NH4 between Taunggyi and Lahu Shi Wat Nong CHINA 199E as te rn M ya n m a r SINniylgaehutLnsagkseh&w eA r o u nd Kyaingtong is off limits Pin Tau to foreign tourists Luang Jinghong Mong La NH4 Mong Wan Siw Yawng Wan Nyek Mong Wan Puen Saen Wan Sai SHAN Kyaingtong STATE Ho Kyim Loi-mwe Mong Phyak LAOS Tachileik Xieng Kok Mae Sai River Chiang Rai THAILAND 0 200 km 0 120 miles 5 Shwe Oo Min Natural 6 Pindaya (p215) Taking the 7 Inthein (p206) Visiting Cave Pagoda (p215) Gazing path less travelled and hiking the five-day rotating market at the more than 8000 golden through the tea-tree-studded here, or at its other locations buddhas that cover nearly hills surrounding this town. around Inle Lake, to pick up every inch of this temple. unique souvenirs, and perhaps some unique photos.
200 B 66C D Nyaungshwe 27 #ú A Permit Booth Lan Ma Taw St #ï TPohanzdi Kan Thar 1 St 1 Thoun Bein Stand ˜# ˜# Motorcycle Kyaung Taw Anouk Rd Taxi Stand Kyauk Taing Ah Shae St66Exchange Stall 30 #û ú# ì# KBZ Bank Kann Nar St Currency E as te rn M ya n m a r NSI niylgaehutLnsagkseh&w eA r o u nd 14 Canal Jetty Rd BKaBnZkì# æ# 2 ÿ# #è Teik Nan Shwenyaung & Taunggyi ›# û# 29Night 4 21 25 Bridge Pick-up Stand Market ú# ú# 26 ú# Yone Gyi Rd 28 Boat f# ú# # Thu Thu 2 Landing ú# 24 Mine Li Canal YWA #ú 20 ÿ# 6 THA Phoung Taw Site St 3 LanBdoinagtf# Sports #Ú Field #ú Aung Mingalar St 15 e Li Chaung St D Independence 12 3 Kaung Daing Golden Monument # ÿ# ÿ# 8 (5.3mi) Island ú#ÿ# 7 19 ú# 16 LanBdoinagtf# Cottages 18 ú# Mi n # Phaung Daw Pyan Rd 9 ÿ# Nan Chaung (Main Canal) D 4 Canal ÿ# 11 Princess A Mingala Rd Kyaung Taw Anouk Rd Garden Hotel (150m) Kyauk Taing Ah Shae StC B D Nyaungshwe 17 Golden Kite Restaurant ......................... E2 18 Green Chili Restaurant ..........................C4 æ Sights 19 Htoo Myat BBQ ......................................C3 1 Cultural Museum .................................... F1 20 Inle Pancake Kingdom ...........................B2 2 Mingala Market ...................................... D2 21 Lin Htett Myanmar Traditional 3 Yadana Man Aung Paya ........................ C3 Food .....................................................D2 Ø Activities, Courses & Tours 22 Live Dim Sum House.............................. F2 4 Sunny Day Tour Services...................... D2 23 Lotus Restaurant ....................................E1 5 Win Nyunt Traditional Massage ............ E1 Mingala Market Food Stalls........... (see 2) ÿ Sleeping 24 Night Market...........................................D2 6 81 Hotel Inlay.......................................... C3 25 One Owl Grill ...........................................D2 7 Aquarius Inn........................................... C3 26 Sin Yaw Bamboo Restaurant ................D2 8 Golden Empress Hotel .......................... C3 27 Thanakha Garden................................... D1 9 Hotel Maineli .......................................... D3 28 Thukha Caffee ........................................D2 10 Inle Inn .....................................................F2 11 La Maison Birmane................................ C4 Viewpoint .......................................(see 14) 12 Nawng Kham – Little Inn....................... B3 û Drinking & Nightlife 13 Paradise Hotel ........................................ E1 14 Viewpoint ............................................... A2 29 Min Min's.................................................C2 30 Pub Asiatico............................................ D1 ú Eating ý Entertainment 15 Chillax Bistro.......................................... C3 31 Aung Myanmar Puppet Show ............... E2 16 Everest Nepali Food Centre 2............... C3
201 e# 0 200 m produce from the floating gardens. The mar- 0 0.1 miles ket doubles in size when it hosts the five-day E F rotating market. ú# Red Mountain Estate WINERY û# 2#ú3 #ÿ13 â# 1 (ရကဒ္ ္ေမာငတ္ နိ ဝ္ ငို ျ္ ခ;ံ Map p208; %081-209 St) 366; www.redmountain-estate.com; h9am-6pm) Museum Rd (Haw 1 F This winery, located in a valley within Mya Wa Ti St Ø# 5 Nandawun St cycling distance from Nyaungshwe, is open E as te rn M ya n m a r NIAncyltaieuvLintagikseehs&w eA r o u nd Shwe Santha St daily for tastings (K3000 for four wines). For many visitors, the views from here are better 17 than the wine. #ú Yone Gyi R3d1 #ý 10 ÿ# 2 Activities D22 #ú 2 Boat trips (p207) on Inle Lake are the most Song of Travel Hostel (550m); popular activity here and almost every vis- Ahletaung Kyaung Rd Red Mountain Estate (2.5mi); Maing Thauk (4mi) 66Phoung Taw Site St itor takes one. Boats set off from several locations along Nan Chaung canal: there’s one jetty (Map p200) near Teik Nan Bridge, another jetty (Map p200) near the western end of Phoung Taw Site St and a third jet- ty (Map p200) at the western end of Phaung 3 Daw Pyan Rd. 66Phaung Daw Pyan Rd Mya Wa Ti St Shwe Santha St Win Nyunt Traditional Massage MASSAGE (Map p200; off Mya Wa Ti St; massage per hr K7000; h9am-8pm) Traditional Myanmar massage to ease aching muscles after a boat trip or a trek. Sunny Day Tour Services TREKKING Mingala Rd 4 (Map p200; %09 4283 72118; htwe.sunny@yahoo. com; cnr Lan Ma Taw St & Yone Gyi Rd; h7am-8pm) Reliable, recommended guides for treks around Inle Lake and to Kalaw. EF 4 Sleeping pavilion contains a museum of treasures Nyaungshwe has an increasing num- amassed by the monks over the centuries, ber of hotels and guesthouses, spanning including carvings, lacquerware and dance everything from budget accommodation, to costumes. boutique places, via many anonymous mid- range options. Despite that, finding a bed Cultural Museum MUSEUM can be hard during peak season (December to March), so be sure to book in advance, (ယဥေ္ က်းမျႈ ပတကုိ ;္ Map p200; Museum Rd (Haw otherwise you could end up sleeping on the St); K2000; h10am-4pm Tue-Sun) This equal floor of one of the town’s monasteries. parts imposing and melancholy structure is the former haw (palace) of the last saopha Like elsewhere in Myanmar, prices (sky prince) of Nyaungshwe, Sao Shwe Thai- have jumped in recent years and many of ke, who also served as the first president of Nyaungshwe’s rooms aren’t great value, independent Burma. Today, the mostly empty though discounts are normally available building holds a few dusty displays and is outside of high season. worth visiting more for the stately brick-and- teak structure itself than any educational Almost all rooms have bathrooms with summary of Shan culture or history. hot showers, but few places offer air-con because of the natural cooling effect of the Mingala Market MARKET breeze passing over the lake. Like most of Myanmar, all room rates include breakfast. (မဂၤလာေစ်း; Map p200; Yone Gyi Rd; h5am-2pm) At the entrance to town, this busy market is packed with locals every morning, when oSong of Travel Hostel HOSTEL $ (%081-209 731; www.songoftravel.com; Aung Chan traders from the lake bring in fresh fish and Tha 5 St; dm US$13; aW) Nyaungshwe’s only
202 block are a significant step up: spacious, hostel is brand new and artfully designed nicely decorated and with decent bath- with a large roof terrace and a big commu- rooms. All are set around an attractive com- nal area. There are no private rooms, only munal garden. identical 14-bed dorms named after Myan- mar’s states. Dorms aren’t huge, but they are Princess Garden Hotel HOTEL $ light and have lockers, while the communal (%081-209 214; Mine Li Chaung St; r US$25-45; bathrooms are clean. It’s a 20-minute walk Ws) Located near Mine Li Canal, a brief E as te rn M ya n m a r SNI nlyleaeeupLniagnksgeh&w eA r o u ndto the centre of town, but free bikes are walk south from the centre of town, this available. place combines 15 wooden bungalows and The hostel holds daily events – Burmese seven rooms. All are relatively plain but language classes, movie nights, group din- comfortable and are located around a shady ners – and can arrange boat trips and treks. garden that boasts a reasonable-sized swim- Hotel Maineli HOTEL $ ming pool. (Map p200; %081-209 9589; www.hotelmaineli. com; 66 Maine Li Quarter; r US$35-60; W) Impres- oLa Maison Birmane HOTEL $$ (Map p200; %081-209 901; www.lamaisonbirmane. sive newcomer with very big, well-equipped com; bungalows US$75-105; aiW) Nyaungsh- rooms with comfy beds and decent bath- rooms. Professional staff and a peaceful loca- we’s only true boutique hotel is this charm- ing compound of 10 wooden bungalows tion in a residential area. with thatched roofs set around an organic Golden Empress Hotel GUESTHOUSE $ garden. They are not huge, but they are at- (Map p200; %081-209 037; goldenempresshotel@ gmail.com; 19 Phaung Daw Pyan Rd; r US$40-45; tractive with marble bathrooms in the more expensive rooms, and beds raised off the aiW) An expansive house looked after by floor in all of them. You can laze around in friendly owners, the 13 rooms at this place, attractively decked out with blonde wood the communal area and the staff are atten- tive. Book ahead. panelling, are reminiscent of a ski lodge. All come with air-con. The nine upstairs rooms 81 Hotel Inlay HOTEL $$ (Map p200; %081-209 904; [email protected]; 56 are more expensive and have bigger bath- Phaung Taw Site St; r US$60; aW) There’s noth- rooms, more natural light and balconies. Book ahead. ing very distinctive about this new, white block of a hotel. But the rooms are big, com- Inle Inn HOTEL $ fortable and well equipped with good beds, (Map p200; %081-209 016; [email protected]; Yone Gyi Rd; r US$35-45; aW) Newly upgrad- while the staff are professional, making it a decent midrange option. ed, attractive rooms off a courtyard filled with potted plants, and a fine breakfast, are Paradise Hotel HOTEL $$ (Map p200; %081-209 321; www.inleparadise.com; the drawcards here. The cheaper rooms are Mya Wa Ti St; r US$65-70; aW) Newly relocat- fan-only; the pricier rooms have more mod- ern fittings and bathrooms, as well as better ed, the Paradise is a pretty good midrange choice offering a peaceful location and vibe. beds and air-con. The wi-fi connection is Rooms in the main block are modern and strong throughout. well equipped with balconies overlooking Nawng Kham – Little Inn GUESTHOUSE $ a nicely tended garden. The bungalows are (Map p200; %081-209 195; [email protected]; Phaung Daw Pyan Rd; r US$15-42; aW) The sev- bigger and are spread out around the garden. en fan-only rooms here go quick, but the Viewpoint HOTEL $$$ (Map p200; %081-209 062; www.inleviewpoint. more expensive rooms with air-con are al- com; Yone Gyi Rd; r US$185; iW) Behind the most as good a deal. All look out on a pleas- ant garden. There’s a small communal area restaurant of the same name are 21 duplex bungalows elevated over the water. Rooms and the staff are helpful. are smart and light, with lots of windows Aquarius Inn GUESTHOUSE $ and huge balconies, and all look west to (Map p200; %081-209 352; aquarius352@gmail. com; 2 Phaung Daw Pyan Rd; r US$20-50; aW) catch the sunset. An eco theme means the rooms utilise natural materials and include The cheapest rooms at this family-run place interesting quirks such as a Shan-style are old school, fan-only and share bath- rooms. The more expensive ones in the new wooden ‘refrigerator’. There’s an attached spa and efficient staff.
203 INLE LAKE’S FIVE-DAY MARKET E as te rn M ya n m a r EINnayltaeiunLngagkseh&w eA r o u nd A rustic market rotates among several cities and towns in the Inle Lake region. The most touted of these is the so-called floating market at Ywama, but this has become quite touristy in recent years, and the land-based options, where the minorities of the area come down from the hills to trade livestock and produce, are generally much more inter- esting and ‘authentic’. Towns host the market once every five days; hotels and guesthouses can advise you where the market will be heading next. Keep in mind that markets are not held on full- moon days. Heho, Thandaung, Thaung Thut Thandaung’s market is small and off the beaten track, accessible only via a brief walk from the lakeshore; larger but still rustic is the market at Thaung Thut, located at the far southern end of Inle Lake. Taunggyi, Floating Market (Ywama) The ‘Floating Market’ at Ywama has emerged to become the most touristy of the circuit – consider heading elsewhere. Maing Thauk, Kyauk Taing, Phaung Daw Oo Paya Maing Thauk is close to Nyaung- shwe and reachable by land or boat; while just an hour’s bike ride from Nyaungshwe, Khaung Daing’s market sees many tourists. The Kyauk Taing market, located at the far southern end of Inle Lake, is largely off the tourist circuit. Shwenyaung, Khaung Daing, Kalaw, Hmaw Be, Inthein Although Inthein is popular among tourists, it’s still worth a visit for its sheer size and photogenic setting; Kalaw’s normally tidy market spills over to the streets on market day; Hmaw Be’s market, south of Inle Lake, is small but rustic and untouristed. Scrappy Shwenyaung has its own busy market, although it’s not of huge interest for visitors. Nyaungshwe, Pindaya, Nampan On market day Nyaungshwe’s normally sleepy market swells to several times its normal size; less-visited Pindaya’s central market also bursts at its seams as vendors and buyers come down from the surrounding hills. Nampan’s market is extremely photogenic, with vendors in boats, but is also overrun with foreign visitors. 5 Eating oLin Htett Myanmar The restaurant scene in Nyaungshwe is im- Traditional Food BURMESE $ proving, with some Western options joining (Map p200; Yone Gyi Rd; mains from K3500; the Burmese, Chinese and Shan places that h10am-9pm; E) Hands-down our favourite dominate. For cheap local eats, check out Burmese restaurant in Nyaungshwe, where the food stalls (Map p200; Yone Gyi Rd; dish- the service is as friendly as the food is de- es from K600; h6-9am) in Mingala Market. licious. Choose from a range of curries and Local specialities include shàn k’auq-swèh salads, all accompanied by soup, dips and (Shan-style noodle soup) and to·p’ù thouq rice. Staff can also arrange cooking classes. (Shan tofu salad), prepared using yellow If you haven’t yet encountered authentic chickpea tofu, chilli, coriander and chilli oil. Myanmar dining, here’s the drill: choose a curry or two (refer to the pictures or, bet- Every evening a very basic night market ter yet, have a look behind the counter) (Map p200; off Yone Gyi Rd; dishes from K800; h5- and perhaps a salad (the pennywort salad, 9pm) unfolds, where you’ll find a small selec- made from a slightly bitter fresh herb, is tion of basic Burmese dishes. delicious). You’ll find the accompaniments oLive Dim Sum House CHINESE $ (rice, a sour soup, veggies, a fishy dip and (Map p200; Yone Gyi Rd; mains K2500-4500, dim three balachaung, chilli-based dips) will be sum K1700-3700; h10am-9pm; E) More and supplied as a matter of course. more people – including many Chinese tour- ists – are making the walk to this laid-back Htoo Myat BBQ BURMESE $ (Map p200; Phaung Daw Pyan Rd; mains from place for the tasty and authentic dim sum, K3000, BBQ from K200; h3-9.30pm; E) Pop- as well as for the other dishes on offer, like Shanghai beef noodles or Kung Pao chicken, ular with the locals, this family-run place grills excellent barbecue – the pork ribs and a spicy chicken, peanuts and vegetable dish fish especially – and serves up simple, tasty that is a staple in China.
204 curries in a congenial atmosphere. Some oSin Yaw Bamboo English spoken. Restaurant CHINESE, SHAN $$ (Map p200; Kyaung Daw A Shae St; mains from Thanakha Garden BURMESE, INTERNATIONAL $ K4000; h9.30am-10.30pm; E) The closest E as te rn M ya n m a r EINnayltaeiunLngagkseh&w eA r o u nd (Map p200; %09 1283 71552; off Museum Rd (Haw thing to an authentic Shan restaurant you’ll St); mains from K3000; h11am-9.30pm; E) Set find in Nyaungshwe, run by a pleasant on a peaceful street, this amenable, family- Shan-Chinese couple. The food is good and run, bamboo-bedecked restaurant serves flavoursome – they’ll tone down the spices clean, fresh food. The Inle fish and salads for Western palates if you want – and has a are recommended, plus a few Western dishes distinct hint of the cuisine of neighbouring are also available. Yunnan Province in China. They do a passa- Everest Nepali Food Centre 2 NEPALI $ ble mojito and rum sour too. (Map p200; Kyaung Taw Anouk Rd; mains from K3500; h7am-9pm; vE) A branch of the Viewpoint SHAN $$ long-standing Kalaw-based Nepali restau- (Map p200; Yone Gyi Rd; mains from K5000, set rant, the Nyaungshwe outlet does hearty meals K15,000-39,000; h6am-10pm; WvE) curries with rice, chapatti and vegetable side Taking obscure local cuisines upmarket can dishes. be risky, but the self-professed ‘Shan nouvelle cuisine’ at this, Nyaungshwe’s swankiest and most ambitious restaurant, is worth inves- Lotus Restaurant INTERNATIONAL, BURMESE $ tigating: try a slow-cooked curry. It’s also (Map p200; Museum Rd (Haw St); mains from reasonably priced, as are the numerous set K2000; h10.30am-9.30pm; E) The menu at menus, which offer a chance to sample Shan this affable, bamboo-walled place spans Bur- dishes you probably won’t have encountered mese and Chinese, with a few Western clas- before. It’s the only air-conditioned restau- sics. But if you don’t like to make culinary rant in town. The downstairs lounge-bar has decisions, go for the family-style Burmese a decent selection of wine and some single- dinner, which includes soup, salad, curry malt whiskies. and a generous fruit plate for only K3500. Inle Pancake Kingdom CREPERIE $ Green Chili Restaurant THAI $$ (Map p200; Hospital Rd; mains from K4500; (Map p200; off Phoung Taw Site St; crêpes from h10am-9.30pm; E) This restaurant boasts K1000; h9am-9pm; vE) Choose from a big range of crêpes and pancakes at this cute one of the most pleasant dining rooms in town and the Thai menu here is also one of little cabin on a narrow alley north of the the more diverse and interesting, although sports field. Follow the signs from Phoung Taw Site St. the flavours are spice-light. Thukha Caffee TEAHOUSE $ Chillax Bistro INTERNATIONAL $$ (Map p200; cnr Kyaung Taw Anouk Rd & Aung Min- (Map p200; cnr Lan Ma Taw St & Yone Gyi Rd; tea galar St; mains from K4200; h9am-10pm; WE) or snacks from K300; h5am-4pm; v) Nyaung- shwe’s sole Muslim teahouse, this relaxed Lame name, but this new place has a big outside terrace and a menu of Western com- place serves good tea and, in the mornings, fort food – pizza, pasta, steaks and burgers – tasty pakoda (deep-fried vegetable dump- lings) and Shan noodles. as well as some Asian standards. The food is solid without being spectacular. There’s a oOne Owl Grill INTERNATIONAL $$ decent selection of cocktails (from K2000) (Map p200; 1 Yone Gyi St; tapas from K1800, mains from K6800; h9am-11pm; WE) This French- too, and live music sometimes. owned bistro has proved a hit with its tapas- Golden Kite Restaurant ITALIAN $$ (Map p200; cnr Mya Wa Ti St & Yone Gyi Rd; pizza style dishes, including the best hummus in & pasta from K5000; h10am-10pm; WvE) Shan State, as well as its breakfasts, salads, burgers and pasta. It’s a little more pricey If you’re seeking Italian food in Nyaung- shwe, consider the pizzas or pasta at this than is usual for Nyaungshwe, but it stays long-standing place, which claims to have open later than anywhere else. Also does potent cocktails and has a solid wine list. sourced its recipes (and fresh basil!) from an Italian lady from Bologna. Happy hour is 2pm to 6pm.
6 Drinking & Nightlife 205 Pub Asiatico BAR Thu Thu (Map p200; % 081-209 258; [email protected]; Yone Gyi Rd; h7am- (Map p200; www.pub-asiatico.asia; Museum Rd 8.30pm; W) A friendly, reliable, no-hassle (Haw St); h4-11pm; W) If you’re looking for an travel agent, who in addition to booking bus escape from Myanmar for a few hours, this and plane tickets, can also arrange boat excur- is the place to come. Pub Asiatico is decked sions and guides for treks and visits to Kakku. out with a pool table and live sport on the 88 Getting There & Away E as te rn M ya n m a r DINnrylaienukLniagnksgeh&&wNeAirgohutnlidf e TVs, and serves up foreign beers and liquor, as well as highly rated pizzas, in a faintly For such a popular destination, not that much sterile atmosphere. transport arrives at, or departs from, Nyaung- shwe. Instead, planes, many buses and all trains leave and arrive from nearby places such as Min Min’s BAR Heho (the airport) and Shwenyaung. (Map p200; Yone Gyi Rd; h9am-10.30pm; W) Long-standing backpacker hang-out that AIR does cocktails, beer and standard Chinese- The nearest airport is at Heho, an hour away Burmese dishes. by car. Taxis charge K25,000 from the airport to Nyaungshwe and K15,000 to go there from 3 Entertainment Nyaungshwe. Aung Myanmar Puppet Show PUPPET THEATRE BUSES & PICK-UP TRUCKS (Map p200; Ahletaung Kyaung Rd; tickets K3000; To Inle Lake, any bus bound for Taunggyi can hshow times 7pm & 8.30pm) Aung Myanmar drop you at Shwenyaung – located at the junc- Puppet Show has two nightly, 30-minute tion for Nyaungshwe/Inle Lake – for the full shows of traditional Myanmar puppetry. It’s Taunggyi fare. From Shwenyaung, thoun bein opposite the Nandawunn Hotel. drivers will take you the remaining 7 miles to Nyaungshwe for around K6000. 88 Information Nyaungshwe-based travel agents such as Thu There’s an international ATM at KBZ Bank (Map Thu can sell tickets and arrange hotel pick-up. p200; Lan Ma Taw St; h 9.30am-3pm); money Otherwise, if you’re bound for somewhere else can be exchanged at the nearby KBZ Bank stall or those times don’t work, you’ll need to hop (Map p200; Lan Ma Taw St; h 9am-2pm). There on a bus, minivan, pick-up or ‘van’ (actually are other ATMs that take foreign cards around a share taxi) in Shwenyaung – all transport town too. that originates in Taunggyi stops at this town INLE LAKE TRANSPORT CONNECTIONS Air DESTINATION PRICE DURATION FREQUENCY Kyaingtong from US$118 55min-2¾hr daily Lashio from US$90 45min-1hr daily via Mandalay Mandalay from US$66 30min daily Nyaung U (Bagan) from US$84 75min daily Tachileik from US$118 45min-1¾hr daily via Mandalay Yangon from US$105 1hr-2¾hr daily Bus PRICE DURATION FREQUENCY K25,000 19hr 4.30pm DESTINATION K12,000 10hr 9am Hpa-an K11,000-18,000 10hr 9am, 7pm & 8pm Loikaw K29,000 22hr 4.30pm Mandalay K11,000-20,000 10hr 8am, 7pm & 8pm Myawaddy K13,000-22,000 12hr frequent Nyaung U (Bagan) Yangon
206 E as te rn M ya n m a r GI neltetiLnagk eA r&oAurnodu nd The Apocalypse Now ambience evaporates on NH4. To get to Shwenyaung, hop on any somewhat when you see the waiting tourist Taunggyi-bound pick-up at the pick-up stand boats and souvenir stalls, but no matter – (Map p200; off Yone Gyi Rd) west of the market the pagodas on the hilltop are still incredi- (K1000), or charter a thoun bein from the stand bly atmospheric. Inthein is on the five-day (Map p200) on Lan Ma Taw St (K6000). Be rotating market circuit and this is one of its sure to be at the junction in Shwenyaung early busiest and most lively stops. so you don’t miss connecting to your bus from Taunggyi (p214). The first group of ruined stupas is im- mediately behind the village. Known as TAXI Nyaung Ohak (ေညာင္အုပဘ္ ရု ား), the crum- The easiest way to find a taxi in Nyaungshwe is bling stupas are choked in greenery but you to ask at your hotel. Fares include Shwenyaung can still discern some ornate stucco carvings (K10,000, 30 minutes), Taunggyi (K30,000, of animals, devas and chinthe. one hour), Heho (K15,000, one hour) and Kalaw (K45,000, three hours). Taxis have room for up From Nyaung Ohak, a covered stairway to four passengers. climbs the hill, leading to Shwe Inn Thein Paya (ေရအႊ ငး္ တနိ ္ဘုရား), a complex of TRAIN 1054 weather-beaten zedi (stupas), most The train rumbling through the hills from constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. Shwenyaung to Thazi is slow but the scenery Some of the zedi lean at crazy angles while en route is stunning. From Shwenyaung’s tiny others have been reconstructed. From the station, trains depart at 8am and 9.40am, arriv- pagoda, there are great views across the lake ing in Kalaw after three hours (ordinary/upper and valley. For even better views, there are class K500/1150) and reaching Thazi at least two more ruined stupas on conical hills another six hours later (ordinary/upper class just north of the village, reached via a dirt K1500/3000). Thoun bein drivers go to Shwen- path behind Nyaung Ohak. You could easily yaung’s train station for K6000. spend a few hours exploring the various ru- ins here. 88 Getting Around Nga Hpe Kyaung Several shops on Yone Gyi Rd and Phaung Daw (Jumping Cat Monastery) BUDDHIST TEMPLE Pyan Rd rent out clunky Chinese bicycles for (ငါးဖယ္ေက်ာင္း; Map p208; hdaylight hours) K1500 per day, as do some guesthouses and F On the western side of the lake, Nga hotels. Hpe Kyaung monastery was renowned for its jumping cats, trained to leap through Motorcycle taxis at the stand (Map p200) hoops during the slow hours between near the market go to Shwenyaung for around scripture recitals. These days, there is little K6000. cat-leaping to be seen, as the new generation of cats here prefers to slumber, unlike their Inle Lake more energetic predecessors who have now sadly moved on to their next lives. Almost every visitor to Nyaungshwe takes a boat trip on Inle Lake. But the lake is so A better reason to visit the pagoda is to large and the villages and temples so spread see the collection of ancient buddha images. out that Inle never feels too crowded. Constructed four years before Mandalay Palace, the huge wooden meditation hall In addition to tourist sights, Inle Lake is has statues in the Shan, Tibetan, Bagan and also home to many hotels – mostly high-end – Inwa (Ava) styles displayed on ornate wood which line the lake shore and often feature and mosaic pedestals. rooms or bungalows perched right over the water. Ywama VILLAGE 1 Sights (ရြာမ; Map p208) Ywama was the first village to be developed for tourism and, as a result, The sights are spread around the lake and it has the greatest number of souvenir shops the way to reach them is with a long-tail and restaurants. It’s still a very pretty village, motorboat. Inthein VILLAGE with winding channels lined with tall teak (အငး္ တမိ ;္ Map p208) A narrow, foliage-c loaked houses, but the charm can be diminished canal winds through the reeds to the lakeside village of Inthein (also known as Indein), dot- by the crowds of tourist boats and paddling souvenir vendors. ted with stupas dating back a few centuries.
207 SAMKAR E as te rn M ya n m a r AI ncltievLitaikees& A r o u nd Samkar (ဆမက္ ာ), located south of Inle Lake, is best known for its Buddhist ruins. But the real reason to visit is the trip, a boat ride of about three hours that winds south through scenic lakeside villages and beautiful countryside to a second, much less- touristed lake ringed by Shan, Intha and Pa-O villages. Formerly the seat of a dynasty of Shan princes, today’s Samkar has two parts: the old town, a land-bound Shan village home to a small plot of crumbling ruins and a market that is part of the five-day circuit, and a more modern ‘floating’ village. On the opposite side of the lake, Tharkong Pagoda is a collection of zedi (stupas) that date back at least 500 years. Nearby, Tai Arkong (တကုိ အ္ ာကနု )္ is a village known for alcohol pro- duction. Also close by is Phaya Taung (ဖရတောင်), a working fishing village with a mixed Pa-O and Intha population that is attracting some visitors. Pa-O guides are no longer required to visit Samkar. A boat here will run about K60,000. If you choose to stay overnight, there’s attractive accommodation at A Little Lodge in Samkar (%09 4200 07010; [email protected]; Samkar; r US$90-125; nW), a short walk from Samkar’s old town. Phaung Daw Oo Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE Shan-style buddha. Nampan has several small cheroot factories and there are some (ေဖာငေ္ တာဥ္ းီ ဘုရား; Map p208; camera fee decent restaurants on the edge of the village. K300; hdaylight hours) A wide channel leads south from Ywama to the village of Tha Lay and Phaung Daw Oo Paya, the holiest reli- Maing Thauk VILLAGE gious site in southern Shan State. Enshrined (မုငိ း္ ေသာက;္ Map p208) Half of the village of Maing Thauk is set on dry land, while the within the huge tiered pagoda are five an- other half sits on stilts over the water, linked cient buddha images that have been trans- formed into amorphous blobs by the sheer to the shore by a 450yd wooden bridge. You can continue walking uphill to a peaceful volume of gold leaf applied by devotees. forest monastery (ေတာရေက်ာငး္ ) for good During the annual Phaung Daw Oo festi- val, the images are paraded around the lake views over the lake. Maing Thauk is accessible by boat and in an ornate barge shaped like a hintha (the by road – you can cycle there in an hour or golden Swan of Burmese legend). Local fam- ilies often bring their children here as part so along a dirt track leading southeast from Nyaungshwe. of the ordination rites for the sangha (Bud- dhist brotherhood) – a fascinating spectacle if you happen to be there at the right time. Floating Gardens GARDENS (ကြၽနး္ ေမ်ာ; Map p208) North of Nampan are these famous gardens, where Intha farmers Thaung Thut VILLAGE grow flowers, tomatoes, squash and other (ေသာင္သြတ;္ Map p208) At the southern end fruit and vegetables on long wooden trellises of the lake, the village of Thaung Thut, about 1½ hours by boat from Nyaungshwe, holds supported on floating mats of vegetation. In the morning and afternoon, farmers pad- an important market every five days. A long dle up and down between the rows tending walkway leads uphill from the village to a complex of whitewashed Shan stupas. their crops. Further south, the village of Kyauk Taing In Phaw Khone VILLAGE is devoted to pottery-making and is also part of the market circuit. Also in the area, (အငး္ ေပါခ;ုံ Map p208) This tidy village of teak stilt houses is famous for its weaving work- Kyaing Kan specialises in weaving robes us- shops. Buildings across the village vibrate ing lotus threads. with the clatter of shuttles and the click-clack of shifting loom frames, and the workshops Nampan VILLAGE are a popular stop on the tourist circuit. (နမ့္ပန;္ Map p208) The peaceful village of Nampan is built on stilts over the water. 2 Activities Its main temple, Alodaw Pauk Pagoda (အလုိေတာ္ေပါကဘ္ ရု ား), is one of the oldest Motorboat Trips shrines on the lake, and the whitewashed Every morning, a flotilla of slender wood- stupa enshrines a fabulous gem-encrusted, en canoes fitted with long-tailed outboard
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Inle Lake 209E as te rn M ya n m a r IFnelsetiLvaakles && AErvoe untnds five passengers, who get padded seats and æ Sights life jackets. 1 Alodaw Pauk Pagoda...........................C5 2 Floating Gardens .................................C4 The boats have no roof, so be sure to wear 3 Forest Monastery ................................D2 sunscreen. Some people complain of wind 4 In Phaw Khone .....................................B5 chill while on the lake; if that sounds like 5 Inthein...................................................A5 you, bring a coat or wrap. 6 Khaung Daing Hot Springs .................B2 7 Maing Thauk ........................................D2 Trekking 8 Nampan................................................C5 Inle Lake is the jumping-off point for several 9 Nga Hpe Kyaung (Jumping Cat treks in the area. The most popular of these Monastery)........................................B4 is the three-day walk to Kalaw. There are also some interesting day hikes and over- 10 Nyaung Ohak .......................................A5 night treks to the east of Inle Lake, typically 11 Phaung Daw Oo Paya ..........................B5 beginning in lowland rice paddies dotted 12 Phwar Ya Thay Paya............................B2 with Shan stupa ruins and ascending to 13 Red Mountain Estate........................... D1 hillside Pa-O villages with panoramic views 14 Shwe Inn Thein Paya ...........................A5 over the lake. A common option is a two- 15 Thaung Thut.........................................B7 day, one-night trek, involving a short boat 16 Yan Aung Nan Aung Hsu Taung trip and a stay with a Pa-O family. Guides can talk you through the various treks and Pye Paya............................................ C1 itineraries. 17 Ywama..................................................B4 ÿ Sleeping Day-hike costs start at K15,000 a day (per 18 Golden Island Cottages.......................C5 person, for groups of two or more), which 19 Hu Pin Inle Khaung Daing includes a basic lunch of rice and curry (carry your own bottled or purified water); Village Resort ....................................B2 overnight treks run from K30,000 per per- 20 Inle Lake View ......................................B2 son, per day. 21 Inle Princess Resort ............................C2 22 Inle Resort ............................................C2 Thu Thu (p205) and Sunny Day Tour 23 Pristine Lotus.......................................B2 Services (p201) can both arrange reputable, 24 Sanctum Inle Resort............................D2 knowledgeable guides. 25 Sky Lake ...............................................D2 26 Villa Inle Resort & Spa .........................D3 z Festivals & Events ú Eating 27 Inn Thar Lay .........................................B5 Phaung Daw Oo Paya Festival CULTURAL (Phaung Daw Oo Paya; hlate Sep or early Oct) Inle motors surges out into the lake, transport- comes alive during late September or early ing visitors to various natural, cultural, reli- October for the 18-day Phaung Daw Oo Paya gious, historical or commercial sites. Festival at Phaung Daw Oo Paya. The five revered golden Buddha images from the Every hotel, guesthouse and travel agent pagoda are ferried around the lake in a gild- in Nyaungshwe can arrange motorboat ed barge shaped like a hintha (the golden trips, or you can make your own arrange- swan of Myanmar legend) and locals carry ments directly with the boat drivers at one out fiercely contested leg-rowing races on of the piers or near Teik Nan Bridge – they’ll the channels between villages. The pagoda most likely find you before you can find festival is closely followed by Thadingyut, them. Prices for the standard day-long boat which marks the end of Waso (Buddhist trip start at around K15,000 to K18,000, Lent). which typically includes visits to the famous sights in the northern part of the lake such 4 Sleeping as Phaung Daw Oo Paya in Tha Lay, the Nga Hpe Kyaung (Jumping Cat Monastery) in If cash is no object, there are a growing Nga Phe village and the floating gardens. number of upmarket resorts along the lake Tacking on a trip to Inthein will raise the shore or, in some cases, built on stilts over it. cost to K20,000. Other destinations further The majority of Inle Lake’s accommodation afield include Thaung Thut (K20,000, 1½ is near Maing Thauk, although there are hours), Hmaw Be (K40,000, two hours) and also options at Khaung Daing. Samkar (K60,000, three hours). The fee cov- ers the entire boat; drivers will carry up to Reservations are obligatory during the high season (December to February). All rates include breakfast. All of the hotels can
210 E as te rn M ya n m a r SI nlleee pLiankge & A r o u nd KHAUNG DAING Just because you’ve been on a boat trip doesn’t mean you’re finished with Inle Lake. The countryside that surrounds all that water is also worth a visit, and a half-day cycling trip to Khaung Daing (ခေါင်တုိင်)္ , an Intha village located at the northwestern corner of the lake, is an easy and worthwhile way to experience it. To get here from Nyaungshwe, cross Teik Nan Bridge and follow the tree-lined, bone-shaking dirt track through the rice fields until you reach the sealed road, then turn left. The first place you’ll reach is Khaung Daing’s hot springs (ေခါင္တငို ေ္ ရပူစခန္း; Map p208; swimming pool US$7, private pool & bath US$10; h5am-6pm). There is no flowing water here: instead there are small pools of very hot water funnelled from the springs them- selves. There are public pools (one for men and one for women), or you can opt for your own private pool or bathhouse. After that, it’s a gentle approach to Khaung Daing along a road lined with gold and whitewashed stupas, some perched on the tall hills to the west of the lake. The most interesting is Phwar Ya Thay Paya (ဖြားရေသဘ့ ုရား; Map p208; hdaylight hours) F, the name of which is said to mean ‘Lady Monk’ honouring a previous female resident, located close to the hot springs, which offers fine views over Inle Lake. Just past Khaung Daing, turn left into the gateway that leads to Hu Pin Inle Khaung Daing Village Resort (Map p208; %081-209 296; www.hupinhotelmyanmar.com; r/ste US$100/250, cottage US$150-200; aW). The road here ends in another hilltop temple with views of the lake. Should you wish to stay in the village, the pick of several upmarket resorts is the attractive, low-key Inle Lake View (Map p208; %081-209 332; www.inlelakeview.com; r US$200-250; W). The 40 rooms and villas here are spacious, well equipped and tastefully furnished, and all include balconies with great views over the lake. A second option is the airy and sophisticated Pristine Lotus (Map p208; %081-209 317; www.pristinelotusspa resort.com; bungalows US$200-260; aW), located on a landscaped hillside west of Inle Lake. It sports a spa, restaurant and professional staff. arrange pick-ups and return boat trips to/ tefacts. The more expensive bungalows have from Nyaungshwe for K10,000. lake-facing sun decks. There’s a spa and pool and the restaurant and staff get positive oSanctum Inle Resort BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$ reports. (Map p208; %09 2528 18800; www.sanctum-inle- Villa Inle Resort & Spa HOTEL $$$ resort.com; Maing Thauk; r US$284-528; aWs) (Map p208; %081-209 870; www.villainle.com; The Sanctum marries a cool, modernist feel Maing Thauk; bungalows US$300-320; aWs) with a fantastic upgrade of a building that The 27 wooden villas here are set in 20 acres was once a convent. The monastic theme of grounds and surrounded by some 5000 runs throughout, with the restaurant dubbed teak trees. The bungalows themselves feel a ‘refectory’, while you imbibe cocktails in spacious, boast attractive furnishings and the ‘Cloister Bar’ and unwind in the ‘Sanc- come with inviting balconies that jut out tuary Spa’. Rooms are luxurious, superbly over the lake. It’s not exactly a steal, but the equipped and huge, and the staff and man- friendly service, leg room and ecoconscious agement get rave reviews. vibe make Villa Inle an enticing option. It’s worth noting that the resort is by the Golden Island Cottages HOTEL $$$ lake, rather than right over it. (Map p208; %Nampan 081-209 390, Thale U 09 5210 183; www.gicmyanmar.com; bungalows oInle Princess Resort BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$ US$150-170; iW) Owned by a cooperative of Pa-O people, the bungalows here aren’t par- (Map p208; %081-209 055; www.inle-princess. ticularly sexy or well equipped, but they are com; Magyizin Village; bungalows US$305-335; comfortable and sizeable with high ceilings aWs) Consistently the highest-ranked ho- and balconies and a relatively good deal for tel in the Inle Lake area, the setting here is the price. The Nampan resort has a great perhaps the nicest of any hotel on the lake. The stylish wooden cottages are decked out with handmade furniture, designer fireplaces, indoor and outdoor showers and ethnic ar-
211 location over open water while the Thale U take on classic Chinese-Burmese dishes and resort is closer to shore. you get to eat on a platform on stilts over- looking Inle Lake. Inle Resort HOTEL $$$ (Map p208; %081-209 361; www.inleresort.com; Maing Thauk; r & bungalows US$160-275; aWs) 88 Getting There & Away Located on dry land near Maing Thauk, 90 BUS elevated bungalows and duplex villas come From Inle Lake, some bus companies now make together in an attractive, spacious park-like stops in Nyaungshwe, or run morning mini- E as te rn M ya n m a r ETI naluteinnLggagkyei & A r o u nd setting. The more expensive bungalows here vans to Hpa-an, Loikaw, Mandalay, Myawaddy, are huge and have wide balconies offering Nyaung U (Bagan) and Yangon. fine views over Inle Lake; the cheapest rooms are smaller but still big and look out over a pond. Under foreign management, Taunggyi တောင်ကြီး the food here gets good reports. POP C 264,800 / % 081 Sky Lake HOTEL $$$ Perched on top of a mountain, Taunggyi is the capital of Shan State and by far the (Map p208; %081-209 128; www.skylakeinlere biggest city in eastern Myanmar. A multi- sort.com; Maing Thauk; bungalows US$170-200; W) There’s nothing very fancy about the 45 cultural town with a majority Shan popu- lation and significant Chinese, Muslim and bungalows here, but the lakeside ones have Christian communities, Taunggyi is princi- balconies and great views and the price is more reasonable than elsewhere on the pally a trading post. Its markets are piled high with Chinese and Thai goods trucked lake. in via the border crossings at Mong La 5 Eating and Tachileik, and destined to be sold on wholesale to markets in Yangon and Man- There are numerous floating restaurants dalay. Unless you’re pining for the big city in stilt houses on the lake that offer good, (the Shan State version of it anyway) and/ if overpriced, Chinese and Shan food, cold or consumer goods, there’s little of interest beers and English-language menus. The here for most visitors. greatest concentration of restaurants is in Ywama, but there are also some decent 1 Sights choices around Nampan. Myanmar Vineyard VINEYARD Inn Thar Lay CHINESE, BURMESE $$ (ျမနမ္ ာစပ်စျ္ ခ;ံ %081-208548; www.myanmar- vineyard.com; h9am-4pm) F Located at (Map p208; Tha Lay; mains from K3500; h8am- Aythaya, 3 miles west of Taunggyi, this vine- 3pm; E) This restaurant, with two branches near Phaung Daw Oo Paya, offers a sound yard – the country’s first – sits at an elevation TAUNGGYI’S RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS Taunggyi’s diverse population is reflected in the town’s many religious buildings, which include a number of historic churches such as St George Anglican Church (စနိ ႔္ေဂ်ာ႔ဧမာေႏြလဘရု ားေက်ာင္း; Ganaing Kan St), the main church for Taunggyi’s Anglican community, and St Joseph’s Cathedral (စိန္ဂ႔ ်ဳိ းဇကဘ္ ရု ားေက်ာင္း), which dates back to 1873 and is the principal place of worship for Taunggyi’s Roman Catholics. Myo Le Dhamma Yon (ျမဳိ ႕လယ္ဓမာၼ ရ;ုံ Bogyoke Aung San Rd; hdaylight hours) F is the town’s primary downtown pagoda, while Yat Taw Mu Pagoda (ရပ္ေတာ္မူဘရု ား; off Circular Rd West; hdaylight hours) F in the southwest is dominated by a 60ft high standing Buddha. Near the market, Sikh Temple Taunggyi (Bogyoke Aung San Rd; hdaylight hours) F is the place of worship for Taunggyi’s Sikh population. There are also several Burmese-style mosques on the alleyways southwest of the market. On the southern outskirts of town, the huge white Sulamuni Paya (စလူ ာမဠု ိဘရု ား; hdaylight hours) F has a gilded corn-cob stupa that pays tribute to the Ananda Pahto in Bagan. You can continue a few miles uphill to the ridge-top Shwe Phone Pye Paya (ေရဘႊ နု ္းျပည့ဘ္ ရု ား; hdaylight hours) F for dizzying views over Taunggyi and Inle Lake; a round-trip taxi to both temples should run to about K10,000.
212 e# 0 200 m Taunggyi 0 0.1 miles Taunggyi B æ Sights Maw CAherry TNhaindar St 1 Myo Le Dhamma Yon ..........................B4 ›# (1mi) þ# 13 2 Shan State Cultural Museum & Kyant Khineyae St Library ...............................................B6 1 3 Sikh Temple Taunggyi.........................B4 D Myanmar 4 St George Anglican Church ................B6 SoliSdat rity Vineyard 5 St Joseph's Cathedral .........................B4 Khwar Nyo St (2.5mi); Heho 6 Yat Taw Mu Pagoda.............................A6 (21mi) 1 Bogyoke Aung San RdD Circul ar Rd West Anawratha St E as te rn M ya n m a r ISTnialguehntLgsagkyei & A r o u nd ÿ Sleeping 7 Duwun Motel ........................................B2 Mya Wut Ye St 8 Golden Win Motel ................................B3 #ú 12 Chin The St 2 9 Vision Hotel ..........................................B4 2 Min Ú# Kyaung 66Min Kyaung St 11 ba ndoo7laÿ#Rd ú Eating #ú 10 Night Market ........................................A3 11 Sein Myanmar Restaurant..................B2 26 # 16 Mah a 12 Tokyo Cafe ...........................................B2 ˜# Nagar Pwat Kyaung St ›# Mya þ Shopping 20 ›# Kan Thar St 24 ÿ# 8 13 Taunggyi Gift Shop.............................. B1 25 3 ï Information 66›#22 3 Merchant St ›# 21 ˜# 14 CB Bank................................................B4 ›# 23 Currency Exchange Stall............(see 18) New Market # Old 15 KBZ Bank .............................................A4 Market 16 Shan Pyi Thar.......................................B2 # Tabin Shwe 10 #ú United Amara Bank (UAB)........ (see 27) Htee St 15 #ì ï Transport 18 # 1 5 ñ# Ú# Ü# 17 Air Bagan..............................................B5 4 4 18 Air KBZ .................................................A4 MyBaaunnyignKt yNaauunngg2S7S#t#t M#w#ìÿ#os31q94ue 5 19 Air Mandalay ........................................B5 19 Asian Wings................................. (see 17) # Bus Company Office for 666Taung HCohsilpdietarsl St Bagan....................................... (see 20) Kyaun#g St Bogyoke 20 Bus Company Offices for Yangon Park Mosque & Mandalay .......................................A3 5 # 17 21 Minivans to Heho & Kalaw ..................A3 666ò# D 22 Pick-ups To Nyaungshwe ...................A3 PTyahyaSt 23 Pick-ups To Thazi & Meiktila ..............A3 Circular Rd West 24 Shwe Taung Yoe Express ...................B3 25 Taxi Stand ............................................A3 26 Taxi Stand ............................................A2 27 Yangon Airways ...................................B4 Ú# 6 â# 2 6 taxi (K5000), or on any pick-up travelling be- ng Kan St tween Taunggyi and Shwenyaung. 666 Ga n Ü#4 ai Shan State Cultural Sulamuni Paya (700m) Museum & Library MUSEUM AB (ရွမး္ ျပည္နယ္ယဥေ္ က်းမျႈ ပတုိကႏ္ ွင့္စာၾကည့္တုိ 66of 4290ft on well-watered, limestone-rich က;္ BogyokeAung San Rd; K5000; h10am-4pmTue- soils, providing good growing conditions for Sun) In addition to the usual displays of local ethnic-group outfits, you’ll also find a handful of displays of weapons, musical instruments shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, and jewellery. There’s also a small section chenin blanc and moscato grapes. Open daily for tours and tastings: check the website for about Shan State’s saophas, or sky princes, who ruled Shan State until the colonial era. details. You can reach Myanmar Vineyard by English-language captions are lacking.
z Festivals & Events 213 Fire Balloon Festival CULTURAL cious with city views, but all are well kept and come with modern bathrooms. Good (hOct/Nov) Taunggyi holds a huge and cha- wi-fi connection and friendly staff. otic fire balloon festival every October or Vision Hotel HOTEL $$ November as part of the full moon celebra- tions during Tazaungmon (the eighth month (%081-212 4119; [email protected]; 120 Bogyoke Aung San Rd; r US$55; aW) A big step of Myanmar’s lunar calendar). Hundreds of up from Taunggyi’s other midrange hotels, multicoloured, different-shaped hot-air bal- E as te rn M ya n m a r TFI naelsuetniLgvagakyleis && AErvoe untnds loons are released skyward to carry away the Vision has large, modern and comfort- able rooms, helpful staff and a breakfast sins. Accommodation is very hard to find at buffet. this time. Note that some of the balloons have fire- 5 Eating works attached and the combination of bal- loons exploding in flames, rockets going off Sein Myanmar Restaurant BURMESE $ (%081-212 4255; 15 Bogyoke Aung San Rd; curries prematurely and crowded streets results in from K3500; h10am-10pm; E) Locals crowd casualties most years. into this busy restaurant come lunchtime 4 Sleeping for full-flavoured Burmese-style rice-and- curry sets. In the evening, it’s fine for a beer Duwun Motel HOTEL $ and various fried noodle and rice dishes. (%081-22355; 112 Mahabandoola Rd; r US$20- 34; aW) The best current budget option in Tokyo Cafe TEAHOUSE $ (Bogyoke Aung San Rd; dishes from K800; Taunggyi, the more expensive rooms here are h6.30am-9.30pm; WE) This spick-and-span bright and spacious and come with commu- nal balconies and air-con. The cheaper ones tea shop has an English-language menu of one-plate dishes. are a little dank and dark and fan-only, but still acceptable. The affable, English-speaking owner is helpful. Night Market BURMESE $ (Tabin Shwe Htee St; mains from K300; h4- 10pm) Taunggyi’s night market is the place Golden Win Motel HOTEL $ to go for bargain local eats; Daw Than Kyi, (%081-200 503; [email protected]; 3 Thanlwin Rd; r US$20-50; aW) There’s a range at the western end, does excellent t’ǎmìn jin, Shan-style rice (look for the rainbow- of rooms here, from the cramped, to the spa- coloured plastic sheeting). KAKKU Only a couple of hours’ drive from either Taunggyi or Nyaungshwe, the 2478 stupas at Kakku are one of the most remarkable sights in Shan State. Arranged in neat rows sprawling over the hillside, the stupa garden, (according to local legend) was founded by the Buddhist missionaries of the Indian emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. As such, the stupas span a bewildering variety of styles, marking the prevailing architectural trends when they were constructed. Some are simple and unadorned while others are covered in a riot of stucco deities and mythical beasts. Among the tall Shan-style stupas are a number of small square ‘monastery style’ stupas that are unique to this region. Like most ancient sites across the country, Kakku has been extensively restored using dona- tions from pilgrims, so don’t expect an Indiana Jones–style ruin in the jungle. The annual Kakku Paya Pwe, held on the full-moon day of the lunar month of Tabaung (March), attracts Pa-O pilgrims from across Shan State. Kakku can only be accessed by taxi, either from Nyaungshwe or Taunggyi. A return taxi from Nyaungshwe – including a few hours’ waiting time – will run K55,000; from Taunggyi it will cost K40,000. You will also need to be accompanied by a Pa-O guide: Thu Thu (p205) or Golden Island Cottages (GIC; Map p200; %081-209 551; www.glcmyan- mar.com; 89 Phoung Daw Pyan Rd; h6am-6pm), both based in Nyaungshwe, can arrange this. There’s a US$3 entry fee for the site and a US$5 fee for the guide. Eating options are very limited at Kakku. Try Hlaing Konn (mains from K600; h11am- 8pm Sep-Apr), a simple Burmese restaurant overlooking the site.
214 to destinations such as Mandalay (K18,000 to 20,000, 10 hours, departures when full 8.30am 7 Shopping to 8pm) and Yangon can be found along the west side of Bogyoke Aung San Rd, close to the Kan- Taunggyi Gift Shop ARTS & CRAFTS Tone Kan-Sone Hotel. Other bus company offices cluster close to the market. The office (Nagar (cnr Bogyoke Aung San Rd & Nan Thidar St; h8am- Pwat Kyaung St) for buses to Nyaung U (Bagan) 6pm) Stocks a selection of local foods, Shan is on Nagar Pwat Kyaung St. Some companies, clothing and handicrafts. including Shwe Taung Yoe Express (Mya Kan Thar St), offer free transport to the bus station. E as te rn M ya n m a r STI nahluoenpLgpaignkygei & A r o u nd 88 Information Minivans to Heho and Kalaw leave from a stop CB Bank (Bogyoke Aung San Rd; h 9.30am- (Merchant St) just off Merchant St. 3pm), KBZ Bank (Bogyoke Aung San Rd; h 9.30am-3pm) and United Amara Bank (Bo- Pick-up trucks to Nyaungshwe (off Merchant gyoke Aung San Rd; h 9.30am-3pm) all have St) wait a block or so north of Merchant St amid ATMs that accept international cards. Exchange the market. Pick-ups to Thazi and Meiktila leave is available at the stall (27/28 Bogyoke Aung just south of Merchant St. San Rd; h 9am-2.30pm) attached to the Air KBZ office; money changers can also be found From the central taxi stand (cnr Bogyoke Aung in and around the market. San Rd & Merchant St), services run to desti- nations include Nyaungshwe (K20,000, one 88 Getting There & Away hour), Kakku (K40,000, 1½ hours) and Kalaw (K40,000, 2½ hours). There is a second, smaller Buses, minivans, pick-ups, ‘vans’ (share taxis) taxi stand (Bogyoke Aung San Rd) on the corner and taxis leave from several stands around town. of Nagar Pwat Kyaung St. Most long-distance buses depart from the Heho functions as the air hub to/from Taunggyi. Maw Cherry bus station (off Circular Rd West), In Taunggyi, Air Bagan (% 081-212 4736; www. a collection of bus company offices about 2 airbagan.com; Bogyoke Aung San Rd (Main Rd); miles north of the town centre; a taxi here will h8am-5pm Mon-Fri & 9am-2pm Sat & Sun), Air run K2500. The offices (Bogyoke Aung San Rd) KBZ (% 081-212 4768; www.airkbz.com; 27/28 of companies running bus and ‘van’ services TAUNGGYI TRANSPORT CONNECTIONS DESTINATION BUS & MINIBUS PICK-UP Heho (airport) K2000; minibus; 1hr; 1pm, 2pm & 3pm K1500; 1hr; departures when full Kalaw 6am-4pm; from stop off Merchant St Lashio K3000; minibus; 3hr; daily 1pm, 2pm & K2000; 3hr; departures when full Loikaw 3pm; from Merchant St 6am-4pm, from stop off Merchant St Mandalay K15,500; bus; 12hr; daily 1pm N/A K7000; bus; 8hr; daily 6.30am; from Maw N/A Meiktila Cherry bus stand Nyaungshwe K9500-15,000; bus; 10hr; 9am, 7pm & 8pm; N/A Nyaung U (Bagan) from stalls along Bogyoke Aung San Rd and Shwe Taung Yoe Express K4000; 7hr; departures when full Pindaya K5500; bus; 6hr; daily 7.30am 6am-4pm; from stop off Merchant St Thazi K1000; 1hr; departures when full Yangon N/A 6am-4pm; from stop off Merchant St N/A K10,500; bus; 10hr; daily 6.30pm; from stall on Nagar Pwat Kyaung St and Shwe Taung N/A Yoe Express K3000; bus; 4hr; daily 1pm; from Maw K4000; 6hr; departures when full Cherry bus stand 6am-4pm; from stop off Merchant St N/A N/A K13,500-21,000; bus; 12hr; frequent 3-8pm; from stalls along Bogyoke Aung San Rd and Shwe Taung Yoe Express
215 Bogyoke Aung San Rd; h9am-5pm), Air Man- rive via the long stairway that starts near E as te rn M ya n m a r PSI niilgnehd atLysaak e & A r o u nd dalay (% 081-212 1330; www.airmandalay.com; the gleaming white zedi of Nget Pyaw Taw Bogyoke Aung San Rd (Main Rd); h8.30am- Pagoda, just south of the Conqueror Hotel. 5.30pm Mon-Fri & 9am-1pm Sat & Sun), Asian You can skip the last 130 steps to the cave Wings (% 081-205 900; www.asianwingsair.com; mouth by taking the lift. Bogyoke Aung San Rd (Main Rd); h9am-5.30pm) and Yangon Airways (% 081-212 3995; www.yan Two more covered stairways lead north gonair.com; 134 Bogyoke Aung San Rd; h9am- from the lift pavilion. One descends gently 5pm) all have offices, or you can go to Shan Pyi back to Pindaya, while the other climbs to Thar (% 081-212 4549; 8 Bogyoke Aung San Rd a second cave pavilion containing a monu- (Main Rd); h9am-6pm), a travel agent next to mental, 40ft-high, gilded, Shan-style sitting the Sein Myanmar Restaurant. A taxi from Heho’s buddha. The steps continue along the ridge airport to Taunggyi costs K25,000; a cheaper but to a third chamber with a large reclining less convenient option is to hike almost a mile to buddha and more shrines and pagodas the highway and wait for a pick-up truck or bus to along the hilltop. Taunggyi (K2000, 1½ hours). The stairs leading to the cave are about 2 Pindaya ပင္းတယ miles south of town on Shwe U Min Pagoda POP C 20,000 / % 081 Rd, a 20-minute walk from town. A motor- cycle taxi will take you to the top and back The road to sleepy Pindaya cuts across one of for K2000. the most densely farmed areas in Myanmar – Hsin Khaung Taung Kyaung BUDDHIST TEMPLE at first glance, the patchwork of fields and (ဆငေ္ ခါငး္ ေထာင္ေက်ာင္း; off Shwe U Min Pago- hedges could almost be a landscape from da Rd; hdaylight hours) F This gorgeous central Europe. But it’s the Danu, Palaung temple, with its carved teak panels dating and Pa-O villages, rather than the farms, back to the 19th century, is downhill from around Pindaya that are beginning to draw the Shwe Oo Min Natural Cave Pagoda on travellers for treks through less-touristed the dirt path to Pone Taloke Lake. The path areas than elsewhere in western Shan State. starts just beyond the monastery and is Another good reason to make the journey lined with ancient, crumbling zedi. here is to visit the famous Shwe Oo Min Nat- Kan Tu Kyaung BUDDHIST TEMPLE ural Cave pagoda, a massive limestone cav- ern filled with thousands of gilded buddha (ကတံ ေူ က်ာငး္ ; ZawTi KarYone St; hdaylight hours) F At the north end of Pone Taloke Lake, statues. this temple features some heavily restored 1 Sights stupas and a fine teak kyaung (Burmese Bud- dhist monastery) with a large collection of an- oShwe Oo Min tique buddha images on ornate plinths. Natural Cave Pagoda CAVE 2 Activities (ေရဥႊ မင္သဘာဝလိုဏ္ဂူဘရု ား; Shwe U Min Pa- goda Rd; K3000, camera fee K300; h6am-6pm) Set high on a limestone ridge above Pone A couple of local guides lead increasingly Taloke Lake, this winding complex of nat- popular treks in the hill country surround- ural caves and tunnels is filled to bursting ing Pindaya. Most conduct overnight treks with buddha images in an astonishing variety to Yazagyi (ရဇၾကးီ ), an attractive and of shapes, sizes and materials. modern Palaung village located in hilly tea- At the latest count, the caves contained plantation country about five hours’ walk more than 8094 statues, some left centuries east of Pindaya. Some choose to extend this ago by local pilgrims and others newly in- to two nights with a visit to Kan Hla Kone stalled by Buddhist organisations from as (ကန္လွကနု း္ ) or Shwe Behto (ေရႊဘတ)ို , far afield as Singapore, the Netherlands and which are more remote Danu villages. It’s the USA. The collection of alabaster, teak, also possible to trek from Pindaya to Kal- marble, brick, lacquer and cement images is aw, a trip of three or four days, depending still growing – pilgrims arrive in a slow but which way you go. Overnight treks start steady stream, installing new images and at US$20 per day per person (in groups of meditating in tiny, naturally occurring med- two or more), and guides with experience itation chambers in the cave walls. in these areas include U Myint Thoung at A series of covered stairways climb the Old Home Tour Information Centre (p216) ridge to the cave entrance. Most people ar- and Sai Win Htun (%09 2507 84688, 09 7883
216 26316; [email protected]; Golden Cave Hotel, from Shwe Oo Min Pagoda, the rooms here Shwe U Min Padoga Rd). are set in either bamboo or stone cottages in a lovingly tended garden centred on a z Festivals & Events longhouse-style restaurant and bar. The larger, more expensive ‘chalets’ are a big step Shwe Oo Min Paya Pwe CULTURAL up from the overpriced ‘bamboo’ rooms, equipped with TV, fridge, huge bathrooms (hFeb/Mar) The main annual paya pwe (pa- with tub, and fireplaces. goda festival) at Shwe Oo Min takes place E as te rn M ya n m a r FPI neilsnedtiaLvyaaakles && AErvoe untnds on the full moon of Tabaung. Expect all the 5 Eating usual singing, dancing and hand-operated fairground rides. 4 Sleeping Good Morning BURMESE $ (Shwe Min U Pagoda Rd; dishes K1000-2000; h8am-8.30pm; E) There’s a small English Myit Phyar Zaw Gyi Hotel HOTEL $ menu of tasty noodle dishes here, as well as (%081-66403; 106 Zaw Ti Kar Yone St; r US$15- coffee and fruit juices and a pleasant, shad- 25; W) Next to the market and right by the ed outdoor area to sit in. lakeshore, Pindaya’s one true budget option is clean, tidy, friendly and good value for money. Green Tea Restaurant INTERNATIONAL, BURMESE $$ (%081-66345; Shwe U Min Pagoda Rd; mains from Global Grace Hotel (Pindaya) HOTEL $ K3000; h10am-8pm; WE) Located between (%081-66189; www.globalgracehotelpindaya.com; Shwe U Min Pagoda Rd; r US$40-50; aW) Some- the market and Shwe Oo Min Pagoda, this open-air dining room perched over Pone times still known by its former name – Pin- Taloke Lake is Pindaya’s poshest and most daya Hotel – this is an old-fashioned but ef- ficient place. The ‘deluxe’ rooms in the funky pleasant place to dine. The pan-Asian menu, with a few Western classics, isn’t very excit- main structure are spacious, and have lots ing but the food is reliable, if less enticing of natural light, balconies looking over the lake, TVs and attractive wood flooring and than the setting. furnishings. The cheaper ‘superior’ rooms 88 Information are smaller and at ground level. Located just south of ‘downtown’ Pindaya We’re told that there is a US$2 ‘entry fee’ to on Shwe U Min Pagoda Rd. Pindaya, collected at the entrance to town, although the ticket office has never been staffed Golden Cave Hotel HOTEL $ when we’ve visited. (%081-66166; www.goldencavehotel.com; Shwe U Min Pagoda Rd; s/d US$42/47; iW) A comfort- A branch of KBZ Bank was under construction able midrange place near the steps to Shwe at the time of research, so there should be an Oo Min. The smarter superior rooms have ATM and exchange facilities here very soon. balconies looking towards the caves, and are also equipped with a TV and a fridge. Old Home Tour Information Centre (% 09 4282 23219, 09 7845 70305; 46 Shwe U Min oConqueror Resort Hotel HOTEL $$ Pagoda Rd; h 9am-5pm) Located at the market (%081-66106; www.conquerorresorthotel.com; intersection. Here you’ll find friendly local U off Shwe U Min Padoga Rd; r US$70-100; aWs) Myint Thoung, who leads treks and day tours There isn’t a blade of grass out of place at and also sells a small selection of books and antiques. this immaculately maintained resort hotel 88 Getting There & Away near the main entrance to the caves. Rooms are set in duplex bungalows around a cen- There’s not much direct transport to Pindaya, so tral restaurant and a large, inviting pool. you’ll probably have to make your way to Aung- All are good value for the price, and are ban, a few miles east of Kalaw along NH4, where equipped with TV, a minibar and balcony, transport to Pindaya waits near the clock-tower while the ‘suite’ rooms tack on spacious and intersection. Vans make the run to Pindaya from stylish bathrooms. here in the morning (K3000, 1½ hours, 7.30am, 9.30am and 11am), as do two overcrowded pick- Pindaya Inle Inn HOTEL $$ ups (K1500, two hours, 8am and 11am). Waiting (%081-66029; [email protected]; Mahar Ban- motorcycle taxis (K6000 one way, K10,000 dular Rd; r/chalets US$85/120; iWs) Locat- round trip) and taxis (K30,000 one way, ed at the entrance to town, across the lake K50,000 round trip) are another option.
217 From Pindaya’s market intersection, buses mosphere is calm, the streets are tree-lined, E as te rn M ya n m a r IKSnialglehatLwsa k e & A r o u nd bound for Taunggyi and Shwenyaung (for Inle and the surrounding hills are the only place Lake) depart at 5.30am and 5.45am (K3500, in Myanmar where travellers can trek over- three hours). Vans run to Taunggyi and Shwen- night without prior permission. yaung (for Inle Lake) at 6am and 2pm (K3500 to K4000, 2½ hours). For Aungban, there’s a daily One of the few destinations in Myanmar pick-up at 7.30am (K1500, two hours) and vans that genuinely caters for backpackers, rather at 10.30am and 1.30pm (K3000, 1½ hours). than tour groups, Kalaw is an easy place to kick back for a few days. The town is also no- Buy tickets for the vans and buses at the table for its significant population of Nepali shop next to Old Home Tour Information Centre Gurkhas and Indians, whose ancestors came (p216). here to build the roads and railway during the colonial era. Kalaw ကေလာ 1 Sights POP C 57,800 / % 081 Thein Taung Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE Kalaw was founded as a hill station by (သမိ ေ္ တာင္ဘရု ား; off Union Hwy (NH4); hday- British civil servants fleeing the heat of light hours) F For a good view over Kal- the plains. The town still feels like a high- aw’s market and centre, take the steps on altitude holiday resort: the air is cool, the at- TREKKING FROM INLE LAKE TO KALAW Instead of enduring yet another crowded, bone-rattling bus ride, consider walking be- tween Inle Lake and Kalaw. There are numerous alternative routes to take you to your destination, and depending on the route that you and your guide agree upon, the journey can take between two and four days. Although scenic, it’s important to understand that this trek is more of a cultural (or even agricultural) experience than a nature walk. The only real forest you’ll encounter is just outside Kalaw, and the bulk of the trek passes through relatively modern Pa-O and Danu settlements and extensive wheat, rice, tea, potato, sesame and chilli plantations. At some points you’ll be walking on footpaths, while other parts of the trek are on roads (both paved and unpaved) or even along train tracks. You’ll most likely spend one night with a Pa-O or Danu family and another at a Buddhist temple. There are numerous alternate long and short routes; some choose to go by car to Lamaing and walk to Kalaw in one day, while other guides have found ways to extend the trip to four nights. Discuss the options with your guide. If you’re doing the standard three-day option, you’ll most likely begin at one of the lakeside villages of Inthein, Tha Lay, Thandaung or Khaung Daing. In general, you can expect at least four hours of mostly level walking each day, the only truly steep part being the ascent from Thandaung at Inle Lake. The second day passes through hilly agricultural areas, and as you approach Kalaw on day three, the trek passes through tall mountains fringed with pine trees and tea plantations. The winter months are the best time to do the trek, the only downside being that you’ll almost certainly run into other trekkers – nights with as many as 50 people sleep- ing at the monastery have been reported. During the rainy season many of the roads are irritatingly muddy and slippery. Leeches and mosquitoes can also be a problem. Guides can arrange to have your bags transported to a hotel in Nyaungshwe, so you carry only what you need for the walk – a towel and a torch (flashlight) are good extras to bring along. If arranging your trek from Inle Lake, expect to pay K50,000 per person, per day, in groups of two or more. Rates include food, but not the cost of shipping your gear to your destination (per bag K3000), if you want to do so, or the entrance fee at Inle Lake (K12,500). Trekking Kalaw to Inle Lake is normally cheaper, with some guides charging K40,000 per person, per day.
218 Kalaw e#0 200 m A 0 0.1 miles BCD D Thein Taung 13 14 Paya (130m) 15 ú# ú# ²*ú#Unò#ion Hwy 11 ÿ# Yuzana St Hospital î# 1 1 19 NH4 21 ²*›# Union Hwy NH4 E as te rn M ya n m a r AKI ncaltlieavLwitaikees& A r o u nd 4 è# ›# Bu Tar St KBZ Bank #ì 17 Heho Min Stþ# 18 Aung Chan Thar Stü# D(16mi) Yadana St 2 Zat Ti' La St Thiri Min Ga Lar St Nat Sin St 9 è#Ú# 1 è# 6 #æ3 ÿ# 5 Kone Thai St 2 ÿ# Thittaw St Motorcycle ˜# 10 8 û# ›# Taxis ÿ# 16 20 Zawtikha St Aung Tha Pyay St 7 è# #ú 12 Ú# 2 ß# Mosque ,# Naing Naing Hire Bike D 3 Thidar St Green Haven Hotel (0.7mi) 3 Amara Mountain B Pine Hill Resort (0.7mi); Resort (750m) Kalaw Heritage Hotel (1mi); £# (500m); A Christ the King Royal Kalaw Hills Church (1.1mi) Resort (1mi) ñ# D D D C the north side of Union Hwy (NH4) to this route runs southwest from Kalaw to the modest Buddhist monastery with a small Palaung villages of Ywathit (ရြာသစ)္ and congregation of friendly monks. Tar Yaw (တာေယာ), passing the View- point, a rustic, Nepali-run restaurant with Aung Chan Tha Zedi BUDDHIST TEMPLE sweeping views over the hills. The guides at Ever Smile (p219) do visits to Pane Ne Pin (ေအာငခ္ ်မး္ သာေစတ;ီ Aung Chan Thar St; hday- (ပနိ ္နဲပင်) and Myin Ka (ျမင္းကာ), Palaung light hours) F Right in the centre of Kal- and Taung Yo villages respectively, located aw, Aung Chan Tha Zedi is a glittery stupa, in a beautiful area north of Kalaw. Alterna- covered in gold- and silver-coloured glass tively, the guides at Jungle King (%09 3601 mosaics. 8340, 09 4283 38036; Aung Chan Thar Pagoda St; h7am-9pm) lead one-day treks to Patingone Market MARKET (ပုတီးကုန်း), a four-hour hike south of Kalaw, where there’s a Pa-O/Taung Yo traditional (ကေလာႃမိမ႔ု ေစ်း; Min St; h6am-5pm) Kalaw’s healer. market is worth a browse – several stalls sell dried fruit and local liqueurs. Every five The most popular overnight trek is un- days, the market is swelled by traders who doubtedly the two- to four-day trek to Inle descend from the hill villages outside town. Lake. You can also do a two-day mountain- bike trek along a similar route; contact Naing 2 Activities Naing Hire Bike (p222) for details. A more adventurous overnight route is the multiday Almost everyone who comes to Kalaw goes trek to Pindaya, via Taung Ni (တောင်န)ီ . If trekking in the hills. The town is surrounded you’re interested in nature more than cul- by Buddhist pagodas, hilltop viewpoints and ture, Moteh (%09 7322 1878; Viewpoint) offers the peaceful villages of the Palaung, Danu, a day or overnight ‘jungle’ trek through a Pa-O, Taung Yo and Danaw peoples, all set in protected forest. Trekkers sleep in the woods a gorgeous landscape of forest-capped hills. or stay overnight at a Taung Yo village. Popular destinations for one-day treks The level of development varies as you around Kalaw include the Myin Ma Hti move from village to village. Some hill people Cave (မြင်းမထးီ ဂ)ူ , the Pa-O villages south still wear traditional clothing and live with- of Lamaing (လမိငု ္း), and the Pa-O, Danu and Taung Yo villages near Myin Dike (မြင်းတိုက်) train station. Another common
219 Kalaw is around US$10 per person (in a group of four); overnight treks start at K30,000 per æ Sights person, per day, in groups of two or more. 1 Aung Chan Tha Zedi ............................C2 2 Hsu Taung Pye Paya ...........................C3 Green Hill Valley WILDLIFE 3 Market ..................................................C2 (%09 7310 7278; www.ghvelephant.com; Mag- Ø Activities, Courses & Tours way village, Kalaw; per person US$100, minimum 4 Ever Smile ............................................ C1 2 people) S Seven fortunate elephants no 5 Jungle King...........................................C2 longer fit for work in the government’s tim- E as te rn M ya n m a r SKI nlaleleeapLwiankge & A r o u nd 6 Rural Development Society ................C2 ber camps have come to retire at this camp 7 Sam's Trekking Guide .........................C2 founded in 2011 by a family with a history of working with elephants. All visitors, as well ÿ Sleeping as interacting with the elephants, helping to 8 Dream Villa Hotel Kalaw......................B2 feed and bathe them, get to plant a tree as 9 Eastern Paradise Hotel .......................A2 part of the camp’s reforestation project. 10 Pine Breeze Hotel ................................A2 11 Seint Hotel ........................................... A1 Rural Development Society TREKKING ú Eating (RDS; %09 7861 16871, 081-50747; http://ruralde 12 Everest Nepali Food Centre................C3 velopmentsociety.wordpress.com; Min St; h9am- 13 Pyae Pyae Shan Noodle ...................... A1 6pm) Founded by charity-minded Tommy 14 Thiri Gay Har Restaurant .................... A1 Aung in 1992, this NGO also leads day and 15 Thu Maung Restaurant ....................... A1 overnight treks in the area and to Inle Lake. Advance notice of three days is requested; û Drinking & Nightlife email or call Tommy for details. Can also 16 Hi Snack & Drink..................................C2 organise mountain-bike trips to Inle Lake 17 Ma Hnin Si Cafe ...................................C2 (US$50 per person in a group of four). þ Shopping Ever Smile TREKKING 18 RDS Shop .............................................C2 (%081-50683; [email protected]; Yuzana St; ï Transport h8am-8pm) Friendly, reputable outfit that 19 Bus Company & Ticket Offices........... C1 specialises in the trek to Inle Lake (K40,000 Minibus to Loikaw.......................(see 16) per person in a group of four), as well as day 20 Minibuses to Taunggyi ........................C2 treks within Kalaw township. At the time of 21 Sun Shine ............................................. C1 research, they were planning to start regular Kalaw–Pindaya treks. out electricity or running water, while their Sam’s Trekking Guide TREKKING immediate neighbours watch European football on satellite TV. The standard of (%09 4580 40368, 081-50377; samtrekking@ living for hill peoples across the region has gmail.com; 21 Aung Chan Thar St; h7am-7pm) been raised by development projects run Sam and his family have years of experience by the UN and other international NGOs. leading treks, and conduct day and over- Most villagers depend primarily on farming, night treks in Kalaw township, as well as but some subsidise their income by making multiday treks to Inle Lake and Pindaya. He handicrafts and providing meals and accom- works out of his eponymous restaurant. modation for visiting trekkers. 4 Sleeping On single-day treks, the only equipment you need is a pair of good walking shoes. Kalaw has a generous spread of hotels and Meals are usually included in the price of guesthouses. Few offer air-conditioning – in the trek, but you should buy and carry your this climate they don’t need to – but some own drinking water. Trekking goes on year- offer heaters for the winter nights, when the round, but expect muddy conditions during temperature has been known to drop peril- the rainy season (approximately June to ously close to freezing. October). 4 In Town Trekking without a guide is not recom- mended – the trails are confusing, the ter- Seint Hotel HOTEL $ rain challenging and few people in the hills (%081-50696; www.seinthotelkalaw.com; Union Hwy speak English. The going rate for a day hike (NH4); r US$25-35; aW) Newish, decent-value
220 Pine Hill Resort HOTEL $$ hotel with large, well-kept, modern rooms, (%081-50079; www.myanmarpinehill.com; 151 most with balconies, and reasonable bath- Oo Min Rd; r & bungalows US$95-105; aW) Set rooms. Professional staff. around a colonial bungalow, this hotel con- Pine Breeze Hotel HOTEL $ sists of 32 comfortable rooms with proper (%081-50459; www.pinebreezehotel.com; 174 Thittaw St; r US$35-45; aW) Located just west showers in concrete duplex cottages sprawl- ing through immaculate gardens. ‘Deluxe’ E as te rn M ya n m a r IKEnaltleianLwga k e & A r o u nd of ‘downtown’ Kalaw, this baby-blue hilltop rooms tack on a safe, air-con and a bathtub. structure has four floors of comfortable, well-maintained rooms equipped with TV, To get here, follow Min St south, turning right at the second intersection, or hop on fridge, balcony and great views over the a motorcycle taxi (K1000) near the market. town. oRoyal Kalaw Hills Resort Eastern Paradise Hotel HOTEL $ HOTEL $$$ (%081-50851; www.royalkalawhillsresort.com; r (%081-50315; [email protected]; 5 Thi- US$150-380; aW) Kalaw’s swishest hotel. ri Min Ga Lar St; s/d/tr US$20/25/35; W) The rooms are old-fashioned, although reasona- There are only 14 immaculate rooms here (with the best bathrooms in Kalaw), all bly sized, and bathrooms a little basic, but housed in a beautifully converted colonial- the staff are amenable at this long-standing, quiet place and the central location is ideal. era, mock-Tudor mansion surrounded by an attractive garden. There’s a country-house feel to the place, with private dining and oDream Villa Hotel Kalaw HOTEL $$ sitting rooms, antiques and paintings, a (%081-50144; [email protected]; 5 Za Ti’ La St; r US$50; W) A cut above your hushed atmosphere and professional staff. There’s a spa here too. average Myanmar hotel, and the best mid- range option in Kalaw, the Dream Villa is a spotless, three-storey home with 24 tasteful, Amara Mountain Resort HOTEL $$$ (%081-50734; www.amaragroup.net/mountain; attractively decorated wood-panelled rooms 10/182 Thidar St; r US$173; W) Accommodation with a few local design touches. Efficient, English-speaking staff. here is based in two attractive mock-Tudor buildings in a hilltop garden, one built in 2002 and another a century previously, in Kalaw Heritage Hotel HOTEL $$ 1909. The 11 rooms are equally spacious (%081-50039; www.kalawheritagehotel.com; Uni- versity Rd; r US$75-120; aW) This new hotel and attractive regardless of age, with wood floors and lots of natural light, some boast- has rooms spread across three buildings, ing large bathtubs and fireplace, although two of which date back to 1903 and 1906. Rather more thought has gone into the de- no TV. The furnishings add to the neo- colonial vibe. The hotel is about half a mile sign here than in some other top-end My- west of Kalaw. anmar hotels, and the spacious, uncluttered rooms could be in a boutique city hotel, though the bathrooms are a little plain for 5 Eating the price. Kalaw has some decent places to eat, many 4 Outside of Town serving food with a distinctive Indian or Ne- pali flavour. Kalaw’s best and most atmospheric accom- modation is located outside of the city centre. oThu Maung Restaurant BURMESE $ (Myanmar Restaurant; %081-50207; Union Hwy (NH4); curries from K3500; h8am-9pm; E) Green Haven Hotel HOTEL $ Newly relocated to a bright green building (%081-50639; [email protected]; Shwe Oo Min Rd; r K35,000-60,000; iW) The 20 tidy, just past the post office, Thu Maung is one of our fave Burmese curry restaurants in this wood-panelled rooms here are housed in part of the country, serving up rich, meaty two imposing, two-storey white structures. The family rooms – cute bungalows – are the chicken, pork, mutton and fish curries cou- pled with exceptionally delicious dips, sides, best and biggest option. To get here, follow salads, pickles and trimmings. The tomato Min St south, turning right at the second intersection, or hop on a motorcycle taxi salad, made from crunchy green tomatoes, is a work of art. (K1000) near the market.
221 Everest Nepali Food Centre NEPALI $ speakeasy feel. If you haven’t had its trade- (Aung Chan Thar St; curries from K3500; mark rum sour (K2000), you haven’t been to h9.30am-9.30pm; nWE) Ever-popular, con- Kalaw. No beer served; just the hard stuff. vivial Nepali restaurant that serves up tasty curry spreads, complete with a good selec- Ma Hnin Si Cafe TEAHOUSE tion of side dishes. (Bu Tar St; tea & snacks from K300; h6am-8pm) There’s a tiny English-language sign here, but a better way of finding it is to look for Thiri Gay Har the crowd of locals sipping tea, accompa- E as te rn M ya n m a r DIKnarllienakLwiankge && NAirgohutnlidf e Restaurant INTERNATIONAL, BURMESE $ (Seven Sisters; Union Hwy (NH4); mains K2000- 4500; h10am-10pm; vE) Gentrified but rel- nied by plates of pakoda (vegetables fried in lentil-flour batter), other tasty deep-fried atively full-flavoured Burmese – as well as snacks and solid noodle dishes. Chinese, Indian, Western and a smattering of Shan dishes – are served at this cute cottage 7 Shopping restaurant that is geared towards foreigners. A couple of art galleries around the market Pyae Pyae Shan Noodle SHAN $ sell paintings of monks, hill peoples and (Union Hwy (NH4); noodles from K600, mains from mountain scenery. K1500; h6.30am-8pm; E) This cosy, friendly RDS Shop ARTS & CRAFTS shop sells delicious bowls of its namesake noodles, and has an English-language menu (http://ruraldevelopmentsociety.wordpress.com; Min St; h9am-6pm) Representing the com- of other one-plate dishes. mercial wing of the Rural Development 6 Drinking & Nightlife Society, this shop sells fabrics, clothing and handmade paper produced by local hill vil- oHi Snack & Drink lagers. Profits go towards development pro- BAR jects in surrounding Shan and Pa-O villages, (Kone Thai St; h5-11pm) That rare thing: a and the organisation also arranges treks genuine bar in a provincial Burmese town, Hi is the size of a closet and boasts a fun, that get good feedback. WALKING AROUND KALAW Although trekking in the hills around Kalaw without a guide is not recommended, there are some interesting and easy-to-find sights just outside town that can be tackled in the form of a self-guided, half-day walk. Starting at the market, head south on Min St, continuing to University St and turning southwest (right) at the roundabout-like junction (the park will be on your left). Follow- ing the hilly, pine-lined road, and veering left at the junction after the Pine Hill Resort, it should take 10 minutes or so to reach Christ the King Church (University Rd; hdaylight hours) F, an attractive, historic church dating back to the colonial era, which was run by the same Italian priest from 1931 to 2000. Return the way you came until you reach the intersection with Oo Min Rd. Turn left and continue about 10 minutes or so until you see a group of pagodas on your left; this is Shwe Oo Min Paya (ေရဥႊ မငဘ္ ုရား; Oo Min Rd; hdaylight hours) F, a natural cave dripping with golden Buddha statues (and also just dripping – watch your footing on the slippery marble pathways). After exploring the caves, continue along the road until you reach a T-junction. Turn right and follow the wooden signs with gold letters that lead you to Hnee Paya (ႏးီွ ဘုရား; Hnee Pagoda St; hdaylight hours) F, home to a 500-year-old, gold-lacquered bamboo Buddha. After paying your respects, backtrack along Hnee Pagoda St and turn left at the inter- section. Continue along Circular Rd (West) until you reach the T-junction; turn right on Saitta Thukha St and after about 10 minutes or so you’ll merge with Thidar St just behind Hsu Taung Pye Paya (ဆုေတာင္းျပညဘ့္ ုရား; Aung Tha Pyay St; hdaylight hours) F; it’s myriad stupas were restored from ruins using donations from visiting pilgrims.
222 KALAW TRANSPORT CONNECTIONS E as te rn M ya n m a r IKnaflloearLwma katei&o nA r o u nd DESTINATION MINIBUS PICK-UP TRAIN Aungban (for Pindaya) K1000; 40min; K200/K350 (ordinary/upper Heho (airport) K1000; minibus; 20min; frequent 7am-6pm class); 1hr; daily 11.30am Loikaw daily 7am, 7.30am & 8am N/A N/A Mandalay K3000; minibus; 3hr; daily N/A K1550 (ordinary class, no up- Meiktila 7.30am, 8am & 8.30am per class); 13hr; daily 7am Nay Pyi Taw N/A N/A Nyaung U (Bagan) K4500; minibus; 6hr; daily 5am K3000; 4-5hr; N/A Shwenyaung (for Inle frequent 7am-6pm Lake) K10,000; minibus; 7hr; N/A K1750/K3650 (ordinary/up- Taunggyi daily 9am & 10.30am. per class); 11hr; daily 12.49pm Thazi K10,000-12,000; bus; N/A N/A Yangon 7-8hr; frequent 8-10pm N/A K500/K1150 (ordinary/upper K5000; minibus; 4-5hr; class); 3hr; daily 11.30am frequent 7am-noon N/A N/A K10,000; bus; 7-8hr; K4000; 4hr; fre- K850/K1800 (ordinary/upper frequent 8.30-9pm quent 7am-6pm class); 7hr; daily 12.49pm N/A N/A K12,000; minibus; 7hr; daily 8.30am. K11,000; bus; 8hr; frequent 8-9pm K3000; minibus; 3hr; daily 7.30am, 8am & 8.30am K3000; minibus; 3hr; daily 7.30am, 8am & 8.30am K5000; minibus; 4hr; frequent 7am-noon K12,000-18,000; bus; 10-12hr; daily 9.30am, frequent 5-8pm 88 Information the morning minibus to Loikaw (Kone Thai St) departs from in front of Morning Star. KBZ Bank (Min St; h 9.30am-3pm) has an ATM that accepts international cards, and Kalaw’s train station is a stop on the slow, a currency-exchange counter (9am to 2pm winding line that links Thazi and Shwenyaung, Monday to Saturday). as well as the line that links Loikaw and Nay Pyi Taw. Note that trains are almost always delayed 88 Getting There & Away by hours. Several bus ticket offices (Union Hwy; NH4) Kalaw has no airport of its own, but flights across from the market, as well as English- are served via Heho, about 16 miles away. speaking Dev Singh at Sun Shine (% 09 3620 Taxis waiting at the airport charge K20,000 to 1202; Union Hwy (NH4); h7am-9pm), book seats Kalaw (1½ hours); a cheaper option is to hike on the long-distance buses between Taunggyi the near mile to the Union Hwy and wait for a and various destinations. Air-con buses, fan- westbound bus or pick-up, although you may cooled minivans and pick-ups to other destina- face a long wait. tions in and around Shan State also stop along this stretch of the Union Hwy (NH4), but it’s 88 Getting Around worth noting that fares for foreigners are some- times doubled. Kalaw is a compact town but motorcycle taxis at the corner of Kone Thai and Bu Tar Sts can run Local minibuses (Kone Thai St) bound for you to Hnee Paya or the Shwe Oo Min caves and Taunggyi depart every morning from a stop back for around K3000. behind the Aung Chang Tha Zedi; these buses can drop you off in Aungban (for Pindaya), Heho Bicycles can be rented at Naing Naing Hire (airport) or Shwenyaung (for Inle Lake). Nearby, Bike (% 09 5428 312265; [email protected]; Min St; per day from K3000; h 8.30am-5pm).
Thazi သာစည္ 223 POP C 20,560 / % 064 KYAINGTONG Thazi crops up on travellers’ itineraries solely & BORDER AREAS because of its location. The town marks the intersection of the Mandalay–Yangon rail East of Taunggyi, the landscape rucks up line and the railway line that runs through into great folds and is cloaked in dense Shan State, and is also where buses from forest and cut by rushing rivers. This is the E as te rn M ya n m a r TKGhyeattiznii ng gt oTnhge r&e B&oArwdaeyr A r e a s Yangon or Mandalay turn off the Yangon– heartland of the Golden Triangle, where the Mandalay Hwy towards Shan State and Inle production of illicit drugs – opium, hero- Lake. in and methamphetamines – continues to If you need to stay overnight, the Moon- flourish and where insurgent armies have Light Rest House (%064-69056, 09 222 5081; battled for their own states ever since My- Thazi-Taunggyi Hwy; r US$10-15; aW) is a basic, anmar gained its independence in 1948. though passable, option. Its cheapest rooms While some militias have signed ceasefire have shared bathrooms and fans only, and agreements with the government, parts of there is a friendly English-speaking owner the region are still locked in conflict. That, who is helpful when it comes to booking and a myriad of criminal activities, means onward bus tickets. There’s also a simple at- much of eastern Shan State remains subject tached restaurant. to government-imposed travel restrictions. 88 Getting There & Away Kyaingtong (Kengtung) က်ဴိင္းတုံ Thazi train station is about 300m north of the main road. Buses drop off and pick up passen- POP C 44,290 / % 084 gers along the highway near Moon-Light Rest House. For buses to Nyaung U (Bagan), take Set around an attractive lake, Kyaingtong is any bus to Mandalay or Nay Pyi Taw and change one of the most pleasant towns in Myanmar. there. To get a seat on one of the more com- In culture and appearance, Kyaingtong feels fortable express buses between Mandalay and closer to the hill towns of northern Thailand Taunggyi, you’ll need to make an advance reser- than other cities in Shan State. And where- vation – the staff at the Moon-Light can help. as most of Shan State is dominated by the Tai Lü and Tai Nuea peoples, Kyaingtong was once the capital of a Tai Khün kingdom THAZI TRANSPORT CONNECTIONS Destinations from Thazi include the following: DESTINATION BUS MINIBUS & PICK-UP TRAIN N/A K5000; 4hr; frequent K1150/K2250 (ordinary/upper class); Aungban (for 7am-11pm 7hr; daily 6am Pindaya) N/A K850/K1800 (ordinary/upper class); K5000; 5hr; frequent 6hr; daily 6am Kalaw 7am-11pm K2250 (ordinary class, no upper class); 18hr; daily 6am Loikaw N/A K8000-10,000; 10hr; K950/K1950 (ordinary/upper class); daily 5.30pm 3hr; daily 3am, 6am & 9pm Mandalay K5000; 3hr; fre- N/A Meiktila quent 11am-3pm K5000; 3hr; frequent 11am-3pm K900/K1750 (ordinary/upper class); N/A 4hr; daily 11am K1000; 30min; frequent K1500/K3000 (ordinary/upper class); Nay Pyi Taw K3000; 4hr; daily 4am-6pm 9hr; daily 6am 5pm & 6pm N/A Shwenyaung N/A N/A (for Inle Lake) K3700/7350 (ordinary/upper class); Taunggyi N/A K8000; 6hr; frequent 11-12hr; daily 9am, 6pm & 8pm 7am-11pm Yangon K10,000; 9-10hr; daily 5pm & 6pm K8000; 7hr; frequent 7am-11pm N/A
224 e#0 500 m 0 0.25 miles Kyaingtong (Kengtung) C D AB ÿ# 10 Naung Khum Rd 1 11 Mai Yan g RdKANABURI VILLAGE 11 1 E as te rn M ya n m a r GK yeattining gt oTnhge r&( KeBe&onrAgwdt uearny gA)r e a s 7 Ú# 11 11 12 15 ÿ# #ú D2 Yang Kon Rd AirporNKtahRuadnmg 14 ÿ# –# (1.2mi) 2 M ine Y 5 Ú# Hospital Rd Ú# 6 #æ 4 2 â#en Rd Wat Mausoleums Mahamuni of the Tai Immigration 3 9 ÿ# Ú# Khün Princes ï# Office 3 #ì KBZ Bank 4 19 ›# 21 Hospital Loi Mwe Rd Zay Tan #ú 16 î# #ú ›# (1.5mi) Kan R Gyi St 24 # #á Pa Laeng Loi Mwe Rd d ñ# Gate DTachileik-Ta unggyi Rd) TraKvyeailn#úsNÿ#1#y31a7n›##úR2d318 # Sunfar Ü# 3 Rd (Main Central Zaydankalay Rdÿ# 11 Market Kyainge Rd 8 Ú# 4 Naung æ# 1 22 ›# #þ Tachile ik Rd Yarng Lake Rd Zeigy o 20 ABC D Kyaingtong (Kengtung) 13 Sam Yweat Hotel .....................................B4 14 Sam Ywet Guest House ..........................D2 æ Top Sights ú Eating 1 Central Market ........................................ B4 15 Best Choice Restaurant .........................D2 16 Cafe Twenty One .....................................B3 æ Sights 17 Happy Cafe...............................................B4 2 Colony House .......................................... B3 18 Lod Htin Lu Restaurant ..........................C4 Cultural Museum .............................(see 8) 19 My Cup ......................................................B3 3 Immaculate Heart Cathedral ................ A4 þ Shopping 4 Nyaung Toung ......................................... A3 20 U Mu Ling Ta ............................................B4 Roman Catholic Mission .................(see 3) ï Transport 5 Wat In ....................................................... B2 21 Shared Taxis to Mong La & 6 Wat Jong Kham....................................... B3 7 Wat Yang Kon ...........................................C1 Tachileik.................................................C3 8 Yat Taw Mu .............................................. A4 22 Shwe Myo Taw Express ..........................B4 23 Thet Nay Win............................................C4 ÿ Sleeping 24 Yangon Airways .......................................B3 9 Amazing Kengtung Resort .................... B3 10 Harry's Trekking House .......................... A1 11 Princess Hotel ......................................... C4 12 Private Hotel............................................ D2 and the majority of its residents still belong lords, various ethnic armies and the Myan- to that ethnic group. Kyaingtong was long mar military, but the area is now peaceful. caught in the crossfire between rival drug The rugged terrain of eastern Shan State
225 contributes to a palpable sense of isolation: Yat Taw Mu BUDDHIST TEMPLE Kyaingtong is an outpost of development amid largely deforested mountains that (ရပ္ေတာ္မ;ူ off Tachileik-Taunggyi Rd (Main Rd); are home to Wa, Akha, Palaung and Lahu hdaylight hours) F Pointing dramatically villages where little has changed in centu- towards the mountains on a ridge overlook- ries. This means that hill treks are a major ing Nyaung Toung lake, the 60ft-high stand- attraction here. ing buddha statue known as Yat Taw Mu is probably the most distinctive landmark in 1 Sights Kyaingtong. Next to the statue is a dusty E as te rn M ya n m a r SKiygahintgs t o n g &( KBeonrgdt ue rn gA)r e a s Cultural Museum (US$2 or K2000; h10am- If there were any more Buddhist monas- 4pm Tue-Sun) with an emphasis on costumes, teries in Kyaingtong, people would have as well as some farming implements and nowhere left to live. The town’s 40-odd mon- other tribal objects, some inexplicably paint- asteries are called wat rather than kyaung, ed silver. and local monks wear both orange and red robes, reflecting Kyaingtong’s close cultural z Festivals & Events links to Thailand. Water Festival CULTURAL oCentral Market MARKET (hApr) Kyaingtong’s big Buddhist calendar event, when everyone gets a dousing, includ- (ၿမိဳ႕မေစ်း; Zeigyo Rd; h5am-3pm) Kyaingtong’s ing visitors. exotic central market is one of our favour- ites in Myanmar, and plays host to a diverse Chinese New Year CULTURAL mix of hill peoples, especially early in the (hJan/Feb) Kyaintong’s large Chinese com- munity celebrate the Chinese New Year in morning, displaying heaps of fresh and un- late January or early February with the usu- usual produce and delicious breakfast stalls (dishes from K500). You can also find Thai al firecracker-charged festivities. cosmetics and household products here and 4 Sleeping change money. The market is closed on full- moon days. The accommodation scene in Kyaingtong is fairly limited with just a few realistic places Nyaung Toung LAKE to stay. As is the case elsewhere in Myanmar, breakfast is included in the price. Electricity (ေညာငတ္ နး္ ; Kan Rd) The old British enclave can be scarce. Most places will accept pay- in Kyaingtong was centred on Nyaung Toung, ment in US dollars, kyat or Thai baht. a centrally located lake that is the most hap- pening part of town come nightfall, where locals flock to the surrounding restaurants. Several decaying colonial buildings perch by Sam Ywet Guest House GUESTHOUSE $ (%084-21643; Airport Rd; r US$10-20; W) You or close to the lake, including the handsome won’t hear much English, and it’s a trek Colony House (MineYen Rd). On the road lead- from downtown, but this is one of Kyaing- ing towards Taunggyi, the Roman Catholic tong’s few budget options. Big but basic, fan- Mission (ေရာမကကသ္ လစသ္ ာသနာျပဳစခနး္ ) cooled rooms with cold showers. and Immaculate Heart Cathedral have been providing an education for hill village orphans since colonial times. TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS Wat Jong Kham BUDDHIST TEMPLE ¨¨At research time, foreigners were (ဝတ္က်င္ခမ;္ off Mine Yen Rd; hdaylight hours) allowed to travel by road between F The gilded stupa of Wat Jong Kham Tachileik, Kyaingtong and Mong La, and rises majestically above the centre of town. by air between Kyaingtong and Tachileik Legend dates the wat to a visit by Gautama and the rest of Myanmar, but the 280 Buddha but a more likely date for the stupa miles of Union Hwy (NH4) between is the 13th-century Thai migration from Kyaingtong and Taunggyi are off-limits, Chiang Mai. as is the road from Inle Lake, unless you purchase a very expensive permit. Wat In BUDDHIST TEMPLE ¨¨If you crossed to this part of Myanmar (ဝတအ္ င္း; off Airport Rd; hdaylight hours) F by land without having obtained a visa Just north of Airport Rd, Wat In contains a in advance, there are a few caveats stunning collection of ancient gilded wood- (p232). en buddha images in all shapes, sizes and positions.
E as te rn M ya n m a r KSlyeaeinpigntgo n g &( KBeonrgdt ue rn gA)r e a s226 DAY TRIPS AROUND KYAINGTONG The hills outside of Kyaingtong are dotted with Lahu, Akha, Palaung, Loi, Lisu and Wa villages, as well as those of various Tai groups. Overnight stays are allowed, but you’ll need a guide and advance permission from the authorities in Kyaingtong. Recommend- ed guides include Freddie (Yot Kham; %09 4903 1934; [email protected]) and Paul (Sai Lon; %09 4903 0464, 084-22812); guide fees run from US$20 to US$25 per day. Transport and guides can be arranged at Princess Hotel (%084-21319; [email protected]; 21 Zaydankalay Rd; r US$50-60; aW) or Harry’s Trekking House. The most popular destination is Pin Tau, only 9 miles north of Kyaingtong, where it’s possible to visit the villages of several different ethnic groups in a single day. A round-trip taxi here will cost around US$35. Ho Kyim (ဟကုိ ငမ္ )္ , approximately 10 miles south of town, is home to several Loi, Akha and Lahu villages. A round-trip taxi here costs around US$40. The area surrounding the atmospheric Tai Khün village of Wan Sai (ဝမ္စုိင္း) is home to several worthwhile sights. From Wan Sai, where many residents still live in traditional wooden homes, it’s a brief walk to an Akha village, and another 30- to 40-minute walk to Ho Lang (ဟုလိ ်ွ မ္း), a hilltop En village. Along the same road, and with great views of the Tai Khün village of Wan Loi (ဝမလ္ ြိဳင)္ and the river valley, is That Jom Loi (သက္ဂ်နလ္ ြိဳင)္ , a hilltop temple. The area is a 45-minute drive east of Kyaingtong; a taxi to these destina- tions will run about US$40. Located a 40-minute drive northwest of Kyaingtong is the jumping-off point for Lahu Shi (လဟရူ ွးီ ), a remote Lahu village accessible only via an arduous three-hour uphill slog. Also north of town, off the road that leads to Mong La, Wan Nyek (ဝန္ညက)္ and Wan Saen are two villages where the Loi people still live in traditional longhouses. A taxi to either of these trailheads costs US$35. Loi-mwe (လဳိြ ငေ္ မ)ြ , 20 miles southeast of Kyaingtong, functioned as a second-tier hill station in the British era and you can still see a number of fading colonial buildings and a 100-year-old Catholic church. The main attraction, though, is the drive up here through a landscape of hills and terraced rice fields. A taxi here should cost around US$40. If you don’t have the time or funds for a trek, a good self-guided walk can be had along the former road to Mong La, now colloquially known as Yang Kon Rd. The area is home to several Shan families who earn a living by making pottery and khao sen (fer- mented rice noodles), the latter made by a laborious process of boiling, pounding and squeezing a dough of rice flour. Your walk terminates at Wat Yang Kon (ဝတ္ရန္ကင္း; Yang Kon Rd; hdaylight hours) F, known among locals for the decorative robes cover- ing the main buddha statue. Private Hotel HOTEL $ Harry’s Trekking House GUESTHOUSE $ (%084-21438; [email protected]; 5 (%084-21418; [email protected]; 132 AirportRd; rUS$39-42; aW) The bungalow-style Mai Yang Rd; r US$10-25; aW) It’s inconven- rooms here surround a tidy lawn and come iently located north of the town centre, but with small balconies. The bathrooms could Harry’s is a long-standing budget option and use some work, but the mattresses are new the affable owner is knowledgeable about and the eccentric owner makes every effort the surrounding area and can organise reli- to please. It’s a long hike, or short motorcycle able guides and transport, as well as renting taxi ride, from the centre of town. bikes and scooters. Rooms are plain and the mattresses are not the best. The more expen- Sam Yweat Hotel HOTEL $ sive rooms have air-con, while the cheapest (%084-21235; [email protected]; cnr Kyaing Lan 1 & Kyaing Lan 4 Rds; s/d US$30/35; are fan-cooled. aW) Centrally located Sam Yweat Hotel Amazing Kengtung Resort HOTEL $$ offers big, clean rooms, OK bathrooms and (%084-21620; www.amazingkyaingtongresort. friendly staff, as well as a handy free map of com; Mine Yen Rd; r US$69; aWs) Set in neatly Kyaingtong. landscaped grounds that once surround- ed the palace of Kyaingtong’s saopha, or sky prince (demolished in 1991 as revenge
7 Shopping 227 for Shan nationalist activity in the area), oU Mu Ling Ta HOMEWARES there are 108 sizeable and clean, if anony- mous, rooms here. All come with balconies (%084-22611; off Tachileik Rd; h8am-5pm) This and some have lake views. There’s a proper fifth-generation, family-run shop specialises swimming pool and an on-site restaurant. in lacquerware, from the ubiquitous, multi- Expect 15% discounts in low season. coloured Bagan style, to the striking, black Kyaingtong style. Pieces start at US$10 and 5 Eating are made on-site, so you can get a peek into E as te rn M ya n m a r EKMayotaniingngLtao n g & B o r d e r A r e a s the production process. The shop is locat- Nearly all of Kyaingtong’s restaurants serve ed at the top of an unmarked driveway on Chinese food as perceived through a Burmese Tachileik Rd – locals should be able to point lens and all shut by 9pm. Nyaung Toung Lake you in the right direction. is surrounded by restaurants that come alive in the evening, serving barbecue and claypot 88 Information noodle dishes, and stay open until 11pm. A couple of places in town serve the local take ATMs have arrived in Kyaingtong, with more being on classic Western dishes. installed at the time of research. You can also find/ exchange US dollars, Chinese yuan and Thai baht oMy Cup BURMESE $ with the money-changers at the central market (Nyaung Toung Lake; mains from K1800; h5-11pm; (p225). KBZ (Zay Tan Gyi St; h9am-3pm) also E) Something of a hotspot for young locals, has an ATM and money-changing facilities. who pack out the outside terrace (inside has Immigration Office (cnr Zay Tan Gyi St & Yang air-con) by Nyaung Toung Lake every night. Kon Rd; h24hr) Down an alley north of Pa It does its own take on Western food, but the Laeng Gate; issues permits for travel around Burmese and Shan salads, curries and soups Kyaingtong and to Mong La and Tachileik. are rather better. It’s also fine for an evening Sunfar Travels (% 084-21833; Kyain Nyan Rd; beer. h 8am-5pm) Sells tickets for all the private airlines. oCafe Twenty One CAFE $ (%084-21952; 19 Zay Tan Gyi St; mains from K1900; h7am-10pm; WE) Pleasant, friendly, 88 Getting There & Away chilled-out cafe with a small garden area out back. The big menu mixes Burmese, Chinese Shwe Myo Taw Express (% 084-23145; Tachileik and Western dishes and it does reasonable Rd) and Thet Nay Win (% 084-23424; Kyain dim sum (K800 per serving), but it’s equally Nyan Rd), with offices in town, run air-con buses good for a coffee or smoothie. to Tachileik, as do three other companies. Shared taxis bound for Tachileik and Mong La depart Happy Cafe TEAHOUSE $ when full from a forecourt (off Zay Tan Gyi St) (off Kyain Nyan Rd; tea from K300, noodles from just behind the Golden Banyan Restaurant. K600; h6am-6pm; W) Join the idlers, monks and newspaper-readers at this amenable Several airlines, including Air Bagan (www. teahouse with an outside area in the shade. airbagan.com), Air KBZ (www.airkbz.com) and It’s a good place to pick up a morning bowl Yangon Airways (% 084-22798, in Yangon of mohinga (noodle and fish sauce soup, 01-383 100; www.yangonair.com; 36 Zay Tan Gyi K600) or myishay (Shan noodle soup, St; h 9am-5pm) connect Kyaingtong and other K900). They have wi-fi too. destinations in northern Myanmar via a con- fusing, weblike flight map. Note that almost all Best Choice Restaurant CHINESE, BURMESE $ flights to and from Yangon and Mandalay are not (Airport Rd; mains from K3000; h10am-9pm; direct and involve one or two stops. Taxis charge E) This Chinese restaurant offers up tasty K5000 and thoun bein K3000 for the 2-mile trip Chinese-Burmese dishes, and has a cosy din- to/from Kyaingtong’s airport. ing room at the back and tables under an awning in the yard. Mong La မိုင္းလား POP C 20,745 / % (86) 691 Located on the Chinese border, Mong La lies within Myanmar, but is part of Special Re- Lod Htin Lu Restaurant CHINESE, BURMESE $ gion 4, a mostly autonomous area controlled (Kyainge Rd; mains from K2500; h10am-9pm; by the ethnic Shan National Democratic Alli- E) This long-standing restaurant offers ance Army (NDAA), which has long been ac- the most authentic take on Chinese food in cused of involvement in the illicit drug trade. Kyaingtong. Reliant on China for everything from the electricity supply to mobile-phone connections,
228 E as te rn M ya n m a r SKMiyoganhigntgsLtao n g & B o r d e r A r e a s to around 50 monks and offers fine views over Mong La feels more like a town in neigh- Mong La and towards China. Inside, you’ll bouring Yúnnán Province than anywhere in find an immense Buddha statue and diora- Myanmar. Chinese is the lingua franca here – mas of famous religious sites across Myanmar. don’t expect to hear any English – and the Chinese yuan (¥) is the local currency. Almost 2 Activities all visitors are from across the border, drawn to Mong La by its dubious reputation for wild There’s huge potential for trekking among nightlife. Gambling and prostitution are the various ethnic groups outside Mong La, but main recreational activities, but Mong La is for now visitors are not encouraged to ven- also notorious for the smuggling and selling ture far out of town. of endangered animal species, as well as for being a key node on the people-trafficking Destinations outside of Mong La include route from China to Thailand. Mong Puen (မနု ပ္ ူအမ)္ , a Tai Lü village a 30-minute drive east of Mong La where 1 Sights there’s a crumbling old Buddhist temple and where most of the 69 families live in tradi- Most Chinese visitors come to Mong La to gam- tional wooden houses; Wat Nong Luang ble, although all the big casinos have moved (ဝတေ္ နာင္လ်န)္ , an old Buddhist temple to Wan Siw, a village 10 miles southwest of accessible only via a rough four-hour drive; Mong La. Minivans and cars with individual and Nam Yi (နမရ္ )ိ , a village home to a large casino logos on them cruise around town and Buddha image. A car and driver to most offer free transport to Wan Siw, although you destinations around Mong La should cost might have to wait a while for a ride back. around Y400 to Y500 per day. The casinos aren’t foreigner-friendly, featur- ing games that most Westerners aren’t famil- 4 Sleeping & Eating iar with, while some also require gamblers to exchange a certain amount of money (usually Mong La has many hotels, with more being around US$50) into non-refundable chips built at the time of research; the most con- upon entry. Photography is not permitted in venient are clustered around the central mar- the casinos, and the security guards don’t wel- ket. Most places are Chinese-style and more come Westerners, while the people involved comfortable, if smoky, than Burmese hotels in the wildlife trade can get aggressive if you in the same price range. Ignore listed prices: try and take photos. you should be able to get an OK room here for Y150. Very few hotels offer wi-fi, though. Perhaps Mong La’s most infamous sight is its big and bustling central market, a There’s good and authentic Chinese food known hotspot for wildlife trafficking. You’ll in Mong La, especially Yúnnán and Sìchuān find retailers selling animal parts in the dishes, thanks to the profusion of restau- northeast corner of the market. rants run by Chinese immigrants. They can be found in and around the market. At Museum in Commemoration of night, many open-air barbecue places get Opium-Free in Special Region 4 MUSEUM going and stay busy until the early hours. (ဘိ နး္ စုိ က္ ပ်ဳိ းေ ရး က ငး္ စ င္ ရာ အ ထးူ ေ ဒ သ - ၄အထမိ း္ အမတွ ျ္ ပတကုိ ;္ h24hr) F In 1997, Kai Xuan Hotel HOTEL $ Mong La’s ethnic militia ruler declared the re- (%( + 86) 691-556 9111; r Y220-240; a) This gion ‘drug-free’, and this surreal, temple-like hotel offers decent-sized rooms with com- museum was opened with much fanfare in a not very convincing attempt to prove that. TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS Dusty, neglected, and staff-free, the museum doesn’t appear to have been touched since ¨¨At research time, non-Chinese then. In addition to photos, maps and drug travellers were not allowed to cross to/ paraphernalia, you’ll find creepy life-sized from China at Mong La. dioramas: one shows long-haired, jeans- and leather jacket–wearing Myanmar youth tak- ¨¨If you arrived in Myanmar via land at ing heroin, before being reformed into short- Tachileik and left your passport at the haired, longyi-clad respectable citizens. border, a guide and permits are required to visit Mong La. If you haven’t already That Luang Mong La BUDDHIST TEMPLE arrived with a guide from Kyaingtong or elsewhere, you’ll be required to hire one (သကေ္ လာငး္ မငုိ း္ လား; hdaylight hours) F in Mong La for Y100 per day. This attractive, golden hilltop temple is home
fortable beds and modern bathrooms, al- 229E as te rn M ya n m a r TKI naafcyoahrhilmSeatitkaitoen though they can be smoky, so check them able, but accommodation on the Thai side is first. Regular discounts bring prices down better in every respect; the Khanthongkham to Y150. There’s no English-language sign: Hotel, near the border post in Mae Sai, is look for the orange building on the corner recommended. Hotels in Tachileik prefer opposite the northwest corner of the cen- payment in Thai baht, but most places will tral market. Like most hotels in Mong La, it accept US dollars as well. doesn’t offer wi-fi. 88 Information 88 Information There are a number of ATMs in Tachileik that Chinese yuan is the currency in Mong La; change accept foreign cards. If you want to exchange in advance at Kyaingtong’s central market. You Thai baht or US dollars for Myanmar kyat, mon- can also change money at Mong La’s central eychangers congregate close to the border: the market. motorcycle taxi drivers who wait for travellers crossing from Thailand will point you in the right 88 Getting There & Around direction. Mong La’s bus station, known locally by the 88 Getting There & Away Chinese word chēzhàn, is a forecourt opposite a PTT gas station about a mile west of town. There are five ‘bus stations’ in Tachileik, each Shared taxis make the run to Kyaingtong one for the five different companies offering (K13,000/11,000 front/back seat, 2½ hours, buses to Kyaingtong. Each company has a cou- from 7am) along a reasonable road when they ple of daily buses to Kyaingtong (K10,000, four have enough passengers. Get here in the early to five hours), at 8.30am and 11.30am or noon. morning if you want to avoid a long wait for a ride. The bus stations are a K1500/50B motorcycle taxi ride from the border. Shared taxis to Kyaing- Most of Mong La’s sights can be reached tong (K12,000 to 15,000, three to four hours, by motorcycle taxi. Many drivers congregate frequent 6am to noon) can also be found at the around the market and charge Y40 for a round bus stations. trip to the sights. If you want to hire a car and driver, ask at your hotel or Shwe Lin Star Air Bagan (www.airbagan.com), Air KBZ Tourism (% (+86) 691-556 9331; shwelinstar@ (www.airkbz.com) and Yangon Airways (www. hotmail.com; h7.30am-3pm). Prices start at yangonair.com) fly to/from Tachileik’s airport, Y400 per day. as do other airlines, located a couple of miles east of town. Tachileik တာခ်ီလိတ္ DESTINATION AIR POP C 51,550 / % 084 Heho from US$127; 1hr; Mon, Tue, Fri Sitting opposite the Thai border town of Kyaingtong & Sat Mae Sai, Tachileik is a hectic, dusty fron- tier city. Crossing from Thailand, you’ll be Mandalay from US$69; 20min; Wed, Fri struck immediately by the difference in de- & Sun velopment between Tachileik and Mae Sai. Yangon Tachileik, though, is much more prosperous from US$135; 1½hr; Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun from US$153; 2½hr; daily than most Burmese towns of an equivalent size, thanks to it location on the Myanmar– Thai border and the subsequent trade in all manner of legal and illicit items. KAYAH STATE There is no reason to stay in Tachileik; for ကယားျပည္နယ္ travellers, the town is a transit point only. If you’re coming from Thailand and looking to Tiny Kayah State – Myanmar’s smallest – travel onto Kyaingtong, be sure to cross the is where you can really step off the tourist border early in the morning: the last bus to trail and experience the astonishing diversi- Kyaingtong leaves at noon. ty of a country that has no fewer than 135 official ethnic groups. Kayah is home to a 4 Sleeping disproportionate number of Myanmar’s mi- norities, including the Yinbaw, Bre, Kayin If you’re stuck overnight in Tachileik, there (Karen), the eponymous Kayah (Karenni or are a number of hotels close to the border Red Karen), and perhaps most famously, the crossing. Riverside Hotel (%084-51161; 215 ‘longneck’ Kayan (also known as Padaung). U Aung Zay Ya St; r 700-900B; aW) is accept-
E as te rn M ya n m a r LKGoae iytkataihwnSgtTaht e r e & Away230 Loikaw Wedged between Shan State to north and POP C 51,350 / % 083 west, Kayin State to the west and south, and Thailand to the east, Kayah State was long The capital of Kayah State, Loikaw closed to independent foreign travellers. (လြိဳငေ္ ကာ)္ is a low-key, low-rise town on the Even now, few foreigners make it down here Pilu River, dominated by the hilltop pagoda and visitors are restricted to the capital Loi- of Taung Kwe Zayde. Loikaw’s tidy streets kaw and Deemawsoe Township, to the south- are fine for walking, but the city is really a east of Loikaw. But with more of the state base for venturing out into the surrounding expected to open up in the near future and countryside and villages, where relatively many potential trekking routes in the region, few foreigners have been. friendly Kayah is set for a tourist boom. GETTING TO THAILAND: TACHILEIK TO MAE SAI Tachileik is one of Myanmar’s ‘open’ land borders for foreign visitors, and it is now pos- sible to enter/exit Myanmar here with an e-visa. But there are a few caveats, and it is possible the following information may change, so be sure to check the situation locally before you travel. Getting to the border The border is a short walk from ‘downtown’ Tachileik, or 1.2 miles and a K1500/50B motorcycle taxi ride from the town’s five different bus stations. At the border If you’ve arrived in Kyaingtong or Tachileik via air from elsewhere in My- anmar, you can freely exit the country at Tachileik. The Myanmar border post is open from 6am to 6pm, and upon crossing to Thailand, the Thai authorities will issue you permission to stay in Thailand for up to 15 days, or 30 days if you have a passport from one of the G7 countries. You can also enter with a Thai visa obtained overseas. Likewise, if you’re crossing from Thailand and have already procured a Myanmar visa, you’ll be allowed to proceed to Kyaingtong and/or Mong La, or by air to other destinations in Myanmar. If you’re approaching from Thailand and haven’t already obtained a Myanmar visa, it’s relatively straightforward to cross to Tachileik for the day and slightly more complicated to get a two-week visa and permission to visit Kyaingtong and/or Mong La. The Thai immigration office (%05 373 1008) is open from 6.30am to 6.30pm. After taking care of the usual formalities, cross the bridge and head to the Myanmar immigra- tion office. There, you must pay a fee of 500B and your picture is taken for a temporary ID card that allows you to stay in town for the day; your passport will be kept at the office. If you’d like to visit Kyaingtong and/or Mong La, proceed directly to the MTT office. There, you’ll need to inform the authorities exactly where you’re headed, and you’ll need three photos and US$10 or 500B to process a border pass valid for 14 days; your passport will be kept at the border during this time, and you’re expected to exit Myan- mar at Tachileik. It’s also obligatory to hire a guide for the duration of your stay. Guides cost 1000B per day. If you haven’t already arranged for a Kyaingtong-based guide to meet you at the border, you’ll be assigned one by MTT and will also have to pay for your guide’s food and accommodation during the duration of your stay. Recommended Kyaingtong-based guides include Freddie (Yot Kham; %09 4903 1934; yotkham@gmail. com) and Paul (Sai Lon; %09 4903 0464, 084-22812). Note that if you’re crossing this way, advance permission from MTT is required to visit other destinations in Myanmar. Moving on Mae Sai’s bus station is 1 mile from the border; pick-ups ply the route between the bus station and Soi 2, Th Phahonyothin (15B, five minutes, from 6am to 9pm). Alternatively, it’s a 50B motorcycle taxi ride to/from the stand at the corner of Th Phahonyothin and Soi 4. From Mae Sai, major bus destinations include Bangkok (673B to 943B, 12 hours, frequent from 4pm to 5.45pm), Chiang Mai (182B to 364B, five hours, nine departures from 6.15am to 4.30pm) and Chiang Rai (39B to 69B, 1½ hours, fre- quent from 5.45am to 6pm). For further information, head to shop.lonelyplanet.com to purchase a downloadable PDF of the Northern Thailand section of Lonely Planet’s Thailand guide. There is no direct transport to Mong La from Tachileik.
231 Loikaw e# 0 500 m A 0 0.25 miles Hotel Loikaw (900m); B DD Kayah Cultural Christ the King Dor Sor Bee Museum (0.9mi) (1.6mi) 1 Cathedral (500m) 66C Naung #– (900m); ›# (1.1mi) Ya D D D 1 Thiri Rd Myo Nan E as te rn M ya n m a r LKSioagiyhkaathwsStat eÚ#66 9 St Paya NH5 aung Rd Shwe Taung Rd # Monument #ú 8 22 Naÿ#t T4hying N Afternoon Pilu River Market # ú# ú# 5 7 33 ÿ# 3 Kant Kaw Rd #ú 6 Hawkyi Rd 2 Ú# 664 KBZ Bank #ì Kwe Taung 1 Ú# NH5 # Zayde Poke Ú# Hpayone Morning 4 Market Paya AB 66£# 1 Sights CD oTaung Kwe Zayde BUDDHIST TEMPLE Loikaw (ေတာင္ကြဲေစတ;ီ NH5; camera fee K500; hday- æ Top Sights light hours) Virtually rocketing from the land- 1 Taung Kwe Zayde ................................B4 scape is this explosion of craggy limestone and white and gold stupas. The mountain- æ Sights top Buddhist temple compound is Kayah 2 Thiri Mingalarpon Kyaung...................A3 State’s most famous sight, and the loi kaw (Shan for ‘island of mountains’) are allegedly ÿ Sleeping the origin of the town’s name. Even if you’re 3 Min Ma Haw..........................................A3 templed out, the wacky Buddhist Disney- 4 Nan Ayar Inn ........................................B2 land vibe is fun, and the views of the town and countryside really are breathtaking. ú Eating 5 Breakfast Stalls ...................................C3 Thiri Mingalarpon Kyaung BUDDHIST TEMPLE 6 Mingala Hin Htoke ...............................B3 (သရီ မိ ဂလၤ ာပေံု က်ာငး္ ; Hawkyi Rd; admission by 7 Pho Kwar ..............................................A3 donation; hdaylight hours) Dating back to 1912, 8 Shan Noodle Shop...............................C2 this attractive monastery formerly served as the palace of Kayah’s saopha (sky princes) un- Had they not done this, the government, at til 1959. After the last saopha passed away in that time keen to do away with symbols of 1987, his children donated the then decaying Kayah identity, would probably have allowed structure to a local Buddhist organisation. the building to fall into disrepair.
232 E as te rn M ya n m a r SKLloaeiykeaaphwinStgat e AROUND LOIKAW The area around Loikaw is slowly opening up to visitors, although overnight stays outside Loikaw are still not permitted. At the time of research, Deemawsoe Township, a region 1½ hours south of Loikaw, was mostly open, but for other areas within a day’s drive of Loi- kaw permission from either the local authorities or MTT in Yangon is needed. Loikaw Travel Infos (p233) can arrange permits with the local government for visits to Pah Pae (ပကပ္ ယ္), the closest ‘remote’ area to Loikaw. Pah Pae is home to five Kayan (Padaung or ‘longneck’) villages, including Rangkhu (ရနက္ ;ု donation K10,000), thought to be the largest Kayan village in Kayah State. They can also get permits for Tawtama- gyi (ေတာတ္ မၾကးီ ), another Kayan village in Deemawsoe Township, Htay Ko (ေဌးကို), a traditional hill-peoples’ area in Pruso Township, southwest of Loikaw, and Eisan (အဆိ န)္ , a Lisu village in Deemawsoe Township. Note that it takes five days to get permits for the above, so email Loikaw Travel Infos ahead of your visit. They can also arrange transport and the guide you’ll need if you want to talk to the villagers. For anything further afield, you’ll need to speak to MTT in Yangon. Dor Sor Bee (ေဒါေစာပ္ းီ ) Dor Sor Bee, just east of Loikaw, is home to several Kayah animist shrines. The towering logs, whitewashed and topped with decorations meant to symbolise the sun and moon, are gathering points during the Kayah New Year in April. Pataing Hnyin (ပငတ္ ုိငး္ ညွငး္ ) The distinctive tiger-striped head scarves worn by Pa-O women can be spotted as you travel south from Shan State to Kayah State, but you’ll see them all over this quiet Pa-O village. It is the most-visited destination in the area around Loikaw but still sees few foreigners. A trip, combining visits to a few other sights, will run around US$90. Keinari Keinara (ကိႏၷရီ ကႏိ ရၷ ာ; h8am-5pm) This family-run business makes Kayah tex- tiles on traditional looms. It’s east of Loikaw and can be combined with a visit to Pataing Hnyin and Dor Sor Bee. Christ the King Cathedral CHURCH are mostly located a 20-minute walk from the town centre. (Thiri Daw Rd; hdaylight hours) F Kayah State has long been the stomping ground of Roman Catholic missionaries and is home Kan Thar Yar Hotel HOTEL $ (%083-22344; [email protected]; 376 U to many churches. Christ the King was built Ni St; r US$35-45; aW) This new-ish hotel has in 1939 – making it Kayah’s oldest-surviving church – and features an intriguing blend of bright and big, clean and comfortable rooms with modern bathrooms. Some rooms have traditional European church architecture and river views. This is the best midrange op- local Buddhist styles, including an attractive bell tower with a bell brought from Italy. Mass tion, barring its location: a 20-minute walk north from the ‘centre’ of Loikaw, close to is normally held in a larger adjacent building the Kayah Cultural Museum. Not much Eng- in Burmese, English, Kayan and Latin. lish spoken. Kayah Cultural Museum MUSEUM Nan Ayar Inn GUESTHOUSE $ (ကယားယဥေ္ က်းမျႈ ပတကုိ ;္ off NH5; K5000; (%083-21306; 112-A Nat Thying Naung Rd; r h10am-3.30pm Tue-Sun) Like most of Myan- mar’s regional museums, this oversized hall US$15-25; aW) An acceptable budget op- tion, this friendly guesthouse close to the is home to a disproportionately scanty selec- river has simple, old-school rooms with tion of dusty local relics and the usual display of mannequins wearing ethnic costumes. small bathrooms. Cheaper ones are fan-only. Free bicycles are offered, but only when they English-language captions are in short supply. are in working order (which wasn’t the case 4 Sleeping when we visited). Loikaw has few accommodation options but Min Ma Haw GUESTHOUSE $ they do include budget, midrange and top- (%083-21451; [email protected]; 120 Kant end options. Note that Loikaw is a spread- Kaw Rd; r US$15-40; aW) The ‘economy’ out town and that the more expensive places rooms here are cubicle-like, have fans only
and share bathrooms. The more expensive 233 ones are a big improvement: spacious, com- erside beer garden is one of the few places fortable and quiet, if a little old-fashioned. that stays open after 9pm. There’s an English Good location in the centre of town and the menu of classic Chinese-Burmese dishes and staff speak some English. a shaded terrace to drink and eat on. It’s locat- ed just before the bridge over the Pilu River. oKayah Resort HOTEL $$ Shan Noodle Shop SHAN $ (NH5; dishes from K500; h6am-8pm) A friendly (%083-21374; www.kayahresort.com; 6 U Khun Li Shan family put together tasty bowls of shàn E as te rn M ya n m a r EKL oatiykianahgwStat e St; r US$99-119,f US$249; Wsc) Proud posses- sor of the only hotel swimming pool in Loi- k’auq-swèh, Shan noodle soup. The shop is located just south off a corner of NH5, a kaw, this new place is not really a resort but block south of the town’s central white mon- does have the swankiest, most comfortable rooms in town, as well as its own restaurant ument; look for the large tree (no roman- script sign). and efficient English-speaking staff. All the rooms are big, but the family rooms are like mini-houses with two bedrooms and a huge 88 Information kitchen/living area. It’s north of downtown. You can exchange money at KBZ Bank (off NH5; Hotel Loikaw HOTEL $$ h 9.30am-3pm), which also has an ATM. (%083-22946; www.hotelloikaw.com; 9th St; r Loikaw Travel Infos (% 09 4927 8443, 09 US$70-80; aW) This quiet riverside hotel is 42800 1621; [email protected]) a long walk north of ‘downtown’ Loikaw and Loikaw natives Htay Aung and Win Naing are sports a compound of bungalows that house the go-to guys for everything Kayah State 25 comparatively plain (but large) rooms. travel-r elated. They lead tours of the city and Bathrooms are smaller and could do with state (per day US$35) and can arrange cars some TLC. The ‘new’ five-storey annexe has (per day from US$50) and the permission now been under construction for three years. necessary to visit areas outside of Loikaw. 5 Eating 88 Getting There & Away A few worthwhile restaurants can be found Loikaw’s bus station (NH5) is located about in Loikaw. For a tasty budget breakfast, head 1.5 miles north of the centre of town on NH5; to the knot of noodle stalls and teashops a thoun bein to/from here costs K1500, a taxi (Shwe Taung Rd; mains from K500; h6am-3pm) K2000. off Shwe Taung Rd. Loikaw’s train station is southeast of the oShwe Let Yar BURMESE $ centre of town, and is the terminus for a line that (%083-22528; Kandayawaddy Rd; curries from runs to Nay Pyi Taw via Shwenyaung (for Inle K3000; h11am-9pm) A couple of miles west of Lake), Kalaw and Thazi. Trains to and from here the ‘centre’ of Loikaw, Shwe Let Yar is con- are exceedingly slow, even by the tortoise-like sidered to be Loikaw’s best curry restaurant; standards of Myanmar Railways. You’re better check out the photos of visiting Myanmar off taking the bus. celebs. Ask for the curry of the day and don’t be afraid to try the delicious balachaung, a A daily ferry runs to Nyaungshwe (for Inle Lake) spicy dip. Note there’s no roman-script sign. in Shan State (K10,000, eight hours, 9am) from Phe Khon, an hour north of Loikaw. Note that the Mingala Hin Htoke BURMESE $ ferry runs only if it has enough passengers (10 (Kant Kaw Rd; dishes from K500; h9am-6pm) Lo- normally) and that it’s an uncomfortable ride ex- cals come here in their droves for hìn t’ouq, posed to the elements. You’ll need also to pay the an Intha dish of steamed banana-leaf pack- K12,500 Inle Lake admission fee. To get to Phe ets of rice with pork or chicken. Also does Khon, catch any bus heading north from Loikaw. noodles, good local sausage and addictive deep-fried meatballs. Look for the tiny blue A more relaxing way of reaching Inle Lake sign (no roman script). by water is to charter your own boat from Phe Khon, which makes the journey less crowded Pho Kwar CHINESE, BURMESE $ and enables you to stop for sightseeing or a (Thiri Rd; mains from K3500; h10am-10pm; E) break. The guys at Loikaw Travel Infos can Loikaw is not a late-night town and this riv- arrange a boat, which costs US$120 and takes about six hours. Loikaw Airport (NH5) is just north of town. Myanmar National Airlines (% 083-21014, in Yangon 01-246 452; www.flymna.com; NH5) has four flights weekly to/from Yangon (US$93).
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd # Mandalay & Around Includes Why Go? Mandalay. . . . . . . . . . . 236 The Mandalay region is the major population centre of Up- Amarapura. . . . . . . . . .261 per Burma, itself the cradle of Burmese arts, culture and civi- Inwa (Ava). . . . . . . . . . 263 lisation. Where Yangon is a diverse microcosm of the nation, Sagaing . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Mandalay – for all its traffic and construction – remains an Mingun. . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 urban expression of Burmese ethnic identity, as seen in local Paleik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 dance shows, puppetry and crafts shops. And that identity is realised not just via considerable cultural capital, but prox- Best Places to Eat imity to a host of historical and religious sites. Places such as Inwa and Sagaing offer a green, rural escape from urban ¨¨Aye Myit Tar (p252) congestion, plus access to some of the nation’s most evoca- ¨¨Shan Ma Ma (p252) tive religious sites and archaeological ruins. ¨¨Pan Cherry (p252) ¨¨Super 81 (p252) And one of the world’s biggest bells, its longest teak foot ¨¨Ko’s Kitchen (p251) bridge and an enormous, failed monument to royal hubris are just around the corner. Throw in Upper Burmese cuisine, Best Places to friendly locals and sunsets over the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) Sleep River, and you have a region worthy of careful exploration. ¨¨Rupar Mandalar (p250) When to Go Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨Peacock Lodge (p246) 12/300 ¨¨Hotel by the Red Canal Mandalay (p248) ¨¨Shwe Ingyinn Hotel (p249) °C/°F Temp ¨¨Hotel 8 (p249) 40/104 30/86 8/200 20/68 4/100 10/50 0/32 MAM J 0 JF J ASOND Nov–Feb Peak Apr–Sep Extreme Oct & Mar Budget tourist season: heat gives way hotels quieter; days hot but to serious mid- AC is still useful bearable, evenings summer rain; and rain is still mild and occa- expect widespread possible. sionally chilly. closures during Thingyan festival.
See Mingun Taungbyone 235 Map (p269) D Mingun #3 Paya andala e# iver0 Mingun 0 NH1 St 5 km 78th St 2.5 miles 62nd St 66Shweta See Royal Mandalay Chaung Map (p238) D TaungSThawrneÿ#14t8h8Stth St Ye Htwe 666 DSAeeyeCyeanrwtraaMdlyaMpRa(npdR2aL4olKaa2yEBaky)ameniSLln#ûdpaha8kKeCww4#rey5taogSeharrytvuI#ûoiennn#æresg#MP6aayh›GDP#a#aM7oiomMsBMualtMdunuanaØ#rs-iidrandnciSaBOnieot(tl#adýrrKnaa8isleawltyeo'inloteoaPTWWt#ýtnanSyhaeiilineennsnÿ#i-gSkK3ta5Y1ÿ#noÿ#MR9)eutahYpHnMao3oSdare0tatnetlLhadlGVaSarSyiwhtllwaaeggeDePghyayimTi mha#æarMHY(a1ani.l7ndlmkailian) Railway Line to M a n da l ay & A ro u n d M a n d a l ay & A r o u n d H i g h l i g hts Shwebo, Myitkyina Kaunghmudhaw lay-Pyin Oo Paya (1.2mi); Monywa (65mi) D D See Amarapura DLwin Rd Map (p262) Amarapura Pyin Oo Lwin (32mi) 6#Ú4 Tilawkaguru 6U-Bein Shin Pin #Ú#2 Bridge Nan Kain #1 Orient Taungthaman See Sagaing f# Express Lake Map (p267) Sinkyone JaWdeeraPwagsoadnaaÚ# y Hwy Ú# Golden Tooth Fortress Pagoda ä# See Inwa Yan go nM Map (p265) Myanma Nwe Sin#þ Hantharwaddy Village Tadu-U Paleik Village Ú# Pinya Stupa Ruins #– (5mi); D Kyaukse (11mi); Yangon (340mi) Yangon (340mi) Mandalay & Around Highlights 1 U-Bein Bridge (p261) 4 Tilawkaguru (p268) face of the country’s most Watching sunrise or sunset Exploring the ruins and famous buddha image. from the world’s longest teak painted frescoes of 7 Gold-Pounders’ District bridge in Amarapura. Tilawkaguru. (p240) Discovering the wealth of crafts being made, including 2 Shin Pin Nan Kain 5 Shwe In Bin Kyaung edible sheets of gold leaf, in the (p268) Surveying Sagaing’s (p241) Pottering around Gold-Pounders’ District. monastery-dappled green hills Mandalay’s lesser-known 8 Mandalay Marionettes and endless gilded pagodas. beautiful teak monastery. (p255) Witnessing a lovely duet of expert royal ballet performed 3 Mingun Paya (p269) 6 Mahamuni Paya (p241) by puppets. Pondering this king-sized Arriving by 4am at Mahamuni unfinished stupa. Paya as attendants wash the
M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS iaAgNnhDdtAaslL AayY236 there is a split between generations-deep Chinese-Burmese and those Chinese who ar- History rived in the last few years, in Mandalay there is an additional middle group: Chinese who Which Capital When have spent time acclimatising to Burmese According to Myanmar myths, the Buddha culture, but still have family in China. himself visited Mandalay Hill and, in an ear- lier incarnation, had scuttled up the riverside The nationalistic 969 movement, which bluff Shwe-kyet-kya in the guise of a chicken. has been criticised internationally for its In less legendary epochs, the Mandalay re- anti-Islamic and racist rhetoric, is based gion hosted several of Burma’s post-Bagan in Mandalay. In July 2014, 969 leader Ash- capitals. New kings often sought to create a in Wirathu shared a social-media post that legacy by founding a new capital, transport- accused Muslim men of raping a Burmese ing whole buildings with them, leaving few Buddhist woman. In the subsequent riots, remains at older sites. The longest-lasting of two men were killed and local mosques and these capitals was Inwa, known to Europe- Muslim businesses were looted and burned. ans as Ava. Mandalay itself only took shape as a city from 1857 and its brief, if momen- tous, period as a tailor-made capital city last- ed less than 25 years from 1861. CAPITAL FROM… MANDALAY မႏေၱ လး Inwa (Ava) 1364 Taungoo 1555 POP C 1,200,000 / % 02 / ELEVATION 244FT Inwa (Ava) 1636 Shwebo (then called Mokesbo) 1752 It’s the rare traveller who immediately falls Sagaing 1760 for Mandalay. Take every cliché you have of Inwa (Ava) 1764 a busy, haphazardly expanding Asian me- Amarapura 1783 tropolis and then confirm it: Myanmar’s Inwa (Ava) 1823 second-largest city has many things – con- Amarapura (after the 1838 earthquake) 1841 crete buildings, traffic, smog, a level of honk- Mandalay 1861 ing that could give a Vietnamese city a run for its money – but beyond a functional grid, it doesn’t have a ton of immediate appeal. Peer past the surface and you’ll find deep reservoirs of Bamar culture, which manifest in countless monasteries, pagodas, work- shops and teahouses. As the citizens of this Colonial Times nation revel in their new freedom, Manda- Despite powerful fortress walls that enclosed lay becomes a loudspeaker for their hopes, the gigantic royal city, the British had little dreams, disappointments and desires. If trouble ejecting Mandalay’s elite from their Yangon’s nouveau riche dream of the stars, teak houses in 1885. They deported King in Mandalay, they’re more concerned with Thibaw and demolished part of the original building a new nation from the ground up. city to create a parade ground, turning the centrepiece palace complex into a governor’s 1 Sights residence and club. Much later, during fierce WWII fighting in March 1945, the palace was Several of Mandalay’s top attractions are ravaged by fire, leaving nothing of the origi- covered by a K10,000 Archaeological Zone nal. New Mandalay grew outside the original (‘combo’) ticket valid for one week from first walls into the vast concrete grid city you see purchase. Currently the ticket is checked today. The area within the walls was left as (and sold) at Mandalay Palace, Shwenandaw a vast tree-shaded army camp. It remains a Kyaung and two sites at Inwa (Ava). strange military-controlled dead zone, out of bounds to foreigners apart from the central 1 Royal Mandalay palace, which was completely rebuilt in the late 1990s, reputedly using forced labour. oMandalay Hill LANDMARK Mandalay Today Since the ’90s, Mandalay has been a mag- (မႏေၱ လးေတာင;္ Map p238; camera fee K1000) To net for Chinese migrants, many of whom get a sense of Mandalay’s pancake-flat sprawl, have roots in Yunnan Province. This creates climb the 760ft hill that breaks it. The walk an interesting wrinkle in the local Chinese up covered stairways on the hill’s southern population. Whereas in much of Myanmar, slope is a major part of the experience; note that you’ll need to go barefoot in places as you pass through numerous temples and pago-
237 das. The climb takes a good 30 minutes, but Wear shoes for these stairways and, near the M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS iaAgNnhDdtAaslL AayY much longer if you allow for stops en route. top of the south route, be prepared to clam- The summit viewpoint is especially popular ber across and between a trio of pipes. at sunset when young monks converge on foreigners for language practice. ¨¨Vehicles It’s possible to drive most of the way up ¨¨South Routes There are two southern stairways. The most Mandalay Hill. From the upper car park both obvious starts between two giant chinthe a lift and an escalator tower should whisk (half-lion, half-dragon guardian deities) you up to the hilltop. However, as both are with 1729 steps. There’s also an alternative often broken you’ll probably need to walk southeastern stairway that is more interest- the last five minutes by stairways. From ing for glimpsed views, albeit harder on the 10th St at 68th St, shared pick-up route 16 feet. The two routes converge then climb to (per person K1000) shuttles to the car park. a shrine building containing a large stand- Motorcycle taxis typically charge K3000 up, ing buddha, whose outstretched arm points K2000 down (even though the down route towards the royal palace. This evokes the is much further due to a long one-way loop). legend in which the historical Buddha sup- posedly visited Burma, accompanied by his Shwenandaw Kyaung BUDDHIST MONASTERY disciple Ananda, and on climbing Mandalay (ေရႊနနး္ ေတာ္ေက်ာငး္ ; Golden Palace Monastery; Hill prophesied that a great city would be Map p238; combo ticket K10,000) Lavished in founded below, after 2400 years. Scholars carved panels, this fine teak monastery- calculated that to mean 1857 AD, the year temple is noted for its carvings, particularly that King Mindon did indeed decree the cap- the interior gilded Jataka scenes (past-life ital’s move from Amarapura to Mandalay. stories of the Buddha). The building once stood within the Mandalay Palace complex Further up, behind the forgettable Myat- as the royal apartment of King Mindon, who sawnyinaung Ordination Hall, are the win- died inside it in 1878. dowless ruins of a three-storey stone fortress retaken from the Japanese in a March 1945 Reputedly unable to cope with Mindon’s battle by Britain’s Royal Berkshire Regiment. ghost, his successor, King Thibaw, had the building dismantled, carted out of the pal- Near the summit, on the east side facing ace complex and reassembled outside the the penultimate stupa, a contemporary stat- fortress walls, where it was converted into ue depicts ogress San Dha Mukhi offering a monastery (1880). It’s a good thing he did, forth her severed breasts. That’s the sort as all other palace buildings were later lost of display that might have alarmed a more to WWII bombs. squeamish man, but according to legend, her feat of self-mutilation impressed the Mandalay Palace PALACE Buddha so much that he ensured her rein- carnation 2400 years later as King Mindon. (မႏေၱ လးနနး္ ေတာ;္ Map p238; East Gate; combo ticket K10,000; h7.30am-4.30pm) The 1990s ¨¨Other Stairways reconstruction of Mandalay’s royal palace Steeper stairways lead up from the north (in features more than 40 timber buildings built 25 minutes) or west (15 minutes) but there’s to resemble the 1850s originals. Climb the cu- little to see en route apart from canoodling rious spiral, timber-walled watchtower for a couples (south) or lounging monks (west). good general view. The palace’s most striking structure is a soaring multilayered pyramid of NAVIGATING MANDALAY Central Mandalay city streets are laid out on a grid system. East–west streets are num- bered from 1st to 49th with 12th/26th as the north/south edges of the fortress moat. North–south streets are numbered above 50th, starting from the main Pyin Oo Lwin road in the east but becoming slightly confused west of diagonal 86th where some roads are more crooked and unnumbered. A street address that reads 66th, 26/27, means a location on 66th St between 26th and 27th Sts. Corner addresses are given in the form 26th at 82nd. The ‘downtown’ area runs roughly from 21st St to 35th St, between 80th St and 88th St. Across the railway tracks, 78th St, 33/34 has the main new shopping malls while 30th, 35th and 73rd are all developing as busy commercial streets.
238 e# 0 1 km 0 0.5 miles Royal Mandalay B C D A 1 Mandalay 1 1 Hill æ# Ø# 13 #á San Dha Mukhi Statue Golf Course Myatsawnyinaung Ú#ä# Fort Ordination Hall Old #á Standing M a n da l ay & A ro u n d SMiaAgnNhDdtaAslL aAYy 76th St Racecourse 11 Buddha Ø# 66(North 2 14 17 7 2 Mandalay) ã# ÿ# Ú# Myauk Pyin 10th St Mandalay# Mandalay Hill £# 11th St Hill Chinthe Southeast Stairway # Entrance Ú# 3 North Moat St (12th St) Entrance Ú# 4 Ú# 8 66663 21 Fort Moat 14th St 80th St 2 9 Pariyatti Ú# Ú# Sasana University 14th St 3 1S6tth #ú 15th St #û 6616th St 31 Airplane on Rocks Water 24 ä# Tank 66th St 1S9tth#ú Ruined ä# 4 Tourist Train V# 5 Mandalay Palace # 19th St Ticket Booth #û 15 ÿ# 4 32 See Central Mandalay Map (p242) 21st St 60th St #ú 20 ÿ# 22nd St 23rd St 16 Myananda St 6 24th St V# 5 26th St 25th St 5 27th St Myanmar # 27th #ï MTT 12 19 27 22 35 ÿ# £# Mandalay Upperland #û 29 St#ú ã# ÿ# #ý#û #ú #þ 18 Main Train 80th St ü# 23 #û 28 33 #ý 34 10 al 6 Station79th St 30 28th St #á 78th St #ú 25 68th St 6 77th St 66th St Air 65th St 76th St KBZ 64th St 75th St # 63rd St 74th St 62nd St Yay Ni Can 30th St 73rd St 72nd St#ú 26 71st St 70th St 32nd St ABCD w w to army sensibilities, you are required to stay gilt filigree above the main throne room. To- on the direct access way and palace loop road. day, much of the palace complex outside the From this road you can see (but technically front chambers is in serious disrepair, dusted should not approach) the tomb of King Min- with rubble and bird droppings. Palace access don, a large drum-tower, sheds containing for foreigners is only via the east gate. more than 600 stone inscription slabs and a small airplane on some rocks in the trees. If cycling or motorcycling, you must dis- mount as you pass through the gate and, due
239 Royal Mandalay 18 Peacock Lodge .......................................D5 M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS iaAgNnhDdtAaslL AayY 19 Sedona Mandalay...................................C5 æ Top Sights ú Eating 1 Mandalay Hill...........................................C1 20 Café City .................................................C4 21 Golden Duck ...........................................A3 æ Sights 22 Green Elephant.......................................C5 2 Atumashi Kyaungdawgyi ...................... D3 23 Koffie Korner ..........................................C5 3 Kuthodaw Paya...................................... D2 24 Ko's Kitchen............................................A4 4 Kyauktawgyi Paya ................................. C2 25 Mingalabar Myanmar Restaurant.........B6 5 Mandalay Palace.................................... B4 26 Mr BarBQ ................................................B6 6 Moat & Fortress Walls........................... C5 û Drinking & Nightlife 7 Peshawar Relics..................................... C2 27 Cafe JJ.....................................................C5 8 Sandamuni Paya.................................... D3 28 Central Park............................................C5 9 Shwenandaw Kyaung............................ D3 29 Ginki Mandalay .......................................B5 30 Min Thiha ................................................B6 10 Skinny Buddha....................................... D6 31 MR2 Pub .................................................A3 32 Mya Yi Nandar ........................................C4 Ø Activities, Courses & Tours ý Entertainment 11 Asia Centre Driving Range .................... C2 33 Mandalay Marionettes ...........................C5 12 Mandalay Swan Swimming 34 Mintha Theater .......................................C5 Pool ...................................................... C5 þ Shopping 13 Shwe Mann Taung Golf Club .................B1 35 Rocky ......................................................D5 14 Yatanaban Swimming Pool................... C2 ÿ Sleeping 15 Golden Mandalay................................... D4 16 Hotel by the Red Canal.......................... D5 Ma Ma Guesthouse....................... (see 18) 17 Mandalay Hill Resort ............................. C2 The westernmost building within the pal- topped by pyramidal creations of fancifully ace oval contains a minor culture museum carved woodwork. While artful photography where the most intriguing exhibit is King Thi- can make much of these scenes, the effect baw’s dainty, glass-pillared four-poster bed. isn’t as impressive as you might expect, due to the length and regularity of the walls. Kyauktawgyi Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE (ေက်ာက္ေတာၾ္ ကးီ ဘရု ား; Map p238; 12th St, Peshawar Relics BUDDHIST SITE 66/68; h6am-8pm) F At the heart of this (ပါရာွ ဝါရ္ဓာတ္ေတာေ္ မြေတာ္ဠာပနာတကုိ ;္ Map large 19th-century complex is a 900-tonne p238; U-Khanti Monastery, off 10th St; admission buddha, 26ft tall and dressed in royal attire. by donation; h7am-7pm) Three tiny shards Carved from a single block of marble, it re- of bone, believed to be Buddha relics, were putedly took 10,000 men 13 days to trans- discovered in 1908 by British archaeologists port it from a canal to the present site before at the site of a once-great ancient stupa at its dedication in 1865. Peshawar (in today’s Pakistan). For years The outer halls are edged in mirror tiles. they were displayed on Mandalay Hill but A little subshrine in the southeast courtyard after thefts of associated gemstones alerted displays a giant marble ‘alms bowl’ and col- authorities to their vulnerability, the relics ourful renderings of King Mindon’s 1865 vis- were moved to a dusty little museum room it. The October temple festival (p246) is so in the U-Khanti Monastery. big that stallholders start erecting evening The bones are normally only displayed on food stalls along the eastern approach roads full-moon days, but if you’re polite, a monk some two weeks before it starts. will bring them out and place them in a hex- agonal light stand. You’ll be offered a magni- Moat & Fortress Walls FORTRESS fying glass to examine the crystal phial within (Map p238) F Viewable only from the which the bones are almost invisibly housed. outside, a 230ft-wide moat and well over 4 miles of crenellated 26ft-high walls form a vast square around the site of the former 1 Central Mandalay Mandalay fortress/citadel. Reconstructed in the original 1857 style, the walls are punc- The downtown area is not the city’s most tuated at regular intervals with gate towers beautiful. However, you can easily escape into tree-shaded back alleys further west. And
240 THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BOOK You don’t have to want or even like jade to appreciate the timelessness of the scene; mer- Around the beautiful gilt-and-gold stupa chants may be using their smartphones, but of the mid-19th-century Kuthodaw the fierce haggling and individual branding of Paya (ကသု လုိ ေ္ တာဘ္ ရု ား; Map p238; 62nd the jade trade feel like an echo of another era. & 10th Sts; h24hr) F, you’ll find 729 text-inscribed marble slabs, each housed Setkyathiha Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE in its own small stupa and together pre- senting the entire 15 books of the Tripi- (စက္က်သီဟဘရု ား; Maha Thakya Thiha Paya; taka. Another 1774 similarly ensconced Map p242; 30th St, 85/86; h7am-6pm) Mostly marble slabs (collected in 1913) ring the hidden behind shopfronts, this large ele- nearby Sandamuni Paya (စႏမၵ နု ဘိ ရု ား; vated pagoda complex includes a ‘golden Map p238; h8.30am-5pm) F with rock’ lookalike and an enormous sacred bo- Tripitaka commentaries. Collectively dhi tree planted by U Nu, Myanmar’s first M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS iaAgNnhDdtAaslL AayY these slabs are often cited as the ‘World’s post-independence prime minister. Howev- Biggest Book’. Producing the Kuthodaw er, it is best known for an impressive 17ft- set alone required an editorial committee high seated bronze buddha, cast in 1823 by of more than 200. When King Mindon King Bagyidaw. convened the 5th Buddhist Synod here, he used a team of 2400 monks to read Flower Market LANDMARK the book in a nonstop relay. It took them nearly six months. Note that the slabs are (Map p242; 26th & Pulang Sts; h7am-sunset) placed behind grated entrances in small F This small market takes up a few stupas (and they’re written in Pali), so it’s blocks worth of space, which by midday be- tough to make out the text. come littered with multicoloured clouds of blossoms and piles of cut stems and leaves. Eindawya Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE (အိမ္ေတာရ္ ာဘုရား; Map p242; Eindawya St, 88/89; h6am–late evening) F Ranged around a sizeable stupa glowing with gold amid the smoggy central grid of lacklustre leaf, Eindawa was founded in 1847 by King five-storey concrete ordinariness lurk pago- Pagan Min, whose princely palace once das, striking churches and notable mosques. stood here. The complex offers a refreshing Shwekyimyint Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE dose of relative quiet and serenity, given the bustle of nearby markets. In 1919, Einda- (ေရၾႊ ကီးျမငဘ့္ ရု ား; Map p242; 24th St, 82/83; wa was the site of a notable cultural battle h8am-6.30pm) Founded in 1167 by Prince Minshinzaw, exiled son of King Alaungsithu, when a group of Europeans defied the Bud- dhist ban on shoe-wearing and were forcibly Shwekyimyint considerably predates Man- evicted. For their pains, four of the monks dalay itself. Minshinzaw consecrated the central sitting Buddha image that’s roughly who ejected the insensitive foreigners were convicted by a colonial court, one receiving life-sized and crusted with gold and jew- a life sentence. So please take off your shoes! elled raiments in an intimately hushed little prayer chamber. The pagoda also hosts oth- er images collected by later Myanmar kings Gold-Pounders’ District AREA that were relocated here for safe keeping (Map p242; 36th St, 77/79) Those 1-sq-in gold- leaf sheets that worshippers piously place after the British occupied Mandalay Palace. on sacred buddha images are laboriously Jade Market MARKET hand-pounded in dozens of specialist work- shops in this two-block area. Two main (ေက်ာကဝ္ ငုိ း္ ; Map p242; 87th St, 39/40; US$1; street souvenir-shop showrooms, King h8am-4pm) Rock dust and cheroot smoke fill the air in this heaving grid of cramped walk- Galon (p256) and Golden Rose (p256), have English-speaking staff who’ll patiently talk ways, where you’ll find a shoulder-to-shoulder you through the process while muscled mass of jade traders haggling, hawking and polishing their wares. There’s a US$1 entry gold-beaters demonstrate. It’s free and fas- cinating, and the sales pitch is pretty casual. (not always enforced), but you could always sit outside the market and observe craftspeople cutting and polishing jade in the area around Sri Ganesh Temple HINDU TEMPLE 87th St. Be on the lookout for merchants fur- (သီရိဂနစ္ခ်ဘ္ ုရားေက်ာင္း; Map p242; 27th St, 80/81) This temple’s colourful, sculpture- tively discussing deals over cigarettes and tea crusted gopuram (monumental tower) might at spots such as the Unison Teahouse (p254).
241 excite you if you’ve never been to southern In- of other historical thefts. Many figures were dia or Singapore. reputedly melted down to make cannons for Mandalay’s 1885 defence against the British. But six rather battered figures remain, which 1 Greater Mandalay have all been rubbed raw by devotees seek- ing good health. They’re housed in a drab oShwe In Bin Kyaung BUDDHIST MONASTERY (ေရႊအငပ္ င္းေက်ာင္း; Map p242; 89th St, 37/38; concrete building near the giant gong on the combo ticket K10,000; h7am-6.30pm) A med- north side of the northwest inner courtyard. itative departure from the usual Burmese Near Mahamuni’s outer northeast exit ‘douse-it-all-in-gold-and-pastels’ aesthetic, you’ll find a merrily kitsch clock tower this gorgeously carved teak monastery is and the Maha Buddhavamsa Museum beloved by tourists and locals. Commis- of World Buddhism, which is effectively M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS iaAgNnhDdtAaslL AayY sioned in 1895 by a pair of wealthy Chinese a gallery of paintings about the life of the jade merchants, the central building stands Buddha, and photos of archaeological sites on tree-trunk poles and the interior has a associated with that saga. soaring dark majesty. Balustrades and roof From the central shrine with its multi- cornices are covered in detailed engravings, tiered golden roof, long concrete passage- a few of them mildly humorous. ways leading in each cardinal direction are oMahamuni Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE crammed with stalls selling all manner of religio-tourist trinkets. The western passage (မဟာမနု ဘိ ရု ား; 83rd St; hcomplex 24hr, muse- emerges on 84th St amid fascinating mar- um sections 8am-5pm) F Every day, thou- ble workshops, where buddha statues are sands of colourfully dressed faithful venerate expertly crafted using power tools. Mahamuni’s 13ft-tall seated Buddha, a na- tionally celebrated image that’s popularly be- Mahamuni can be conveniently visited en lieved to be some 2000 years old. Centuries route to Amarapura, Inwa or Sagaing. of votary gold leaf applied by male devotees Pinya Stupa Ruins BUDDHIST STUPA (women may only watch) has left the figure (ပငး္ ယေစတပီ ်က)္ Possibly Myanmar’s most knobbly with a 6in layer of pure gold…except forgotten ancient capital, Pinya rose to on his radiantly gleaming face, which is cere- prominence in 1303 in the aftermath of the monially polished daily at 4am. last wave of Mongol attacks. Its founder was The statue was already ancient in 1784 upstart governor-king Thihathu, whose son, when it was seized from Mrauk U by the Bur- Athingaraza Sawyun, set up a rival kingdom mese army of King Bodawpaya. The epic story across the river in Sagaing. The two coexist- of how it was dragged back to Mandalay is re- ed for half a century, creating Bagan-style told in a series of 1950s paintings in a picture buildings, but today all that remains of old gallery across the pagoda’s inner courtyard to Pinya is a grouping of large brick stupa ruins. the northeast of the Buddha image. Bodaw- At the time of research, work was being paya also nabbed a collection of Hindu- done to improve their structural integrity Buddhist Khmer bronze figures, which had and clear large amounts of overgrowth. It is already been pilfered centuries earlier from still possible to enter the ruins, each of which Angkor Wat, and reached Mrauk U by a series still has buddha images visible within. WHITE ELEPHANTS Legend has it that before giving birth to her auspicious son, the Buddha’s mother dreamed of a white elephant presenting her with a lotus flower. In certain Buddhist countries this led to the idea that rare albino elephants were sacred and could not be put to work. Expensive to feed and of no practical use, white elephants were thus seen by 19th-century Western observers to be the embodiment of financial extravagance. The term ‘white elephant’ came to mean as much in English. However, in Burma/Myanmar and Siam/Thailand, the possession of white elephants was (and is) a potent symbol of kingship. Certain Burmese monarchs referred to themselves as ‘golden-footed lord of the white elephant’. In 1885 when one of King Thibaw’s white elephants died, it was interpreted as an omen foretelling the king’s imminent demise at the hands of a British invasion force. And the Brits’ insensi- tive decision to drag the elephant’s carcass unceremoniously out of Mandalay Palace so horrified the pious city folk that the act helped spark 10 years of guerilla resistance.
242 C D 86 Central Mandalay AB ›# ÿ# 16 1 Ayeyarwady River 89th St 88th St Tourist Boat Association f# Mayan Chan f# 3 #æ Jetty City 662 Park 26th St Shweta Chaung52Strand Rd29 86th Stû# ÿ# ÿ# 15 M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS iaAgNnhDdtaAslL aAYy41 ú# Ú# 2 66Ú# Eindawya 91st St St 90th St Chanthaya 89th St Paya 87th St 3 MGRG f# YarzaTrhiCnagnaal 12 Ø# 86th St 8 Malikha f# Ú# Mini # Golden Rock 64 6 90th St 89th St 11 Gawein Ú# Jetty f# Nmai 35th St 66f# IWT Ferries # Hka Ø# 13 IWT 35th St Ticket Office 5 66 88th St 87th St 6 Shwe In Ú# A Bin Kyaung 1 6 ü# 38th St á# 55 7 Ú# 5 æ# BC D Pinya is an easy 10-minute detour en Palace, merrily temple-topped Yankin Hill is route to/from Mandalay Airport. mostly worth climbing for views of greater Mandalay’s rice-field setting and of the Shan oYankin Hill AREA foothills behind. After a 10-minute climb via the obvious covered stairway you’re likely to (ရနက္ ငး္ ေတာင;္ h24hr,stupas close gates around encounter a couple of domesticated stags – sunset) Staring distantly towards Mandalay
243 e#0 500 m 0 0.25 miles EFG H 22nd St 86th St 82nd St53 ò# 80th Stû# ú# 39 23rd St 1 24th St ÿ# Cultural 17 Ú# 9 Museum & Library â# 636ú##þì#2 T23Co57l#owt2che7krSt22ht68St7,#7ÿt#h37S˜#ú#8›#t,#423ÿ#7686 Sacred 51 Mandalay Fortress Heart ú# Walls Cathedral Ü#ì# # Fort Moat 26th St 78 ó# 30 34 ú# ˜# 65 ß# M a n da l ay & A ro u n d SMiaAgnNhDdtaAslL aAYyCentral#2 85 ú# 44 Mosque w 66 45 40 ÿ# 22 ›# 83 ÿ#27th St ú# ú# 84th St Þ# 10 ZEIGYO 83rd St 82nd St 81st St 76th St 50 ú# 80th St # 75th St 72 81 ›# ›# 80 28th St 74th St ›# Night ˜# 68 28th St ÿ# 32 79 ›# Market 70 78th St 29th St Fire Lookout 43 Tower ú# ÿ# # 29th St Hospital 3 20 46 14 # 69 î# 27 30th St ú# ÿ# ÿ# 31 85th StÚ# 82 ›# 30th St ÿ# 84th St ú# 35 Mandalay Main £# 83rd St# Train Station 82nd St ›# 74 31st St 31st St 24 48 25 ÿ# ú# ÿ# ÿ# 47ú# 32nd St 21 23 80th St# 78th St 32nd St 4 ÿ# 79th St 77th St 76th St 75 75th St 61 #þ 33rd St 59 56 33rd St 73rd St þ# ý# 71 See Royal Mandalay Map (p238) # 34th St 18 34th St ÿ# ì# ÿ# 67 19 Sagaing-Mandalay Rd 35th St 54 5 83rd St û# 82nd St 58 #þ 4 8 1st St æ# 80th St33 þ# 36th St ú# w ú# 36 ú# 60 37th St Entertainment 38th St 77th StDistrict 42 64 76th St49 # Ngwe Ta Chaung Canalú# ý# 57 Hotel 6 Mandalay 39th St E F GH feeding them supposedly brings Buddhist Cars and motorbikes can drive almost to merit. Pagoda walkways turn south along the hilltop from the southeast. Some pick- the ridgetop, eventually ducking down into a up 5 (၅) services terminate near the 19th St rocky cleft where devotees splash water on stairway. Around 300yd back towards Man- tacky gold fish statues that lie at the feet of a dalay then 300yd north, Mya Kyauk mon- Buddha image. astery has a dazzlingly distinctive brassy
244 M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS iaAgNnhDdtAaslL AayY Central Mandalay 22 Hotel Emperor .........................................H2 23 Hotel Queen ............................................. F4 æ Top Sights 24 Hotel Yadanarbon ...................................G4 1 Shwe In Bin Kyaung................................ C6 25 Kyi Tin Hotel............................................. F4 26 Mandalay City Hotel................................E2 æ Sights 27 My World Hotel........................................H3 2 Eindawya Paya ........................................ D2 28 Nylon Hotel............................................... E2 3 Flower Market ......................................... B2 29 Rich Queen Guesthouse.........................D2 4 Gold-Pounders' District ......................... G5 30 Royal City Hotel.......................................G2 5 Jade Market............................................. D6 31 Shwe Ingyinn Hotel .................................G3 6 Library Tower .......................................... C6 32 Smart Hotel..............................................G3 7 Ma Soe Yein Nu Kyaung......................... C6 ú Eating 8 Setkyathiha Paya.................................... D3 33 Aye Myit Tar ............................................. F5 9 Shwekyimyint Paya ................................. F1 34 BBB ...........................................................G2 10 Sri Ganesh Temple ..................................F2 35 Bistro at 82nd .......................................... F3 11 Thingaza Kyaung .................................... B4 36 Cafe House............................................... F6 37 Fried Grasshopper Vendors...................E2 Ø Activities, Courses & Tours 38 Karaweik ...................................................E2 12 Amara....................................................... A3 39 Lashio Lay .................................................E1 13 Paukan Cruises ....................................... A5 40 Marie-Min .................................................H2 41 Mya Nandar..............................................A2 ÿ Sleeping 42 Nova Coffee.............................................. F6 14 79 Living Hotel..........................................F3 43 Pakkoku Dawlaymay...............................H3 15 AD1 Hotel ................................................. D2 44 Pan Cherry ............................................... F2 16 Ayarwaddy River View Hotel..................B1 45 Rainforest.................................................H2 17 ET Hotel..................................................... E1 46 Shan Ma Ma ............................................. F3 18 Gold Yadanar........................................... G5 47 Shwe Khaing Barbeque ..........................E4 19 Golden City Light Hotel.......................... G5 20 Hotel 8 .......................................................E3 21 Hotel A1 .....................................................E4 stupa and is famed for its water. A taxi out may feel uncomfortable in this space. When this way will cost around K5000 return (or we visited, there were visible posters that around K3000 for a motorcycle taxi). ticked off litanies of Buddhist grievances tar- geted at the Muslim community. Skinny Buddha STATUE (Dokara Sariya; Map p238; 30th St, 60/62) Built Thingaza Kyaung BUDDHIST MONASTERY in 2011, this remarkable 75ft-tall seated Bud- (သဃၤဇာေက်ာင္း; Map p242; 92nd St, 34/35; dha is a ‘meditation image’ that falls stylis- h6.30am-7pm) This appealingly lived-in tically somewhere between manga cartoon monastery has some photogenically dilap- and Cubism. This Buddha gets marks for idated buildings and, tucked behind the being a fairly unique representation amid tagondain (pillar topped with golden duck) Mandalay’s thousands of almost identical is a shaded open-air trio of sinuous buddha representations of the Enlightened One. figures that have been weathered into al- most abstract ghosts. Ma Soe Yein Nu Kyaung BUDDHIST MONASTERY (မစးုိ ရမိ ္ေက်ာငး္ ; Don’t be Anxious Monastery; Atumashi Kyaungdawgyi BUDDHIST TEMPLE Map p242; 39th St, 87/88; h7am-sunset) F (အတမု ရွိေက်ာငး္ ေတာ္ႀကီး; Map p238; off 63rd & Across the creek from Shwe In Bin, the city’s 14th Sts; admission by combo ticket; h9am-6pm) largest monastery lacks an ancient histori- This unusually shaped temple is a series of cal pedigree and is primarily a collection of diminishing stupa-dotted terraces over an modern dorm accommodation and lecture arched base decorated with peacock mo- halls. It does sport a ‘Big Ben’ clock and a tifs. When built in 1857, it housed a famous unique six-storey octagonal library tower buddha image with a huge diamond set on topped with a great viewpoint. The monas- its forehead. However, the image was stolen tery has long been noted for the politically following the 1885 British takeover, and the forthright views of its monks, and it’s the monastery was gutted by fire five years later. base of controversial monk Ashin Wirathu, What you see today is a 1996 reconstruction, figurehead of the 969 movement. While lo- anchored by a vast (yet oddly empty-feeling) cal monks can be friendly, Muslim travellers central prayer chamber.
245 48 SP Bakery .................................................F4 66 Green Myanmar.......................................G2 49 Super 81 ....................................................F6 67 KBZ Bank..................................................G5 50 Too Too Restaurant................................ H2 51 V Cafe ........................................................F2 Nice Style .......................................(see 84) Seven Diamond .............................(see 85) û Drinking & Nightlife ï Transport M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MA caAtnNiDdvAaitLliAaeYys 52 Cafe YMH ................................................. A2 68 Air Bagan ..................................................G3 53 Rainbow .................................................... E1 69 Air Mandalay ............................................G3 54 Uncle Chan Beer Station ....................... H5 Asian Wings Airways......................(see 31) 55 Unison Teahouse .................................... C6 70 Aung Yedana............................................ F3 71 Bangkok Airways.....................................G4 ý Entertainment 72 Bus to Amarapura................................... E3 56 Minglar Diamond Cineplex .................... G4 73 Cherry Myay Shared Taxi to Pyin Oo 57 Moustache Brothers ...............................F6 Lwin ........................................................E2 74 Duhtawadi ................................................ F4 þ Shopping 75 Mandalay Motorbike............................... F4 Aurora .............................................(see 58) 76 Mr Bean .................................................... E2 77 Mr Jerry .................................................... E2 58 Golden Rose .............................................F5 78 Myanmar National Airlines..................... F2 King Galon...................................... (see 60) 79 Pick-ups to Amarapura ..........................E3 80 Pick-ups to Kyaukse ............................... F3 59 Ocean Super Center............................... G4 81 Pick-ups to Pyin Oo Lwin........................E3 60 Shwe Pathein........................................... G5 82 Pick-ups to Sagaing ................................E3 61 Sut Ngai.....................................................E4 83 Pick-ups to the Highway Bus 62 Zegyo.........................................................E2 Station ................................................... E2 ï Information 84 Pick-ups to Yankin & Mandalay Hills .... E2 63 CB Bank ....................................................E2 85 Seven Diamond Express ........................ F2 64 DHL ............................................................F6 86 Thiri Mandalar Bus Station .................... D1 65 Faith Moneychanger ...............................F2 Stone Carvers WORKSHOP US$390/435, 5-night from US$2140/2380) Paukan operates five indulgent classic boat-hotels. (hvaries, most shops close around 6pm) On the One, Paukan1947, is a 1947 original with teak Sagaing–Mandalay road, directly east of and ironwood floors refitted into an upmar- Mahamuni Paya, is a whole series of work- ket 16-berth cruiser. The others are attrac- shops where you can see slabs of rock being tive latter-day re-creations. Most cruises run blasted, chipped and polished into buddhas Mandalay–B agan or vice versa (note that rates of all sizes. go up if you’re travelling from Bagan), but there are five-day, one-week and 10-day options. 2 Activities The outdoor, Olympic-sized Yatanaban Oriental Ballooning BALLOONING Swimming Pool (Map p238; foot of Mandalay Hill & 10th St; K2000; h6am-6pm) is OK, but (%02-62625; http://orientalballooning.com; 35th at don’t use the diving board or you’ll pike 71st St; per person US$380; hNov-Mar) Predawn yourself into a stagnant fountain puddle. For balloon flights depart daily in season, weath- a fee, nonguests can use attractive outdoor er permitting. Departure points vary. pools at hotels such as Mandalay Swan (Map p238; %02-31601; 44, 26th Rd, btwn 66th & Asia Centre Driving Range GOLF 68th Sts; guest/nonguest free/US$5; h7am-8pm) and Mandalay Hill Resort ($15). (Map p238; %02-64583; Mandalay Hill, Aung Myay Thazan Township; per 60 balls K2000; h6am- 6pm) A central driving range, and good spot to work out your frustrations over the Man- Amara BOATING dalay bus system. There’s a K2000 caddy fee (Map p242; %09 40373 5349; www.amaragroup. that most locals avail themselves of, but it’s net; cabins from €1778-4476) Offers upmarket one-week cruises up and down the Ayeyar- not mandatory. wady (Irrawaddy) River. Shwe Mann Taung Golf Club GOLF Paukan Cruises BOATING (Map p238; %02-75898; green fee/caddy/clubs US$30/12/15; h5am-6pm) A decent 18-hole (Map p242; %01-380877; www.ayravatacruises. course that is handy to Mandalay Hill (p236). com; 2-night Bagan cruise, low/high season from
246 festival at Kyauktawgyi Paya (p239) builds for two weeks beforehand. One day before T Tours the full moon, Kyaukse (25 miles south of Mandalay) has its famous two-man ‘Ele- Disocvery Rides MOTORCYCLE TOUR phant Dance’ competition. (%01-388330; http://myanmarmotorbikes.com) 4 Sleeping Discovery, which is run by a mix of expat and local motorcycle enthusiasts, offers motorcy- Unless otherwise stated, room rates include cle tours well off the beaten tourism track, breakfast. In smaller hotels, air-con may giving you a chance to see a Myanmar not shut off during power cuts as generators often visited by foreigners. It offers a day trip can’t cope. Note that you will receive a fair exploring Mandalay and surrounding ancient price reduction if you opt to pay in kyats, in capitals, and 10- and 15-day treks that explore cash. Many midrange and upmarket hotels Bagan, Shan State and Northern Myanmar. offer large discounts (as much as two-thirds off the listed price) if you book online or M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MT oaAuNnrDdsaA lL AayY C Courses through a third-party engine. Dhamma Mandala HEALTH & WELLBEING (%09 204 4348,02-39694; www.mandala.dhamma. org; Yaytagon Hill) Rural centre near the base of the Yedagon Hills offers bilingual 10-day Vipassana courses roughly once a month on 4 Royal Mandalay a donation basis. Book ahead via the web- site. No visa support. Peacock Lodge GUESTHOUSE $$ (Map p238; %09 204 2059, 02-61429; peacock [email protected]; 60th St, 25/26; r standard/deluxe z Festivals & Events US$45/70; aW) The main 1960s house of this lovely homestyle inn is set in a tree-shaded Traditional pwe (festivals), big and small, yard complete with fairy lights, parasol seat- happen often, blocking streets or jazzing up ing and an old horse cart. Dated if fair-sized pagoda precincts with all-night music and standard rooms overlook a lotus-filled canal, lively street stalls. Cycle around enough and while boutique-style ‘deluxe’ rooms include a you’ll likely stumble into one. Mingun Nat Festival RELIGIOUS few prizes with balconies. Most appealing is the genuine warm and empathetic service. (hFeb/Mar) Pays homage to the brother and Hosts treat many guests like part of the sister of the Teak Tree, who drowned in the river while clinging to a trunk. This fascinat- family, and may show you their fascinating old photos – ‘granddad’ was a British-era mayor ing festival takes place from the fifth to 10th of Mandalay. A full traditional Burmese multi- days of the waxing moon of Tabaung – the Burmese version of Carnival, complete with dish dinner is served by advance arrangement. It’s rather far from the centre but bicycle hire all of the associated public drunken behaviour. is available. Bring mosquito repellent. Waso RELIGIOUS Hotel Emperor HOTEL $$ (hJun/Jul) The Sagaing Waso festival, fol- (Map p242; %02-68743; www.hotelemperorman lowed by the big Paleik festival, takes place in the two weeks following the Waso full moon. dalay.com; 74th St, 26/27; r Oct-Mar US$80-100, Apr-Sep US$50-80; aWc) Lashings of wood panelling, pretty foliage and the odd carving Taungbyone Nat Pwe RELIGIOUS enliven this superfriendly family-style hotel. (hAug) This massive, chaotic festival is held Rooms aren’t big and some windows stare about 12 miles north of Mandalay, and hon- ours two famous Bagan-era nat (spirit be- straight at a wall, but beds are firm, the air- con works well, rooms have fridge, hairdryer, ings). Celebrations – which consist of lots of kettle, toiletries etc, and there’s decent wi-fi. loud music, village drinking and more loud music – culminate on the five days leading A modern bistro next door does cocktails and international meals. Bicycle rental is available. up to the full moon of Wagaung. A week later worshippers move on to Irinaku (Yadana- gu), south of Amarapura. Ma Ma Guesthouse GUESTHOUSE $$ (Map p238; %02-33411; http://mama-guesthouse. com; 60th St, 25/26; r from US$40; aW) This Thadingyut RELIGIOUS block of high-ceilinged, spare but attractive (hOct) On the full moon of Thadingyut, rooms is good value for money and is graced Myanmar’s lights festival celebrates Bud- dha’s return from the celestial sphere. At the by helpful owners who are great for booking onward travel. south base of Mandalay Hill, the big temple
247 22nd St &~ '€ #1 23rd St #15 #2 Ayeyarwady River 89th St Strand Rd ú# Flower 88th St Market 87th St 86th St #3 6City Park É Thinga Yarzar Canal 26th St Kwe Produce M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS lAaenNeDdpiAanlL aAgYy #14 Chow Market #13 91st St #6 Monastery #4 Eindawya St #7 #9 #8 29th St 6#11 É #589th St 85th St #10 90th St 84th St e#12 # 0 500 m 0 0.25 miles qCycling Tour Take the narrow east–west lane between old West Mandalay monastery residences. After 6Khin Makan- START 23RD ST AT 86TH ST taik monastery, wind past 7Asumtaik and END AYARWADDY RIVER VIEW HOTEL 8Sakutaik monasteries and spot a 9 LENGTH 2.2 MILES; ONE TO THREE HOURS house-workshop that creates Mayuwe rice- Keep in mind that even while pedalling Manda- puff snack-bars in big sweet-smelling woks. lay’s web of tree-shaded back lanes, you may have unsettling close encounters with motor Where 91st St makes a short dog-leg, a vehicles. On a quiet day, turning off bustling, canalside 86th St can feel as though you’ve mirror-mosaic colonnade leads into aChan- suddenly entered a village. If 23rd St is flooded thaya Paya. Chanthaya’s golden stupa looks beyond the boxy redbrick-towered 1Christ particularly photogenic in the afternoon light Cathedral, substitute the parallel street a block reflecting in lake-like Thinga Yarsar Canal. The further south passing some colonial-era gov- ernment buildings. Briefly follow 87th St. Oppo- best viewpoints are across a long bteak site the large, spired, very pink 2St Michael’s footbridge which could be touted as Manda- lay’s own mini U-Bein Bridge were it not for Catholic Church, turn west again, zigzagging through residential alleys to 88th St. West of the putrid smell of decomposing trash. the T-junction, 25th St sports a few remnant timber and bamboo-weave homes, and one of Sweep around the big, impressively col- Mandalay’s 3workshops for turning sugar ourful new cJin Taw Yan Chinese Temple cane into jaggery. Visit grand 4Eindawya emerging on to Strand Rd, where the Aye- Paya (p240) then veer west off shady 89th St yarwady riverside includes a series of boat just before a 5crocodile bridge represent- berths with fascinating cargo. ing Ngamoe Yeik, the faithful servant of tragic Burmese-c hronicle hero Min Nandar. Enjoy riverside scenes with a cheap chilled beer at dCafe YMH, a meal and show at eMya Nandar (p253) or a panoramic roof- top cocktail at fAyarwaddy River View Hotel (p250).
248 Mandalay Hill Resort HOTEL $$$ ilar rooms aimed at travelling businesspeople (Map p238; %02-35638; www.mandalayhillresort. and backpackers who don’t feel like staring at com; 10th St; r US$240-350, ste from US$450; cigarette burns on the walls. as) Handily placed in a beautifully man- icured jungle at the base of Mandalay Hill, Yoe Yoe Lay GUESTHOUSE $ (%09-44404 1944; [email protected]; 78 58th the city’s top resort hotel has a lovely out- St, 35/36; 4- & 6-bed dm from US$11, s & d US$20- door pool and a breathtaking spa area that feels like an Indiana Jones treasure trove. 30; aiW) This excellent proper dorm has air-con, decent beds, knowledgeable staff and ‘Superior’ guest rooms are classy yet cosy an outside communal area. Private rooms with watercolours, timeless mirrors, embroi- dered bed-throws and nozzle-style reading are compact but comfortable; the cheapest share bathrooms. The only drawback is the lamps. ‘Deluxe’ versions are slightly larger, inconvenient location in eastern Mandalay; a with hill views. Discount rates are available, M a n da l ay & A ro u n d MS lAaenNeDdpiAanlL aAgYy depending on occupancy. K1700 motorcycle-taxi ride to anywhere (bi- cycles and motorcycles can be rented). Hotel by the Red Canal BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$ Rich Queen Guesthouse HOSTEL $ (Map p238; %02-61177; www.hotelredcanal.com; (Map p242; %02-60172; off 87th St, 26/27; s/d/ 22nd St at 63rd St; r Oct-Mar US$270-320, Apr-Sep tr US$20/25/35; aiW) The rooms vary in US$156-220; aiWs) This intimate gem quality, but there are some real winners in the feels like a cosy Southeast Asia–chic palace. front corner with giant windows, fridge, high Teak floorboards, toiletries in potion bottles, ceilings and hot showers. It’s near the market tasteful Asian knick-knacks and little extras on a quiet narrow alley. Monks often pass by like tea-time snacks and complimentary while you’re enjoying a generous local break- cocktail hour add to the keen service. An fast. Don’t confuse this with the double-priced artificial stream gurgles past the best ‘Chin’ Rich Queen Hotel 1.8 miles east along 26th, rooms. Slightly less pricey ‘Kachin’ rooms where several rooms lack windows altogether. compensate for low natural light with tropi- cal outdoor showers. ‘Rakhine’ rooms lack balconies. All in all it’s Smart Hotel HOTEL $ (Map p242; %02-32682; www.smarthotelmandalay. a lovely place but the high-season prices seem com; 28th St, 76/77; r US$30-75; a) This seven- extremely steep. Look for online bargains. storey tower has clean but small rooms; if you Sedona Mandalay HOTEL $$$ need space to stretch out, this may not be the (Map p238; %02-36488; www.sedonahotels.com. right spot for you, but otherwise it’s great value, sg; 26th St at 66th St; r/ste from US$200/315; especially if you book online. Shoot for upper as) Stroll across ponds through a temple- rooms with balconies that boast distant views style gateway to a grand airy lobby overlook- of the palace and Mandalay Hill. ing a large open-air swimming pool in a lush Nylon Hotel HOTEL $ semi-jungle setting. Room decor doesn’t al- (Map p242; %02-69717, 02-33460; 25th St at 83rd ways live up to the flashy exterior, but better St; s/d/tr US$20/25/35; aW) There are two rooms do stare straight down the eastern annexes at the Nylon; go for the new one, moat towards Mandalay Hill. Wi-fi is spotty which has reasonably sized, light rooms given the price you’re paying. with modern bathrooms, even if some smell 4 Central Mandalay a little of drains. Decent wi-fi connection. The nearest thing to a ‘backpacker zone’ is a AD1 Hotel HOTEL $ three-block area around the Nylon Hotel in (Map p242; %02-34505; [email protected]; Central Mandalay. Don’t imagine Bangkok’s Eindawya St, 87/88; s/d US$15/25; aW) One of Khao San Rd. These are ordinary-looking the cheapest deals in town for solo travellers, streets where several cheaper hotels are li- AD1 offers rooms that are simple and ageing, censed for foreigners. Places we call ‘back- but functional and clean. It’s just off vibrant packer hotels’ are adept at organising onward ‘onion market street’ in the eastern approach and regional transport. You might need to lane to Eindawya Pagoda. Beware if asking book ahead to get the hotel you want, espe- a taxi to take you here – to local ears ‘AD1’ cially November to January when prices can sounds very much like ‘81’ (ie 81st St). rise considerably. There’s a growing range of ET Hotel HOTEL $ high-rise midrange hotels between 79th St (Map p242; %02-65006, 02-66547; www.ethotel and 84th St that offer clean, comfortable, sim- mandalay.com; 83rdSt,23/24; s/d/trUS$20/25/35,
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