetamol.

Japanese B Encephalitis While this is a rare disease in travellers, at least 50,000 locals are infected each year. This viral disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. Most cases occur in rural areas, and vaccination is recommended for travellers spending more than one month outside cities. There is no treatment, and a third of infected people will die while another third will suffer permanent brain damage.

Malaria For such a serious and potentially deadly disease, there is an enormous amount of misinformation concerning malaria and malaria medication. You must get expert advice as to whether the destinations you are going to will put you at risk. For most rural areas, however, the risk of contracting the disease far outweighs the risk of any tablet side effects. Remember that malaria can be fatal. Before you travel, seek medical advice on the right medication and dosage for you. Malaria is caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. The most important symptom of malaria is fever, but general symptoms such as headache, diarrhoea, cough or chills may also occur. Diagnosis can only be made by taking a blood sample. Two strategies should be combined to prevent malaria – mosquito avoidance and antimalarial medications. Most people who catch malaria are taking inadequate or no antimalarial medication. Travellers are advised to prevent mosquito bites by taking these steps: Use an insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin. Wash this off at night, as long as you are sleeping under a mosquito net. Natural repellents such as citronella can be effective but must be applied more frequently than products containing DEET. Sleep under a mosquito net impregnated with Permethrin

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Choose accommodation with screens and fans (if not air-con) Impregnate clothing with Permethrin in high-risk areas Wear long sleeves and trousers in light colours Use mosquito coils Spray your room with insect repellent before going out for your evening meal Some available medications: Artesunate Derivatives of Artesunate are not suitable as a preventive medication. They are useful treatments under medical supervision. Chloroquine and Paludrine The effectiveness of this combination is now limited in most of Southeast Asia. Common side effects include nausea (40% of people) and mouth ulcers. Generally not recommended. Doxycycline This daily tablet is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that has the added benefit of helping to prevent a variety of tropical diseases, including leptospirosis, tick-borne disease, typhus and meliodosis. The potential side effects include photosensitivity (a tendency to sunburn), thrush in women, indigestion, heartburn, nausea and interference with the contraceptive pill. More serious side effects include ulceration of the oesophagus – you can help prevent this by taking your tablet with a meal and a large glass of water, and never lying down within half an hour of taking it. Must be taken for four weeks after leaving the risk area. Lariam (Mefloquine) Lariam has received much bad press, some of it justified, some not. This weekly tablet suits many people. Serious side effects are rare but include depression, anxiety, psychosis and having fits. Anyone with a history of depression, anxiety, other psychological disorder, or epilepsy should not take Lariam. It is considered safe in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. It is around 90% effective in most parts of Southeast Asia. Tablets must be taken for four weeks after leaving the risk area. Malarone This new drug is a combination of Atovaquone and Proguanil. Side effects are uncommon and mild, most commonly nausea and headache. It is the best tablet for scuba divers and for those on short trips to high-risk areas. It must be taken for one week after leaving the risk area.

A final option is to take no preventive medication but to have a supply of emergency medication should you develop the symptoms of malaria. This is less than ideal, and you’ll need to get to a good medical facility within 24 hours of developing a fever. If you choose this option the most effective and safest treatment is Malarone (four tablets once daily for three days). Other options

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include Mefloquine and quinine, but the side effects of these drugs at treatment doses make them less desirable. Fansidar is no longer recommended.

Measles This highly contagious bacterial infection is spread by coughing and sneezing. Most people born before 1966 are immune, as they had the disease in childhood. Measles starts with a high fever and rash and can be complicated by pneumonia and brain disease. There is no specific treatment. This uniformly fatal disease is spread by the bite or lick of an infected animal – most commonly a dog or monkey. You should seek medical advice immediately after any animal bite and commence postexposure treatment. Having pretravel vaccination means the postbite treatment is greatly simplified. If an animal bites you, gently wash the wound with soap and water, and apply iodine-based antiseptic. If you are not prevaccinated you will need to receive rabies immunoglobulin as soon as possible.

STDs Sexually transmitted diseases most common in Myanmar include herpes, warts, syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia. People carrying these diseases often have no signs of infection. Condoms will prevent gonorrhoea and chlamydia but not warts or herpes. If after a sexual encounter you develop any rash, lumps, discharge or pain when passing urine, seek immediate medical attention. If sexually active during your travels, have an STD check on your return home.

Strongyloides This parasite, also transmitted by skin contact with soil, is common but rarely affects travellers. It is characterised by an unusual skin rash called larva currens – a linear rash on the trunk that comes and goes. Most people don’t have other symptoms until their immune system becomes severely suppressed, when the parasite can cause a massive infection. It can be treated with medications.

Tuberculosis While rare in travellers, medical and aid workers and long-term travellers who have

significant contact with the local population should take precautions. Vaccination is usually only given to children under the age of five, but pre- and post-travel TB testing is recommended for adults at risk. The main symptoms are fever, cough, weight loss, night sweats and tiredness.

Typhoid This serious bacterial infection is spread via food and water. It gives a high and slowly progressive fever and a headache, and may be accompanied by a dry cough and stomach pain. It is diagnosed by blood tests and treated with antibiotics. Vaccination is recommended for all travellers spending more than a week in Myanmar and other parts of Southeast Asia. Be aware that vaccination is not 100% effective, so you must still be careful with what you eat and drink.

Typhus Murine typhus is spread by the bite of a flea, whereas scrub typhus is spread via a mite. These diseases are rare in travellers. Symptoms include fever, muscle pains and a rash. You can avoid these diseases by following general insect-avoidance measures. Doxycycline will also prevent them.

TRAVELLER’S DIARRHOEA Traveller’s diarrhoea is the most common problem affecting travellers – between 30% and 50% of people will suffer from it within two weeks of starting their trip. In over 80% of cases, traveller’s diarrhoea is caused by a bacterium (there are numerous potential culprits), and therefore responds promptly to treatment with antibiotics. Treatment with antibiotics will depend on your situation – how sick you are, how quickly you need to get better, where you are etc. Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of more than three watery bowel movements within a 24-hour perod, plus at least one other symptom such as nausea, vomiting, fever, cramps or feeling generally unwell. Treatment consists of staying well hydrated; rehydration solutions such as Gastrolyte are the best for this. Antibiotics such as Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin or Azithromycin will kill the bacteria quickly. Loperamide is just a ‘stopper’ and doesn’t get to the cause of the problem. It can be helpful, for example if you have to go on

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a long bus ride. Don’t take Loperamide if you have a fever, or blood in your stools. Seek medical attention quickly if you do not respond to an appropriate antibiotic.

country – there are certain medical conditions that are incompatible with diving, and economic considerations may override health considerations for some dive operators that operate in Myanmar.

Amoebic Dysentery Amoebic dysentery is very rare in travellers but is often misdiagnosed by poor-quality labs in Southeast Asia. Symptoms are similar to bacterial diarrhoea, ie fever, bloody diarrhoea and generally feeling unwell. You should always seek reliable medical care if you have blood in your diarrhoea. Treatment involves two drugs: Tinidazole or Metroniadzole to kill the parasite in your gut and then a second drug to kill the cysts. If left untreated complications such as liver or gut abscesses can occur.

Giardiasis Giardia lamblia is a parasite that is relatively common in travellers. Symptoms include nausea, bloating, excess gas, fatigue and intermittent diarrhoea. ‘Eggy’ burps are often attributed solely to giardiasis, but work in Nepal has shown that they are not specific to this infection. The parasite will eventually go away if left untreated, but this can take months. The treatment of choice is Tinidazole, with Metronidazole being a secondline option.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS Air Pollution

Air pollution, particularly vehicle pollution, is an increasing problem. If you have severe respiratory problems speak with your doctor before travelling to any heavily polluted urban centres. This pollution also causes minor respiratory problems such as sinusitis, dry throat and irritated eyes. If troubled by the pollution, leave the city for a few days and get some fresh air.

Diving Divers and surfers should seek specialised advice before they travel to ensure their medical kit contains treatment for coral cuts and tropical ear infections, as well as the standard problems. Divers should ensure their insurance covers them for decompression illness – get specialised dive insurance through an organisation such as Divers Alert Network (DAN; www.danseap.org). Have a dive medical before you leave your home

Food Eating in restaurants is the biggest risk factor for contracting traveller’s diarrhoea. Ways to avoid it include eating only freshly cooked food and avoiding shellfish and food that has been sitting around in buffets. Peel all fruit, cook vegetables and soak salads in iodine water for at least 20 minutes. Eat in busy restaurants with a high turnover of customers.

Heatstroke Many parts of Myanmar are hot and humid throughout the year. For most people it takes at least two weeks to adapt to the hot climate. Swelling of the feet and ankles is common, as are muscle cramps caused by excessive sweating. Prevent these by avoiding dehydration and excessive activity in the heat. Take it easy when you first arrive. Don’t eat salt tablets (they aggravate the gut), but drinking rehydration solution or eating salty food helps. Treat cramps by stopping activity, resting, rehydrating with double-strength rehydration solution and gently stretching. Dehydration is the main contributor to heat exhaustion. Symptoms can include feeling weak, headache, irritability, nausea or DRINKING WATER Never drink tap water Bottled water is generally safe – check the seal is intact at purchase Avoid ice Avoid fresh juices – they may have been watered down Boiling water is the most efficient method of purifying it The best chemical purifier is iodine; it should not be used by pregnant women or those with thyroid problems Water filters should also filter out viruses; ensure your filter has a chemical barrier such as iodine and a small pore size, eg less than four microns

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vomiting, sweaty skin, a fast, weak pulse and a normal or slightly elevated body temperature. Treatment involves getting the person out of the heat and/or sun, fanning them and applying cool, wet cloths to their skin, laying them flat with their legs raised, and rehydrating them with water containing ¼ teaspoon of salt per litre. Recovery is usually rapid, and it is common to feel weak for some days afterwards. Heatstroke is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms come on suddenly and include weakness, nausea, a hot, dry body with a body temperature of over 41°C, dizziness, confusion, loss of coordination, fits and eventually collapse and loss of consciousness. Seek medical help and commence cooling by getting the person out of the heat, removing their clothes, fanning them and applying cool, wet cloths or ice to their body, especially to the groin and armpits. Prickly heat is a common skin rash in the tropics, caused by sweat being trapped under the skin. The result is an itchy rash of tiny lumps. Treat by moving out of the heat and into an air-con area for a few hours and by having cool showers. Creams and ointments clog the skin, so they should be avoided. Locally bought prickly-heat powder can be helpful. Tropical fatigue is common in long-term expats based in the tropics. It’s rarely due to disease and is caused by the climate, inadequate mental rest, excessive alcohol intake and the demands of daily work in a different culture.

If you have had a tick bite and experience symptoms such as a rash at the site of the bite or elsewhere, fever or muscle aches you should see a doctor. Doxycycline prevents tickborne diseases. Leeches are found in humid rainforest areas. They do not transmit any disease, but their bites are often intensely itchy for weeks afterwards and can easily become infected. Apply an iodine-based antiseptic to any leech bite to help prevent infection. Bee and wasp stings mainly cause problems for people who are allergic to them. Anyone with a serious bee or wasp allergy should carry an injection of adrenaline (eg an Epipen) for emergency treatment. For others pain is the main problem – apply ice to the sting and take painkillers. Most jellyfish in Southeast Asian waters are not dangerous, just irritating. First aid for jellyfish stings involves pouring vinegar onto the affected area to neutralise the poison. Do not rub sand or water onto the stings. Take painkillers, and anyone who feels ill in any way after being stung should seek medical advice. Take local advice if there are dangerous jellyfish around and keep out of the water.

Insect Bites & Stings Bedbugs don’t carry disease, but their bites are very itchy. They live in the cracks of furniture and walls and then migrate to the bed at night to feed on you. You can treat the itch with an antihistamine. Lice inhabit various parts of your body but most commonly your head and pubic area. Transmission is via close contact with an infected person. Lice can be difficult to treat, and you may need numerous applications of an antilice shampoo such as Permethrin. Pubic lice are usually contracted from sexual contact. Ticks are contracted after walking in rural areas. Ticks are commonly found behind the ears, on the belly and in the armpits.

Parasites Numerous parasites are common in local populations; however, most of these are rare in travellers. The two rules to follow if you wish to avoid parasitic infections are to wear shoes and to avoid eating raw food, especially fish, pork and vegetables. A number of parasites are transmitted via the skin by walking barefoot; these include strongyloides, hookworm and cutaneous Larva migrans.

Skin Problems Fungal rashes are common in humid climates. There are two common fungal rashes that affect travellers. The first occurs in moist areas that get less air such as the groin, the armpits and between the toes. It starts as a red patch that slowly spreads and is usually itchy. Treatment involves keeping the skin dry, avoiding chafing and using an antifungal cream such as Clotrimazole or Lamisil. Tinea versicolor is also common – this fungus causes small, light-coloured patches, most commonly on the back, chest and shoulders. Consult a doctor.

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Cuts and scratches easily become infected in humid climates. Take meticulous care of any cuts and scratches to prevent complications such as abscesses. Immediately wash all wounds in clean water and apply antiseptic. If you develop signs of infection (increasing pain and redness) see a doctor. Divers and surfers should be particularly careful with coral cuts as they easily become infected.

Snakes Myanmar is home to many species of both poisonous and harmless snakes. Assume all snakes are poisonous and never try to catch one. Always wear boots and long pants if walking in an area that may have snakes. First aid in the event of a snakebite involves pressure immobilisation with an elastic bandage firmly wrapped around the affected limb, starting at the bite site and working up towards the chest. The bandage should not be so tight that the circulation is cut off, and the fingers or toes should be kept free so the circulation can be checked. Immobilise the limb with a splint and carry the victim to medical attention. Do not use tourniquets or try to suck the venom out. Antivenom is available for most species.

Sunburn Even on a cloudy day sunburn can occur rapidly. Always use a strong sunscreen (at least factor 30), making sure to reapply after a swim, and always wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses outdoors. Avoid lying in the sun during the hottest part of the day (10am to 2pm). If you become sunburnt stay out of the sun until you have recovered, apply cool compresses and take painkillers for the discomfort. A 1% hydrocortisone cream applied twice daily is also helpful.

TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN The main point to keep in mind is that children get dehydrated very quickly, so they will need to take liquids on a regular basis. This becomes more critical if they are suffering from diarrhoea.

WOMEN’S HEALTH Pregnant women should receive specialised advice before travelling. The ideal time to travel is during the second trimester (be-

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tween 16 and 28 weeks), when the risk of pregnancy-related problems is at its lowest and pregnant women generally feel at their best. During the first trimester there is a risk of miscarriage and in the third trimester complications such as premature labour and high blood pressure are possible. It’s wise to travel with a companion. Always carry a list of quality medical facilities available at your destination and ensure that you continue your standard antenatal care at these facilities. Avoid rural travel in areas with poor transportation and medical facilities. Most of all, ensure that your travel insurance covers all pregnancy-related possibilities, including premature labour. Malaria is a high-risk disease in pregnancy. WHO recommends that pregnant women do not travel to areas with Chloroquine-resistant malaria. None of the more effective antimalarial drugs are completely safe in pregnancy. Traveller’s diarrhoea can quickly lead to dehydration and result in inadequate blood flow to the placenta. Many of the drugs used to treat various diarrhoea bugs are not recommended in pregnancy. Azithromycin is considered safe. In Yangon and Mandalay, supplies of sanitary products are readily available. Birthcontrol options may be limited, so bring adequate supplies of your own form of contraception. Heat, humidity and antibiotics can all contribute to thrush. Treatment is with antifungal creams and pessaries such as Clotrimazole. A practical alternative is a single tablet of Fluconazole (Diflucan). Urinary tract infections can be precipitated by dehydration or long bus journeys without toilet stops; bring suitable antibiotics.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE Throughout Myanmar traditional medical systems are widely practised. There is a big difference between these traditional healing systems and ‘folk’ medicine. Folk remedies should be avoided, as they often involve rather dubious procedures with potential complications. In comparison, traditional healing systems such as traditional Chinese medicine are well respected, and aspects of them are being increasingly used by Western medical practitioners. All traditional Asian medical systems identify a vital life force, and see blockage

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or imbalance as causing disease. Techniques such as herbal medicines, massage, and acupuncture are utilised to bring this vital force back into balance or to maintain balance. These therapies are best used for treating chronic disease such as chronic fatigue, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome and some chronic skin conditions. Traditional

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medicines should be avoided for treating serious acute infections such as malaria. Be aware that ‘natural’ doesn’t always mean ‘safe’, and there can be drug interactions between herbal medicines and Western medicines. If you are using both systems ensure that you inform both practitioners what the other has prescribed.

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Language Vowels

CONTENTS Pronunciation Tones Transliteration Accommodation Conversation & Essentials Directions Emergencies Health Language Difficulties Numbers Shopping & Services Time & Dates Transport

379 380 380 380 381 381 382 382 383 383 383 384 384

Non-nasalised i e eh a aw o u

as in ‘police’ as in ‘they’ as the first ‘e’ in ‘elephant’ as in ‘father’ as the British pronounce ‘law’ as in ‘go’ as in ‘chute’

Nasalised in ein

Stopped

iq eiq eq an as in ‘fun’ aq oun as in ‘bone’ ouq un as in German uq Bund ain as in German aiq mein aun as in ‘brown’ auq as in ‘sin’ as in ‘vein’

as in ‘sit’ as in ‘late’ as in ‘bet’ as in ‘mat’ as in ‘boat’ as in ‘foot’ as in the English ‘might’ as in ‘out’

Consonants

PRONUNCIATION

Consonants only occur at the beginning of a syllable; there are no consonants that occur after the vowel. The consonants b, d, j, g, m, n, ng, s, sh, h, z, w, l and y are pronounced as in English. The ‘w’ sound can occur on its own, or in combination with other consonants. Pronouncing the combination ng at the beginning of a syllable can be tricky for Westerners; try saying ‘hang on’, then leave off the ‘ha-’ to get an idea of the sound. The following consonants and combinations may cause confusion:

Mastering Burmese pronunciation is a dizzying proposition for the average traveller. While there are elements that don’t exist in English, with a little practice it’s not as daunting as it at first seems.

th – as in ‘thin’ dh – as the ‘th’ in ‘their’ ny – similar to the sound at the beginning of the British ‘new’

LANGUAGE

Myanmar’s official language is Burmese, the language of the Bamar majority. Speakers of Burmese and related dialects comprise nearly 80% of the population. Making up another 10% of the population are speakers of Tai languages, which include the Shan, Khün, Tai Lü and even a little-known group of Lao living near Payathonzu – descendents of refugees from Lao–Siamese wars in the 19th century. Linguists estimate that there are 107 languages spoken within Myanmar. Travellers will find basic English widely spoken in urban areas and around popular tourist sites such as Bagan, but venturing further afield will require at least some basic Burmese. Learning a few words of the language will make your travel in Bamarmajority areas much more enjoyable and rewarding. Travellers who have spent some time in northern Thailand or Laos and learned some of the respective languages will be pleasantly surprised to find that many of these words are understood in Shan State as well.

Burmese has many vowel sounds, which occur in open, nasalised and stopped forms. Nasalisation is produced by pronouncing vowels so that the air is released through the nose, rather than the mouth; English speakers can approximate this by putting a weak ‘n’ at the end of such a syllable. In this guide the nasalisation is indicated by n after the vowel, eg ein (house).

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hm, hn, hny, hng, hl – made with a puff of air just before the nasal or l sound ng – as the ‘ng’ in ‘hang’

Aspirated Consonants The aspirated sounds are made with an audible puff of air after the consonant; in English, the letters ‘p’, ‘t’ and ‘k’ are aspirated when they occur at the beginning of a word, eg ‘pit’, ‘tab’ and ‘kit’. Unaspirated examples of these sounds occur in words such as ‘spin’, ‘stir’ and ‘skin’. The unaspirated c and aspirated c’ are similar to the ‘ch’ in ‘church’. Remember that sh as in ‘ship’, s as in ‘sip’ and the aspirated s’ are three different sounds.

TONES

This is made with the voice tense, producing a highpitched and relatively short, creaky sound. In the transliterations it’s indicated by an acute accent above the vowel, eg ká (dance). Plain High Tone The pitch of the voice starts quite high, then falls for a fairly long time, similar to the pronunciation of words such as ‘squeal’, ‘car’ and ‘way’. It’s indicated by a grave accent above the vowel, for example kà which, conveniently, is also the Burmese word for ‘car’. Low Tone The voice is relaxed and stays at a low pitch for a fairly long time, without rising or falling in pitch. If a vowel is unaccented, it indicates that it carries a low tone, eg ka (shield). Stopped Syllable This is a very short and high-pitched syllable, cut off at the end by a sharp catch in the voice (a glottal stop); it’s similar to the ‘non-sound’ in the middle of the exclamation, ‘oh-oh’, or the Cockney pronunciation of ‘t’ in a word like ‘bottle’. It’s indicated by a ‘q’ after the vowel, eg kaq (join). Be aware that the ‘q’ isn’t pronounced. Reduced (Weak) Syllable This is a shortened syllable, usually the first of a two-syllable word, which is said without stress, like the ‘a’ in ‘ago’ in English. Only the vowel ‘a’ (sometimes preceded by a consonant) occurs in a reduced syllable; this is indicated by a small ‘v’-like symbol above the vowel, eg ǎlouq (work). Any syllable except the last in a word can be reduced.

TRANSLITERATION The system used in this language guide is just one of many ways that Burmese script can be rendered into the Roman alphabet.

This process is known as ‘transliteration’. In Burmese writing, the sounds c, c’, j are represented by the letters for k, k’, g plus y or r, so anglicised forms of Burmese often represent them as ky, gy and so on. One example of this is the unit of currency, caq, which is usually written ‘kyat’ in the Roman alphabet. Aspirated consonants (k’, s’, t’ and p’) may be transliterated with an ‘h’ either before or after the consonant. A creaky tone may be indicated by a final t, eg Hpakant (a town in Kachin State). Various combinations of letters may be used to represent the same vowel sound: e and eh are both often transliterated as ‘ay’; ain may be represented as ‘aing’, auq as ‘auk’ and so on. There is no ‘r’ in Burmese but the sound appears in some foreign words such as redi-yo (radio). Sometimes it’s substituted with a y. Similarly there is no ‘f’ or ‘v’ in Burmese; loan words containing these consonants often use p’ and b respectively. In this guide, dots have been used to separate syllables (with the exception of the reduced syllable ǎ) to make it easier to determine the divisions between syllables. However, you’ll notice that native speakers don’t speak with such clear division between words or syllables.

ACCOMMODATION Is there a ... near here? ... di·nà·hma shí·dhǎlà?

... dIn;"mH;rHiol;"> hotel ho·teh

guesthouse tèh·k’o·gàn

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I will stay for two nights.

I’m leaving now. (Goodbye)

hnǎyeq tèh·meh

thwà·ba·oùn·meh

NHc'rk't–'"my'>

oâ;"p:a®u"my'> A smile is often enough to express thanks in Myanmar, but it will still always be appreciated if you say ‘thank you’ in Burmese.

How much is ...? ... beh·lauq·lèh?

... .y'el;k'lE> one night tǎyeq

two nights hnǎyeq

a single room tǎyauq·k’an

a double room hnǎyauq·k’an

This room is good. di ǎk’àn kaùn·deh

clean thán·deh

dirty nyiq·paq·deh

fan (electric) pan·ka

noisy s’u·nyan·deh

pillow gaùn·oùn

tc'rk' NHc'rk'

t–'"xuixn'"

Can foreigners stay here? nain·ngan·gyà·thà di·hma tèh·ló yá·dhǎlà?

Nui='=®¨x;"o;" dImH;t–'"lui¾rol;"> May I see the room? ǎk’àn cí·bayá·ze?

axn'" äk–'¾p:rec Is breakfast included in the price? ǎk’àn·k’á·dèh·hma mǎneq·sa pa·dhǎlà?

axn'"xqEmH; mnk'c; p:ol;"> Can I pay in kyat?

cè·zù·bèh

Thank you very much.

ekY"jU"pE>

tc'ey;k'xn'"

cè·zù tin·ba·deh ekY"jU"t='p:ty'> It’s nothing. (You’re welcome) kicmrHip:.U"> keiq·sá mǎshí·ba·bù

NHc'ey;k'xn'"

What’s your name?

dIaxn'" ek;='"ty'>

x='bY;"àrH='¾ n;m–' .y'lui exòolE> My name is ...

on'¾ty' –c'pt'ty' pn'k; zU–®ty' ex:='"au®"

CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS Hello. (literally, ‘It’s a blessing’) min·gǎla·ba mg¿¿l;p:> How are you? (Are you well?) k’ǎmyà (m)/shin (f) ne·kaùn·yéh·là?

eh;'ty'

Thank you.

x='bY;"àrH=' enek;='"rE ¾l;"> I’m well. ne·kaùn·ba·deh enek;='"p:ty'> Have you eaten? t’ǎmìn sà·pì·bi·là? qm='"c;"¨pI"¨pIl;"> I’ve eaten. sà·pì·ba·bi c;"¨pI"p:¨pI> Where are you going? beh thwà·mǎló·lèh? .y'oâ;"mliu¾lE> To this, a general, non-specific reply is dinà-lè-bèh, which means literally, ‘just around here’. However, you could say: I’m going back to my hotel.

caq·néh pè·ló yá·là?

ho·teh·go pyan·táw·meh

kYp'nE¾ep"lui¾rl;">

hiuty'kui ¨pn'et;¾my'>

k’ǎmyá (m)/shín (f) na·meh beh·lo k’aw·dhǎlèh?

cǎnáw (m)/cǎmá (f) ... ló k’aw·ba·deh

kâYn'et;'¾àkâYn'm ... lui¾ exòp:ty'> I’m glad to meet you. k’ǎmyà (m)/shin (f) néh twé·yá·da wùn·tha·ba·deh

x='bY;"àrH='nE¾ etö¾rt; vm'"s;p:ty'> Yes. houq·kéh hut'kE¾> No. (for questions containing nouns) mǎhouq·pa·bù mhut'p:.U">

DIRECTIONS

Is this the way to ...? di·làn ... thwà·déh·làn·là?

dIlm'" ... oâ;"tE¾lm'"l;"> How do I get to ...? ... ko beh·lo thwà·yá· dhǎlèh?

... kui .y'luioâ;"rolEE> Can I walk there? làn·shauq·yin yá·mǎlà?

lm'"elY;k'r=' rml;"> Is it nearby? di·nà·hma·là?

Is it far? wè·dhǎlà?

left beh·beq

right nya·beq

straight (ahead) téh·déh

very far away theiq wè·deh

dIn;"mH;l;"> ev"ol;"> .y'.k' –;.k' t–'¾t–'¾ oip'ev"ty'>

LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE

Burmese tones seem very tricky, but are essentially a matter of relative stress between adjoining syllables. There are three tones, plus two other possibilities. Creaky High Tone Don’t worry about the funny name!

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382 L A N G UA G E • • E m e r g e n c i e s

not so far away

oip'mev".U">

theiq mǎwè·bù

north

e¨m;k'.k'

myauq·p’eq

south

et;='.k'

taun·beq

east

aerH ¾.k'

ǎshé·beq

west

aen;k'.k'

ǎnauq·p’eq

Help! I’m ill. I’m lost. thǎk’ò!

I’ve been robbed. Go away!

have a fever

axui"x®rty''>

have a headache

oâ;"cm'">

have a stomachache

v='xâ=¾'mrHi

No Entry

ty'lIfun'"

Telephone

ez"lip' mes;k'r

zr;vn'kui exòep"p:> Call an ambulance!

No Smoking

lu·na·din·gà k’aw·pè·ba!

amYiŸ"smI"mY;" mv='r

Women Forbidden

lUn;t='k;"exòep"p:>

/:t'pu® mruik'r

No Photographs

t;"¨mc'ny'e¨m

Prohibited Area

aim's;àeraim' m kYC"

Toilets Women Men

bus baq·sǎkà

baiq na·deh eq·sǎpǎrin

bandage (for sprain) paq·tì

Do you understand? làn·jaùn

lm'"eäk;='"

village

ywa

râ;

I understand.

waterfall

ye·dǎgun

ert®xân'

I don’t understand.

HEALTH

nà·leh·dhǎlà? nà·leh·ba·deh nà·mǎleh·ba·bù

Please repeat that. pyan·pyàw·ba·oùn

s’è·zain

doctor s’ǎya·wun

lm'"

hospital s’è·youn

.t'ck;"

In the Country

ez"ru®

Please call a doctor. s’ǎya·wun kaw·pè·ba

beach

kàn·gye

km'"e¨x

countryside

tàw

et;

field (irrigated)

leh·gwìn

ly'kâ='"

hill

taun/koùn

et;='àkun'"

island

cùn

kâJn'"

lake

ain

aui='

lake (small, artificial) kan

kn'

map

mye·boun

e¨mpu®

river

myiq

¨mc'

sea

pin·leh

p='ly'

zr;vn' exòep"p:> I’m allergic to penicillin.

SHOPPING & SERVICES

pt'tI"

... beh·hma·lèh?

kâJn'et;'àkâYn'm p='nIcl='nE¾ mt–'¾.U"> I’m pregnant. baiq cì·ne·deh/ko·wun shí·deh

n;"l–'ol;">

ban·daiq

n;"l–'p:ty'>

sa·ouq·s’ain

n;"ml–'p:.U">

s’è·zain

¨pn'e¨p;p:au®">

zè

buik'äkI"enty'àkuiy'vn'rHity'> It hurts here. di·hma na·deh

dImH; n;ty'> I vomit often. x,x, an'ty'>

chemist/pharmacy market museum post office sa·daiq

shop s’ain

ag¿lip'ck;" e¨p;tt'ty'> Can you speak English? k’ǎmyà (m)/shin (f) ìn·gǎleiq·zǎgà lo pyàw·daq·thǎlà?

x='bY;"àrH=' ag¿lp i c ' k;" e¨p;tt'ol;"> What do you call this in Burmese? da bǎma·lo beh·lo k’aw·dhǎlèh?

d: bm;lui .y'luiexòolEE> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

bookshop

pyá·daiq

ìn·gǎleiq·zǎgà lo pyàw·daq·teh

NUMBERS

Where is the ...? ... .y'mH;lEE> bank

bm; ck;" me¨p;tt'.U"> I speak English.

cǎnaw (m)/cǎmá (f) pǎnǎsǎlin·néh mǎtéh·bù

k’ǎná·k’ǎná an·deh

ak'cpr='

bǎma·zǎgà lo mǎpyàw·daq·bù

zr;vn'

I’d like to make a call. p’oùn·s’eq·c’in·deh

Can I send a fax? fax pó·ló yá·dhǎlà?

tiq/tǎ hniq/hnǎ thòun lè ngà c’auq k’ú·hniq/k’ú·hnǎ shiq

.,'tuik' c;aup'zui=' ez"zui=' eZ" ¨ptuik' c;tuik' zui=' fu®"zk'xY='ty'> fk'c'pui¾lui¾ rol;">

I want to change ... ... lèh·jin·ba·deh

... lExY='p:ty'> dollars

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

kò (tǎ)s’eh s’éh·tiq s’éh·hniq hnǎs’eh thòun·zéh·ngà tǎya (tǎ)t’aun (tǎ)thàun (tǎ)thèin (tǎ)thàn

(One hundred thousand can often also be called one lakh.)

I can’t speak Burmese. ez"zui='

9 10 11 12 20 35 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000

buik'n;ty'

LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES

track/trail

chemist/pharmacy

ex:='"kuik'enty'

9 10 11 12 20 35 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000

daw·la

pounds paun

foreign currency nain·ngan·gyà ngwe

money paiq·s’an

travellers cheques k’ǎyì·c’eq·leq·hmaq

edòl; ep:=' Nui='=®¨x;"e=â puik'z® xrI"xYk'lk'mHt'

LANGUAGE

làn

gàun kaiq·ne·deh

aspirin

s’ǎya·wun·go k’aw·pè·ba!

... beh·hma·lèh? ... .y'mH;lEE>

Dmúui¾

fY;"ty'

p’yà·deh

Where is the ...?

da ba ... lèh?

vm'"elY;ty'à vm'"oâ;"enty'

wùn·shàw·deh/ wùn·thwà·ne·deh

oUxui">

Call a doctor!

thwà·zàn!

pn'"n;r='kYp'

(pàn·na·)yin·caq

have diarrhoea

lm'"epY;k'enty'>

làn pyauq·ne·deh

Thief!

Exit

street

asthma

enmek;='".U">

ne·mǎkàun·bù

aqâk'

myó

mU"lEEty'>

ky'p:>

keh·ba!

Entrance

What ... is this?

L A N G UA G E • • L a n g u a g e D i f f i c u l t i e s 383

mù·lèh·deh

av='

d: .; ... lEE> town

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I feel faint.

EMERGENCIES

ǎk’ò·k’an·yá·deh

SIGNS

LANGUAGE

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384 L A N G UA G E • • Ti m e & D a t e s

How many kyat to a dollar? tǎdawla beh·hnǎcaq·lèh?

tc'edòl; .y'NHc'kYp'lE> Please give me smaller change. ǎkywe lèh·pè·ba

mǎniq

... .y'mH;vy'rmlEE> Do you have ... ? ... shí·là

... rHil;"> How much is ...? ... beh·lauq·lèh?

... .y'el;k'lE>

gaùn·shaw·ye

soap s’aq·pya

toothbrush dhǎbuq·tan

toothpaste thwà·taiq·s’è

toilet paper ein·dha·thoùn·seq·ku

hour

morning (6am to noon)

... beh·hma weh·yá·mǎlèh?

shampoo

nyá s’eh·na·yi s’éh·ngà· –zy'n;rIzy'¾=:" mǎniq minc'

minute

Where can I buy ...?

mì·jiq

10.15pm

na·yi

aeäkâ lEep"p:

matches

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mI"¨xc' ex:='"elHY;'r–' zp'¨p; oâ;"pât't® oâ;"tuik'ez" aim'o;ou®"ckð†

mǎneq

midday (noon to 3pm)

Sunday tǎnìn·gǎnwe·né

Monday tǎnìn·la·né

d:qk' eZ"piuep:t; rHiol;"> OK (literally, ‘good’) ek;='"p:¨pI> kàun·ba·bi expensive zè·cì·deh eZ"äkI"ty' cheap zè·pàw·deh eZ"ep:ty'

beh·ǎc’ein shí·bi·lèh?

At what time? beh·ǎc’ein·hma·lèh?

7am mǎneq k’ú·hnǎna·yi

1pm né·leh tǎna·yi

4.30pm nyá·ne lè·na·yi·gwèh

bouq·dǎhù·né

Thursday ca·dhǎbǎdè·né

Friday thauq·ca·né

Saturday sǎne·né

... beh·ǎc’ein t’weq·mǎlèh?

... .y'axYin'qâk'mlEE>

mnk'

express train

tnl¿;en¾

baq·sǎkà ǎmyan·yǎt’à

local train law·keh·yǎt’à

plane le·yin·byan

riverboat thìn·bàw

train mì·yǎt’à

.t'ck;" a¨mn'rq;" el;'ky'rq;" ely;„'pY® oe.¿; mI"rq;"

I’d like ... cǎnaw (m)/cǎmá (f) ... lo·jin·ba·deh

kâYn'et;'àkâYn'm ... luixY='p:ty'> one ticket leq·hmaq·dǎzaun lk'mHt'tc'ec;=' two tickets leq·hmaq hnǎsaun lk'mHt'NHc'ec;=' Where does this bus go? di baq·sǎkà beh·go thwà·dhǎlèh?

dI.t'ck;" .y'kuioâ;"olEE>

.y'axYin'mH;lEE>

äk;opet"en¾ eo;äk;en¾ cenen¾

mnk' xuNHc'n;rI

... beh·hma·lèh?

... .y'mH;lEE> airport

le·zeiq

railway carriage mì·yǎt’à·dwèh

train station

en¾l–' tc'n;rI

bu·da·youn

–en el"n;rIxâE

baq·sǎkà·geiq

bus station

beh·hma s’ìn·yá·mǎlèh?

.y'mH;z='"rmlEE> Can I get there by ...? ... néh thwà·ló yá·mǎlà?

... nE¾ oâ;"lui¾rml;"> Please go slowly. pyè·pyè thwà·ba

¨f–'"¨f–'"oâ;"p:> Please wait for me. cǎnaw (m)/cǎmá (f) go saún·ne·ba

kâYn'et;'àkâYn'mkuiec;='¾enp:> Stop here. di·hma yaq·pa

dImH; rp'p:> What time does the boat leave? thìn·bàw beh·ǎc’ein t’weq·mǎlèh?

oe.¿; .y'axYin'qâk'mlEE> Can I get on board now? ǎk’ú teq·ló yá·dhǎlà?

axu tk'lui¾rol;"> bicycle seq·beìn ck'.I" 4WD/’jeep’ jiq·kà gYc'k;" motorcycle mo·ta s’ain·keh em;'et;'zui='ky' taxi ǎhngà·kà a=H:"k;"

budÖhU"en¾

Where is the ...? .y'axYin'rHi¨pIlE>

Where should I get off?

ag¿ :en¾

TRANSPORT

TIME & DATES What time is it?

in·ga·né

Wednesday

When will the ... leave?

minc'

tng¿eNâen¾

oe.¿;zip'

thìn·bàw·zeiq

LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE

da·t’eq zè po·pàw·da shí·dhǎlà?

riverboat jetty

bus

né·leh en¾l–' afternoon/evening (3pm to 7pm) nyá·ne –en night (7pm to 6am) nyá – today di·né dIen¾ tomorrow mǎneq·p’yan mnk'¨fn' day after tomorrow dhǎbeq·k’a o.k'x: next week nauq ǎpaq en;k' apt' yesterday mǎné·gá men¾k

Tuesday Do you have a cheaper one?

n;rI

© Lonely Planet Publications L A N G UA G E • • T r a n s p o r t 385

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elzip' mI"rq;"tâE .Ut;r®u .t'ck;"git'

Also available from Lonely Planet: Burmese Phrasebook

© Lonely Planet Publications 386

G L O S S A R Y 387

hsingaung – head elephant man, above an u-zi htan – (tan) sugar palm hti – umbrellalike decorated pinnacle of a stupa htwa – half a taung

Glossary See p81 for some useful words and phrases dealing with food and dining. See the Language chapter (p379) for other useful words and phrases.

ABBREVIATIONS

AM – Air Mandalay BCP – Burmese Communist Party FEC – Foreign Exchange Certificate IWT – Inland Water Transport KIA – Kachin Independence Army KNLA – Karen National Liberation Army KNU – Karen National Union MA – Myanma Airways MAI – Myanmar Airways International MFSL – Myanma Five Star Line MHT – Ministry of Hotels & Tourism MNLF – Mon National Liberation Front MTT – Myanmar Travels & Tours NLD – National League for Democracy NMSP – New Mon State Party Slorc – State Law & Order Restoration Council SPDC – State Peace & Development Council SSA – Shan State Army UWSA – United Wa State Army YA – Yangon Airways

WORDS

acheiq longyi – longyi woven with intricate patterns and worn on ceremonial occasions a-le – opium weights a-nyeint pwe – traditional variety of pwe

bama hsan-jin – Burmeseness; also myanma hsan-jin Bamar – Burman ethnic group bedin-saya – astrologer betel – the nut of the areca palm, which is chewed as a

dah – long-bladed knife, part of the traditional dress of the Shan and several hill tribes deva – Pali-Sanskrit word for celestial beings dhamma – Pali word for the Buddhist teachings; called dharma in Sanskrit dobat – rural musical instrument; a small, two-faced drum worn around the neck eingyi – traditional long-sleeved shirt worn by Myanmar men flat – covered pontoon used to carry cargo on the river; often up to 30m long furlong – obsolete British unit of distance still used in Myanmar; one-eighth of a mile

gaiq – yard (measurement) gaung baung – formal, turbanlike hat made of silk over a wicker framework, for men gu – cave temple gyo-daing – ‘planetary post’, a small shrine near the base of a zedi containing a Buddha image to which worshippers make offerings according to the day of the week they were born; there are usually eight posts, one for each day of the Myanmar week (Wednesday is divided into two days)

haw – Shan word for ‘palace’, a reference to the large

Bodhi Tree – the sacred banyan tree under which the

mansions used by the hereditary Shan sao pha

Buddha gained enlightenment; also ‘bo tree’ Brahman – pertaining to Brahma or to early Hindu religion (not to be confused with ‘brahmin’, a Hindu caste) Buddha footprints – large, flat, stylised sculptures that represent the Buddha’s feet, distinguished by 108 identifying marks; footprint shrines mark places where the Buddha himself is reputed to have walked

hgnet – swallow-tailed boat hintha – mythical, swanlike bird; hamsa in Pali-Sanskrit hka – stream or river in Kachin State hneh – a wind instrument like an oboe; part of the

cantonment – the part of a colonial town occupied by the military, a carry-over from the British days

chaung – (gyaung) stream or canal; often only seasonal

Myanmar orchestra hpongyi – Buddhist monk hpongyi-byan – cremation ceremony for an important monk hpongyikyaung – monastery; see also kyaung hsaing – traditional musical ensemble hsaing waing – circle of drums used in a Myanmar orchestra hsinbyudaw – royal white elephant

in – lake; eg Inle means little lake Jataka – stories of the Buddha’s past lives, a common theme for temple paintings and reliefs

kalaga – embroidered tapestries kamma – Pali word for the law of cause and effect; called karma in Sanskrit kammahtan – meditation; a kammahtan kyaung is a meditation monastery kammawa – lacquered scriptures kan – (gan) beach; can also mean a tank or reservoir karaweik – (Pali: karavika) a mythical bird with a beautiful song; also the royal barge on Inle Lake keinnayi – (Pali: kinnari) a mythical creature that is human from the waist up, bird from the waist down; the female is called keinnaya (Pali: kinnara) kon – (gon) hill kunya – betel-nut chew kutho – merit, what you acquire through doing good; from the Pali kusala kyaik – Mon word for paya kyauk – rock kyaung – (gyaung) Myanmar Buddhist monastery; pronounced chown kye waing – circle of gongs used in a Myanmar orchestra kyi – (gyi) big; eg Taunggyi means big mountain kyun – (gyun) island

làn – road or street lei-myet-hna – four-sided Buddha sculpture lin gwin – cymbals in a Myanmar orchestra Lokanat – Avalokitesvara, a Mahayana Bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be) and guardian spirit of the world longyi – the Myanmar unisex sarong-style lower garment, sensible wear in a tropical climate; unlike men in most other Southeast Asian countries, few Myanmar men have taken to Western trousers

Mahayana – literally, Great Vehicle; the school of Buddhism that thrived in north Asian countries like Japan and China, and also enjoyed popularity for a time in ancient Southeast Asian countries; also called the Northern School of Buddhism makara – mythical sea serpent Manuthiha – a half-lion/half-human mythical creature; visible around Shwedagon Paya mara – the tempter, the Buddhist equivalent of Satan maya ngeh – ‘lesser wife’, a man’s second wife mi-gyaung – crocodile lute

positions used by Buddha images, eg abhaya mudra (the gesture of fearlessness) Myanma let-hwei – Myanmar kickboxing myit – river myo – town; hence Maymyo (after Colonel May), Allanmyo (Major Allen) or even Bernardmyo myothit – ‘new town’, usually a planned new suburb built since the 1960s

naga – multiheaded dragon-serpent from mythology, often seen sheltering or protecting the Buddha

nat – spirit being with the power to either protect or harm humans

nat-gadaw – spirit medium (literally ‘spirit bride’), embraces a wide variety of nat nat pwe – dance performance designed to entice a nat to possess a nat-gadaw ngwe – silver nibbana – nirvana or enlightenment, the cessation of suffering, the end of rebirth; the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice

o-zi – a long-bodied, goblet-shaped, one-faced drum used for accompanying folk music in the country

pagoda – generic English term for zedi or stupas as well as temples; see also paya pahso – longyi for men pahto – Burmese word for temple, shrine or other religious structure with a hollow interior Pali – language in which original Buddhist texts were recorded; the ‘Latin’ of Theravada Buddhism pa-lwe – bamboo flute paq-ma – Myanmar bass drum parabaik – folding Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts parinibbana – literally, final nibbana; the Buddha’s passing away pattala – bamboo xylophone used in the Myanmar orchestra paya – a generic Burmese term meaning holy one; applied to Buddha figures, zedi and other religious monuments pe-sa – palm-leaf manuscripts pin – (bin) banyan tree pi ze – traditional tattooing, believed to make the wearer invulnerable to sword or gun pwe – generic Burmese word for festival, feast, celebration or ceremony; also refers to public performances of song and dance in Myanmar, often all-night (and all-day) affairs pyatthat – wooden, multiroofed pavilion, usually turretlike on palace walls, as at Mandalay Palace Pyithu Hluttaw – Peoples’ Congress or parliament, now defunct ro-ro – ‘roll on, roll off’, a ferry that carries vehicles; see also zed craft

GLOSSARY

GLOSSARY

mild intoxicant throughout Asia

cheroots – Myanmar cigars; ranging from slim to massive, but very mild as they contain only a small amount of tobacco mixed with other leaves, roots and herbs Chindits – the ‘behind enemy lines’ Allied forces who harried the Japanese during WWII chinlon – extremely popular Myanmar sport in which a circle of up to six players attempts to keep a rattan ball in the air with any part of the body except the arms and hands chinthe – half-lion, half-dragon guardian deity

mudra – hand position; used to describe the various hand

© Lonely Planet Publications 388 G L O S S A R Y

Sanskrit – ancient Indian language and source of many words in the Burmese vocabulary, particularly those having to do with religion, art and government sao pha – ‘sky lord’, the hereditary chieftains of the Shan people saung gauq – 13-stringed harp sawbwa – Burmese corruption of the Shan word sao pha or ‘sky lord’, the hereditary chieftains of the Shan people saya – a teacher or shaman sayadaw – ‘master teacher’, usually the chief abbot of a Buddhist monastery shinpyu – ceremonies conducted when young boys from seven to 20 years old enter a monastery for a short period of time, required of every young Buddhist male; girls have their ears pierced in a similar ceremony shwe – golden sikhara – Indian-style, corncoblike temple finial, found on many temples in the Bagan area sima – see thein soon – alms food offered to monks stupa – see zedi t’ǎmìn zain – (htamin zain) rice shop Tatmadaw – Myanmar’s armed forces taung, daung – mountain, eg Taunggyi means ‘big

GLOSSARY

mountain’; it can also mean a half-yard (measurement) taw – (daw) a common suffix, meaning sacred, holy or royal; it can also mean forest or plantation tazaung – shrine building, usually found around zedi thabeiq – monk’s food bowl; also a traditional element of stupa architecture thanakha – yellow sandalwoodlike paste, worn by many Myanmar women on their faces as a combination of skin conditioner, sunblock and make-up The Thirty – the ‘30 comrades’ of Bogyoke Aung San who joined the Japanese during WWII and eventually led Burma (Myanmar) to independence thein – ordination hall; called sima in Pali Theravada – literally, the Word of the Elders; the school of Buddhism that has thrived in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar and Thailand; also called Southern Buddhism and Hinayana thilashin – nun thoun bein – motorised three-wheeled passenger vehicles Tripitaka – the ‘three baskets’; the classic Buddhist scriptures consisting of the Vinaya (monastic discipline),

the Sutta (discourses of the Buddha) and Abhidhamma (Buddhist philosophy) twin – (dwin) well, hole or mine twin-zar – (literally, well-eater) owners and workers of small oil wells in the Barong Islands, near Sittwe

u-min – (ohn-min) cave, usually artificial and part of a temple u-zi – elephant handler or mahout vihara – Pali-Sanskrit word for sanctuary or chapel for Buddha images

viss – Myanmar unit of weight, equal to 1.6kg votive tablet – inscribed offering tablet, usually with images of the Buddha

wa – mouth or river or lake; Inwa means ‘mouth of the lake’ wa leq-hkouq – bamboo clapper, part of the Myanmar orchestra

yagwin – small cymbals Yama pwe – Myanmar classical dancing based on Indian epic the Ramayana ye – water, liquid yediya – the superstitious belief that fate can be averted by carrying out certain, sometimes contradictory, activities yodaya zat – Ayuthaya theatre, the style of theatre brought into Myanmar with Thai captives after the fall of Ayuthaya in 1767 yoma – mountain range youq-the pwe – Myanmar marionette theatre ywa – village; a common suffix in place names such as Monywa

zat pwe – Myanmar classical dance-drama based on Jataka stories zawgyi – an alchemist who has successfully achieved immortality through the ingestion of special compounds made from base metals zayat – an open-sided shelter or resthouse associated with a zedi zed craft – large vehicle ferry zedi – stupa, a traditional Buddhist religious monument consisting of a solid hemispherical or gently tapering cylindrical cone, and topped with a variety of metal and jewel finials; zedi are often said to contain Buddha relics zei – (zay or zè) market zeigyo – central market

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© Lonely Planet Publications 395

Index A

B Bagan 266-77, 293-310, 267, 270, 274, 276, 5, 6, 268-9 1975 earthquake 295-6

Bagan Myothit 275-7, 307-8, 276 books 293 Central Plain 302-4, 5, 268-9 history 293-6 Myinkaba 275, 304-7, 5 New Bagan 275-7, 307-8, 276 North Plain 300-2 Nyaung U 269-73, 309-10, 270 Old Bagan 273-5, 297-300, 274 South Plain 308-9 Bagan Myothit 275-7, 307-8, 276 Bagaya Kyaung 250, 251 Bago 140-6, 141, 8, 140-1 Bamar language, see language Bamar people 52 arrival in Myanmar 36 bathrooms 350 Bawgyo Paya 210-11 Bayinnaung, King 37, 129, 142-3, 166, 234 beaches Anauntphettokan 130 Chaungtha Beach 135-8, 136 Kanthaya 318 Letkhokkon Beach 129-30 Maungmagan 163, 10 Ngapali Beach 314-17, 315 Ngwe Saung 138-9 Paker Beach 167 Pirate Beach 315 Setse 160 bears 70, 102, 225 beer 76 Bhamo 220-1 Bhamo Myo Haung 220 bicycle travel, see cycling bird-watching 332 Inle Lake area 191 Mt Victoria area 329 Myitkyina area 218 Putao area 225 birds 70, see also bird-watching black market 345, see also money boat travel 361-3, 32, 12 itineraries 32, 32 boat trips 135-6, 165-6, 10 Bagan area 268, 310 Inle Lake 191 Bogyoke Aung San 40-1, 101 Bogyoke Aung San Market 121

Bogyoke Aung San Museum 101 books, see also literature Bagan 293 Buddhism 59 environmental issues 72 food 74, 75 health 371 history 28, 35, 37, 39, 40, 48, 286, 293, 323 Mrauk U 323 politics 42, 45 travel literature 28, 29 border crossings China 222, 357 Laos 202 Thailand 169, 203, 357 Botataung Paya 97-9 boulder stupa, see Kyaiktiyo British in Myanmar, the 38-40 Buddha’s Birthday 340 Buddhism 57-61, 66, see also meditation books 59 Internet resources 59 Buddhistic Museum 320 Buledi 302 Bupaya 299-300 Burma Road 215, 227 Burma–Siam Railway 159 Burmese calendar 351 Burmese empires 36-9 Burmese language, see language bus travel 363-4 bushwalking, see hiking business hours 334, see also inside front cover

C calendar, Burmese 351 canoeing 225, see also rafting Cape Bayinnaung 166 car travel 364-5 restricted roads 364, 359 caves Hpo Win Daung Caves 259-60 Kawgun Cave 161 Maha Pasana Guha 99-100 Padah-Lin Caves 179 Pindaya Caves 179, 10 Saddar Cave 161

INDEX

ABBREVIATIONS Abeyadana Pahto 306 ACT Australian accommodation 330-2 Capital Territory avoiding government hotels 24 NSW New South Wales activities 332-4, see also individual NT Northern Territory activities Qld Queensland itineraries 33, 33 SA South Australia air travel Tas Tasmania airlines 354-5, 358 Vic Victoria to/from Myanmar 354-7 WA Western Australia within Myanmar 358-60 Akauk Taung 287 Alaungpaya, King 37-8, 85, 128, 140, 247, 260, 283 alcoholic drinks 76-7, see also toddy Amarapura 248-51, 248, 7 Ananda Ok Kyaung 301 Ananada Pahto 300-1, 7 Ananada Pahto paya pwe 301 Anauk (West) Petleik Paya 307 Anawrahta, King 36-7, 60, 153, 287, 294, 298, 299, 303, 305, 309, 310 Anawrahta’s Palace 299 Andaw Paya 325 animals 69-71, 225, see also individual species Anisakan Falls 207-8 Archeology Museum, Old Bagan 273 architecture 65-6 Bagan 293, 294 art galleries, see museums & galleries arts 62-7, see also handicrafts and individual arts Asean 34, 47 Asekhan Fort 254 Ashe (East) Petleik Paya 307 ATMs 344 Atumashi Kyaung 232 Aung San 40-1, 101 Aung San Suu Kyi 17, 18-19, 34, 40, 43-5, 47, 56, 61, 103, 161, 234, 305 Aungban 178 Ava, see Inwa Ava Bridge 252 Azin Dam 158

Index (C-G)

Index (G-K)

caves continued Shwe Ba Taung 259 Shwe Oo Min Cave 175 Ta-Eh Gu 191 Tilawkaguru 253 U Naung Gu 208 Yathaypyan Cave 161 censorship 56 central Myanmar 264-310, 265 Chaukhtatgyi Paya 99 Chaungtha Beach 135-8, 136 children, travel with 334, 377 Chin National Front 313 Chin people 52-3, 313 Chin State 328-9 Chinese temples Chinese temple, Myitkyina 217 Chinese temple, Pyin U Lwin 204 Htyan Haw 155 Kheng Hock Keong 100 Quan Yin San Temple 214-15 chinlon 68 churches & cathedrals Christ the King Church 175 First Baptist Church 155 Immaculate Heart Cathedral 198 Judson Baptist Church 235 Judson Church 155 Karen Baptist Church 163-4 climate 27, 335 climbing 225 consulates 339 costs 23, 27-9, 29, 339, see also money bus travel 364 train travel 367 courses 106, 335-6 martial arts 106 meditation 106, 335-6 crafts, see handicrafts credit cards 344-5 cruises, see boat travel, boat trips Cultural Museum Mandalay 231-2 culture 48-68, 74-5 currency, see inside front cover customs regulations 336 cycling 200, 332, 360-1

Dawei 162-4 De Brito, Philip 92, 128, 143 Death Railway, The 159 deep vein thrombosis (DVT) 371 delta region 127-39, 127, 12 departure tax 355 Dhammayangyi Pahto 303, 5, 268-9 Dhammayazika Paya 308 Dhammazedi, King 37, 91-2, 96, 143 di Conti, Nicolo 37 diarrhoea 374-5 Diphuk-Ha 225 disabled travellers 338-9 diving 167, 332-3, 375, 172-3 Dragon Lake 282 drinks 75-7, see also toddy beer stations 79 teashops 79-80 toddy 77, 236-7 driving, see car travel Dukkanthein Paya 325-6 Dukkanthein paya pwe 327

D

F

dance 62-3, 9 dangers 336-8 insurgents 337

fauna, see wildilfe ferries, see boat travel festivals 28, 340-2, 9 Ananada Pahto paya pwe 301 Bawgyo paya pwe 211 Buddha’s Birthday 340 Dawei Thingyan 164

000 Map pages 000 Location of colour photographs

E economic sanctions on Myanmar 22, 34, 46-7 Aung San Suu Kyi 18-19 government propoganda 20 Internet resources 21, 22 economy 22, 34 education 62 electricity 330 elephants 70, 101, 102, 135, 220, 290-1, 140-1 elephant camps 135, 220, 290-1 email access 342-3 embassies 339 emergency services 382, see also inside front cover endangered species 70-1 environmental issues 72-3 books 72 endangered species 70-1 exchange rates, see inside front cover

Dukkanthein paya pwe 327 Festival of Lights 249 Independence Day 340 Inle Lake Thadingyut 183 Inwa nat pwe 251 Irinaku Festival 250 Kachin State Day 218 Mahamuni paya pwe 237 Mandalay Thadingyut 237 Mawdin Point 135 Mingun Nat Festival 256 Mt Popa Nadaw nat pwe 278 Mt Popa Nayon nat pwe 278 Murugu Festival 106 nat pwe 60-1 Paleik Waso festival 252 Phaung Daw Oo 183 Pindaya paya pwe 179 sea-gypsy festival 167 Shwedagon Festival 340 Shwemawdaw Paya festival 144 Shwenattaung Tabaung paya pwe 287 Start of the Buddhist Rains Retreat 341 Tagu nat pwe 278 Taungbyone nat pwe 61 Taunggyi Tazaungmon 195 Thadingyut 183, 237, 341 Thihoshin 280 Thingyan 106, 164, 340, 9 Vesakha 133 Wagaung nat pwe 278 Water Festival 106, 164, 340, 9 Yadanagu Festival 250 First Baptist Church 155 fishing 136 flora 71-2 food 74-5, 342 books 74, 75 customs 80 food vocabulary 81-3 restaurants 78-9 street snacks 77-8 teashops 79-80 vegetarian travellers 80 forts Asekhan Fort 254 Mandalay Fort 233-4 Singyone Fort 254 Thabyedan Fort 254

G Gaungse Kyun 156-8 Gawdawpalin Pahto 297

gay travellers 342 gems 103-4, 194, 218, 242, 348 geography 69, 51 Gokteik Viaduct 208-9 Golden Rock 149-52, 151, 8, 172-3 golf 204, 235, 262, 315, 333 Gubyaukgyi 305 Gubyauknge 302

H Halingyi 262 handicrafts 28, 347-9, see also gems, shopping clothes & textiles 121, 122, 190, 242, 347 lacquerware & pottery 120, 121, 179, 189, 190, 207, 260, 275, 277, 348, 268-9 paintings 120, 207 parasols 134, 179, 348, 11, 140-1 souvenirs 28, 121, 122, 207, 224, 242, 253, 275, 236-7 tapestries 120, 189, 207, 242, 349 woodcarving & puppets 144, 207, 242, 275, 349 Hanlin 262 Hanthawady kingdom 37, 140, 142 Haw Sao Pha, Hsipaw 209-10 Haw Sao Pha, Kengtung 198 health 369-78 books 371 deep vein thrombosis (DVT) 371 dengue 372 diarrhoea 374-5 heatstroke 375-6 hepatitis 372 HIV 372 insect bites & stings 376 Internet resources 371 jet lag 371-2 malaria 373-4 motion sickness 371-2 rabies 374 vaccinations 370 water 375 women travellers 377 Heho 180 Hienze Island 163 hiking 333-4 Hsipaw area 211 Inle Lake area 191, 182 Kalaw area 176, 179, 177 Kyaiktiyo area 151, 151 northeastern Myanmar 208 Putao area 224-5

397

Hindu temples Nathlaung Kyaung 297-8 Sri Devi 101 Sri Kali 101 Sri Saraswati Gurkha 217 Sri Sri Siva Krishna 101 history 35-47 1990 election 44-5 Bagan 293-6 Bago 140 books 35, 37, 39, 40, 48, 286 British in Myanmar, the 38-40 Burmese empires 36-9 early kingdoms 35-6 economic sanctions on Myanmar 18-19, 20, 21, 22, 34, 46-7 independence & early woes 41-2 Inwa 251 Mandalay 227 Mrauk U 323 prodemocracy protests 43, 59 rise of nationalism 39-41 the road to socialism 42-3 Yangon 85 hitching 365 Hkakabo Razi 225 Hmawza 286 holidays 342, see also festivals Hpa-an 161-2, 12 Hpakan 218 Hpayapon 129 Hpo Win Daung Caves 259-60 Hsipaw 209-13, 210 Htilominlo Pahto 301-2 Htongo 287 Hukuang Valley Tiger Reserve 72, 225 human rights abuses 46-7

health 371 national parks 72 Intha people 181, 182-3 Inwa 251-2 Inya Lake 103 Inye Lake 135 islands Bilu Kyun 156 Gaungse Kyun 156-8 Hienze 163 Kyet Mauk Island 167 Lampi Kyun 167 Launglon 164 Lon Khuet Island 167 Maungmagan Islands 163 Mergui Archipelago 165-6, 167, 172-3 Mwedaw Kyun 167 Myeik Archipelago 165-6, 167, 172-3 Ogre Island 156 Paker Beach 167 Pataw Padet Island 165 Shampoo Island 156 Whitesand Island 135-6 itineraries 16, 30-3 activities 33, 33 boat travel 32, 32 Yangon 88

I

K

immunisations 370 Indawgyi Lake 218 Indein 190, 172-3 Independence Day 340 Inle Lake 176, 181-95, 182, 10, 11 Inle Lake Thadingyut 183 Inleh Bo Teh 189 insurance 342 health 369-70 insurgents 337 Internet access 342-3 Internet resources 29 Buddhism 59 economic sanctions on Myanmar 21, 22

Kaba Aye Paya 99 Kachin people 53, 217, 220 Kachin State Cultural Museum 217 Kakku 192-3 Kalaw 173-8, 174 Kalaymyo 262-3 Kanbawzathadi Museum 142-3 Kanbawzathadi Palace 142-3 Kandawgyi, Mudon 158 Kandawgyi, Yangon 102-3, 140-1 Kandawgyi Gardens 204 Kanthaya 318 Karen Baptist Church 163 Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) 160, 161

J Jade Taw 314 Japanese war cemetery 142 jewellery, see gems Ji-Chanzi 178 Judson, Adoniram 160 Judson Church 155 Jumping Cat Monastery 189

INDEX

INDEX

396

398

Index (K-M)

Karen National Union (KNU) 160 Karen people, see Kayin people Katha 222-4 Kaung Daing 189 Kaung Daing hot springs 189 Kaungdire, see Kaung Daing Kaunghmudaw Paya 254 Kawgun 161 Kawthoung 166-9 Kayah people 53-4 Kayah State 203 kayaking 225, see also rafting Kayin people 54, 160-1, 291 Kayin State 160-2 Kekku 192-3 Kengtung 196-200, 197, 172-3 Kentung hot-springs 200 Khan, Kublai 37, 293, 308 Kheng Hock Keong 100 kickboxing 67-8, 106 Kinpun 150, 151, 152 Kothaung Temple 326 Kunyangon 129 Kuthodaw Paya 232 Kyaik Pun Paya 143, 8 Kyaikkami 160 Kyaikmaraw 158-9 Kyaikmaraw Paya 158-9 Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) 149-52, 151, 8, 172-3 Kyaingtong 196-200, 197, 172-3 Kyanzittha Umin 310 Kyauk Taung 190 Kyaukka 260 Kyaukme 209 Kyauktan 127-8 Kyauktawgyi Paya, Anarapura 249-50 Kyauktawgyi Paya, Mandalay 233 Kyet Mauk Island 167

L Labutta 129 lacquerware, see handicrafts lakes Boutalake Lake 179 Dragon Lake 282 Indawgyi Lake 218 Inle Lake 176, 181-225, 182, 10, 11 Inya Lake 103 Inye Lake 135 Kandawgyi, Mudon 158 000 Map pages 000 Location of colour photographs

Index (M-N)

Kandawgyi, Yangon 102-3, 140-1 Lake Meiktila 287 Lay Kyaung Kandawgyi 291 Naung Tung 196 Nga Ka Pwe Taung 282 Shan Lake, Pyinmana 289 Taungthaman Lake 249 Lampi Kyun 167 language 379-85 architecture terms 295 emergencies 382 food vocabulary 81-3 glossary 386-8 Lashio 213-17, 214 Lawkahteikpan Pahto 303 Lawkananada Paya 307 Launglon 164 legal matters 343 Leimyethna Pahto 308 lesbian travellers 342 Letkhokkon Beach 129-30 Li-lu 213 Linthar 314 literature 28, 67, see also books Loi-mwe 200 Lon Khuet Island 167 Lontha 314 Lonton 218

M Ma Li Won rock pools 167 magazines 330 Magwe 281-3, 282 Maha Kalyani Sima 143 Maha Kalyani Thein 143 Maha Ledi Kyaung 257, 236-7 Maha Pasana Guha 99-100 Maha Wizaya (Vijaya) Paya 100 Mahabandoola Garden 101 Mahabodhi Paya 299 Mahagiri shrine 278 Mahamuni Paya, Mandalay 234, 328 Mahamuni Paya, Mawlamyine 155 Mahamuni Paya, Mrauk U 328 Mahazedi Paya 143-4 Maing Thauk 190 Ma-Kyon-Galet 167 malaria 373-4 Mandalay 226-45, 228-9, 230-1, 235, 12, 236-7 accommodation 237-45 activities 235 attractions 229-35 drinking 240-5 entertainment 240-5

food 238-45 Internet access 227-8 Mandalay Hill 229-31, 236-7 money 229 postal services 229 shopping 241-5 tourist information 229 travel to/from 242-5 travel within 245 walking tour 236, 235 Mandalay Fort 233-4 Mandalay Hill 229-31, 236-7 Mandalay Palace 233-4, 236-7 Mandalay Thadingyut 237 Mandalay Zoological Garden 235 Manuha, King 36-7, 275, 294, 305, 306 Manuha Paya 305-6 maps 343-4 marionette theatre 63 markets 140-1, 268-9 Bhamo 220 Bogyoke Aung San Market 121 Heho 180 Hsipaw 211 Kengtung 196, 198 Lashio 214 Mandalay 236, 242 Mawlamyine 155 Mingala Market, Nyaungshwe 185 Pathein 133 Pyin U Lwin 207 Sibinthaya Zei 165 Taunggyi 193-4 Thandwe 317 water-buffalo market, Kengtung 198 Yangon 103-4, 121 Ywama 189-90 Martaban, see Mottama martial arts 67-8, 106 Martyrs’ Mausoleum 101 massage 104 Maungmagan 163, 10 Maungmagan Islands 163 Mausoleum of the Khün Princes 198 Maw Daw Myin Tha Paya 260 Mawdin Point 135 Mawdinsoun 135 Mawlamyaing, see Mawlamyine Mawlamyine 153-8, 154, 172-3 Maymyo, see Pyin U Lwin measurements 330, see also inside front cover medical services 372, see also health meditation 106, 158, 335-6 visas 335

Meiktila 287-9, 288 Mergui 164-6 Mergui Archipelago 165-6, 167, 172-3 Minbin, King 323, 324, 326 Minbu 282 Mindon Min, King 39, 96, 227, 232, 233, 234, 256 Mingalazedi 304-5, 5 Mingun 254-6, 255, 6, 236-7 Mingun Paya 255, 6 Mo-Baw waterfall 151 Mon Cultural Museum 153 Mon National Liberation Front (MNLF) 148 Mon people 54, 148-9 arrival in Myanmar 35-6 Mon State 148-60 monasteries, see also paya Ananda Ok Kyaung 301 Atumashi Kyaung 232 Bagaya Kyaung 250, 251 Bandoola Kyaung 326 Jumping Cat Monastery 189 Kan Gyi Kyaung 183 Kha Khat Wain Kyaung 144 Koun Soun Taungbo 191 Kyinigan Kyaung 142 Ma Soe Yein Nu Kyaung 235 Maha Aungmye Bonzan 251-2 Maha Ganayon Kyaung 249 Maha Ledi Kyaung 257, 236-7 Maha Myat Muni 198 Maing Thauk forest monastery 190 Mimalaung Kuang 297 Maka Kuthala Kyaungdawgyi 320 Mt Kyaikto 149 Nga Hpe Chaung 189 Nigyon Taungyon Kyaung 184 Ok Kyaung 251-2 Pa-Auk-Taw-Ya Monastery 158 Pakhangyi 280 Pakhanngeh Kyaung 280 Payagyi 163 Sa-ma-taung Paya Kyaung 151 Sasanayaunggyi Kyaung 280 Seindon Mibaya Kyaung 155 Shwe Daung U meditation centre 257 Shwe Gu Kyaung 183 Shwe In Bin Kyaung 234-5 Shwe Kyaung 288 Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung 184 Shwenandaw Kyaung 232-3 Snake Monastery 144 Somingyi Kyaung 307

Soon Lu Kyaung 281 Taungpulu Meditation Monastery 178 Thamanyat Kuang 161 Thaung Tho Kyaung 190 Theinwa Kyaung 163-9 U Daung Monastery & meditation centre 190 Wat Jong Kham 198 Water Lake Monastery 161 Yangon Kyaung 184 money 27-9, 344-6, see also costs ATMs 344 credit cards 344-5 exchange rates, see inside front cover moneychangers 345 travellers cheques 344-5 Mong Hpayak 200 Mong La 201-2 Monywa 256-9, 257, 236-7 Moseah Yeshua Synagogue 100 mosques Jama Mosque 320 Ja-me Mosque 217 Kaladan Mosque 155 Moghul Shiah Mosque 155 Soorti Sunni Jamai Mosque 155 Suni Mosque 317 motorcycle travel 364-5 Mottama 153 Moulmein, see Mawlamyine Mt Kyaikto 149, 150 Mt Popa 277-9, 11 Mt Zwegabin 161 mountain climbing 225 mountains Diphuk-Ha 225 Hkakobo Razi 225 Mt Kyaikto 149, 150 Mt Popa 277-9, 11 Mt Victora 329 Mt Zwegabin 161 Namni-Lka 225 Phongun Razi 225 Ya-The Mountain 151 Moustache Brothers Troupe 21, 240-1, 236-7 Mrauk U 322-8, 324, 5, 6, 268-9 Mudon 158 Mu-se 221-2 Museum of Shan Chiefs 183 museums & galleries Archeology Museum, Old Bagan 273 Bagaya Kyaung museum 250 Bogyoke Aung San Museum 101

399

Buddhistic Museum 320 Cultural Museum Mandalay 231-2 Drug Eradication Museum 201 Hanlin museum 262 Kachin State Cultural Museum 217 Kanbawzathadi Museum 142-3 Kyaikmaraw Paya Museum 159 Mahamuni Paya museum 328 Maka Kuthala Kyaungdawgyi museum 320 Mandalay Palace Culture Museum 233 Mon Cultural Museum 153-6 Museum of Shan Chiefs 183 Myanmar Gems Museum & Gems Market 103-4 Myasigon Paya museum 290 Na-Gar Glass Factory 104 National Museum 101 Palace Museum, Mrauk U 324 Rakhaing State Cultural Museuem 320 Shan State Cultural Museum 194 Thandwe art gallery 317 Thayekhitta museum 286 music 63-5 Mwedaw Kyun 167 Myanmar Gems Museum & Gems Market 103-4 Myasigon Paya 290 Myazedi 305 Myeik 164-6 Myeik Archipelago 165-6, 167, 172 Myingyan 281 Myit-son 217-18 Myinkaba 275, 304-7, 5 Myitkyina 217-20 Myohaung 322-8, 324, 5, 6, 268-9

N Naga people 54-5 Na-Gar Glass Factory 104 Nagayon 306-7 Namhkam Valley 221-2 Namhsan 213 Namni-Lka 225 Namtu 213 Nan Paya, Bagan 306 Nandamannya Pahto 309 Nanmyin 251 Nanthe 185, 191 nat, the 59-61, 310 nat pwe 60-1, see also festivals Nathlaung Kyaung 297-8

Index (N-P)

National Kandawgyi Gardens 204 National League for Democracy (NLD) 43-5, 160 National Museum 101 national parks 72 National Unity Party (NUP) 43, 44 Ne Win, General 42-3, 46, 59, 100, 103, 227 New Bagan 275-7, 307-8 New Mon State Party (NMSP) 148 newspapers 56, 330 Nga Hpe Chaung 189 Nga Ka Pwe Taung 282 Ngapali 314 Ngapali Beach 314-17, 315 Ngwe Daug 291 Ngwe Saung 138-9 NLD 43-5, 160 northeastern Myanmar 170-225, 171 Nyaung U 269-73, 309-10, 270 Nyaungshwe 183-9, 184

O Oh-Bo Pottery Sheds 129 Old Bagan 273-5, 297-300, 274 organised tours, see tours Orwell, George 153, 222

P Pa-Auk-Taw-Ya Monastery 158 Padah-Lin Caves 179 Pagan, see Bagan Pahtothamya 297 painting 67 Paker Beach 167 Pakokku 280-1 palaces Alaungpaya’s Palace 260 Amarapura Palace 250 Anawrahta’s Palace 299 Haw Sao Pha, Hsipaw 209 Haw Sao Pha, Kengtung 198 Kanbawzathadi Palace 142-3 Mandalay Palace 233-4, 236-7 Mrauk U Royal Palace, 323-4 Nanmyin 251 Paleik 252 Panglong 213 Pa-O people 176, 178, 191, 192, 10 parasols 134, 179, 348, 11, 140-1 Pascal Khoo Thwe 21, 26, 48 000 Map pages 000 Location of colour photographs

Index (P-Q)

passports 354 Pataw Padet Island 165 Pathein 130-5, 131, 140-1 paya, see also Chinese temples, churches & cathedrals, Hindu temples, monasteries Abeyadana Pahto 306 Ah Lain Nga Sint Paya 100 Ananada Pahto 300-1, 7 Anauk (West) Petleik Paya 307 Andaw Paya 318, 325 Andawshin Pa 217 Antaka Yele Paya 287-8 Army Pagoda 260 Ashe (East) Petleik Paya 307 Atula Shwethalyaung 165 Aung Chang Tha Zedi 175 Aung Htu Kan Tha 208 Aung Mye Hsu Taung 260 Aung Setkya Paya 259 Aung Theikdi Zedi 155 Aungmyelawka Paya 253 Bawbawgyi Paya 286 Bawgyo Paya 210-11 Bodhi Dat Taw Taik 281 Bodhi Tataung 259 Botataung Paya 97-9 boulder stupa, see Kyaiktiyo Buledi 302 Bupaya 299-300 Chaukhtatgyi Paya 99 Dhamma Yon 175 Dhammayangyi Pahto 303, 5, 268-9 Dhammayazika Paya 308 Dukkanthein Paya 325-6 Eindawya Paya 236 Four Figures Paya 143 Gaung-Say-Kyan Paya 143 Gawdawpalin Pahto 297 Golden Rock 149-52, 151, 8, 172-3 Great Image of Hsu Taung Pre 328 Gubyaukgyi 305 Gubyauknge 302 Haridaung Paya 324 Hintha Gon Paya 143 Hmwe Paya 252 Hpo Win Daung Caves 259-60 Hsinbyume Paya 256 Hsinmyashin Paya 253 Hsu Taung Pye Paya 175 Hsu Taung Pye Zedidaw 217 Htilaingshin Paya 252 Htilominlo Pahto 301-2

Inle Lake nat shrine 191 Kaba Aye Paya 99 Kandawgyi Paya 158 Kaunghmudaw Paya 254 Kawmudaw Paya 291 Kohtatgyi Paya 100 Kondawgyi Pahto 310 Kothaung Temple 326 Kuthodaw Paya 232 Kyaik Pun Paya 143, 8 Kyaik-khauk Paya 128 Kyaikmaraw Paya 158-9 Kyaikthanlan Paya 155 Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock) 149-52, 151, 8, 172-3 Kyanzittha Umin 310 Kyauk Gu Ohnmin 310 Kyaukhpyugyi Paya 185 Kyauktalon Taung 158 Kyauktawgyi Paya, Amarapura 249-50 Kyauktawgyi Paya, Mandalay 233 Kyinigan Kyaung 142 Laungbanpyauk Paya 326 Lawkahteikpan Pahto 303 Lawkananada Paya 307 Lawkatharaphu Paya 252 Laymyetnha Paya 326 Le-htat-gyi Paya 252 Leikyunynaung Paya 132-3 Leimyethna Pahto 308 Leimyetna Paya 133 Lokananda Paya 320 Maha Wizaya (Vijaya) Paya 100 Mahabodhi Mingala Zedi 132 Mahabodhi Paya 299 Mahabodhi Shwegu 326 Mahagiri shrine 278 Mahamuni Paya, Mandalay 234, 328 Mahamuni Paya, Mawlamyine 155 Mahamuni Paya, Mrauk U 328 Mahamuni Paya, Putao 224 Mahamyatmuni Paya 210, 215 Mahazedi Paya 143-4 Mandalay Hill Buddha image 231 Mann Paya 280 Mansu Paya 215 Manuha Paya 305-6 Maw Daw Myin Tha Paya 260 Mawdin Paya 135 Me La Mu Paya 100 Mingalazedi 304-5, 5 Mingun Paya 255, 6 Molmi Paya 256 Mya Tha Lun Paya 282

Myasigon Paya 290 Myazedi 305 Nagayon 306-7 Nan Paya, Bagan 306 Nan Paya, Salay 279-80 Nandamannya Pahto 309 Nandaw Paya 317 Nee Paya 175 New Pyi Lon Chantha Paya 215 Ngahtatgyi Paya 100 Nyaung Ohak 190 Padamya Zedi 253 Pagoda of Many Elephants 253 Pahtodawgyi 250 Pahtothamya 297 Payagyi Paya 284 Payathonzu, Bagan 308-9 Payathonzu, Salay 279 Peshawar Relics Paya 231 Phaung Daw Oo Paya 190 Pondaw Paya 255 Pyathada Paya 304 Pyi Lon Chantha 215 Pyi Taw Aye Paya 166 Rahanta cave temple 286 Ratanabon Paya 325-6 Sakyamanaung Paya 326 Sa-ma-taung paya 151 Sandamani Paya 232 Sandaw Paya 318 Sandawshin Paya 156 Sasana 2500-Year Paya 215 Sehtatgyi Paya 283 Seinnyet Ama Pahto 307 Seinnyet Nyima Paya 307 Setkyathiha Paya 236 Settawya Paya 255 Settayaw Paya 132 Shan temple ruins, Inle Lake 189 Shin Upagot shrine 102 Shinmokhti Paya 163 Shinpinsarkyo Paya 279 Shittaung 324-5 Shwe Ba Taung 259 Shwe Daza Paya 260 Shwe Gu Ni Paya 260 Shwe Inn Thein 190 Shwe-kyet-kya 250 Shwe-kyet-yet 250 Shwe Oo Min Paya 175, 179 Shwedagon Paya 90-7, 94, 5, 7, 8 Shwegugale Paya 144 Shwegugyi 298 Shwekyimyint Paya 236 Shwemawdaw Paya 142, 140-1

Shwemokhtaw Paya 131-2 Shwemyetman Paya 286-7, 6 Shwenattaung Paya 287 Shwesandaw Paya, Bagan 303, 268-9 Shwesandaw Paya, Pyay 283 Shwesandaw Paya, Taungoo 290 Shwesandaw Paya, Twante 128-9 Shwetaung Paya 326-7 Shwethalyaung Buddha 141-2 Shwethalyaung Daw Mu 163 Shwezigon Paya, Bagan 294, 309-10 Shwezigon Paya, Monywa 257 Shwezigon Paya, Pathein 133 Sittana Paya 307-8 Snake Pagoda 252 Soon U Ponya Shin Paya 253 statue of Lokanat 142 Sulamani Pahto 304 Sule Paya 97 Tagaung Mingala Zeditaw 132 Tagaung Paya 132 Taw Myat Paya 100 Tayok Pye Paya 308 Temple No 99 279 Thabeik Hmauk 304 Thambula Pahto 309 Thamya Pahto 297 Thanboddhay Paya 259 Thatbyinnyu Pahto 298 Thein Taung Paya 175 Theindawgyi Paya 165, 220 Thetkyamuni 310 Thiho-shin Phondaw-pyi 132 Third Mile Pagoda 167 Tilawkaguru 253 Tupayon Paya 253 Twenty-Eight Paya 132 U Khanti Paya 155 U Zina Paya 155 Umin Thounzeh 253 Wat Ho Kong 198 Wat In 198 Wat Pha Jao Lung 198 Wat Pha That Jom Mon 198 Wetkyi-In-Gubyaukgyi 302 Win Sein Taw Ya 158 Wunchataung Paya 283 Yadana Labamuni Hsu-taung-pye Paya 252 Yadana Man Aung Paya 183 Yadana Taung 158 Yankin Paya 235 Yat Thaw Mu 198 Yau Kyaw Paya 100

401

Yele Paya, Kyaikkami 160 Yele Paya, Twante 128 Youqson Kyaung 279 paya pwe, see festivals Payagyi 163 Payagyi Paya 284 Payathonzu, Bagan 308-9 Payathonzu, Salay 279 Pegu, see Bago People’s Park 104 Peshawar Relics Paya 231 Phaung Daw Oo 183 Phaung Daw Oo Paya 190 Phongun Razi 225 photography 346 pick-up truck travel 366 Pindaya 178-80 Pindaya Caves 179, 10 Pirate Beach 315 Pitaka Taik, Bagan 299 Pitaka Taik, Mrauk U 326 planning 27-9, see also itineraries plants 71-2 politics 34 books 42, 45 population 34, 50, 50-6, 52 Bamar people 36, 52 Chin people 52-3 Intha people 181, 182-3 Kachin people 53 Karen people 54, 160-1, 291 Kayah people 53-4 Kayin people 54, 160-1, 291 Mon people 35-6, 54, 148-9 Naga people 54-5 Pa-O people 176, 178, 191, 192, 10 Rakhaing people 36, 55, 312-13 Rohingya people 313 Shan people 55, 208, 211 Wa people 55-6 postal services 346 prodemocracy protests 43, 59 Prome, see Pyay Putao 224-5 pwe, see festivals Pwe Kauk Falls 208 Pwehla 178 Pyathada Paya 304 Pyay 283-5, 284 Pyin U Lwin 204-7, 205, 11, 172-3 Pyinmana 289-90 Pyu kingdom 35, 36

Q Quan Yin San Temple 214-15

INDEX

INDEX

400

402

R

rabies 374 radio 330 rafting 225, 333 Rakhaing people 55, 312-13 arrival in Myanmar 36 Rakhaing State 314-19, 319-28 Rakhaing State Cultural Museuem 320 Rangoon, see Yangon red panda 70-1, 225 religion 56-61 Islam 313 reptiles 70 responsible travel 17-26, 71 cultural considerations 49 tourism 21-2, 24-6 restaurants 78-9 rhinoceros 70 Rohingya people 313 Roman Catholic Mission 198 Royal Palace, Mrauk U 323-4

S

Saddar Cave 161 safe travel, see also dangers, emergency services animal bites 336-7 hitching 365 insect bites 336-7 insurgents 337 scams 338 theft 337 Sagaing 252-4 Sagaing State 252-4, 256-63 Sakyamanaung Paya 326 Salay 279-80 Sandamani Paya 232 Sankar 193 Sarabha Gate 299 Sarlai 280 sculpture 67 Sehtatgyi Paya 283 Seinnyet Ama Pahto 307 Seinnyet Nyima Paya 307 Setse 160 Shampoo Island 156 Shan palaces 198, 209-10 Shan people 55, 208, 211 Shan State Army (SSA) 214 Shinmokhti Paya 163 Shinpinsarkyo Paya 279 Shittaung 324-5 Shittaung Pillar 324-5 shopping 346-9, see also handicrafts, markets, parasols Myanmar Gems Museum & Gems Market 103-4 Na-Gar Glass Factory 104 000 Map pages 000 Location of colour photographs

Oh-Bo Pottery Sheds 129 Pathein parasol workshops 134 Taunggyi gem market 194 Shwe Daung 291 Shwe In Bin Kyaung 234-5 Shwe Oo Min Cave 175 Shwebo 260-2, 261 Shwedagon Festival 340 Shwedagon Paya 90-7, 94, 5, 7, 8 Shwedaung 286-7 Shwegugyi 298 Shwemawdaw Paya 142, 140-1 Shwemokhtaw Paya 131-2 Shwemyetman Paya 286-7, 6 Shwenandaw Kyaung 232-3 Shwenyaung 180-1 Shwesandaw Paya, Bagan 303, 268-9 Shwesandaw Paya, Pyay 283 Shwesandaw Paya, Taungoo 290 Shwesandaw Paya, Twante 128-9 Shwetaung Paya 326-7 Shwethalyaung Buddha 141-2 Shwethalyaung Daw Mu 163 Shwezigon Paya, Bagan 294, 309-10 Sittana Paya 307-8 Sittwe 319-22, 319 Slorc 17, 43 Snake Monastery 144 Snake Pagoda (Hmwe Paya) 252 snorkelling 135-6, 315, 332-3 Somingyi Kyaung 307 southeastern Myanmar 147-69, 149 special events 28, 340-2, see also festivals sports 67-8 Sri Ksetra 286 Start of the Buddhist Rains Retreat 341 State Law & Order Restoration Council (Slorc) 17, 43 State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) 17, 45 stupas, see paya Sulamani Pahto 304 Sule Paya 97 swimming 104, 235

T

Tachileik 202-3 Ta-Eh Gu 191 Tahan 262 Tahaungdam 225 Talay 200 Tanintharyi Division 162-9 Taukkyan 140 Taunggok 318-19 Taunggyi 193-5, 194 Taunggyi Tazaungmon 195 Taungoo 290-2 Taungthaman 249 Taungthaman Lake 249 Tavoy, see Dawei

Tayaw 176 teashops 79-80 telephone services 349-50, see also inside front cover television 330 temples, see Chinese temples, Hindu temples, paya Tenasserim Division, see Tanintharyi Division Thabeik Hmauk 304 Thadingyut 183, 341 Thamanyat Kuang 161 Thambula Pahto 309 Thamya Pahto 297 Than Shwe, General 22, 34, 40, 47, 85, 320 Thanboddhay Paya 259 Thanbyuzayat 159 Thandwe 317-18 Thanlyin 127-8 Tharaba Gate 299 Thatbyinnyu Pahto 298 Thaton 152-3 Thayekhittaya 286 Thazi 172-3 theatre 62-3 theft 337 Theindawgyi Paya 165 Theinwa Kyaung 163 Thibaw 209-13 Thibaw Min, King 39, 97-9, 101, 227, 232, 233, 234 Thingyan 164, 340, 9 Thirimyaing Lan 167 tigers 70, 72, 102, 225 Tilawkaguru 253 time 350, 392 tipping 345-6 toddy 77, 236-7 toilets 350 tourist information 350 tours 106 organised outside Myanmar 358 organised within Myanmar 225, 268, 329, 366 responsible travel 26 train travel 366-8 tramping, see hiking travel insurance 342 travellers cheques 344-5 trekking, see hiking truck travel 366 tsunami, 2004 34, 127, 314 TV 330 Twante 128-9

U

U Bein’s Bridge 248-9, 7 U Nu 41-2, 42 United Wa State Army 196 Upali Thein 301 Upper Sagaing District 256-63

V vaccinations 370 vegetarian travellers 80 video systems 330, 346 visas 335, 351-2, see also passports meditation 335 voluntary work 352

W Wa people 55-6. walking, see hiking Wan Pasak 202 war cemeteries Bago 142 Taukkyan 140 Thanbyuzayat 159 Wat Jong Kham 198 water-buffalo market, Kengtung 198 Water Festival 340, 9 weights & measures 330, see also inside front cover western Myanmar 311-29, 312 Wethali 328 Wetkyi-In-Gubyaukgyi 302 Whitesand Island 135-6

wildlife 69-71, 225, see also birds, individual species women in Myanmar 61-2 women travellers 352-3, 377 WWII 40-1, 215 Burma Road 215, 227 Burma–Siam Railway 159 Death Railway, The 159 war cemeteries 140, 142, 159

Y Yadana gas pipeline 163 Yadana Labamuni Hsu-taung-pye Paya 252 Yangon 84-125, 86-7, 90-1, 94, 98-9, 102-3, 105, 5, 7, 8, 140-1 accommodation 106-12 activities 104-5 attractions 90-104 Bogyoke Aung San Market 121 drinking 118-19 emergency services 87 entertainment 119-20 festivals 106 food 112-18 Internet access 87-8

itineraries 88 medical services 88 money 89 postal services 89 shopping 120-2 Shwedagon Paya 90-7, 94, 5,7,8 special events 106 tourist offices 89 tours 106 travel to/from 122-4 travel within 125 walking tour 105-6, 105 Yar Thait 176 Yatetaung 150 Ya-The Mountain 151 Yaungwhe 183-9 Yebok 179 Yele Paya, Kyaikkami 160 Ye-Ngan 179 Youqson Kyaung 279 Ywama 189-90

Z zoos Mandalay Zoological Garden 235 Yangon Zoological Garden 101-2

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INDEX

INDEX

© Lonely Planet Publications I n d e x ( V - Z ) 403

Index (R-U)