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Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar (Burma)

(BURMA) 517 gold is ) is the spot to © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © ), a mythical landscape of floating of ), a mythical landscape ) is the gateway to the intriguing old cities ) is the gateway ) is the social, economic and cultural capital of and cultural capital ) is the social, economic of ) thwa-ba-oun- (thanks) (hello), 95 – make a to the gravity-defying golden rock of Kyaiktiyo Kyaiktiyo golden rock of to the gravity-defying a pilgrimage – make chè zù bèh % – Burma’s former capital ( p559 – Burma’s former capital (

about 52 million Burmese, English Burmese, English min gala ba

US$15 to US$25 a day is the new one, but it’s Naypyidaw is the new one, but it’s US$1 = about K1250 (kyat) US$1 = about K1250 (kyat) ). ). – take to the water at this pristine lake ( p547 ( at this pristine lake the water to – take guesthouse US$3 to US$8, four-hour guesthouse US$3 to US$8, four-hour around US$20 for 28 days, issued around US$20 for 28 days, issued GMT + 6½ hours GMT – forget Naypyidaw, ( p528 ( Yangon Naypyidaw, – forget (goodbye), – something of a backpacker scene, Myanmar’s trekking HQ ( p550 HQ ( scene, Myanmar’s trekking a backpacker – something of ), a sacred and surreal sight and surreal ), a sacred – witness the beauty of a misty dawn breaking over 4000 Buddhist temples on the temples 4000 Buddhist over a misty dawn breaking beauty of – witness the Time Visas by Myanmar embassies and consulates abroad Budget Capital to you and me still Yangon Costs bus ride US$2 to US$3, big bottle of beer US$1.50 Country code Languages Money Phrases Population meh

TRAVEL HINT , in and around the ‘big four’ – Yangon, Many visitors use up a 28-day visa travelling If you’re takes time. travel in, as overland and . Don’t try to pack too much of US$3 per day at a penalty your visa by a week or more, flying out, you can easily overstay (see p582 OVERLAND ROUTES Myanmar from Ruili in China, and from Mae Sai and Ranong in . It is possible to enter FAST FAST FACTS

of with its famed teak bridge, and some -pendous views from and some stupa-pendous views bridge, with its famed teak Amarapura of villages, stilted and aquatic gardens and monasteries stilted villages, Bagan p562 Ayeyarwady ( the of shores Inle Lake Around Mandalay Yangon Kalaw Off the beaten track ( p544 the country, home to the dazzling Shwedagon Paya where all that glitters all that glitters where Paya dazzling Shwedagon the country, home to the view pretty scenery and visit friendly minority villages scenery and visit view pretty

HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

M y a n m a r ( B u r m a )

MYANMAR (BURMA) house arrest,house denied basiccommunication. trast totheway‘the lady’isforcedtolive under con- community withits excess.Itisinstark in 2006,andfurther outraged theinternational lavish weddingmadeitswayonto YouTube wield power. Asecret video of hisdaughter’s regionaltant inMyanmar cancelled. meets getic. EUpressure impor- several atleastsaw andVietnamalmostapolo- Laos , of theregime and‘northern’members such as Indonesia andSingapore beingmore critical with ‘southern’members such asMalaysia, tobecreatingseems asplitintheorganisation, the interest of ‘noninterference’, this although to duckthesubjectof democracyin Burmese average person inthestreet. Asean continues tobehurtingtheleadership, onlythe seem Sanctions remain theydon’t inplace,although was extended foranotheryearinMay 2006. Suu Kyiremains arrest, underhouse which ness asusual.Democracyleader Aung San of arrest andimprisonment. were forcedtorelocatestaff underthethreat are putinYangon. staying Many government allowedtovisitandembassies not officially have delusionsof grandeur. Foreigners are ‘Abode of theKings’,suggesting thegenerals Thenamemeans‘RoyalCity’or (Rangoon). Naypyidaw, about400kmnortheastof Yangon with therelocation of toremote thecapital Events tookasurreal turninNovember 2005 abrighter future.in theworld.Theyare someof thesweetest peopleonearthanddeserve regime humorous,engaging,considerate andinquisitive, isnot.Gentle, theywanttoplayapart Most travellers avoid peopleare avisit,backingtheboycott,butlong-suffering the everything inyoursoul. andstays a countrythatfuelsyouremotions,stimulates yoursenses – there are It’s enough. somanyexperiencesawaitinginMyanmarthatonetripissimplynever trek pineforests ofbeach through onthe blissfulBay Bengal, tominorityvillages aroundKalaw dayatfirstevery DriftdowntheAyeyarwadyinanoldriver light. steamer, stake outasliceof with aculture where holymenare more revered thanrockstars and goldenbuddhasare bathed like Forget insight. longlostfamilyandnota7-Eleven theinternet foramomentandconnect lives on.ThisistheauthenticAsia withcreaking potholedroads,localswhogreet buses, you who move onthewhimof capitals afortuneteller. thisisBurma. Indeed, to jump.RideaWildWeststagecoach pastgrandBritish mansions.Tradejokes abouttherulers mouths –andthat’sjusttheairport!Meet themultitalented monkswhohave theircats taught (traditional make-up) andbetel-chewing grannieswithbloodred juicesdrippingfromtheir on theedge of achasm. Encounter menwearingskirt-like scattered across theplainsof Stare Bagan. indisbeliefatthegoldenrockteetering impossibly and more thanacenturylater Myanmarremains aworldapart.Contemplate 4000sacred ‘This isBurma’,wrote Kipling.‘Itisquite unlike hewas, anyplaceyouknowabout.’ Howright 518 CRET EVENTS CURRENT Isolated and ostracised bytheinternationalIsolated community,thecountryisingripof andostracised tyrants. Turn backtheclockwithatriptothistime-warpedcountrywhere theadventure travel of old Hardline ThanShwe General continuesto busi- aside,ithasbeen Changing capitals YNA BRA • CretEet MYANMAR (BURMA) ••Current Events in return forpoliticallegitimacy in Beijing. and mineralscontinuetobesoldoff atapinch Meanwhile such astimber thecountry’sassets arms toforcesonbothsidesof theconflict. and the‘BigH’(heroin)provide moneyand border regions of thecountry.Opiumpoppies Rohingya and others, continuesinremote verging of onethniccleansinginthecase the Empire heldsway over Burma. the Before machine the insatiable From theearly19th centuryuntilWWII, before thecurrent regime cametopower. Myanmar wasruledwithanironfistlong smokescreen putinplacebythegenerals. be reached, butitmaysimplybeyetanother a glimmerof can hopethatacompromise to acceptthereturn of UNenvoys.There is treatment of themonks,andhave forced been lost anylingering legitimacywithitsbrutal gest backers. thegovernment However, has of ChinaandIndia,twoof theregime’s big- strong, butitsimpactwasmuted bythesilence revolution, butthearmycracked downhard. like enjoyitsownsaffron Myanmarmight spread nationwide. Foramoment,itlooked the armyopenedfire ondemonstrators, anger in anoutpouringof popularprotest and when petrol skyrocketing. Monkstooktothe streets thepriceofpended fuelsubsidies,sending HISTORY In August 2007, the military regimeIn August2007,themilitary sus- Systematic of abuse ethnicminorities, Theinternational reaction wasswiftand longyi , womensmothered in that wastheBritish lonelyplanet.com thanaka

lonelyplanet.com BANGLADESH MYANMAR THIMPHU Bengal Bay of BHUTAN DHAKA Chittagong CHINA Myanmar (BURMA) (TIBET)

Brahmaputra INDIA RAKHAING Mt Victoria STATE STATE CHIN Andaman

(3053m) (INDIA)

Islands

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Beach i

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Ayeyarwady Mouths ofthe g

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o SAGAING m Ayeyarwady a MANDALAY AYEYARWADY DIVISION S EA Chindwin DIVISION Mt Popa

Magwe River Ma YANGON n

g Ledo i

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un Y o m a m o Y g Indawgyi DIVISION 311 Pyinmana Pangsaw Ayeyarwa Lake Kalaw BAGO Thazi Pass Mottama River dy Amarapura Pyin U Mandalay 1 Bago Lwin

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of 1 Sittoung

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Naypyidaw Bhamo River KAYAH Pindaya 31 54 STATE STATE Myeik MON 5 Kyaikto KAYIN Nyaungshwe STATE Putao Hkakabo

um (5889m) Inle Lake K on Ta Hsipaw u ng Razi 85 Ruili Kawthoung 5 Hpa-an 44 Lashio Mu-se STATE SHAN TANINTHARYI Payathonzu DIVISION 3 85

Myawaddy

Three Luxi 8

Mae Sot Thanlwin River Ranong Myeik Pass Chiang Rai Tachilek Chiang Mai 4 Mae Sai Kengtung

Mong La

Kanchanaburi

Mekong 120miles 200km 0 0 Mekong River THAILAND Ayuthaya

Thailand River Gulf of LAOS CHINA Mekong River VIENTIANE

519 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) by Buddhistmonks.Twofamousnationalist strations, often fashion, led,intrueBurmese movement andthere developed, were demon- quo.with thecolonialstatus Anationalist teak andrice. Many were Burmese unhappy British companiesgrew wealthytradingin The Britishbuiltrailwaysandports,many encouraged toimmigrate andstimulate trade. were andChinese to workascivilservants, numbersLarge of Indianswere in brought Myanmar’s demographicsandinfrastructure. to quarter Britishand Indian troops. Mandalay asabarracks waslooted andused were exiled toIndiaandtheirgrandpalaceat all of Myanmar. kingandqueen TheBurmese (1824, 1852and1885),theBritishtookover for more Inthree territory moves intheEast. had already Indiaandwere colonised looking in the16thcentury,andthenBritish, who arrival of theEuropeans–first thePortuguese, that followed.Historypicksupagainwiththe There’s notmuch known about thecenturies Colonialism British into the dark ages. in1287,hastening Myanmar’sdecline Bagan andhisMongolhordessweptthrough Khan construction weakened thekingdom.Kublai pouredthe vastmoneyandeffort intotheir stupa sprouted undersuccessive kings,but the first (Pagan). temples atBagan Stupaafter its goldenage. He hiswarspoilstobuild used and inaugurated whatmanyconsidertobe converted thelandtoTheravada , cultures had effectively merged. cameoutontop,thetwothe timeBamar wentonforsolongthatbypeople. Thefight lation, atwarwiththeTibetan Plateau’s Mon two-thirdsofpeople, whocomprise thepopu- 9th century,wefindtheHimalayanBamar the throne. Tracingtheconflictsbackto to powerbyeliminatingrivalswithclaims British, there were thekingsof old,whorose 520 The colonial era wrought greatThe colonialerawrought changes in kingAnawrahta The 11th-centuryBamar it wasn’tso poignantlytrue. Farm Burma, butthree: George Orwell wrote notonenovel about rounds inthestreets ofYangon isthat thathasbeendoingtheA popularjoke JOKE NATIONAL A YNA BRA • Hsoy MYANMAR (BURMA) ••History and 1984 . Itwouldbefunny ifonly Burmese Days,

Animal army takeover thecountryon andset NeWinledaleft-wingIn 1962General Coup Win’s Ne raged and chaos ensued. protégé UNuatthehelm.Ethnicconflicts pendence followedin1948,withAungSan’s a rival,alongwithmostof hiscabinet.Inde- hewasassassinatedhe couldtakeby office, won anoverwhelming majority. Butbefore tions were heldin1947,AungSan’sparty the transitiontoindependence. Whenelec- the mantoholdcountrytogether through in theBurmaNationalArmy,AungSanwas activist fornationalism,thendefence minister of warasthecountry’snatural leader. Anearly drive out the Japanese. withtheAlliesto switched sidesandfought ple. Towards theendof thewar,Burmese peo- arrogant conductalienated theBurmese for onlyashort timebefore their harsh and politicalsupport Burmese able tomaintain independent country.ButtheJapanese were the Britishoutof Myanmaranddeclared itan IndependenceArmy(BIA),droveBurmese During WWII,theJapanese, linked withthe WWII &EarlyIndependence in May 1989.Theopposition, ledbyBogyoke tohold democratic elections law andpromised Order Restoration Council),declared martial and Orwellian-sounding Slorc(State Law The shaken government quicklyformed the behind the scenes. a vestige of powerfrom hisolddictatorial He finallydid,inJuly1988,butheretained tion) andinsisted thatNeWinhadtogo. down (theBuddhistsymbolof condemna- the helm.Theyturnedtheiralmsbowlsupside period.Onceagain,monkswerea six-week at that resulted inanestimated 3000deaths over democracy demonstrators andthemilitary were pro- massive between confrontations early 1988,theypacked thestreets and there ofenough theirincompetent government. In peopledecidedthey’dhad Burmese suffering had reached andthelong- avirtualstandstill, crippled thecountry’seconomy.By1987it includingretaileverything, shops,andquickly WaytoSocialism’.He‘Burmese nationalised Te 99 Election 1989 The British prisonandare revered to this day. andUWizaya,diedina monks, UOttama Bogyoke AungSanemerged fromthehaze lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com

hardest tosurvive. allies, tourismispretty muchloosechangetothegenerals,butnotpeopletryingtheir and otherresources todrawon,andwithsanctions-busters suchasChinaandIndiaclose go intotheprivate sector. arrival, sothemajority(possiblyover 80%)ofacareful independenttraveller’s expensescannow The government hasstoppedforcingforeigners tochangeUS$200intogovernment notes upon international witnessestointernal oppression mayonlycementthegovernment’s abilitytorule. occur inareas where theinternational communityispresent; thepeopleisolated keeping from And there are plentyofotherreasons toconsidervisiting. Human-rightsabusesare to lesslikely terms ofincomeandcommunication;thevastmajoritylocalsseemtowantyouhere. tions ofyourlife.’ oftourist.TalkWe don’tneedthatkind Let tothosewhowanttalk. themknowofthecondi- Yangonpro-tourism resident pictures. toldus,‘Don’tcomeinwithyourcameraandonlytake thatyear.)exports Obviouslythelessyouspend,that12%figure willbe. Apro-NLD, compares withUS$2.16billioninnatural-gas sibly 12%ofwhichwenttothegovernment. (This leading thewayinWest.TourismallitsformsbroughtUS$164million2006,pos- Thai, ChineseandJapanesetouristsare themainvisitors,withGermans,French andAmericans money andstayinexpensive joint-venture hotels thatare with the government. often incahoots ‘tantamount tocondoningtheregime’. as MandalayPalace. visitorsto‘visituslater’, SuuKyiasked sayingthatvisitingatthetimewas of thousands(maybemore) ofBurmesewasusedtorebuild infrastructure andsomesites such ing thegovernment’s ‘Visit MyanmarYear 1996’campaign,inwhichtheforcedlabouroftens Democracy (NLD)generalsecretary Aung SanSuuKyiurged outsiderstoboycottMyanmardur- contributes toitscoffers. have reversed Others theirstanceinrecent years. NationalLeague for urge foreigners nottovisitMyanmar,believingthattourismlegitimises thegovernment and atrip. question before undertaking ofgoingtoMyanmarmustconsiderthiscomplicatedLonely Planetbelieves anyonethinking GO? YOU SHOULD the free downloadat www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/myanmar. government-run (suchastrainsorMTT). services We’ve notreviewed any restaurants, hotels orshopsknown tobegovernment-run. Weflagany We believe private travellers touristfacilitieswherever toMyanmarshouldsupport possible. About thisChapter Here are afew waystominimisethemoneythatgoesgovernment: Go You If

Readabout Myanmar–see p574 Trytogetoff thebeaten trackabit,includingtownsnotcovered inthisbook. Buyhandicrafts directly fromartisans. Spread care thewealth–don’t take ofallyourneeds(food,beer,guides,taxi,toiletpaper)at isthegovernment- Trytoavoidgovernment-run MyanmarTravel &Tours(MTT) services: Avoid government-run hotels (often namedafter thecity,egMraukUHotel) andstayin Win’s coup,theevents of1988andAung SanSuuKyibefore coming. one source(eg aguesthouse). independent, whileIWTferries andtrainsare government-controlled. See p525 operated travel agencyandMyanmaAirwaysisthegovernment airline. Nearlyallbusesare cheap family-runguesthouses. See p574 The boycottdebate willrumbleon,butrightnow,withoil andgas,minerals,heroin,timber Tourism remains oneofthefew industriestowhichordinarylocalshave accessin Much oftheinternational criticismisdirectedtourists,whospendthemost towardspackage Myanmar isruledbyanoppressive militaryregime. Somerefugee andhuman-rightsgroups Read LonelyPlanet’s expanded‘ShouldYouGo?’coverage inthe Myanmar guidebookorget MYANMAR (BURMA) ••ShouldYouGo? for some book suggestions. It’s important toknowaboutNe forsomebooksuggestions. It’simportant formore. formore.

521 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) and sees his or her lot as the consequence hisorherlotastheconsequence and sees gives valuesmeditation, almsfreelyBurmese and life centres onthemonastery. Atypical majority, Buddhism istheguidingprinciple fasts, great temples andtheirreligion. Forthe cals gush over ancientkings, and culture asanynationalityonearth.Lo- Myanmar peopleare asproudof theircountry isolated,Although subjugated andpoor,the Psyche National The CULTURE THE p518 see Myanmar, is asgreat as ever. strategy, her stature Myanmar throughout the pro-democracymovement over future country and,despite anongoingdebate in of freedom inexchange forexilefromthe Aung SanSuuKyicontinuallyrefuses offers May 2003andremains arrest. underhouse release inMay 2002.She wasrearrested in until theUNbrokered herunconditional rested again in2000andheldherhome arrestfrom house inJuly1995.She wasar- Peace Prizein1991andwasfinallyreleased Aung SanSuuKyiwasawardedtheNobel leadership. party andarrested seats parliamentary mostof the Slorc refused toallowtheNLDassumeits won more than85%of thevote. Sore losers, spite of theNLD thisandotherdirtytactics, arresthouse andpostponedtheelection.In Itplaced AungSanSuuKyiunder nervous. around theNLD,Slorcgrew increasingly vestige of European colonialism. Union of Myanmar,claiming‘Burma’wasa official namefromtheUnionof Burmatothe time,Slorcchangedthe same thecountry’s forDemocracy(NLD).Around tional League Suu Kyi,organised anoppositionparty,theNa- Aung San’scharismatic daughter, Aung San 522 The PlightofAungSanSuuKyi While the Burmese populationralliedWhile theBurmese For more onrecent in developments and complex history. try’s current plightinthecontext ofitslong beautifully crafted assessmentofthecoun- (2006), byUNdiplomat Thant MyintU,isa The River ofLostFootsteps: HistoriesofBurma READ MUST YNA BRA • TeClue MYANMAR (BURMA) ••TheCulture (noodleswithchicken orfish) break- . pwe (festivals),

generation, whooften have good English. engage withcityfolk,particularlytheolder is thebackbone of life. Visitors finditeasyto uncommon inthecountryside,where farming runningwaterin shortsupplyandeven is tions mayshare oneroof. Electricityremains Families are genera- generally bigandseveral Lifestyle form of humour. andpunsarelaugh, considered avery high obvious anddirect. alsolove Burmese agood the quiet,subtleandindirect over theloud, Mostimportantly, sex. discretion inbehaviour towardsthe opposite withBuddhistscripturesacquaintance and san chin Thehallmarks of(or ‘Burmese-ness’). behaviour commonlytermed of citizensisastandard for mostBurmese of sinormeritinapastlife. Thesocialideal the Bamar (orBurman,around 68%),Shanthe Bamar nic groups indigenous to Myanmar,including The populationis made upof around135eth- listening. aren’t so aslongthey’re sure potential informers with foreigners, manyrelish although doing and citizensare forbiddentodiscuss politics cars. Peaceful isbanned politicalassembly ment, fancy,well-fortified homesandspeedy modern conveniences, goodmedicaltreat- bribes orconnections.Thesmallelite has just about anybusiness opportunityrequires people have relative economicfreedom, but the whimof therulers. Nominally,Burmese savings canbe(andhave wipedoutat been) The banksare undergovernment control,so the government shutsdowntheuniversities. time there’s ahintof unrest inthecountry,as educationisdisrupted nation. Higher every of elite asmallmilitary and notthewider to agovernment thatgoverns in theinterests many inMyanmar,thanksnosmallpart Population Life is one long struggle for survival for Life forsurvival isonelongstruggle of theconflict. offers humanisingglimpsesintobothsides account ofMyanmar’smilitaryyears,and (2001), byChristinaFink, isavery readable Living Silence: BurmaunderMilitaryRule READ MUST includeshowing respect forelders, bamahsan chin lonelyplanet.com bamahsan chin bamah- values

foreigners and immigrants. in Myanmar,butonlyasprinklingof other are stilllarge numbers of IndiansandChinese Chin (lessthan3%)andKayah (1%).There Mon (lessthan3%),Kachin (less than3%), (9%), Kayin (orKaren, (4%), 7%),Rakhaing lonelyplanet.com after theage of 20.Almostallmenorboys a theagesbetween of five and15,againas his life: onceasa up temporary monasticresidence twicein to ensure a long life. year ofevery theircurrent age plusoneextra theywerethe week born)–oneglassfulfor astrological post(determined bythedayof pour water over theBuddhaimage attheir formed byindividualsvisitingastupaisto Oneofdeeds. themore commonritualsper- ritualsandgood able toaccumulate through the thing revolves aroundthemerit( dotted throughout the country. smaller HinduandMuslimcommunitiesare Many of thehilltribesare Christian,and strong beliefin Buddhists,butthisisblendedwitha About 87%of Myanmar’scitizensare Thera- RELIGION pongyi Every maleisexpected totake Burmese For theaverage Buddhistevery- Burmese

DON’TS & DOS Take offyour shoeswhenentering Dress modestly whenvisitingreligious Handthings –food,gifts, money–with Burmesewomendon’trideatop Don’tpointfeet atpeopleifyoucan Don’ttouchanyone’shead,asit’s long steps uptoahilltoppagoda. temple precincts, usuallyincludingthe less shirts. tightclothesorsleeve- sites –noshorts, your rightelbow. yourleft under your righthand,tucking beneath them. pick-ups asitcanbeinsultingtomen help it,andavoidstepping over people. body. considered thespiritualpinnacleof kusala, (fullyordainedmonk),sometime meaning‘wholesome’)oneis MYANMAR (BURMA) ••Religion samanera (guardianspiritbeings). (novice monk), kutho, from is an important centre.is animportant di- TheBurmese spirits thatcaninhabitnaturalfeatures, Buddhist images. TheBurmese figures are often foundsidebywith dhist practiceof entirelybut never replaced, thepre-Bud- venues inMandalay and Bagan. WWII andisnow mostlyconfinedtotourist dance. Marionette theatre declinedfollowing tre, wastheforerunner of classical Burmese Yok-thei pwe, Theatre Marionette isvibrant level and thriving. culturethe otherhand,Burmese atthestreet dered andfadedwithoutroyalsupport.On were bothroyalactivities,which have floun- last king,ThibawMin.Architecture andart had aneasytimesincetheforcedexileof the fine Burmese hasnot art, atthecourtlevel, are recorded inabookmadeof dog skin. made of goldleaves. whocommitevil Those inabook of whoperformgooddeeds those Thagyamin, whoannuallyrecords thenames beredressedmight withofferings tothe –forproblems inthislife.Bamar Amisdeed future lives, andthe ing tothesphere of influence:Buddhafor andofferings accord- vide theirdevotions vous or beneficent. trees people. oreven Theycanbemischie- monks. by nation procedure similartothatundertaken wear pinkrobes andtake vowsinanordi- nunsshavenuns). Burmese theirheads, live monasticlives as that theyshoulddoso,anumberof women their familyearns great merit. pyu under 20years of age participate inthe ARTS The Buddhism inMyanmarhasovertaken, While there islittlesocialexpectation disguised asaBuddhistmonk. from theperspective ofaJapanese soldier isaclassicanti-warfilmtold Kon Ichikawa Harp Burmese SEE MUST (initiationceremony), which through nat cultisstrong.MtPopa( p569 or Burmese marionette thea- orBurmese (1956)byJapanesedirector nat worship. The37 nat dasasila –bothHinduand (‘ten-precept’ nats are 523 nat shin- nat )

MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) overseas pharmaceutical market. Chinese tigers and rhinos are killedforthelucrative While manyanimals are hunted forfood, enforced,partly duetocorruption. seldom arethese justlinesonmaps.Wildlife lawsare parks andotherprotected areas, butmostof 7% of thecountryisprotected bynational fuelling thedestruction.Optimistically, about demand forhardwoods withChinese habitats, thegreatestindustry poses threat towildlife . what isquite likely therichest biodiversity in regionsThailand. Together, these produce the Sundaicsubregion, borderingpeninsular andChina; the north,borderingLaos India borders; subregion theIndochinese in Indian subregion, and alongtheBangladesh threecrosses distinctecologicalregions: the ago inthesouth,Myanmar’s2000kmlength to thecoral-fringed Myeik(Mergui) Archipel- From thesnow-cappedHimalayainnorth which thesizeof isroughly Texas orFrance. Myanmar covers anarea of 671,000sqkm, ENVIRONMENT special are thatpayhomage those tothe a trishawdriver ifoneis on nearby. Askthe performance,theysimplyfallasleep. ence memberisflakingatsomepointduring pwe fora be agoodexcuse –almostanythingcan tion, fair,sportingevent A religious festival, wedding,funeral,celebra- The Pwe charged songs online. anonymous rapcollective thatpostspolitically Myanmar Future Generations tunesofCross, produceserious their own. Phyu ofmusicians, such asLay thebandIron your favourite oldies.Afew rock Burmese likely covers tohearBurmese-language of heavily Western-influenced sounds–you’re the Western ear. Younger listen to Burmese rhythm andisshort onharmony,atleastto Traditional Burmese music relies heavily on Music 524 feared bymostBurmese. instead, thatisgreatly anevent be possessed sometimes members to of theaudienceseem thebodyandmindofto possess amedium; At themoment,deforestation bythetimber Myanmar’s trulyindigenous danceforms traditionally goes on all night. Ifanaudi- onallnight. traditionallygoes pwe RNPR • GtigTee&Aa There &Away ••Getting TRANSPORT nat pwe, (show) is everyday Burmese theatre. Burmese (show)iseveryday oneormore pwe

(www.mm-fg.net) . Onceunderway,a nat are invited nat . Ina is an Flight connections toKunming. Flight connections Dhaka. www.bimanair.com) with Bangkokand Hasconnections withChiang Mai. Mandalay dalay.com) Connects Myanmar. Fromthere aone-wayticket to kok, agoodplacetopickupcheap tickets to (MDL). Themostcommonroute isviaBang- from ChiangMai topalatialMandalay airport Yangon airport(RGN),exceptdirect flights All international arrive flights atsleepy Air GETTING THERE&AWAY TRANSPORT Biman BangladeshAirlines Yangon.bangkokair.com) Connects and Bangkok. Bangkok Airways Air Mandalay Air China Air Asia to (andoffices in)Yangon. tickets to enter Myanmar. SilkAir. toshow onward Youdonotneed than ThaiInternational Airways(THAI) and fromMyanmarforallairlinesother flights Singapore. ,KualaLumpur,Kunmingand nect Yangon Delhi,Dhaka, withKolkata, an AirAsia budget fare. alsocon- Flights Yangon atUS$90,cheaper starts stillwith Budget airline Bangkok. serving The followingairlineshave regular links toreconfirmIt isimportant outgoing and theBamarpeople. ‘Burmese’ refers tothelanguage,food describe thecountry’shistoryandpeople. wady River andsoon. Pagan toBagan,IrrawaddyRiver toAyeyar- switchedtoYangon,century.) SoRangoon since MarcoPolodroppedbyinthe13th the nameofcountrylocally,atleast corruption of‘Bamar’,andnever hasbeen anEnglishnic majority.(‘Burma’isactually exclusive identificationwiththeBamareth- of thevestiges ofcolonialism,andtoavoid uprising, inanattempt topurge thecountry country’s geographicalnamesafter 1988’s The government changedmostofthe MYANMAR? OR BURMA In thisbook,‘Myanmar’isusedintext to (codeAK; (codeCA; (code6T; % (codePG; % 01-722299; www.airasia.com) 01-505024; www.airchina.com) % 01-525488; www.airman % (codeBG; 01-255122; www lonelyplanet.com % 01-240922; for information on these crossings. for information onthese lonelyplanet.com Thailand at these points; see points;see Thailand atthese p726 Pass, buttourists inMyanmarcan’tenter Sot–Myawaddy border andThree Pagodas can enter Myanmarforthe dayattheMae p546 southern tipof MyanmaratKawthoung. See tothe to crossfromtheThaitownof Ranong boxed text on p552 town of Mae Sai to dreary Tachilek. the See It ispossibletocrossfromthenorthern Thai THAILAND ing aheftyUS$175toUS$225. (northeast of Hsipaw). Thiswillendupcost- Myanmar (attheborder),andontoLashio a multiday‘package trip’togofromMu-se, hours tobook fromKunming),itisnecessary 5th fl,LongyuanHaozhai,166WeiyuanJie; ( –getvisa oneatKunming’s enter from Chinarequires a 28-daytourist is notpossibletoexitMyanmarthisway.To You canenter MyanmarfromChina,butit CHINA India orLaos. to reach orfromBangladesh, Myanmarbysea cross intoMyanmarbyland.Itisnotpossible outlinewhenandhowto following sections Most of Myanmar’sborders are The closed. Chiang Mai. www.thaiair.com) Yangon Connects withBangkokand AirwaysInternational Thai SilkAir Myanmar AirwaysInternational Yangon.malaysiaairlines.com) Connects andKualaLumpur. Airlines Malaysia Indian AirlinesLimited connections withSingapore. connections connections withBangkok,KualaLumpur andSingapore.connections % indian-airlines.nic.in) FlightstoBangkok and Kolkata. & 1-4.30pm Mon-Fri) & 1-4.30pmMon-Fri) Land % To cross from the Chinese townofTo crossfromtheChinese Ruili(20 in USdollarsonly,notkyat. The taxisUS$10,payable officialdeparture TAX DEPARTURE 01-255180; www.maiair.com) offering Nationalcarrier 0871-360 3477; www.mcg-kunming.com; RoomA504, 0871-360 3477;www.mcg-kunming.com; formore Visitors details. fromThailand (codeMI; % (codeMH; TRANSPORT •• Getting Around ••Getting TRANSPORT for Y185toY285. 01-255287; www.silkair.com) Daily formore. Itisalsopossible (codeIC; % (codeTG; 01-241001; www % Myanmar consulate (MAI, code8M; 01-253598; http:// % h and p716 01-255499; 8.30am-noon

.yangonair.com) Thaijointventure. dalay.com) Singapore-Malaysia jointventure. dalay.com) Singapore-Malaysia government’s airline. You’ll need tohaveYou’ll need yourpassportandUS atleastadayinadvance.should bebought One-way tickets are halfthereturn fare and Myanma Airways Air Mandalay operating inMyanmar: be allowed to operate. to thegovernment, theywouldn’t otherwise private airlinesare pretty connected closely inmindthat someof theairstrips). Bear Airways, plyMyanmar’sskyways(and66 panies andthegovernment-run Myanma Four airlines,includingthree private com- around. look places listed inthischapter andhaving a law againststoppinginvillages between much of . there However, is no not covered here, such and asChinState unfortunately, isofflimits,includingplaces time. Lotsof time. Much of thecountry, Unless youfly,alltravel inMyanmar takes AROUND GETTING pany hascloselinksto senior generals. rundomesticcarrier..com) Privately thecom- However, A i r r i A The followingare thedomesticairlines

government companies: and/or operates. Trytoavoidthefollowing thatitowns services the useoftransport Be aware thatthegovernment profitsfrom TRANSPORT GOVERNMENT-OWNED Myanmar Railways –Trytoavoid its MyanmarRailways MyanmaFive StarLine(MFSL;ships)– MyanmaAirways (domestic)–Wedo –For- (IWT) InlandWater Transport ing exists on allservices. Yangon and Mandalay.Foreigner pric- betweenoverpriced sleeperservices ules are sohardtocomeby. Few as sched- travellers useitsservices, its safety record asitsownership. not recommend thisairline,asmuchfor profiteering. eigner pricingmeansthegovernment is (codeW9; (code6T; (codeHK; (MA, codeUB; % % 01-513322; www.airbagan % 01-525488; www.airman 01-383106; www % 01-374874) The

525 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) Thein ByuRd) this tripcanbeextended toPyay(Prome)or mar. Even boatscantravel inthedryseason, meet local people. Long-haul buses make localpeople. Long-haul buses meet a travel ischeap andfrequent, andit’seasyto pulling off theroad. Ontheotherhand,bus ling inopposite directions can’tpasswithout bad inmostplaces thattwovehicles travel- break downoften, too,andtheroadsare so ple andgoodsare often hours late. They ones thatare packed totheceilingwithpeo- and comfortable.More commonare theolder areA handfulof buses new thelong-distance Bus call the at MyanmarTravel p531)or &Tours (MTT; twe (Akyab)andsouthtoKawthoung. Ask (south of StrandRd),headingnorthtoSit- larly fromYangon’s MFSLPassenger Jetty (MFSL) travels very infrequently andirregu- (Moulmein) and Hpa-an. rewarding Mawlamyine short tripisbetween south fromBhamo orMyitkyina. Themost –isdrifting long-haul river trip–inseason allthewaytoYangon.even Arguably thebest travels.com) ter stillisthe among travellers. Aferry runsdaily,butbet- (IWT). Transport operated by thegovernment’s InlandWater exception of Mostferries somespeedboats. are to fourtimesaslongroadtravel, withthe boatstypicallytake threedrawback isspeed: Ayeyarwady alittlenorthof Themain Bagan. Yangon, andtheChindwin,which joinsthe whichTwante linkstheAyeyarwadyto Canal, Myitkyina. rivers Otherimportant includethe toBhamo,delta andinthewettheycan reach on theAyeyarwady(Irrawaddy)from Boat carriers. private prices are often US$10orUS$20lessthanthe Schedules are approximate atbest,although the airlinehasahit-and-miss safety record. tax. departure the US$3insurancefee. There’s nodomestic Allpricesshouldinclude than airlineoffices. agencies tickets tend less tosell forslightly dollars handytopayfortheticket. Travel 526 There is8000kmof navigable river in Myan- The Mandalay–Bagan service ispopular The Mandalay–Bagan service The government’s MyanmaFive Line Star isabunchMA’s fleet of oldFokkers and RNPR • GtigAon Around ••Getting TRANSPORT MFSL office . Ifyoutake theslowerlocalboats, in Yangon. Malikha speedboat Malikha

(Map (Map p530 ; % 01-295279; 132-136

(www.malikha wheeled Mazdaswheeled ( (myint hlei), ( In mostplaces,bicyclerickshaws ortrishaws Transport Local some places,such as Mandalay. torcycles toforeigners, butitispossiblein petrol) from Yangon. US$50 toUS$70perday(includingdriver and tuate. Oldercars without air-con costabout black-market priceof petrol,which canfluc- The costof hiringacaranddriver istiedtothe Motorcycle & Car to station buy tickets. can save youatriptoanoften remote bus staff oilprices.Guesthouse subsidies andhigh recent years, duetotheendingof government mind thatpriceshave dramaticallyin risen in particularly onpopulartouristroutes. Bear ally different pricesforforeigners andcitizens, trips mountains. through popcorn. Have ablanket handyforair-con or roads,you’llbebouncingaroundlikerough bewarebuses, –onMyanmar’s of thebackseat intheaisle.stuck sittingonasack Onmini- as farpossibleinadvancesonottoget rest few stopevery hours. Buyyourticket isgovernment Myanmar Railways owned and We donot recommend travelling bytrain as Train the driver. Journeytimesare wildly elastic. ally youcanpay50%more tositupfrontwith variously aspick-ups, known the ubiquitoustruckswithbench seats You canget almostanywhere inMyanmaron Pick-Up to K2500 per day. where inMyanmar. range from K500 Rates to K200 per ride. plyingthemainstreets,public buses fromK20 lay, Pathein andMawlamyine (Bassein) –have this chapter, butpricescanand do change. are negotiable. There are rates in somesample called and modernJapanese pick-uptrucks(also stops. They’re abitcheaper Usu- thanbuses. lux sai-kaa Bus tickets are pricedinkyat.There are usu- Many localsremain reluctant torent mo- It’s possibletorent abicyclealmostany- Bigger cities–includingYangon, Manda- . Theyleave whenfullandmake frequent kaa –that’spidginforsidecar),horse carts ) double as public transport. Rates ) doubleaspublictransport.Rates vintage taxis vintage taxis lei bein, lain-ka or ‘four wheels’) or‘fourwheels’) (taxi), lonelyplanet.com (linecar)or tinyfour- hi- lonelyplanet.com MAJOR PUBLICTRANSPORT ROUTES BANGLADESH BHUTAN transportandrestricted routes forforeigners. Bengal Bay of Theseroutes maychangewithout notice. This mapoutlinesmajoropenpublic Boat Route Rail Route Border Crossing Air Route Closed Roads Government PermissionRoutes TRANSPORT •• Major Public Transport Routes Public ••Major Transport TRANSPORT Sittwe Mrauk U INDIA Mt Victoria (3053m) Hakha Tiddim Ngwesaung Minbya Chaungtha Thandwe Taunggok Nyaung U Minbu Mouths ofthe Bagan Ayeyarwady Pakokku Monywa Tamu Kalaymyo

Pathein Mawlaik

Pathein

R Ayey

arwady Ri iver Magwe Sagaing Kawlinn

ver Mt Popa Khamti A NDM Pyay Shwedaung Thazi S EA arwa Ayey Pangsaw

Kalaw dy Bago Meiktila Ri ver Pass Mandalay YANGON Letkhokkon Pyinmana Mottama Katha Pindaya Gulf Beach Taungoo of Mogok Pyin ULwin Namkham Kyaikkami Thaton Lake Inle Kyaukme Nyaungshwe Kyaiktiyo Ruili Hsipaw Kakku Putao Bhamo Myitkyina Kawthoung Hpa-an Lashio Mawlamyaine Thanbyuzayat Mu-se Payathonzu Dawei Myawadi Ranong Mong La Myeik 120miles 200km 0 0 Tachilek CHINA THAILAND Kengtung Mae Sai Thailand Gulf LAOS of

527 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) wooden seats. TheMandalay–Lashio lineis wooden seats. with somecushioning andordinaryclassis and air-con, 1stclassishard-backed seats involves international-style reclining seats age tobuyordinary-classtickets. Upperclass only inupperclass,butsometravellers man- Pyinmana. Foreigners are totravel supposed near the schedules tosuitthenewcapital no longer operate, asthegovernment juggled popular sleepers fromYangon toMandalay 15 hours butoften takes doublethat.The Yangon–Mandalay ‘express’ totake ought andderailquite frequently.than buses, The top of this,trainsare usuallymuch slower US dollars forthegovernment’s coffers. On (or more) thelocalrate, meaningawadof operated andforeigners payabout sixtimes 528 Kamayut 4 1 3 2 YANGON

Yangon General Yangon River Yangon Yar BusTerminal(9.5km) To Na-GarGlassFactory (1.25km); HlaingThar AGN(AGO) YANGON (RANGOON) Hanthawady

Hospital

Nat Sin St Sin Nat

Ahlone

Strand

ὈὈ Yint Ba

Nagyi St Naung Rd Naung Rd

AC

Hanthawady Rd Hanthawady Hledan St

Lower Kyee Myin Myin Kyee Lower Hledan Daing Baho Rd Baho

Thir

Narnattaw St

Ngu Rd Panhlaing

Kohtatgyi Sanchaung

Kyemyindaing

War imin St Paya

Hnin Si St St

galar Insein

Thit Taw Rd

Baho Rd Baho St Rd Ahlone Rd Pyay

Shin Saw Pu Rd Rd Bargayar

of Yangon University See InnerYangonMap(p530)

Mya Park Hninsi Rd Tone Tha

Thakhin Gone St Ahlone Univ ὈὈὈ Ὀ ὈὈὈ

8

Shan Rd Rd Ra Za Wi U

ersity

Pyay Rd Pyay Rd Dhamma Zedi Rd Inya Resistance (National Assembly) Pyithu Hluttaw Teashop (1km)

People's

To TeingKya Avenue Park

Park

Yangon River Yangon

Aung Min Khaung St Khaung Min Aung B

Pyay Rd Pyay Rd Rd Dagon Pyay Rd 16

Thanlwin Lake Inya

Rd 4

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aing Inya My Inya Zar Rd

Sh ὈὈ ὈὈ Lanmada

Kan

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13

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taung Bahan Rd Wizaya 7 Maha Paya gon nonethelesscontinuestobethehubof in2005, Stripped of ascapital itsstatus Yan- % (RANGOON) YANGON www.seat61.com/Burma.htm. formation onthetrainnetworkinMyanmar: One’ website forreasonably up-to-date in- mation isavailable MTT.through andEnglish-languageat trainstations infor- andticketing canbe done lars. Reservations around theGokteik Gorge (see p562 probably themostscenicride,particularly Daing

Shwe Dagon Rd Sa Bo St Bo Pha YarRd

Visit the excellent ‘The Man in Seat Sixty- Visit theexcellent‘TheMan inSeat Train tickets mustbepaidforinUSdol- Rd

St Kokkine University Rd 01 /pop5million

No (1) Industrial Rd Industrial (1) No 12 Strand Rd Strand Win Rd Bahan St 6 Ga

International SOSClinic(1.5km); To CambodianEmbassy(0.5km);

Bar Sa Yar Ave St Swim San St Bangladeshi Embassy(1km); 18 Kan Sh Highway BusCentre(8km) 11 Yangon Airport(7.5km);

3 we Gone Daing

Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ

Yangon ming

Yeik Rd Natmauk 1

9 Mahabandoola Rd Mahabandoola DJ Bar(1.5km);

Kandawgyi Thar 17

10 Pool St

Paya Ngahtatgyi Lake Rd Maung Chit U Mingala

Nyunt Taung St

St (Sports Field) Kyaikkasan Grounds

St Yankin Thein Byu Rd 1km 0.5miles 0 0

5

Pazundaung

Botataung Yar Ban

(M

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ill Rd) ill East

Hospital Kandawgyi U Tun Rd Course Race

Tha Myat St St

lonelyplanet.com

Thin Gan Thin Mein Bauk Htaw Tarmwe

D Ban Yan St Yan Ban Low

15

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Tar undaung Bridge Bridge Rd Mingatar Rd Rd

ng Rd Rd ing goldenstupavisiblefromallover town. Paya isthecentrepiece of thecity,agleam- ternational visitors. ThestunningShwedagon tellectual debate andthegateway formostin- economic activity,ahive of underground in- lonelyplanet.com these (eg52ndSt, these Township). Botataung and street addresses are often with suffixed The wholecityisdividedintotownships, Creek, which flowsintotheYangon River. ing River) andtotheeastbyPazundaung by theYangon River (alsoknownastheHla- of sterile Naypyidaw,the new ‘capital’. theboredom ends, perhapsunable tosurvive Than Shwe isrumoured toreturn onweek- here inherhome onUniversity Ave. General Aung SanSuuKyiremains arrest underhouse IndiansandWestern expats. Mon, Chinese, mar. It’sdiverse Shan, too–hometoBurmese, Yangon isafascinatingintroductiontoMyan- reaching forthefuture buttrappedinthepast, down Pall Mall, albeitwithoutthe paint job. the StrandorPansodan Stislike strolling Singapore: thisisthereal deal.Awalkalong the region. Forget thecosmeticrenovations in of thebestBritish colonial-eraarchitecture in is awarren of historicstreets concealingsome tothewaterfront, downtownYangonCloser The cityisboundedtothesouth andwest ORIENTATION DRINKING EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Patty O'Malleys...... (see 12) Mr GuitarCafé...... Lake View...... (see 17) Sandy's MyanmarCuisine...... Café Dibar...... Motherland InnII...... Suu Kyi'sHouse...... Shwedagon Paya...... Sedona Hotel...... Mahasi MeditationCentre...... Chaukhtatgyi Paya...... Bogyoke AungSanMuseum...... Vietnamese Embassy...... Singapore Embassy...... New HorizonsTravels&Tours...... Nepali Embassy...... Korean Embassy...... Japanese Embassy...... Italian Embassy...... German Embassy...... Vibrant anddynamic,sweatysteamy, YANGON (RANGOON)••Orientation 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C2 C3 B2 D4 B1 B3 C1 C2 C2 C2 B2 C2 C2 D3 B1 C2 B2 C2 Design Printing Services, ispocket-sized. Design PrintingServices, St; Rd; ad books. and Police Fire Ambulance an emergency. Your embassymay alsobeable toassist in Emergency CouncilLibrary British Center American Alliance Francaise Centres Cultural plus hasrecent news magazines. booksandgeneralEnglishtitles, some maps,coffee-table Bookstore Bagan Bookshop old books,some in English. pulpyBuddhistcomics,mapsand St, selling p532) (Map along 37thStnearthecornerof Merchant bookstalls of across fromBogyoke AungSanMarket and lots are There Bookshops INFORMATION up to K1000. Some placesgive itawayfree, others charge toexploreis easyenough on foot. Yangon, which hasagrid-stylelayoutand books locatedinthe UK embassy. ofEnglish-language Burmese-history Excellent collection Strand Rd; film and listings. concert Yeiktha Rd; Burma. oflotsoldEnglish-languagebooks has reprints on owner ofEnglish-languagebooks. Thefriendly selection The Most travellers stickwithdowntown h the same as the airport run. the sameasairport ataxitotownwillcostabout the airport; Bus Terminal), of afew northeast kilometres BusCentreat theHighway (Aung Mingalar to have smallbillshandy.Mostbusesarrive US$5 tothecentre ofYangon anditisbest negotiate withdrivers outside. It’sabout ofthecentre) andminal (about15kmnorth ter-Walk pastthetaxistandsinairport INTOTOWN GETTING h ( % ( 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) A favourite for its eclectic foritseclectic 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) Afavourite 9am-4pm Mon-Fri) English-languagemagazines 9am-4pm Mon-Fri) % Yangon Tourist Map, 191) h h 199) ( % 8.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, to4.30pmSat) 8.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, Tue Checkthe &Fri) Mp p3 ; 3 Sl Py R) Stocks Rd) Paya Sule 232 p532; (Map 192) Mp p530; (Map (Map p532 ; p532; (Map Mp p530 ; (Map (a p532; (Map % % % Myanmar Times 223140; 14Taw Win 377227; 10037th 282122; Pyidaungsu % producedby 295300; 80

for

529 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) 530 0 500 m INNER YANGON 0 0.3 miles AGN(AGO) • ne agn YANGON (RANGOON)••InnerYangon

Zoologi Shwe Dagon Pagoda Rd Zoological A B C D Garden E F

ὈὈcal 1 16 Amusement 5 St 7 Gar Park ng Daw Thein Taw W Gau Tin St Ein Daw Bo Yar Nyunt St Min 3 8 den Mya Yar Yar Paya Bo Gon St

Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Rd St in Rd Mingala 1 6 Taung

87th St

Kin Won Min St 91st 90th St 94th St Kha Yae Bin Rd Shan Rd Gyi St Ministry of U Wi Za Ya Rd Kan Nyunt Foreign Affairs Myanma Gon Yi St Pazundaung St Taw Thantaman Rd2 Za Ga War Rd Tra Padonma Rd Myoma Pan Ah Lan Galay St Za Ga War Rd Ground Central English Pyay ὈὈὈὈPaya Methodist St 101st St Women’s Upper Pansodan St Pyay Rd Church 21 Hospital Defence Services Pago Byu Rd Museum Aung San ὇὇὇ Yaung St

da Stadium Bo Min Lower Kyee Myin St Gyo Na Wa Day St Samon Rd 10 ung Rd

Hninsi Gone St St 22 St ὇὇὇ da

Min Ye Kyaw Swar Rd Kun Ch an un U Kyar Pho U

Lanmada Yaw Min Gee St Paz 2

Daing Rd Yangon er Shwe Dagon Pagoda Rd Pha Yar Rd Yay Kyaw Rd

Lanma Daw St ὈὈ ὈὈ Upp Shwe Pon See Central Yangon Map (p532) Bogyoke Aung San Rd Pwint Paya Pazundaung Rd Thakhinmya Bogyoke Aung San Rd Garden St Thakhin Lower 25 Mya Park Yangon General St Mary's Hospital Cathedral Thayettaw 17 War Dan St Sikh Temple Salvation Rd Army Church Sri Devi

1st St 4

3rd St

19th St

Sule Paya Rd 11

5th St 7th St 7th

9th St Lanthit St 15

11th St 21st St

13th St

15th St Hledan St Hledan 17th St ὈὈὈὈ 23rd St 49th St Kaingdan St

46th St 47th St 48th St 3 Bo Aung Kyaw St 20 50th St 51st St 52nd St

56th St 53rd St 54th St 55th St Lanma Daw St

Thein Byu Rd Phoone Gyee St Mahabandoola Rd Strand Rd Mahabandoola Rd 12 19 East Yangon 23 Shwe Taung Tan St 13 Sin Oh Dan Rd 18 General Hospital

Shwe Dagon Pagoda Rd

Latha St

Madaw Rd Wadan Bo Ywe Rd 14 Bo Myat Tun St 24 Bo Ta Htaung Pagada Rd St Jetty Kaingdan Bo Ta Htaung Zay Rd Lanthit Merchant St St Jetty Hledan Merchant St St Jetty St Jetty Pongyi 41st St St Jetty

Ὀ Bogalay Zay St Sin Oh Dan St Jetty Strand Rd Botataung

(Vehicle Ferry to Dalah) lonelyplanet.com

44th St Strand Rd Yangon River 4 9

Myanma Five Star Line (MFSL) Cargo Jetty Botataung Jetty (such as the Sedona Hotel; (such asthe Sedona p533 lonelyplanet.com Central TelephoneCentral &Telegraph office Telephone not phone calls. but Grandoldbuildingfor allpostalservices, 6pm Mon-Fri) postoffice Main DHL office Post cards. credit option. arekyat. Hotels andguesthouses thesafer make theexchange before countingallthe Garden offer thebestrates, butyoushouldn’t northern endof theadjacentMahabandoola in thecountry.ToutsaroundSulePaya orthe Yangon generally offers thebestexchange rate SOSClinic International Supermarket City Mart Services Medical Cyber World internet café. but it’susuallycheaper togoadedicated Many offer guesthouses internet connections, Access Internet comes toemergencies. this isaninternational-standardoptioninYangon whenit Hotelontheeastbankoflake, of theDusitInyaLake AyePayacentre Rd)Onthegroundfloor 667879;37Kaba minute. up (literally) withoverseascallsat US$3toUS$6 per p532 Rd)Can setyou ; cnrPansodan St&Mahabandoola Rd; pharmacy. shopthatincludesaRd &47thSt)Well-stocked valuable, head here. K1000) Centrallocationwithareasonably fastconnection. Money SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Indonesian Embassy...... French Embassy...... (see1) City MartSupermarket...... Chinese Embassy...... American Center...... Alliance Francaise...... YMCA...... (see 13) Yangon SwimmingClubPool... Botataung Paya...... Thai Embassy...... Malaysian Embassy...... Lao Embassy...... At apinch, acoupleof top-endhotels h 8am-6pm Mon-Fri) Tosend orreceive anything 8am-6pm Mon-Fri) (Map (Map p532 ; TradersHotel,223SulePaya Mp p3 ; 4-4 Sl Py R; e hr per Rd; Paya Sule 246-248 p532; (Map Mp p3 ; tad Rd; Strand p532; (Map YANGON (RANGOON)••Dangers&Annoyances

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20 Shwe Dagon Pagoda Rd Open-Air Market

25th St New Bogyoke 43 AC Market

Synagogue Yeshua Moseah Strand Rd Strand 26th St 30 25 Temple Kon Zay Dan St Sri Kali

27th St Narsapuri Mosque 28th St (Moja) 37 36 42

Shwe Bontha St Rd San Aung Bogyoke Yangon River Yangon 26 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cholia Jama

C4 C2 C3 D4 B3 D4 C1 B1 C1 C1 C2 B1 D3 D4 Merchant St Merchant

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Bo Sun Pat Rd 39

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29 32nd St 11 Fire 24 28 6

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Authority Mahabandoola Rd Mahabandoola TRANSPORT Market...... Bogyoke AungSan SHOPPING DRINKING PassengerJetty...... Theingyi Zei...... Thiripyitsaya SkyLounge...... (see21) Strand Bar...... (see22) Star MillenniumCafé...... Silver OakCafé...... Zawgyi House...... Yatha Teashop...... Restaurant...... Pizza Corner...... Nilar BiryaniShop...... Myanma FiveStarLine(MFSL) Yakiniku JapaneseBarbeque C3 Maw ShweLiRestaurant......

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(Map (Map p532 1 Kaba AyePagoda admissionUS$5) Rd,InyaLake; 1 Kaba tu (p534 tour rienced 3-5pmMon,Wed&Fri) rienced doola Rd; branch outside town. Township) There’s alsoasecond Than LwinRd, Bahan http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/pandita.htm; 80A famous meditationcentre. Thathana Yeiktha Township)Myanmar’smost Rd,Bahan 16 http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/mahasi.htm; Inya Myaing Rd) Panditarama Meditation Centre Centre Panditarama Meditation Centre Meditation Mahasi Centre Meditation International Chanmyay Yeiktha Centre Meditation Meditation centres around town: vipassana, Yangon isapopularcentre for COURSES Za Ya Rd) the pools isatthe allow dipsforafew dollars; oneof thenicest and dosome instruction. 54 University Ave) larger, andnotfarfrom offers littlechance forshade, butisfive times centre. About 3kmnorth, Lake Kandawgyi Good strollinggroundscanbefoundat (free) lifttothetopof the including theShwedagon Paya, take the patience. some with thefactory,sogetting there requires a genial host.Somedrivers aren’t familiar Paya,gon’s Chaukhtatgyi andtheowneris merising eyesforareclining BuddhainYan- explore. Glassblowers here madethemes- h 152 Yawgi KyaungSt,HlaingTownship;admissionfree; of Kandawgyi Lake. sassinated isjustnorth in1947,themuseum ther, anindependenceleaderwhowasas- second location outside town. AyeRd)There’s alsoa www.chanmyay.org; 55AKaba ACTIVITIES For more Yangon thewalking see sights, If you feel the need totakeIf youfeel theplunge theneed The For thebest360-degree viewsof Yangon, The 9.30-11am &12.30-3.30pm) ; cnr Bogyoke AungSan&Sule ;cnrBogyoke Paya Rds) Yangon SwimmingClubPool Na-Gar GlassFactory Na-Gar . YMCA h orinsight-awareness meditation. ). beginners 7-9amTue, Thu&Sat,expe- .

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(Pansodan St) but, accordingtosome,perfectly formed,Dr the Motherland has long been popularwith the Motherlandhaslongbeen www.mayshan.com; 115 SulePaya Rd;s/dfromUS$15/20; travellers. Roomscomeinavarietyof combi- d US$10-15; marmotherlandinn.com; 433LowerPazundaung Rd;sUS$7-10, travels. onward There travel isauseful deskdownstairs for Pricier roomsincludeaprivate bathroom. are someare clean,although strangely shaped. est-running budget hotels intown,itsrooms climbhere. thesteep to tackle Oneof thelong- andexpansivebeer viewsreward willing those smart and comfortable, including satellite TV includingsatellite TV smart and comfortable, Run byafriendlyfamily, theroomsaredoes. is hardtobeat,looking ontoSulePaya asit ai smarter finish than the Haven. prices reflectthe room.Higher aslightly floors you canskate sparklesobrightly across this isanotherlittlehaven. Thepolished wood a [email protected]; 83/8552ndSt;s/d US$15/20; air-con. and a woodtrimandhave private bathroom have windows,butthey’re finishedwith Norooms fully booked season. inthehigh Htun’s five well-furnished roomsare often .net.mm; 216BoMyatTun St;s/dUS$10/15; airport shuttlerunning twice daily. All are cleanandwellfurnished. There isafree nations involvingbathrooms,fansorair-con. andthecolonnaded o Hotel Seasons Three Inn Haven Motherland Inn2 , aslightlyfadedparkthatishometothe ) , once a mammoth department store., onceamammothdepartment Same email, same family asHaven Sameemail,same Inn, pedestrian bridge isontheright.HeadingsouthPan- ) Whenitcomesto location,thisplace . ai British CouncilLibrary Mayshan Hotel Mayshan Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com (Map (Map p530 ) Alittlewayfromtheaction,

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with reliable hot water. rooms rooms,whilethenewwinghassmarter spartan s US$8-10,dUS$16-19; the nearbyWhiteHouse is full. St; sUS$5-8,dUS$6-10; ai Aung SanRd;s/dfromUS$30/35; .net/central; 355-357Bogyoke as isthefastaccessto internet email. and hotwater bathtubs.Theliftisabonus, lonelyplanet.com air For alively out,headtotheopen- localnight early, by 9pm. in town.Rememberthatmanyplacesclose lakes. are Footpathstalls the cheapest eats various embassyrowsoraroundthepretty are tucked awaytothenorthof thecentre on downtown area. smarter Slightly restaurants Shan, andIndianrestaurants Chinese inthe rants. There are lotsof inexpensive Bamar, Yangon hasMyanmar’sbestrange of restau- EATING YMCA Daddy’s Home isalmostasdecrepit asthe but theinterior building itself. decaying oldcolonialrelic, thisplacehasoodlesofpotential, 93 32ndSt;s/dwithshared bathroomUS$3/5)Housedina GuestHouse Mahabandoola news 24/7and hot water. adventure upcountry,such asinternational crave youmight include everything after an money. Theroomsare large andclean, to get tothemajor leagueforthiskindof Traders Hotel, you’re thisistheclosest going Bmr Shan & Bamar Other recommended placesinthecentre: Hotel Central

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(Map (Map p530 294128; 263 Mahabandoola Rd; 294128; 263Mahabandoola (larva) – insect larva, culledfrom bamboo,are still lightlygrilled andserved larva, –insect (larva) a a ) Theoldwinghaslarge, ) Reliable stand-bychoiceif ) Reliable ; % (barbecue stands) – footpath stools selling graphic, sliced-up pig parts; (barbecuestands)–footpathstoolsselling graphic,sliced-uppigparts; % ;19thSt; Mp p532; (Map 252169; 107KonZayDan 241001; www.myanmars h % after 5pm) after 248104; in tiny placebehindCityHall hasanEnglish- This popularShan eatery lieswestof the (a p532). (Map central branch onMahabandoola GardenSt withchilli.dried eel There isnowamore city centre. fried Specialities includeatasty Rd,LanmadawTownship; mainsK2000) 316 Anawrahta . authentic top spot,andthemenuincludessome cuisine. The pricesaren’t badforsuch a ish addresses toget togripswithBamar Myanmar Cuisineisoneof themore styl- overlookingsetting Kandawgyi Sandy’s Lake, 290 UWeizaraRd;mainsK1500-5000) selections. with Englishtohelp speakenough eat. Staff dishes available each day.Justpointand place todoit,withdozens of traditional get afeel forMyanmarcuisine?Thisisthe 124 PyidaungsuYeiktha Rd;mainsfromK1500) ). chicken as language Shan menuforsampling mealssuch fromK500) beer. the habandoola Rd) (crickets andthelike) atthe game, pickupsome‘mouth-watering snacks’ whileyourdinner’scooking.Ifyou’re Beer K200 each) anddownachilled Myanmar the meat,fish andvegetable (from selection with smokinggrills.Picksomeskewers from Rds.Theareaand Anawrahta iswallto Chinatown, locatedMahabandoola between Maw ShweLiRestaurant Maw Sandy’s MyanmarCuisine o 999 ShanNoodleShop hkauq sweh Feel MyanmarFood around thecornertoaccompany Thisblink-and-you’ll-miss-it (thinricenoodlesinspiced

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MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) a reliable spot. zas K2000-2800) distance ofdistance Shwedagon Paya, Dibarisa Café the hilt,butpizzasare tasty. be revealed. Thedécorisbadburger jointto you’ve spentamonthupcountryandallwill ‘Pizza? WhywouldIwantpizza?’.Waituntil well-heeled youngBurmese. well-heeled and international foodandispopular with fix. Italsohasan extensive menuof Asian feine cravers should headhere foramorning Aroma Café Teashops & Cafés and . bistrowith authenticpizzas homely Italian mains fromK3000) elegant surrounds. the menuisvery reasonably pricedgiven the inagrandoldcolonial-erabuilding, food. Set and beyond,plusplentyof homecomfort favourites Laos fromMyanmar,Cambodia, this placehasaneclecticmenuof regional mains K2500-7500) Pizza Corner International Sts. Gyee 12thandPhooneis delicious.It’sbetween andtheduckfootpath onabreezy night this isoneof thebest.Tables spillontothe aretaurants anotherfixture inYangon and Rd; mainsfromK2000; go wildandsample the . things uponyourvery owngas-fired grillor think of tobarbecueandsomeyoucan’t.Cook h % chicken or fish. and arange of thaliswithvegetable, mutton, ern Indianfood,Bharat offers cheap habandoola Rd;vegmainsK700) or so. you-can-eat thalimealsorbiryanicostK500 makers All- and roti-and- upatnight. set shops( Paya Rd,there are manysuper-cheap Indian Rd,westofin thecity.AlongAnawrahta Sule There isahuge numberof Indianrestaurants Asian Other 536 Bharat Restaurant Singapore’s Kitchen Kitchen Singapore’s JapaneseBarbequeRestaurant Yakiniku Café Dibar Café Monsoon 374738; 357ShweBonthaSt;barbecuedishesfromK1500; lunch &dinner) AGN(AGO) • rnig YANGON (RANGOON)••Drinking Nilar BiryaniShop

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a free drink. Pricessometimesinclude wealthy Burmese. ventional it’spacked nightclub, withyoung, the mostpopularclubsintown.More acon- swing bythiscafé-bar, foundedbypopular lonelyplanet.com Burmese herbsand medicines. Burmese isalsorenowned for itstraditional ingyi Zei RdtoMahabandoola Rd.The- Anawrahta Dan Stto24thSt, andnorthtosouthfrom tends fourblockseasttowest fromKonZay market local the homewaresfor everyday andtextiles. Itex- is p532) (Map Zei Theingyi SHOPPING Lake. on until4amweekends. WayoutonInya this late-night barwithadancefloor rumbles Aye Paya Rd) Paya Pagoda St;admissionaroundK4000) and littledancing. toincludelotsof amateurseem modelshows tural experiencefortheuninitiated. Most Yangon canbeaninteresting nightclubs cul- just US$1. is beer woodwork forthisoneanddraught on Friday.Alotof expatscomeout of the ‘Stranded’ happyhours from5pmto11pm most expensive digsintownhasintroduced expensive compared withdowntownbars. Drinksare from7pmtomidnight. nightly singer NayMyoSay.There islive music h to stopby. international menumake thisagoodspot they are allhere. drinksandan Affordable toBruceLee, of thestars. FromBeckham CLUBBING DJ Bar Pioneer Strand Bar Mr GuitarCafé night. life inthecitywithlive musicalmostevery ground IrishbarattheSedonaHotel St) Café here Yangon. inconservative After YANGON asubduedsceneBangkok, expect LESBIAN & GAY 1 Kaba AyePagoda Rd,InyaLake) 1 Kaba a gay-friendlyvibe. 6pm-midnight) is oneofthefew centres ofgaynight-

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with The p530 Delta. departs. be sure tocheck fromwhich jettytheboat leave early. morning untilabout 1pm.The comfiestones from theHlaingThar Yar Terminal fromearly (K5000toK6000, five hours) leaveBeach hours) and Ngwesaung K6000, sixtoseven (K5000to four hours), ChaungthaBeach ( Moon Express Train Central include Station the opposite p530) (Map fices money. Bigger companies withbus-ticket of- tickets, whichsave willcertainly time,ifnot of theHlaingRiver. 45 minutes westof thecentre ontheotherside lot, justsouthwestof Yangon Airport. array of competingbuscompanies inadusty (off Map p528 tinations, whilethe Terminal; Map off p528 (AungMingalarBus BusCentre Highway themostdes- ) serves Yangon The hastwomainbusstations. Bus lar ferry fromthegovernment-run andMandalay.Pyay, Bagan travel northalongtheAyeyarwadyRiver to towardsPatheinries headupthedelta or around southernYangon. fer- Long-distance Yangon River waterfront, which wrapsitself There are jettiesonthe fourmainpassenger Boat p525 which leave airport,see fromthesame ondomesticflights, Fordetails air services. p524 See Air GETTING THERE&AWAY pretty much anythingelse. bagsand worn bywomenandmen),shoes, well asjewellery, tion of handicraftsinYangon, Burmese as old labyrinthine market hasthelargest selec- AungSanRd; Bogyoke % Several buses toPathein buses (K3000,threeSeveral to Guesthouses canassistwithpurchasingGuesthouses The HlaingTharYar BusTerminal isagood isaconfusing BusCentre The Highway When purchasing aticket foraparticu- SanMarket Aung Bogyoke ; 249671) % . 284055) forinformationoninternational . ;

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% at the back of Lanthit Stjetty,at thebackof Lanthit 642903) h Kyaw Express longyi 8am-6pm Tue-Sun) Hlaing Thar YarHlaing Thar BusTerminal and (wraparoundgarment - Pathein Rd) (Scott Market; Map Map (Scott Market; p532 Transnational Express

( % Thisgrand 242473) serves the IWT , (Map (Map 537

Sun

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MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA)

K20 toK200dependingonthetype of bus. Tickets(for example)beatataxi. costfrom crowded, butmiddayhopsacrossthecentre townships of Yangon. Somecanbequite Korean withair-con buses –connectthe dodgy oldpick-upsandnewerJapanese or More than40numbered citybusroutes –on Bus (Map p530 Book advancetickets atthe parture thatarrives attheabsurdhourof 3am. toMandalay, sleeper night justa12.45pmde- in advance. There is currently noconventional berths, days includingsomedaytrains)several sleeping sleepers (ieanythingthatcontains able thantheaverage train.Reserve Burmese it. Theexpress trainsare much more comfort- the overpriced tickets, sowedon’trecommend but thegovernment profits handsomelyfrom lay istheonlytraintripmostvisitors consider, The 716km-longtripfromYangon toManda- 538 Train GTIG AROUND GETTING Sule Paya toPyayRd(University of Bogyoke AungSanMarket toMingala blue bus51,52andair-con bus 51 Yangon; toairport– nearInyaLake) (nearKandawgyi – Lake) Zei pick-up 1 Useful routes: Thazi US$9 US$15 Mandalay Kyaikto US$3 US$25 US$30-35 Bagan US$11 US$8 Destination Ordinary US$40-50 US$31 n/a US$33 TRAINS FROMYANGON 14hr 7hr US$34 class 12hr Upper 19hr Duration class Sleeper 20hr 20hr K15,000 4½hr K12,000 K3000 Thandwe (forNgapali) & InleLake) Taunggyi (forKalaw K9000 Mawlamyine K15,000 Mandalay Kyaikto 6hr Hpa-an K4500 Bago K1000 12hr Bagan K15,000 Destination Fare 8hr way BusCentre. trip durationsforbusesleavingtheHigh- 2hr 14hr The followingare somesamplefares and Duration BUSES FROMYANGON ETCATBAHS& H ET & WEST COAST BEACHES THE DELTA ; % 274027; h 6am-4pm). Yangon trainstation

K1000, dependingonthe covered.distance to10am.RidescostaboutK300 midnight aren’t permitted onthemainstreets from Trishaws themforsightseeing. out touse around downtown,butYangon istoospread in Myanmar. Trishawsare forgetting useful motorcycles inYangon thananywhere else There are farfewer trishaws,bicyclesor Trishaw more. forthedayisUS$20 Ataxi to US$30. expect topay atnight, at about K2000.Late K1500. SulePaya toShwedagon Paya runs around thecentralarea costaboutK1000to unknown. Fares are negotiable;trips highly Japanese cars. Breakdowns are notexactly expensive are the from anyothervehicle inYangon. Themost there isoften todistinguish ataxi littleelse carryred taxis Licensed licenceplates, though Taxi o Pathein. of from Yangon, town delta bothviathesleepy are easiertoreach Beach and Ngwesaung the backpacker market. ChaungthaBeach outofthe finest,butisrapidlypricingitself is Remote NgapaliBeach during theweek. and thereslices of itself sand are few tourists coastlinehassometasty anmar’s curvaceous to share My- else. witheverybody thesand , butit’snosecret andyou’llhave Thailand maybethebeach of capital South- DELTA THE & WEST COASTBEACHES Sule Paya toShwedagon Paya –bus37, Sule Paya toHlaingTharYar – BusStation Sule Paya –bus BusCentre to Highway 4, 46 43, bus 54, 59, 96 43, 45, 51 car-taxis, beaten-up old lonelyplanet.com US$10; ers thebest bangforyourbuck. Frontinga hotels intown,top-floor rooms here are of solidgold,amiddletierof pure silver and goda) consistsof atoptiermade from6.3kg AHI (BASSEIN) PATHEIN away and chase most travellers. heavy rainsblanketmid-September) thecoast lonelyplanet.com a bathroom. a brighter, butall roomsare cleanandinclude St; sUS$5-7,dUS$6-10; ebbs. mostly Electricity ebbsandflowsinPathein, but Eating & Sleeping constructed green hillocksdotted withanumberof well- paya lesser-knownseveral Lanka. Sri shrine apparently floated here onaraftfrom Bu perhaps? Theseated a bottomtierof bronze–theOlympicpagoda shaped stupa. The near theriverfront, isahuge, golden,- them see being made. Tawya KyaungRd; The fromjustafew kyat. Prices start thousand Rd. Saffron-coloured onesare waterproof. Paya,the Twenty-Eight Mahabandoola off northern partof thecity,particularlyaround in parasolworkshops scattered across the aresols forthesun,notrain.These made for its‘umbrella’ industry–actuallypara- Pathein thecountry isfamousthroughout Sights ing action.constant Pathein town,deliver- through River curves up duringtheblastingheat.Thewide,scenic sol industryandisagoodplacetopickone real locallife. It’shometoaflourishing para- Pathein isagoodplacetocheck of thepulse cated intheheartof theAyeyarwadydelta, or not,Myanmar’sfourth-largest city.Lo- Beaches, or Ngwesaung Pathein it is,believe post onthewaytoChaungtha A goodstaging % During the monsoon season (mid-MayDuring themonsoonseason to Paradise GuestHouse Taan Taan Ta GuestHouse Paya Settayaw Paya Shwemokhtaw 042 /pop300,000 compoundwrapsaroundacoupleof Shwe Sar Umbrella Workshop Shwe SarUmbrella a ) It may not be paradise, but itdeliv- Itmaynot beparadise, tazaung h WEST COAST BEACHES & WESTCOAST BEACHES THE DELTA ••Pathein (Bassein) isthemostcharming of the 8am-5pm) a , inthecentre of Pathein (shrine buildings). (decorated topof apa-

( paya % ) ddha inthesouthern Oneof thetaller isagoodplaceto 25055; 14Zegyaung Rd;r

( % inPathein. The 22290; 7 Merchant 22290; 7Merchant

( % 25127; 653 St) h side market drawstheyoung-unsforaspot from Yangon. the catch comesin. of atime before tourism; itcomesto life when shade. The thereling, although are onlythree trees for It’s agoodplacefor swimmingandsnorkel- K4000, onehour)at8am,returning at5pm. Pathein. town. Chaungtha isabumpy40kmwestof stretch of isa15-minute sand walknorthof forsomesolitude. The bestduring theweek –fullyclothed.Comein thesunandsea ends andholidays,withlocalshaving fun This beach isincredibly popularonweek- % BEACH CHAUNGTHA 7am to3pm. (K3000, 1½hours) otherhourfrom every and 1pmfromPathein’s (K3000,2½hours) around7am,11am Beach the three- tofour-hour trip. noon. Tickets range fromK2500toK5000for ing TharYar BusTerminal, mostleaving before Many gotoPathein buses fromYangon’s Hla- BUS jetty. In Yangon, St boatsdepartfromtheLanthit 17 hours), leaving at5pmineitherdirection. and Pathein (ordinaryclass/cabin US$7/42, triple-deckers YangonChinese between sail T A O B Pathein isabout120kmwestof Yangon. Getting There&Away bamboo. in , fresh fruitandpeanutssteamed treats, includingcoconutcrepes withsyrup, of flirting.Itoffers averitable smorgasbord of and cuisine. Chinese street action. ThemenuincludesBurmese and arelaxed atmosphere awayfromthe place hasaleafygardenforalfresco dining the roomsare cleanandinclude satellite TV. canal, ashort walkfromthecentralmarket, . Itismore toget comfortable adirect bus Boats headoutto gotoNgwesaung Shwe Min Thanbuses leave minibuses forChaungtha Overloaded Night market lunch &dinner) 042 Golden LandRestaurant market market Northof theclocktower,this

(Strand Rd) ( h Whitesand Island Whitesand 6-9am) After dark,thisriver- (Merchant St;mainsK2000; (Merchant

bus station isalively vestige (Yadayagone (Yadayagone

(oneway

539 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) US$7/15) anyone’s guesshowlongitwillholdout. –butit’sfordable optionsinNgwesaung 1½ hours) otherhourfrom 7amto every gotoPatheinShwe Min Than buses (K3000, Getting There& Away popular with locals. bathroom. Theterrace restaurant here is minibarand all equippedwithsatellite TV, Ithasawhopping 133rooms, Ngwesaung. was thefirst of themega-resorts builtin bathroom. attached Rooms are insmallwoodenbungalowswith Resort Golden Sea Sleeping there isspacetospread out. andclearerdeeper thanatChaungtha,plus visitors.towards high-spending Thewater is resorts andhotels are swankyplacesgeared Thebadnewsisthatalmostallthe white sand. that thebeach isagorgeous 15kmstretch of good newsandbadnews.Theis Long touted asthenewNgapali,thisisboth % BEACH NGWESAUNG hours) at7am. to seven gotoYangoncon buses (K5000toK6000,six inthevillage. air-from thebusstation Better (K3000, 2½hours) at7am,11amand1pm overcrowded leave minibuses forPathein (fromK30,000,1½hours). Seriously Beach canarrange Guesthouses boatstoNgwesaung Getting There&Away restaurants alongthevillage’s mainstreet. hotels, plusthere are somepoint-and-eat rooms. simple a woodenhomewithbalconyandvery away fromthebeach. courtyard. the small bungalowswithprivate porches facing ing thebeach, thecheaper roomshere are r US$12-25; during the wet season. are moving uptomidrange. Someplacesclose mostplaces the cheapest though placestostay, Of Myanmar’sbeach towns,Chaungthahas Eating & Sleeping 540 Food isavailable and atallguesthouses There are budget placeslocated several Hotel Tha Shwe Hin Yuzana Resort 042 ETCATBAHS& H ET • NwsugBah & WEST COAST BEACHES THE DELTA ••Ngwesaung Beach Thisplaceisoneof theonly af- a ) The only affordable hotel fac- The onlyaffordable

( %

(

( % 40323; rUS$25-45; % in Yangon 01-241747;s/d 24098, inYangon 01-650588; Win Villa

(s/d US$3/6) a ) This is drying inthesunonbamboomats(provid- beach, easilyreached onfoot,where fishlie coloured fish tofollow. of Thailand,butthere are plentyof brightly comparedcoral’s notspectacular withparts to 5peopleUS$12-15) Half-day Activities & Sights Mrauk U(Myohaung). to continueonSittweandthetemples of only really planning worththetripforthose are slimpickingsforbudget travellers. Itis steadily upmarket inrecent years, sothere some of thecountry’sbestfood.Ithasmoved up andthistownserves bounty fromthesea waters Theturquoise deliver of a Bay Bengal. 3km of palm-fringed onthebeautiful sands byahomesickItalian, say, Ngapali boasts travelling overland. Given itsname,some it’s onehellof planningon arideforthose The premier beach destination inMyanmar, % BEACH NGAPALI can travel bybusviaPathein. be chartered (fromK30,000,1½hours) oryou gon (K5000toK6000, five hours). 3pm. There are direct toYan- several buses www.linntharoo-ngapali.com; sUS$25-40, dUS$30-45) www.linntharoo-ngapali.com; with 24-hourgenerator power. sporadic unlessyou optforthetop-rate rooms quito netsandprivate bathrooms. Poweris available. Roomshave woodenfloors, mos- forest of palms, hasfive categories of room pheric littlehotel, hiddenawayamidasmall [email protected]; rUS$20-50) over thewater. mattress bathrooms onthefloorandattached the mainstrip,bare-bones roomshave a budget rooms. only surviving thissimpleplace,butithasNgapali’s you see the first twowordsthatcometomindwhen Grand Resort Eating & Sleeping low thewater. Turn leftatthemarket crossroadsandfol- home toahilltopstupawithsuperbviews. hot place!).Furthersouthbyroadis ing atimelyreminder sunscreen touse inthis Jd Taw Jade There are noroadstoChaungtha. Boatscan Linn Thar OoLodge Linn Thar Royal BeachHotel 043 snorkel trips snorkel isafishingvillage southof the

(s/d US$6/10) are widelypromoted. The

(

( % %

(incl boat, mask & snorkel forup (incl boat,mask&snorkel Grand andresort aren’t 42411, inYangon 01-243880; 42333, inYangon 01-229928; lonelyplanet.com

Just northof This atmos- Lontha

, via Pyayonastomach-churning tripover and hotwater. are wood-panelledandincludesatellite TV views.Themoreoffer sea expensive rooms There are 42bungalowsandsomeof them but it’soneof thecheaper dealsinNgapali. Prices keep onrisingatLinnTharOoLodge, lonelyplanet.com along the way. incrediblyand you’ll meet friendlylocals to break upthelongcross-country journeys, heartland, butthere are somehistoric towns trail. Theregion isprimarilyanagricultural are arewarding waytoescapethetourist butthetownsinthisareaand InleLake, ofthe iconicsights placessuch asBagan The centralplainsof Myanmarmaylack MYANMAR CENTRAL for aboutK2000perday. information. more the PyaybusfromThandwe. See p571 from Taunggok, reached bypick-upor allowed, butitispossibletotake aboat the busstation. minutes), from where itisatrishaw rideto from NgapalileadstoThandwe(K500,45 Alternatively,your guesthouse. apick-up of willpickyouupfrom driedfish. Buses withbags thebusstuffed the mountains, route (viaGwa). ( around 2pm,andcostK11,000. Yangon take about20hours, leaving Ngapali twe atUS$46. toYangonFlights atUS$56,andtoSit- start 9.5kmnortheast. the Thandwebusstation, port Visitors reach Ngapaliviathe Getting There&Around favourites here. isoneof200m northof theold RoyalBeach, about K3000,tiger prawnsK5000.Moonlight, speciality here. Crab, squidorbarracudais Squid withgarlicandginger isalocal sauce some superbopen-air,family-runrestaurants. parallel roadbehind thebeach andyou’llfind oversunset are thesea thehotels. Head tothe % Overland travelOverland toSittwe iscurrently not foodordrinkfora The onlyplacesserving Guesthouses aroundNgapalirentGuesthouses bicycles toandfrom busservices Long-distance 43500)

( % 42611) sends buses alongthesmoother buses sends , 5kmnorthof thebeach, or CENTRALMYANMAR ••Bago(Pegu) Aung Thit Sar Thit Aung (

% Thandwe Air- Thandwe 43499) Ye Lan Aung goes for walkway lined with stalls, draws plentyofwalkway linedwithstalls, the of in 1917,resting atthenortheastern corner the of Paya inYangon. Look outforthelarge chunk mawdaw Paya thanShwedagon is14mhigher Rebuilt after anearthquake in1930,the Shwe- AROUND PAYA & SHWEMAWDAW Buddha images.lined with64seated yond is can climbtothetopforfineviews. Justbe- you reach the figures. and acuriousquartet of Buddha standing structed in AD994. temple’s melodramatic story,which began are particularlybeautiful.Amuraltells the lifelike face. Thejewelledsolesof thefeet andhasasweet, one atWatPho inBangkok dha image that’s9mlonger thanthefamous The Shwethalyaung isa55mreclining Bud- AROUND & SHWETHALYAUNG admission. the fee. listed have Allothersights free wantingtoavoidabout 4.30pmforthose government. Ticket checkers finishworkat site to the maintenance, but thebulkgoes thadi Palace. Someof thismoneymaygoto Paya, KyaikPunPaya andtheKanbawza- thalyaung, Shwemawdaw Paya, Mahazedi Sights destroyed it in 1757. kingAlaungpayamarauding Burmese camewhen and thefinalnailincoffin town declinedastheriver changed course, daysasamajorMon, Bago’s river-port Golden Rock.FoundedinAD573bythe are ondaytripsortheirwaytothe just ahandfulof travellers, mostof whom route orMandalay), toInle Lake butsees The townlies80kmnorthof Yangon (en religioushome tosomemonumental sites. ofsands niches foritssacred Buddhas–as –andmanythou- aniche foritself carved Welcome toBuddhaWorld! % hasBago (PEGU) BAGO A US$10ticket covers entrancetoShwe- Just before theShwethalyaung istherecon- Carry onbeyondtheShwethalyaung and Carry 052 /pop220,000 paya zedi’ ShwegugalePaya Maha Kalyani Sima Kalyani Maha s spire, toppledbyanearthquake . Thestupa, reached by acovered Mahazedi Paya Mahazedi , includingatunnel (Hall of Ordination) , where men (only)

541 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) travellers here. spendthe night has plentyofBago good-value rooms, butfew Sleeping palace inMandalay. isareproduction,rything else similartothe only authentic16th-centuryartefacts. Eve- Taungoo king.The excavated walls are the mawdaw Paya, wasthe home of a16th-century This Mon-stylepalace,justsouth of Shwe- KANBAWZATHADI PALACE &MUSEUM of the day. lunch, butit’smore relaxed atothertimes place. Tourists cometowatch the10.30am tling hive of 1200monks,andawelcoming dhist monasteries) inMyanmar,thisisabus- One of thetopthree biggest KHA KHAT WAINKYAUNG without the US$10 charge. views cal swans.ThisistheplaceforBago Gon Paya pilgrims duringthe 542 (March/April). 1 3 2 BAGO Mahagi Beyond theShwemawdaw PayaBeyond is Paya ETA YNA • Bg Pg) CENTRAL MYANMAR ••Bago(Pegu) , ahilltopshrine guarded bymythi- AC Paya Gothaingotan 6 5 Kyaik Pun Paya To Yangon (80km) 8 full-moon festival Ba Yint Noung St Kyaung Kyinigan Figures Paya Four 9 15 4 Yangon-Bago Rd Station kyaung Train Mosque hehlan uda...... A2 Shwethalyaung Buddha...... Shwemawdaw Paya...... Shwegugale Paya...... Mahazedi Paya...... Maha KalyaniSima...... Kha KhatWainKyaung...... Kanbawzathadi Palace&Museum..... Hintha GonPaya...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES B Footbridge 12 atTagu 11 14 Hintha Hintha (Bud- 13 10

Market Church Bago Yangon- 3 For thebest all-rounderin town,headtothis

Rd; s/dfromUS$5/8;

around thetemples. Pun Paya, thepoolispopular after tramping 24-hour air-con. roadasKyaik Onthesame hotwater and bungalows withsatellite TV, scene, roomshere are in well-appointed set Mandalay Rd;sUS$5-10,dUS$8-12; Mandalay on Main Rd. are stations clusteredBeer nearthe bridge sellers, inthecentre of townnearthemarket. includingsomegood Indianbiryani stalls, For cheap eats,there are anumberof food Drinking & Eating s/d US$24/30; guide MrHan hangsouthere. access toashared bathroom.Longtimelocal the cheaper roomshere onlyhave afanand friendly placelocated onthebusymainroad; rooms, someoffering abalcony. Myananda, theSFhassmallbutspotless River Bago StarHotel Myananda GuestHouse Shwe LiRestaurant Mandalay San FranciscoMotel Mawlamyine (220km); To Kyaiktiyo(120km); Mandalay (382km)

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Rd Reservoir Leikpya D1 A2 A2 B2 C1 D2 D1 as Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Tower Clock aoSa oe...... B3 Bago StarHotel...... Pick-ups toKyaikto...... (see13) Bus Station...... Shwe LiRestaurant...... Hadaya Café...... 35 Restaurant...... San FranciscoMotel...... Myananda GuestHouse...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING a Equestrian Statue Bogyoke AungSan

( % ) The star of hotel Thestar theBago 0.4miles 600m 0 0 )

(194 Strand St; dishesfromK1500) In the same area Inthesame asthe ( 23766; 11-13KyaikponPagoda Rd; %

22265; 14Yangon-Mandalay

( % 7 22275; 10Yangon- a 2 D ) Thisisa 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 B3 B1 B2 B2 B2 B2 1

out good-value Eu- andeven Chinese Bamar, It’s atouch butthisrestaurant tatty, turns curries. clean andtidyplacewithShan andIndian lonelyplanet.com to K6000. for theday, which should costabout K4000 no more ideaisgetting thanK500.Awise one in Bago. Atripinthecentral area shouldcost Trishaw isthemain formof localtransport Around Getting trains forYangon (US$2/5,twohours). Thereit canbetrickygetting aseat. are also ping inTaungoo (US$4/8,fourhours), though dinary/upper classUS$11/29,14hours), stop- There are trainsdailytoMandalay several (or- TRAIN US$20. about US$40.One-wayridesshouldcost with ahired carfromYangon, from starting Some travellers make adaytripoutof Bago I X A T (K3000). hours). gofromneartheEmperorHotel Buses Rock) leave fromHadaya (K2500,three Café morning toNyaungU. bus toMeiktila andcatch aridethenext K9000, 15hours), arrivingat4.30am. leavefor InleLake, around1.30pm(from fare (from K9000)forthe12-hourride. arrive around7pm;you’llhave topaythefull gon busheadingnorth.ToMandalay, buses Strand Rd) terminal Gate MyaPan-gyan Tha-khin hours) departfrequently fromYangon’s K2500,uptofour (K1500,frontseat Bago Yangon’s BusCentre. Pick-ups to Highway part approximately hourlyfrom6am fromYangonBuses (K2000,twohours) de- PICK-UP & BUS Getting There&Away ofgood selection pastries. of thebetter teashops intown,Hadaya hasa say. might balls’, that’saloadof bollocks,astheBritish ropean dishes.Famous forits‘goatfighting 35 Restaurant Pick-ups easttoKyaikto(forGolden Air-con toNyaungshwe(Yaunghwe), buses Hadaya canhelpwithboardingaYan- Café Hadaya Café To reach take aMandalay-bound Bagan, .

(Yangon-Mandalay Rd; (Yangon-Mandalay (Yangon-Mandalay Rd;dishesK1500) (Yangon-Mandalay CENTRALMYANMAR ••Taungoo h 24hr)

(Map (Map p530 One ; when Burmese leaderAlaungpaya capturedwhen Burmese was putup thesecond Mon and Burmese; atop the Thedouble golden dates from589BC. Shwedagon Paya inYangon, andapparently Shwesandaw Paya Perched atop a centralhill,theattractive Sights Ayeyarwady. of themainmarket, andablockeast of the back is2kmwestof justsouth thebusstation, views andnearbyruinsolderthanBagan’s. on going.It’slaid-back withriver enough, River. Butthetroubleismostvisitors justkeep do, notforgetting Ayeyarwady themighty ones fromYangon, andNgapaliBeach Bagan All roadsleadto Pyay , atleastsomeimportant % (PROME) PYAY dalay (K5000)around6pm. gotoYangonlocal buses (K4000)andMan- inthecentre. Myanmar Restaurant, Rattletrap you’ll paythefullfare. MoststopatGolden bridge, tothesouthof town. and lively conversation. It’sjustnorthof the includealargerice paddies.Rates breakfast beds, hotshowers and wide-openviewsof the r US$8-25; IV of doctors, rate. which isactuallyless thanhalftheYangon arranges tripsforabout US$50perperson, following tour groupspopby.Theguesthouse Camp on thetown’swestside. and aroundthe‘royallake’. Theoldmoat is age otherBuddhistsites site. are Several on under halfwayfromYangon toMandalay. more Taungoo memorableguesthouses. isjust who dostopandishometooneof Myanmar’s ‘real-deal experience’thumbsupfromthose itgetsa busortrainwindow.However, the from placethatmostpeoplesee goo isasleepy centre of apowerfulkingdom.Today’s Taun- It’s hardtoimaginethiswasoncethenerve % TAUNGOO

( Owned by a wonderfully hospitable pair Owned byawonderfullyhospitable Shwesandaw Paya The central statue ofThe centralstatue AungSanonhorse- Heading northorsouthonair-con buses Up intheKaren mountains, % 053 /pop95,000 054 /pop90,000 isapopular elephant campthatsome 23270; [email protected]; Pauk23270; [email protected]; HlaGyiSt; a zedi ) are three withposter teak houses Myanmar BeautyGuestHouseII,III& represent the peacebetween is actually 1m taller than isactually1mtaller (1597)isthemainpilgrim- Seinyay Forest Forest Seinyay 543 hti

MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) ruled here asfarback1500years ago. The shaped walledcity of theenigmaticPyu,who 5pm Mon-Fri) 5pm Mon-Fri) the dusty streets. hallwithanupstairs balconytoescape beer isalively Restaurant little PyayStar statue, away fromthecentre of theaction,this US$8-10, dUS$10-12,trUS$16-18; hours. Few sites are butthetrip still standing, (K5000), which makes a12kmloopinthree only real wayaroundthesite isbyox cart admission US$4; About 8kmeastof Pyay, PYAY AROUND upper class US$6/15,12hours). Trains connectPyaywithYangon (ordinary/ TRAIN or five hours). can catch a busorpick-uptoThandwe(four nine hours) aroundat6pm,fromwhere you catch abus toTaunggok (K7000toK9000, U. To reach Thandwe(nearNgapaliBeach), tochangeis necessary inMagwe forNyaung six hours). Nodirectsoit gotoBagan, buses tre, frequent toYangon sends buses (K5000, 2kmeastof busstation, thecen- The highway BUS days). The days) andMandalay (US$12/25,sixorseven (ordinary/upper classUS$10/20,twoorthree Pyay. Acoupleof ferries weekly gotoYangon Ferry routes onthe Ayeyarwadycentre on T A O B Getting There&Away Rds; dishesfromK1500) maps are available. bathroom, hotwater andsatellite TV. Pyay rooms. ForkoutanextraUS$2foraprivate hassimplecarpeted family-run guesthouse clean. it’s small, bathroomsare shared, butatleast is thebargain intown.Roomsare basement s/d US$3/6) Guesthouse Gabar Aung Eating & Sleeping Buddha. seated east is the cityin1755.Facing the 544 Pyay Star Restaurant Pyay StarRestaurant House Myat Lodging SOUTHEASTERN MYANMARSOUTHEASTERN •• Kyaiktiyo (GoldenRock) Sehtatgyi Paya Sehtatgyi Underfriendlymanagement, this can helpwithtickets and times. IWT office h 8am-5pm) Overlooking theAungSan Overlooking ( % (Big Ten Storey), agiant

( ( (cnr Bogyoke &Pyay-Yangon(cnr Bogyoke % % isasprawlingoval- 24503; TheStrand; Thayekhittaya 21400; 1462 Bogyoke Rd; 21400; 1462Bogyoke 21361; 222BazaarSt;s a paya ) Just ablock fromthe (Sri Ksetra; (Sri

h 9am- ride fromtherest of Myanmar. the nearbyMyeikArchipelago, orboat aflight Thailand,toKawthoung and from Ranong, to Hpa-an.Sometravellers enter Myanmar ing padforthebeautifulboatrideupriver fers of glimpses oldBurma andisthelaunch- this sacred andsurreal stone. Mawlamyine of- trail, butthere ismore tothesoutheastthan Kyaiktiyo drawsafew visitors themain off Teetering onthebrink,GoldenRockof MYANMAR SOUTHEASTERN off inShwedaung town. bound busorsouth-bound pick-up,andget HoponalocalYangon-gold-plated glasses! Buddha–sportingapairoffaced, seated giant south of Pyay, to cyclethesite, butnotaroundit. K10,000, includingwaitingtime. Itispossible of thesite. Areturn tothesite isabout taxi from where gowithin2km eastboundbuses centre of Pyay,pick-upsgotothebusstation, gyi Paya isthefinestof thetemples. Fromthe other tourists.The46mcylindricalBawbaw- is slow-pacedandthere are unlikely tobeany or inBago. here Planonspending anight nated atnight. more timeandisespecially beautifulillumi- from Yangon. Thisismadness, asitwarrants October andMarch. duringthecooler months thousands between years. GoldenRockdrawspilgrims intheir the boulderhasmanaged tohangonallthese a placeof miracles,notleastof which ishow The placehasamysticalandmagical aura;it’s to stone,visibleafew hundred metres away. turned this spotbyaboatthatsubsequently itto andbrought from thebottomof thesea 11th century.Apparently, thekingsalvaged it a Buddhahairdonated byahermitinthe giant, gold-leafed bouldermarksthespotof the very edge of onMtKyaikto,this acliff amongmanyinMyanmar.sights Perched on is oneof themostenigmaticandintriguing The gravity-defying golden rock Kyaiktiyo % ROCK) (GOLDEN KYAIKTIYO Golden Spectacles) ishometoalarge,Golden Spectacles) white- West of theroadtoYangon, about14km Some travellers make agruellingdaytrip 035 Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Shwemyetman Paya (Paya of the best of a basic bunch in Kinpun, Sea SarGuestbest of abasicbunch inKinpun,Sea lection of at restaurants right andguesthouses sometimes referred camp’,isacol- toas‘base foot of MtKyaikto. Thevillage of The townof Kyaiktois9kmaway from the Orientation Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com incredible views. ‘at thetop’ bothhave credible restaurants with look outforplaces withacrowd.Thehotels street of Kinpun. Allare pretty similar, sojust restaurants andBamar linethe mainnese position onthemountaintop. you’re payingfortheviewsfromitsperfect are surprisinglybasicforthebuck,butthen s/dUS$50/60) Yangon 01-502479;[email protected]; Rooms at it’s a40-minute walktothebalancingboulder. amidlushsmarter vegetation, roomsset but .com.mm; s/dUS$40/60,bungalowsUS$50/80; Rock Hotel uptop. the GoldenRockbystaying bathroom. expensive bungalow-styleroomswithprivate in shadygrounds;splashthecashonmore ispopularwiththelocaltouts.It’sset House floors, furnishingsandair-con. cells, butstepping upinpricebringswooden small roomshere couldbemistaken forprison eigners; allrates includebreakfast. Only afew inKinpunacceptfor- guesthouses Eating & Sleeping throngs withpilgrimsandmonks. walk tothestupa. Thesteep, paved path 7pm, stoppingforafascinating45-minute K2000)plyupwardsfrom6amto front seat the latter. Packed trucksfromKinpun(K1000, way), ortruckingandthenwalking.Mostdo 11km fromKinpun(fourtosixhours one There therock:hiking are twowaystosee Sights pointforanascent. starting the footof MtKyaikto,andthemostcommon the spanning bridge totheboulderitself. are permitted towalkalongashort chasm- forK7000toK10,000.Onlymen sedan-chair Days, Spend the sunset or sunrise contemplating orsunrise Spend thesunset SarGuestHouse Sea Pilgrims aplentymeanthatplenty of Chi- Inn Pann MyoThu If youwanttofeel like anextrain There isa US$6 entrancefee collected at MTT office MTT localsmayoffer tocarryyouupina

( Mountain TopInn&Restaurant %

( h in Yangon 01-502479; grtt@goldenrock 6am-6pm)

(s US$4-8,dUS$7-15; (s US$4-10,dUS$8-20;

. SOUTHEASTERN MYANMARSOUTHEASTERN (Moulmein) ••Mawlamyine a a Burmese has the hasthe a Kinpun )

Golden ( ) The % The ) in ,

black-market items. road, features afew ‘off thebackof aboat’ lamyine is pagodas. Themosquesintownare thebest- US$25/35; on thearea. The friendlyowner isawealthof information an oldvilla,rooms upstairs includeabalcony. % reached byboatforK2000. ern endis 14km southof town. largest centres meditation inMyanmar,about Rd) Saing,653LowerMain Kan .org; c/oMajor Rd) SouthBogyoke (market; turquoise kept buildings,particularlythegreen-and- est stupa, Mon pieces.Foracityscape,climbthetall- Rds; admissionUS$2) Hpa-an. Mawlamyine isthebeautifulboatrideupto with thenorth.Thereal reason tocome the country,offers long-overdue connections River.ween) The3kmbridge, thelongest in blocksoverlookingnese theThanlwin(Sal- gone inrecent years, replaced byblandChi- town. Much of thecolonialarchitecture has city feels more like anovergrown provincial as apolicemanhere, Myanmar’sthird-largest Moulmein to George Orwellduringhistime % (MOULMEIN) MAWLAMYINE the morning. hours), twoleaving atconvenient timesin gon (ordinary/1st/upperclassUS$3/6/8,six from 6amto1pm. K4000,fourhours) lamyine (K2500,frontseat three hours). (K2500,threeBago hours) orpick-up(K2000, whereSar GuestHouse, youcanget abusto The busstopinKyaiktoisacrossfromSea leaving fromYangon’s BusCentre. Highway Yangontween andKyaikto(K3000,4½hours) south stopinKyaikto. There are be- buses enroute fromYangonBuses topointsfurther Getting There&Away P-u-a-a Kyaung Pa-Auk-Taw-Ya Attran Hotel Attran The bestbudget inMaw- placetostay There are three trainsadayfromYan- A picturesque isleoff thecity’snorthwest- The Pick-ups headsouthtoHpa-anandMaw- 21450; 6StrandRd;sUS$4-10,dUS$8-15; 057 /pop300,000 Mon Cultural Museum Mon Cultural a Kyaikthanlan Paya Kaladan Mosque Kaladan ) Shampoo Island is the most comfortable hotel in isthemost comfortable Breeze Rest House Rest Breeze

( has a modest selection of hasamodestselection % 25764; North Bogyoke Rd; s/d Bogyoke 25764; North , onthewestsideof the

( % . Thecentral (Guangse Kyun), (Guangse 032-22132; www.paauk

(cnr Baho & Dawei Jetty &DaweiJetty (cnr Baho , orothernearby

(Lay HnyinTha; is oneof the a . Set in . Set ) zeigyo 545

MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) in Mottama (Martaban).in Mottama Three dailyex- US$5, r with private bathroomUS$22) US$5, rwithprivate corner, ifyouringahead.Aroundthe boats andbuses owners are helpful andoffer informationon and shared the bathroomsonly.However, d US$8-10) Brothers GuestHouse inHpa-an.Roomsat it comestostaying orange, tea). Watch your ! and themonastery offers afree lunch (rice, sive. Arrive at11amforthemonkey feeding south of town.Theviewsare pretty impres- climb thesteps up abruptly fromthefields.Thebestactivityisto hillsthatrise hemmed inbyhiggledy-piggledy Hpa-anisverdantThat said, andvillagelike, as thejourney:byriverboat fromMawlamyine. Hpa-an isnotsomuch aboutthedestination % HPA-AN hours), stopping in Bago. (ordinary/1st/upper classUS$7/13/18,nine press withYangon trainsconnectMottama 3pm. to hours) leave fromthe hours). Pick-upstoHpa-an(K2000,two lamyine withYangon oreight (K9000,seven noon and2pmMonday and Friday. fields forHpa-an(US$2,five hours) between andsugarcaneamid limestonemountains jetty inMawlamyine leave onagorgeous trip rooms includesatellite TV. town; itsriverside isanadvantage and setting 546 The train station isnorthofThe trainstation theriver overnight connectMaw-Several buses Double-decker ferries fromtheHpa-an There isn’ta huge amountof choice when arise foranyonetravelling onanexpired visa. is halfanhourbehind Thailand. (small pick-up truckwithtwobenchesintheback)intotown(7B). BearinmindthatMyanmar The pieris4.5kmfromthecentre butyoushouldbeabletocatchas ofRanong, ( country (see p812 It ispossibletoenter mosttravellers Thailand don’tneedavisatoenter atKawthoung; the THAILAND TO GETTING Th Ruangrat; 6am to4.30pm(40minutes); awholeboatfor300B. youcancharter The 058 h OTESENMAMR • p-n MYANMARSOUTHEASTERN •• Hpa-an See p787 When leavinghere, someforeigners have beencharged aUS$25‘fee’ byMTT. Problems may Boats shuttle between Kawthoung and Ranong (Thailand), 10kmaway,regularly fromabout (Thailand), andRanong Boats shuttlebetweenKawthoung 8am-5.30pm) Parami Hotel have windows,butnomosquitonets h forinformation ondoingthe tripintheopposite direction. 8.30am-6pm) in Kawthoung isatthejetty,while the Thai inKawthoung Mt Zwegabin

( ). (r withshared bathroomperperson

% zeigyo 21372; 46ThitsaRd;sUS$4-7, is 700m north ofSaphanPla(PlaBridge)pier,where theboatsdock. is700mnorth has mozzienets, hourlyfrom8am (722m),11km Soe Bogyoke Rd;r800B; Bogyoke part of Myanmar. ventures.com) Dick Tours priced divingandkayakingtrips,ortry known. Phuket-based tourgroupsoffer high- gypsies’,asthenomadicSalonpeopleare‘sea pletely unexplored. Thearchipelago ishometo ofthousands islands here are almostcom- of Myanmar’s mostbeautifulplacesandthe Thailand. towards Siam inthe16thcentury,pointingasword of whoinvaded the statue KingBayinnaung, At plus toutsoffering boattripstoThailand. is linedwithteashops andmoneychangers, like stepping backintime. Thewaterfront Thailand toMyanmar’ssouthernmosttipis Crossing thePagyan River fromRanong, KAWTHOUNG mosque. green to Kyaikto(K3000)leave fromthecentral 10 to11hours) leaves at6pm.Pick-ups to Yangon’s (K5000, BusCentre Highway day andSaturdayaround7am.Thebus bathroom. private are ambitiouslypricedjustforthejoyof a stopping inDawei(Tavoy) andMyeik. 513322; www.airbagan.com) mar’s ‘mainland’byroad. Tanintharyi GuestHouse morebathrooms. Cheaper,andeven basic,is has simpleroomswithcold-water private even inthe cheapies,even buttheUS$22rooms Accommodation pickingsare sliminthis Foreigners can’tgofromhere intoMyan- The offshore The boattoMawlamyine leaves onTues- Cape Bayinnaung Cape

immigration office ( forovernight trips to islands. % in Yangon 01-202110;www.moby-dick-ad a Myeik (Mergui) Archipelago Myeik (Mergui) ) (VictoriaPoint),lookfor , 500mupfromthejetty, Kawthoung Motel Kawthoung fliestoYangon (US$135),

( % immigration office Air Bagan 51748; Garden St;r400B). 51748; Garden

( % lonelyplanet.com ǎ 0 77822016; (code W9; wngth

( % ǎ ew % 51046; isone Moby 01 - at night inJanuaryat night and February. STATE random timetable and officials maynotbe andofficials random timetable 6½ hours). MFSLferries toYangon runtoa There are dailyfast boats toMyeik(US$25, tohaggle. –you’llneed much higher start lonelyplanet.com budget accommodation. The transporthub biggest andbest thankstoagood range of but Lake, Nyaungshwe ( Yaunghwe) isthe Information & Orientation (see anmar’s best-knownevents p577 followed bythe U forlongerup staying thantheyexpected. savoured, notrushed, andmanytravellers end tobe foryou.Inledeserves enlightenment monks have thecatstojump–that’s taught There amonastery iseven where meditating daysmanyjustturnitonforthetourists. these ple are famous fortheirlegrowing,although thelushcountryside. TheInthapeo- through cyclingandwalking away thedayscanoeing, lers, Inleisheaven onearth,aplacetowhile heavenbetween andearth.Formanytravel- towards thelakeshore, blurringthedistinction tumbledown is anabsolute must.Mountains stilted villages andcrumblingstupas, Inle Lake A wonderfulwatery worldof floatinggardens, % LAKE INLE venture intoruralareas. for thelatest situationbefore makingplansto askaroundlocally in thecountry.However, and theShan are someof thefriendliestfolk of Myanmarwhere are homestays possible foradventure.base Thisisoneof thefew parts is apopularactivityandKalaw isanaffordable populated byfloatingcommunities.Trekking body of and water hemmedinbymountains isthemainattraction,abeautiful Inle Lake –largelymysterious mountains unexplored. groups, warlordsanddrugdealers livinginits Shan and–withrebel isvast,untamed State ticketswilling tosell toforeigners. There are manyvillages inandaroundInle INLE LAKE&SHAN

Always cooler,Inlegets chilly downright festival Boats from Ranong cost300B,butprices Boats fromRanong In September andOctober, the In September 081 /pop150,000 runsfornearlythree andis weeks INLELAKE&SHAN STATE ••InleLake festival Thadingyut , oneof My- Phaung Daw Phaung ). connect toHotmailandYahoo. bathing US$1/3; lage of Kaungdaing. Renta a bumpy, hour-long ride. (K1000 each way), or itispossibleto cycleon for K200.Aboatcomes here from Nyaungshwe Turn uptheheat atthe ACTIVITIES OTHER PayaAung Maptown (see p548 ); theoldestis the northwing. display, plusateak-floored audiencehallin are manyShan furnishingsandcostumeson ace of thelastShan teak-and-brick mansion,wasoncethepal- h NYAUNGSHWE IN Ask ortrythelocalboatmen. atguesthouses atK1000perhour. start Nyaungshwe. Rates nat northendof thelake.seen Checkoutthe canoetrip motors of boatsisaself-guided thelongtail one of thebetter buysaroundInleLake. there’s no obligation tobuy anything.Clothis go on.Theworkshopsare interesting, but weaving, blacksmithingandjewellery-making shops,They’ll alsotake where youtoartisans’ and whichever village market isonthatday. of gardens ofKela K10,000. Popularstopsincludethe tripscostabout places tobevisited. Half-day K15,000 toK20,000aday,dependingonthe near thewaterfront –canarrange onefor –oranyonewithaboatAny guesthouse the touristandtake afull-day The bestwaytoexperiencethe lake istoplay LAKE THE Activities & Sights shwe. from Shwenyaung. booth onthemainroadintoNyaungshwe required topayaUS$3entryfee attheMTT but there isnocompellingreason tovisit. main towninthearea, eastof Nyaungshwe, at Shwenyaung is13kmaway. Taunggyi isthe Te The Nga Phe Kyaung NgaPhe Another optionthatavoids thebuzzing There are internet placesinNyaung- several To enter zone,touristsare theInleLake There are plentyof Buddhist sites around 9.30am-3.30pm Tue-Sun) shrineopposite Nanthevillage, southof Museum ofShanChiefs Museum Freak Internet Freak through thevillages through onthelesser- , withastep-spired stupa. h , the‘jumpingcat’ 7am-5pm) , thewoodedstupasof

sao pha (Yone GyiRd;perhrK3000) (Yone , close totheIntha vil- , close , housed inastately, housed hot spring

(Third St;admissionUS$2; (Third longyi (chieftain). There (chieftain). motorboat tour for bathing forbathing

(public/private (public/private Yadana Man floating Indein can 547

. , MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) tasty tasty home cooking. forguests andoffersfamily can’t doenough banks of theriver opposite town.Thefriendly of onthe has aselection little bungalowsset unless noted. otherwise rooms. Allincludebreakfast andrent bicycles withgood budgetNyaungshwe isteeming Sleeping way. the cave, headingpasttwo Pa-O villages along astery of rugged, all-daytripthatleadstothemon- to US$8perday.There isagood,butfairly forapproximately guesthouses through US$7 548 ShweInn Ohak Nyaung (50km) To Kalaw INLE LAKE Thein ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ ὅὅὅὅὅὅὅ Queen Inn Guided Thazi (142km) Pindaya (68km); Kalaw (50km); To Heho(8km); Meditation Kyaung & U Daung Trekking Trekking Centre Kyibawkon Route Route NELK HNSAE • neLk INLE LAKE&SHAN STATE ••InleLake Indein Kanywa Tone Lè Thandaung Koun SounTaungbo day treks Kaungdaing Kyay SarKone

( Hot Spring % Nam Hu Jay Paw Khone Shanywa (Floating Market) Taung Tho Kyaung 29544; s/dfromUS$5/7) Yetha Nga Phe Ywama Helon Kyaung ὅὅ ὅὅ Lin Kin Paung Pane canusuallybearranged Kone In Paw Pwe SarKone Hsisone Magyizeik To Taunggyi Paya Daw Oo Phaung Nyaung Wan Maing Pyo Zayatkyi (30km) Nampan Tha Lay Taung BoGyi Inleh BoTeh Kela andtoanearby Chaing Kham Lake Inle Nat Shrine Cottages 1 Golden Island Shwe Yan Golden Island Naung Taw Nyaung Thale U Nanthe Cottages 2 Pebin Inywa The Queen TheQueen Win Bawrithat Pyay Maing Thauk In Oo Thitseinbin Ma GyiGone Ingyingon Sizon Nyaungshwe Kyaukhpyugyi Paya Kon Lon To Shwenyaung (13km) Kan TaPan Kaung Dat Gyi Moe .mm; HawSt;sUS$5-10,dUS$8-15; den with table tennis,den withtable plusa small library. this atraveller favourite. There isalarge gar- .com.mm; r old wingUS$12-15,new wingUS$15-30) are arounda set small garden. south of town. Roomsincludehotwater and inthe this isafriendly, familyguesthouse US$7/12) US$7/12) or invest more for a bathtub. all that).Thecheaper bambooroomsare fine, driverstaxi aswithtravellers (commission and informative, Rememberisjustaspopularwith Pon Tae Loilem Tehe Teakwood Hotel Inn Four Sisters Inn Aquarius Kyauk TaLone Hti Nè Remember Inn Remember Naung Lee Dag DawOo Ka Taung Tha PyeGone Run by, you guessed it,foursisters, Runby,youguessed Mai Law Large, cosy,all-woodenroomsmakeLarge, Loi Kaw Hti Plun

Ine Ne Naung Kae Mountain Range Mountain Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Naung YaSein ( % Naung Kham ( %

( ( % 29352; 2PhaungDawPyanRd;s/d % Saug Pho Ti Htat 29257; [email protected] Hto Kyaung Ham Se 29250; teakwoodhtl@myanmar Na Baung 0 0 Hti HanSwe 29190; 105NanPan Qtr;s/d Pon SwePan Kyauk Daing Naung Ka Ham Pho Wong ya Kan Tan i ) Friendlyand Kakku 2 miles One 4 km

to the west of the market. to thewestofmarket. asmallcanal Quiet escapefromthemaindragoverlooking ily isvery welcoming,includingmatriarch wing withsomedecorative flourish. Thefam- some smarter roomsinanew‘boutique’ some cheap and roomsintheoriginalhouse of theclassierplacesintown,Teakwood has lonelyplanet.com Joy Hotel community. run asaPa-O collective, benefitingthelocal but ThaleUismore peaceful.Bothplacesare walkways. Nampanoffers better lake views, nected tosmart,stilted cottages viaelevated Nampan andThaleU,themainlodge iscon- the water inInle. Boastingtwolocationsin 80, dUS$45-100; 23136, inYangon 01-549019;www.gicmyanmar.com; sUS$40- toshowsignsofstarting age. lows are large withbreezy balconies,butare wake guestsatthecrackof dawn.Thebunga- derfully atmospheric,butthemorningboats The canalsidelocationof thishotel iswon- Tin. Mrs (7km) Springs To Hot To GoldenIslandCottages2(10km); 1 3 2 Golden IslandCottages1(17km); NYAUNGSHWE YWA ὈὈ ὈὈ Viewpoint Hotel Hotel Viewpoint THA Other budget options: Golden IslandCottages Landing 8 Inle Lake(3.5km) Boat 11

Nan Chaung (Main Canal) ( % Chaung Rd Landing Boat

(Strand Rd) AC

i 29083; Jetty Rd;sUS$4-8,dUS$6-12) 29083; Jetty 5

12 Canal 6 Independence INLELAKE&SHAN STATE ••InleLake ) Monument This is the place to sleep over Thisistheplacetosleep Sports Field ( % 7 10 19

Kyauktein Rd Rd;s/dUS$15/20) 29062; Jetty 4

1 Paya Shwe Zali

Mingala Rd

& Stupas

2

( % 17 in Hospital

Taunggyi B School 3 18

Main Rd 081- To Shwenyaung(13km); Middle Monastery School Stupas uemo hnCif...... D1 Museum ofShan Chiefs...... Yadana ManAung Paya...... Freak Internet...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION 14 Monument Taunggyi (31km); Kalaw (64km) Heho (41km);

Phaung Daw Pyan Rd Phaungdaw Seiq Rd Seiq Phaungdaw Stupa 4000; tensive menuof international favourites. withanex- but it’samodest-lookingset-up taurant in town. It promises ‘Shan intown.Itpromises nouvelletaurant that beckonsyouin,thisisthesmartest res-

charge are anextrahit. the drinkslistextensive, andservice buttax with localflavours. Thedecorationisopulent, cuisine’ andblendsEuropeanpresentation 5000) K2000-4000) ported pizzasandgnocchi. cheese, im- homegrown herbs,homemadepasta, including butthemenuisItalian, Chinese, the bestIndiancurriesintown. wall relation of andturnsout AromainBagan & dinner) Aroma Restaurant Drinking & Eating views ofthenearby rooms,it’slittle,buthasgood Rd; s/dUS$5/10)Justseven Nawng Kham Yone Gyi Rd Gyi Yone Yangon Kyaung Viewpoint Viewpoint Unique SuperbFoodHouse Mong Li Canal Restaurant Golden Kite h 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Set inacolonial-stylebaroquebuilding Set Monastery Thistinyrestaurant isthehole-in-the- breakfast, lunch&dinner) Hindu Temple Sri Jagdish Kan Gyi Kyaung Kyaung Shwe Gu Hlaing Gu So modestyisnotitsstrongpoint, Kyaung (LittleInn; 13 ( % 15 Middle School 3 2 1 zedi

Myawady Rd (Chaung Rd;dishesfromK1500;

29250; Talk mainsK2500- NanBridge; B2 C2 1 . 9 16 ugPpe hw...... C2 Aung PuppetShow...... Pick-up toTaunggyi...... Pick-up toShwenyaung...... Bus &Pick-upStop...... Vewpoint...... (see 11) Unique SuperbFoodHouse.... Mingala Market...... Golden KiteRestaurant...... Aroma Restaurant...... Viewpoint Hotel...... Teakwood Hotel...... Remember Inn...... Queen Inn...... Nawng Kham(LittleInn)...... Joy Hotel...... Four SistersInn...... Aquarius Inn...... TRANSPORT ENTERTAINMENT EATING SLEEPING

% Third St Third 2

(Yone GyiRd;dishesK2000- (Yone 29195; PhaungDawPyan Thenamesounds (3 MyawadyRd;mains Sports Field D Taungyon Kyaung Nigyon School High h 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4

549

A2 B1 B1 C1 B1 C2 A2 A2 A2 C1 A2 A3 A2 A3 A3 lunch MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) Air Mandalay chambers of the caves. on Thecondensation dha images the formalabyrinth throughout stop ontheShan State circuit.Here 8000Bud- The % PINDAYA alsocomeandgo.Buses Nyaungshwe (K300)runfrom6amto6pm. Pick-ups fromShwenyaung, 13km away,to Bicycles are available foraboutK1000perday. Around Getting quickest option. hours)US$75, eight are, short of flying,the Share orMandalay toBagan taxis (about I X A T travelling inJanuary. preparedmore time. Be forcoldifyouare noon. gon (K15,000,16to20hours) stoparound toYan- buses from 6pmto8pm;andnight to Mandalay to10hours) (K10,000,eight go byat5am;buses (K11,000, 12hours) passes the Shwenyaung junction:thebustoBagan leavingYou cancatch buses Taunggyi at PICK-UP & BUS possible toarrange something cheaper. under US$18.Goingtotheairportitshould be fromHehoat US$35.Ataxi ishardtoget for toYangonFlights atUS$75,Mandalay start canhelpyouarrangeGuesthouses tickets. www.yangonair.com) .com) Air Bagan AIR Getting There&Away Mandalay. in It’sagooddealcomparednightly. withUS$8 to alocalpuppettroupethatperforms sion K2000; TraditionalPuppetShow Aung Entertainment plus luscious fresh fruits. is arange of exotic-lookingsnacksavailable, intheday,theresoup) inthemorning.Later ket breakfast, headtoNyaungshwe’s 550 If youare nolonger egg-citedbythehotel Pick-ups ply these routes buttakePick-ups plythese much

081 /pop20,000 (Main Rd) (Main and Pindaya Caves NELK HNSAE • idy INLE LAKE&SHAN STATE ••Pindaya

(code W9; h Yangon Airways

foraShan (code 6T; 7pm &8.30pm) flytoHeho, 41kmnorthwest. % (admission US$3) % 01-513322; www.airbagan.com) 01 This house ishome Thishouse - hkauq-sweh

525488; www.airmandalay (code HK;

(Yone GyiRd;admis- (Yone are apopular % Mingala mar- Mingala 01 ( - 383106; , 30; the cave entrance. wooden rooms,somewithbalconyviewsof son (November toFebruary), itcanget pretty sea- individualitineraries.Duringhigh tailor main rewards. Anarrayof localguidescan minority villages andstrikingsceneryare the the mainreason tostopinKalaw; friendly Activities aung, Pa-O, InthaandShan villages. dotted(about 45km),onmountains withPal- some travellers thetwo enjoyhikingbetween Located to thewestof beautifulInleLake, this isMyanmar’sbudget trekking heartland. the rolling,pine-cladhillsof theShan Plateau, chilly winter weather. Located at1320mon budget travellers, andit’snotjustduetoits Kalaw isearningacoolreputation among % KALAW US$20 toUS$25. convenient tohire fromKalaw ataxi for – leave earlyandallowafullday.It’smore (K300) andcatch anothertoPindaya(K1000) for goodluck. the ‘perspiring Buddhas’isrubbedontheface elsewhere. in Kalaw more is even temperamental than All rates includeabasicbreakfast. Electricity Sleeping teacher) thanhandoutgiftsof anykind. tribute cashtothemonastery’s cool evenings. Have andwarmclothingforthe goodshoes inavillageinclude anight oramonastery. Two- orthree-day treks are available and of onthetrek. anybelongingsnotneeded canarrangeLake. Guesthouses thetransport on overnight treks. a Nepalifamilyandreliable stoppingpoint villages; inmountain inlonghouses possible tostay treks overnight in Kalaw charge US$6toUS$8perdayfor few guides touristsheadthisway.Licensed paths muddyand getwet season, miserably busy onthemore popularroutes, whileinthe theprettyExploring countrysideonfootis a From Kalaw, take alocalbustoAungban It ispossibletotrek Kalaw between andInle Golden Cave Hotel Golden Cave When visitingvillages, it’s better to con- 081 /pop12,000 ) is the best place to stay intown,with isthebestplacetostay Viewpoint Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com , adollarlessfordayhikes. It’s is the mountaintop homeof isthemountaintop

( % 40227; sUS$15-25,dUS$20- sayadaw (head lonelyplanet.com cloths here andcandlelight are unexpected from K1500) juices. squeezed andcurry,washeddownwithfreshly cated over theroad, thisisanoldfavourite for K1500; NepaliRestaurant Everest Drinking & Eating have satellite TV. Superior roomsare bigger with abath,butall astep upincomfort. seeking sibility forthose the localchain GoldenExpress, thisisapos- .com.mm; 21UnionRd;sUS$15-20,dUS$25-30) upgraded. (with private bathrooms)thathave justbeen rooms, aswellsomemore expensive rooms Parami Motel hascheapies withshared bath- US$10-12) out downstairs. large roomsandacommunalarea forhanging isaramblingplacewith Lilly, thisoldhouse US$3/6, withbathroomUS$6/8) no internet. is available but,like therest of Kalaw, there’s is areliable trekking here. guidebased Email bathroomattherear.and anattached Robin has large, threadbare roomswithafrontporch popular family-runplace,theGoldenLilly [email protected]; Rd;s/dUS$3/6) 5/88NatSein 1 2 KALAW Sam’s Family Restaurant New ShineHotel Parami Motel Golden LillyGuestHouse Golden Kalaw Hotel Golden Kalaw TRANSPORT DRINKING EATING SLEEPING Buses toTaunggyi...... Hi Snack&Drink...... Thirigayhar Restaurant...... Sam’s FamilyRestaurant...... Everest NepaliRestaurant...... Parami Motel...... New ShineHotel...... Golden LillyGuestHouse...... Golden KalawHotel...... ue oBgn agn&Mnaa. C1 Buses toBagan,Yangon&Mandalay.. h Alarge hotel nearthemarket, the breakfast, lunch&dinner) Love isin theair... Thewhite table-

A Circular Rd Circular ( INLELAKE&SHAN STATE ••Kalaw %

Pyidaungsu ( 50027; Merchant Rd;sUS$5-7,d 50027; Merchant To Meiktila % (115km)

( %

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50311; 66 Nat Sein Rd;s/d 50311; 66NatSein

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10

( Recentlyrelo- 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Rd) 9 % C2 C2 B1 C2 C2 C1 C1 B1 B1 7 50108; golden BC Part of 1 2 Church Baptist

A Nat Sein Rd

Hsu TaungPyePaya Thirimingalar Rd Myoma Kyaung& Naung Zedi is harder tofindpeople to share with for it for more However, andtaxis.) onflights sible toget in or outbyair. (See opposite Heho AirportasNyaungshwe,soit ispos- (US$2/3) and Shwenyaung (US$2/3). Thazi (ordinary/upperclassUS$3/5), Heho Meiktila is about US$35. costs K4000andtakes three hours. to Ataxi bus toShwenyaung junction) (theInleLake (K9000)orMandalayBagan (K8000).A hours). It’salsopossibletoboardabus (K11,000,aboutpass byintheevening 15 next tothemainbusstop in town. with bustickets, ascanthegeneral store Taunggyi canhelp totheeast.Guesthouses first, thenleave theregion or fromInleLake Taunggyi), soitmaybeeasiertostophere Yangon,ing towardsBagan, Mandalay and Many Kalaw pass through buses (head- Getting There&Away promptu concerts. guitar churns andhostsoccasionalim- out beer of localnightlife, trythiswoodenbarthat that isthemostappealing in town. Western cuisine,thankstoahomelyset-up draws thetourgroupsforShan, Indianor h . andBamar able stopforChinese finds intheKalaw backstreets. Thisisareli- 3 Zatila Rd Aung Chan

Kalaw from distance isabout the same toThere are alsoslowtrainservices Yangon-bound fromTaunggyi buses Snack&Drink Hi Restaurant Thirigayhar Yatana Rd breakfast, lunch&dinner) Dhamma

Yon Aung Thabye Rd Thabye Aung 5 6 8 Thein Taung 4

Aung Chantha Paya 10 Rd 9

Aung Chang Merchant Rd Merchant Tha Zedi Zeigyo Rd Mosque 400m 0.2miles 0 0

(Aung ChanthaRd)

Station Rd Hospital Thisplacesometimes Market Central Cinema (Union Rd;mainsfromK2500;

To TrainStation

Kone (100m)

The Rd (M To InleLake(63km); D For a dose Foradose Taunggyi (70km) To Shwenyaung

ercha (52km)

nt Rd) 551

MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) Chinese investment Chinese and,sothestorygoes, beyond towninthenearby ancient cities. Mahamuni Paya, butthereal attractionslie to beimpressed bythegoldenBuddhaof over theflatcityscape. It’simpossiblenot ,astupa-studdedhilllooming sprawl eastof theAyeyarwadyandsouthof largest inthecountry.Thedustystreets moderncity,thesecond lay isathoroughly took over in1885a one-sided conflict. kings of Burma. TheBritishstormedinand 1861, Mandalay theswansongof saw thelast of empireFounded ascapital the Burmese in ble whippersnapper atjust150years old. rounding thecity, Mandalay isaverita- Compared withtheancienttreasures sur- % (K5000) from there. village andboardingapick-uptoKalaw to InleLake. ConsidernegotiatingtoHeho Kalaw, passengers are asmostflight heading 552 MANDALAY The towncontinuestoboomthanks Poetic though thenamemaybe,Manda- though Poetic going to townisaboutUS$15, more US$10 if like a staggering45km from thecentre. Ataxi exit ramps,butare is nearby.The airport Palace; trishawscannotlingerattheentry/ station isdowntown,southoftheMandalay share taxito townisaboutK4000.The train way BusStation,7kmsouthofthecentre. A Most visitorsarrive attheramshackleHigh- TOWN INTO GETTING roughly from6amto6pmweekdays,and9pmweekends. K8000) thantheotherdirection (generallyUS$7andUS$15 respectively). The borderisopen info.good trekking Generally,it’smuchcheapergoingtoTachilek (bybusK5000,byToyota‘van’ check out the area isapossibility. to foreigners, andtravel butvisitorscanflyintoKengtung ontoTachilek. Sporadicfightingin from here aslongyourvisahasn’texpired. The roadfromTaunggyi isofflimits toKengtung It ispossibletocrosstheborderfromTachilek intoMaeSaiinThailand. It’snotaproblemleaving THAILAND TO GETTING 02 /pop950,000 ADLY • retto MANDALAY ••Orientation See p746 includeChiangMaiandRai. MaeSaiwithBangkok;otherservices Buses connect Dreary Tachilek isaboutthree onapaved tofour hoursfromKengtung road.InKengtung, to the airport. theairport. Harry’s Trekking House fordetailsondoingthetripinopposite direction.

( % 084-21418; 132 Mai Yang084-21418; 132Mai Rd;rUS$3-15) 23/24; ‘66th St between 26thand ‘66th Stbetween 27th Sts’. streets; inMandalay, ‘66thSt,26/27’means 88th Sts.Street addresses usuallyincludecross from21stto35thSts,and80th runs roughly called ‘downtown’byEnglish-speaking locals, include 35thand80thSts.Thecitycentre, streets tothewest.Themainarterieshigher running streets are numbered 60andabove, ing fromnorthtosouth.Thenorth–south- anmar’s Buddhist monks. life here, asit’shometothree infive of My- bravado, there isamore meditative sideto thisbustling bies, jadeandheroin.Beneath from thered, green andwhite trades–ru- than inYangon, but better than elsewhere. Exchange rates inMandalay are lower slightly Money Hospital Main Services Medical calls. internet Switched-on placewithaccesstoallwebsitesand cheap PAC Internet EmailService Micro-Electronics Fuji CyberCoffee House Other reliable placesforthat online fix: ing internet accessforK1000orsoperhour. Many have guesthouses alonecomputer offer- Access Internet INFORMATION map, producedby Media.Delta air-con retreat with fast terminals. h Lower numbered streets runeast–west,start- ORIENTATION Look outforthefree foldoutMandalay 8am-11pm) Onthetopfloorof78ShoppingCentre, an h 9am-8.30pm) Nearthe heartland. backpacker (Map (Map p553 ; 83rdSt,35/36;

(Map (Map p553 ;30thSt,74/77) foracheaproomand Mp p5 ; 8h t 37/38; St, 78th p555; (Map Mp p5 ; 3d St, 83rd p555; (Map lonelyplanet.com h 8am-8pm) lonelyplanet.com 4 6 To Mingun 1 3 2

Ferrry (500m) 5 for Bagan,Pyay& To GawweinJetty MANDALAY Katha Ferries(500m)

28 Thinga Thakawun Kyaung

10 Ayeyarwady River Pinya St Pinya SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION tnigBdh mg.....D2 Standing BuddhaImage...... Main PalaceEntrance(Foreign Yatanaban SwimmingPool.... Stone-Carvers' Workshops..... Shwenandaw Kyaung...... Shwe InBinKyaung...... Sandamani Paya...... New Palace...... Mandalay Hill...... TouristEntrance)...... Mahamuni Paya...... Kuthodaw Paya...... Sedona Hotel...... PAC Internet...... Main Hospital...... Fuji CyberCoffeeHouse...... (see20)

Yarzar Canal AC Kin Wun To Inwa(21km); Sagaing (21km) See CentralMandalayMap(p555)

Kyaung Inwa St Inwa

27 Yangyiaung Rd Yangyiaung MANDALAY Ὀ 85th St Entertainment

13 Saigaing-Mandalay Rd 84th St 14 13 12 11 10 District 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Bayintnaung Rd Bayintnaung Shweta 5

83rd St C2 B6 D2 A5 D2 C3 D1 D3 B6 D2 D4 B5 C4 2

40th St

41st St

20th St 20th

22nd St 22nd 38th St St 37th

39th St 36th St 36th 82nd St (North Mandalay)

18th St 18th Canal 16th St 16th 26

81st St St 14th Myauk Pyin B Mandalay

80th St ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ 79th St 19 20 Fort Moat Lashio TaxiStand(7km); EATING SLEEPING Easy Ray...... City Mart...... Black CanyonCoffee...... Barbecue Restaurants...... Royal CityHotel...... Peacock Lodge...... aéJ...... B5 Café JJ...... 29

BusStation(7km); 78th St Market Yangon (697km)

Airport (45km);

11th St 11th 10th St 10th To Highway 23 21 Myainghaywun Nandawun 77th St

Park

33rd St 33rd

31st St 31st

28th St 28th 29th St 29th Mandalay Park 16

76th St Palace 30th St 30th 32nd St 32nd 76th St

75th St 1 Museum

34th St Culture Ὀ 22 14 24 Sciences University 74th St Mandalay Arts&

73rd St St) (12th St Moat North 27th St 27th Ngwe Ta Chaung 8

Racecourse

26th St 26th 35th St 35th 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 Old 71st St B4 B5 D4 D4 C4 D4

Theik Pan St

Canal Course Golf 70th St Kyauktawgyi TRANSPORT SHOPPING ENTERTAINMENT Mandalay Marionettes&Culture Marie-Min Vegetarian MTT Office...... IWT Office...... A5 Sunflower Arts&Crafts...... (see 22) Jade Market...... Moustache BrothersTroupe...... Show...... Too Restaurant...... Seasons Bakery...... (see20) Orange...... Restaurant...... Cemetery Military 0 0

68th St Paya 6 3 66th St 17 East Moat St 12 18 25 Yay Ni Canal 65th St

D 24th St 24th 23rd St 23rd

11

21st St 21st 7

16th St 16th

14th St 14th

12th St 12th 25th St 25th

Paya (2.5km) 19th St 19th Lwin (69km) 9

63rd St Atumashi 0.5 miles Kyaung To Yankin To PyinU 62nd St 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 4 1 km 553

B4 A5 B5 D4 C4 B5 C4

15 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) Paya, Shwenandaw KyaungandShwe Ta Bin Tickets are checked atthepalace,Kuthodaw h card cashadvancesat,steadyyourself,a 27% commission. h 80/81) Angkor Wat viaThailand. It’sworthhaving dragged, cartedthat’s been and floated from six intricate bronze west cornerof thesurroundingpavilion are to approach thecentral altar. Inthenorth- tled asholywater. Womenare notpermitted image’s faceandthesoupyrun-off isbot- at 4am,ateam of monkslovingly washesthe new layers of goldleafdaily.Every morning century AD.Male worshipers (only)apply tures. Itmayhave castasearlythe1st been venerated thethickgoldleafobscures itsfea- Statein1784,andissohighly from Rakhaing – thenation’smostfamouswasbrought kilometres south of downtown.ItscentralBuddhaimage of couple a p553 ), (Map Mahamuni inMandalay, onesight gofor If youonlysee Paya Mahamuni bypass ticket checkers. Hinthint. 8am orafter 4.30pm,andalternative entrances times collectiondesksdon’toperate before rapura ( p559 ticketKyaung. Thesame isalsovalidforAma- tochargeThey used US$3toUS$5 ticket thatcovers inMandalay. the mainsights The government collectsaflatUS$10fee for a are othertravellers totradetipswith. helpful atthemostpopularplaces,plusthere reliable are sourcesof localinformation.Staff andhotels areGuesthouses someof themost Information Tourist TelephoneCentral &Telegraph alloverstands Mandalay. Local callscanbemadecheaply fromstreet Telephone postoffice Main office DHL Express Post Hotel Sedona Email Kyaw Aung 554 venture isoneofthefew placesthataccept credit cards. 80th &26thSts; international calls. SIGHTS 9.30am-3pm) 9am-6pm) Cashestravellerschequesandoffers credit ADLY • ihs MANDALAY ••Sights (Map (Map p553 ; cnr26th&66thSts)Thisjoint h )andInwa(Ava; p560 Mp p5 ; 2d t 80/81; St, 22nd p555; (Map 7am-8.30pm) Absurdlyexpensive Mp p555; (Map (Map (Map p555 ; 27thSt,80/81; Khmer figures Khmer % CT Mp p5 ; cnr p555; Map (CTT; 39274; 22nd St, , warbooty ).Some- per sight . cnr 89th&38thSts) tricately carved wooden tricately carved and isfree toget in. haggard to watch their prayers. free, invite andtoothless monksmight you tion. It’slovely, thetouristtrail,entryis off jademerchants fundeditsconstruc- Chinese hamuni Paya dates from1895,whenwealthy the yearMindonMindecidedtomove the year 2400(theRomanequivalentof 1857), a great city wouldbebuiltintheBuddhist has it,Buddhaoncestoodandprophesied points downatMandalay, towhere, legend trologers. Nearthetop,a souvenir cold-drinkhawkers sellers, andas- and theAyeyarwady.Thepathislinedwith plain, youcanrest youreyesontheShan hills Two hundred andthirtymetres above the Mandalay Hill(Map p553 It’s along,hotbarefoot climbtothetopof ), butwhataview. Hill Mandalay ing toandfroalongtheleafylanes. ‘monk’s district’ elegant This Shwe InBinKyaung the of hewn fromstoneatworkshops justtothewest palm-readers. small notes ready forwould-be guidesand death. It’s alsoincludedin theUS$10ticket. side thepalace wallsfollowing KingMindon’s lay Palace, It was moved isworthseeing. out- partof theoriginalManda- the onlysurviving the US$10ticket (see left retell canon.It’sincluded in theTripitaka forits729 slabs that book’, drawstourbuses lay Hill. shippers tothesouthandsoutheastof Manda- of thepeak. best isthelion-guarded one,directly south cangetso taxis here. Afew gates leadup;the road nowcontinuesallthewaytotop, built byforcedlabour inthemid-’90s.The halfway pointreached byswitchback road comboleadsupfromaelevator/escalator them withoneof theattendants (K100). An here.capital A coupleof hundred metres south,thein- Tuck your shoes outofTuck yourshoes vieworleave The surroundingarea issomethingof a There are lotsof newBuddhaimages being Heaps of pagodasdrawvisitors andwor- paya. Kuthodaw Paya Sandamani Paya monastery , withhundreds of monkswalk- between downtownandMa- between , akathe‘world’sbiggest

hasmore such slabs (Teak Monastery; Map Monastery;Map (Teak p553 ).Nearby,themore Shwenandaw Kyaung standing Buddhaimage lonelyplanet.com ; ,

lonelyplanet.com Eindawya 4 6

1

3 Eindawya-Sintada St Eindawya-Sintada 2 5 CENTRAL MANDALAY Paya 19

SLEEPING INFORMATION Silver SwanHotel...... Royal GuestHouse...... Nylon Hotel...... Mother's WorldHotel...... ET Hotel...... Classic Hotel...... Micro-Electronics EmailService.... Kyaw AungEmail...... DHL ExpressOffice...... (see3) Central Telephone&Telegraph... anPs fie...... D2 Main PostOffice......

ahoLyRsarn...... B2 Lashio LayRestaurant...... St 88th SHOPPING EATING Zeigyo (Central Market)...... Too Restaurant...... Shwe PyiMoeCafé...... Nylon IceCreamBar...... Nepali Food...... Mann Restaurant...... Stand......

Eindawya St Eindawya Bayintnaung Rd Bayintnaung AC

MANDALAY ••CentralMandalay

34th St 34th

33rd St 33rd 32nd St 32nd

Setkyathiha 87th St

Shweta 86th St 30th St 30th Paya 87th St 86th St Market

Canal 10 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

28th St 28th 29th St 29th B5 C3 B2 D3 C2 B2 C2 C3 D3

B3 B5 D2 B3 C3 C3 C3 85th St 31st St 31st Pick-ups toAmarapura,Inwa & A1 Buses toMonywa...... Taxi Stand...... Sagaing...... Mr HtooBicycles...... TRANSPORT 21 B Tower Clock 18

84th St

Market 84th St

Night

12 Paya

10 Mosque 15

20 8 5 17 83rd St 83rd St Temple

Hindu 83rd St 13 4 22

6

22nd St 22nd Mosque 22 21 20 19

Tan Mosque

26th St 26th 9 Am Yauk

C3 B4 B3

Paya Shwekyimyint

82nd St Fire Lookout Sacred Heart Church Baptist Judson

82nd St Cathedral

34th St 34th Tower

33rd St 33rd 32nd St 32nd

11

31st St 31st 27th St 27th

28th St 28th 82nd St

35th St 35th

25th St 25th 24th St 24th

14

23rd St 23rd 21st St 21st

81st St 30th St 30th

29th St 29th 81st St 2 Temple Hindu

81st St 200m 0.1miles 0 0

Mosque Central Catholic Church Father Lafonís 16 3

80th St 1 Temple

Hindu 80th St 7

79th St D 79th St Fort Moat Pedestrian Overpass Mandalay 555

78th St MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) built usingconcrete, aluminiumandforced h s/d US$8/15; power cuts. Reasonablysmart roomsinclude tells youthisplace knowshow to dealwith dip in town. pic-sized outdoorpoolthat’sthebestcheap finl banter. friendly Downstairs there’s abookswapand plentyof rooms withprivate bathroomandhotwater. district, thisreliable spothasfunctional d fromUS$7/10; ahead duringthe season. high othertravellers.information andtomeet Book shape andvery clean.It’sagoodspotfortravel Rooms are smallerthansome,butingood here extendthe staff awarmwelcometoall. longest-running budgetintown, guesthouses 41 25thSt,82/83;sUS$6-8,dUS$10-15; to March. Breakfast isincludedat all places. fromOctober season by afternoon inthehigh centrated inthedowntownarea. Many fillup Most of Mandalay’s budget optionsare con- SLEEPING Yatanaban SwimmingPool ACTIVITIES up original wallsclose for free. the southwall,neardowntown,toadmire the avoid visitingthepalace at all. remembering theworkittooktorebuild it, a leafyarmybarracks.Mostvisitors, andlocals Most of theinterior –restricted tovisitors –is entry isincludedintheUS$10ticket ( p554 only entryforforeigners isalongtheeastwall; there’s watchtower toclimb.The auseful labour. It’snotexactlyauthentic,although the originalto the ground. and Indiantroopsresulted infires thatburned cupying Japanese forcesandadvancingBritish occupied ituntiltheBritsdrove him out. this sprawling,moated complex.ThibawMin rapura dismantledin1861andrelocated to of Myanmar,ordered theoldpalaceinAma- tion ortwo. MindonMin,oneof thelastkings kings of oldmoved genera- theirpalacesevery On theadviceof theircelestial advisors, the Palace Mandalay 556 o 5am-6pm) Classic Hotel Hotel ET You canwalkalongashady The oc- between During WWII,fiercefighting ADLY • ciiis MANDALAY ••Activities new palace a Royal GuestHouse

(Map (Map p555 , northof thepalace,isanOlym- ) a

(Map (Map p555 The mighty generatorThe mighty outside ) Moving towardstheShan

(Map (Map p553 ;

% ; % 65006; 12983rdSt,23/24;s/

(Map (Map p553 ; 32841; 5923rdSt,83/84;

h (Map (Map p555 7.30am-5pm) a ;admissionK200; promenade Oneof the ) ; % 65697; was on ). St; s/dUS$15/20; a worldawayfromthebustleof downtown. the backroadsof Mandalay, thisplacefeels Nylon Hotel better midrange deals in town. minibar andabathtub,makingforoneof the are cleanandsmart,includingsatellite TV, there isarelaxed vibetotheplace. Therooms herefrom theoutside,butlively ensure staff US$20-30; [email protected]; 56883rdSt,32/33;sUS$15-20,d nishings. Bicycles are available. rooms have woodenfloors andperiodfur- treat youlike partof thefamily.Theseven elsewhere, butonlyhere dothegenial owners There maybebetter-value rooms available worthy viewsfromthe upper floors. privateinclude air-con, bathroomand TV, without breaking thebank.Thelarge rooms whowantsomecreaturefor those comforts family,thisisasmarter hotelGuest House 76/77; s/dfromUS$13/20; vate bathroomswith hot showers. air-con, oneortwosatellite channels andpri- stall. Veggiestall. ormeatcurries comewithfresh, a bitof bustle,itis hardtobeatthis open-air around K500; bananapancakes.even ei-kyar-kwe ing over goodtea andcooksup life. It serves always packed totherafters withlocalsmull- h Yangon. for Savelion inhabitants. yourdancingshoes you considerthisisacityof almostonemil- lively scene,particularlywhen littlenight there However, taurants. isdefinitely nota dalay, withplentyof inexpensive Asian res- There isa lively littlediningscenein Man- DRINKING & EATING Mother’s WorldHotel rooms, allwith inside bathroom. (no excuseforpowercuts!),thisplacehassmallclean ai .net.mm; cnr25th&83rdSts;sUS$5-7,dUS$10-15; businesslike rooms here. No lift, soaskfora roomshere. Nolift, businesslike lower floor. run-down, butthere isnothingrun-downaboutthesmart, 79th St,27/28;s/dUS$15/22; Shwe PyiMoeCafé SwanHotel Silver Royal CityHotel Other optionsinthedowntownarea: Peacock Lodge Chapati Stand breakfast &lunch) ) Incongruouslyhousedaboveageneratorshop a Mp p555; (Map h Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com ) Itlookslike aslickbusinesshotel (long,deep-fried pastries) and a dinner)

(Map (Map p555 (Map (Map p553 )

Hidden away off 61stStin Hiddenawayoff This traditionalteashop is (Map (Map p553 (Map (Map p555

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% (Map (Map p555 a a 66550; nylon@mandalay ; ;cnr27th&82ndSts;meals % ) Part of theRoyal ; ) Thelocationisabit ;25thSt,80/81;teaK100; % 33411; 5Myaypadethar % ; 31805; 13027thSt, % 33627; 58 36333; silver lunch &dinner) 26/27; coffees fromK2000,mealsK2000-7000; K800; mandu forthatcurryfix,Nepalstyle?This saucepans each prawn,chicken,saucepans day., hits are all available here, bubblingawayin K2500-5000; from K500; backpacks. longyi, steaming chapatis. There’s amixed crowd: lonelyplanet.com oasis, this designerrestaurant includes lav- stylish townhouse. ina It’sopposite theSedona dining bynight. creative coffee kicksbydayandauthenticThai a fairshare of boozylocals. alsoserve local girlspromotingDagonBeer are usuallyafew travellers swillingbeers; the dle kingdommealsremain agooddeal.There placeisshowingitsage, butthemid- Chinese K1000-2000; rice anddhal. just bargain thaliswiththree curries,chapati, nomeat,alcohol andnoeggs, place serves h andrice.dishes daily,allwithsoup,salad fromabout25ormore Choose time takeaway. look atthequeueof locals coming forlunch- us,just best foodintown.Ifyoudon’tbelieve This no-frills Shan restaurant hassomeof the St, 83/84;dishesaroundK1000; opposite theSilver SwanHotel. p555; (Map branch larger ond Locals swearit’sbestatlunch. There’s asec- veggie, thecurriescomeinmanyflavours. main drag. purified water. It’sdownalanejustoffthe the side. Thedeliciouslassisare madewith feature, witharange of dipsandcurrieson of vegetarian dishes.Chapatisare amajor dian restaurant offers awholesomerange closed May) St, 74/75;dishesK600-1400; the air-con. it gets inMandalay andthat’sonlythanksto come tohangout.Yes, sorry,thisisascool three floors, thisiswhere young,coolcouples Mann Restaurant Restaurant Mann Nepali Food o Café JJ Café Coffee Black Canyon Too Restaurant Restaurant Vegetarian Marie-Min Easy Ray breakfast, lunch&dinner) h skullcaps,turbansandKathmandu lunch &dinner)

(Map (Map p553 h Longabudget favourite, thisIn- h Lashio Lay Restaurant Lashio LayRestaurant h

(Map (Map p553 ThisThaiexileisafinespotfor breakfast, lunch&dinner) lunch &dinner)

breakfast, lunch&dinner) (Map (Map p555 MANDALAY ••Entertainment ; % (Map (Map p555 ; Burma’s greatest culinary

% (Map (Map p553 66511; cnr78th&38thSts; mains

(Map (Map p553 ;81stSt,26/27;dishesK1000; h Can’t waituntilKath-Can’t 60396; 78th St, 32/33; drinks 60396; 78thSt,32/33;drinks h Amost unexpected breakfast, lunch&dinner, breakfast, lunch&dinner) ;83rdSt,25/26;dishes ;27thSt,74/75;meals ;

83rd St,32/33) (Map (Map p555 % Spread over (Map (Map p553

This creaky 68123; 66thSt, h breakfast, ;6523rd ;27th

and savouries. Ortry complex,offersthe same fresh breads, cakes Shopping Centre, 78thSt,33/34) Spread over twolarge modernbuildings, this Marionettes ( above (read danglinggenitalia) puppets.Mandalay bronze piecesand someanatomicallycorrect includes twoshowroomsof oldwoodand Part of Marie-Min Vegetarian Restaurant andother antiques. ditional tapestry) old) forafew dollars, as wellas is possibletopickupmarionettes (newand Crafts are in apopularpurchase Mandalay. It andInleLake. in Bagan years; cheaper shows(somefree) are available show hasmore thandoubledinpricerecent The fromtheIndianepicRamayana). (tales (re-creation of and Buddhisttales) accompaniment, includesepisodesof traditional puppetshow, withlive musical % Show &Culture Marionettes Mandalay ENTERTAINMENT along theway. permarket. fresh Purchase fruitfromlocals Bakery with lotsof imported temptations. 78 ShoppingCentre, 78thSt,37/38) kets intownforsometreats. head tooneof thebetter-stocked supermar- ney orsometrekking aroundHsipaw should about K5000. are friendly. Afullmealwithadrinkcosts flowsandthelocalsand ladyfingers. Beer pork, chicken, fish,veggies, spicedbeancurd becue restaurants cookingupskewers of St, where there isa stripof open-airbar- h with achilled MyanmarBeer. ice cream. Mosttravellers prefer tocooloff on asunnyafternoon over tocooloff some placeforlocals parlour isapopularmeeting h on theweekend. and there’s awell-stocked barandlive music Themenuismainlyinternational, seating. andsoft décor,subtlelighting ish Burmese SHOPPING Zeigyo Anyone planningalongboatortrainjour- Barbecue Restaurants Sunflower Arts &Crafts Sunflower Arts Bar Nylon IceCream 34446; 66thSt,26/27;admissionUS$8; breakfast, lunch&dinner) lunch &dinner)

(Map (Map p553

(Central Market; Map Map (Central Market; p555 ;78ShoppingCentre, 78thSt,37/38) For abarbecuefixhit30th ) also sells puppets. )alsosells

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another reliable su- isoneof thebest

City Mart ;17383rdSt,25/26; (Map (Map p553 ;84thSt,26/28) ;30thSt,65/66; h ;27thSt,74/75)

yama pwe 8.30pm) (Map (Map p553 (Map (Map p553

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MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) % travel agents. Domestic fares are cheaper usuallyslightly at www.airmandalay.com) .airbagan.com) and Myitkyina. toKengtung,US$35), aswellflights Bhamo from US$35)andHeho from (forInleLake; gon (fromUS$75),NyaungU(forBagan; toandfromYan-Mandalay dailyservices sees Air Mingun. and transport toAmarapura,Inwa,Sagaing p560 See GETTING THERE&AWAY aboutgreen rocks.Beware serious of fakes. dozens of where andtables stalls localsget Amid the‘monkdistrict’,thismarket features onto the surrounding footpaths. made items (includinghandicrafts)thatspill market ispacked withplentyof Myanmar- 558 31799; www.yangonair.com) Jade market Comprising Myanmar’sbest-known dissidentcomedians,the THE MOUSTACHE BROTHERS AREUNDERSURVEILLANCE p553 as theyare oneofthe few dissenting voicesinanation silencedbyoppression. continues despite Par Par Lay’sdisappearance. Weurge theirperformance, our readers tosupport Myanmar. The whole familyisfriendlyandwelcomesvisitors forachatbefore theshow, which in September 2007Par Par Laywasarrested again. buthe’dgivetourists,’ helaughed.Guestswouldlook nervous, themareassuring However, wink. surveillance. ‘Ifthey come,fathergives runawayandtheyarrest awhistle. the The performers Maw wouldtell theaudience thattheKGBiswatching,asMoustacheBrothersare under corruption tostupidity.Somehowthe government seemedtoleave themalone,althoughLu out costume. Sotheshowwenton,every night,deridingthegovernment foreverything from with- sobeganto‘demonstrate’were performances thentoldtheycouldnolonger perform, for theirrelease. Par Par Layeven gotamentionintheHugh Grant film imprisoned brothersbecameacausecélèbre andcelebritiessuchasRobReinerwere petitioning tenced toseven year’shardlabour. Lu atthetime. Soonthe MawwasinMandalay‘holdingthefort’ house in1996,Par Par LayandLu Zawwere arrested bypolicefortelling andsen- politicaljokes bravery infacinguptothemilitaryregime inMyanmar. atAung SanSuuKyi’s Invited toperform we ripyouoff,are sittingducks’. abouttraditional He jokes ithardfornon-nativea wealthofidiomsandslang,whichcanmake to follow. Englishspeakers satire, Myanmarhistory,traditionaldanceandmusic. Lu Maw’sEnglishispretty good,butheis of thesmallest‘theatres’ isanin-yer-face intheworldandaction blendofslapstick,political their familyhave celebrated traditionalBurmesefolkopera forthree decades. Ithastobeone thethreeMandalay’s backstreets. brothersand bannedfrom outdoor performances, Officially ADLY • etn hr wy MANDALAY There &Away ••Getting Lu Maw’swife oncefeatured onthecover ofanItalian editionoftheLonelyPlanetguideto The brotherswere released in2002andcelebrated withsomesignature They performances. The three brothers, Par Par Lay,Lu ZawandLu Mawhave woninternational acclaimfortheir ;39thSt,80/81;donationUS$5; for details onpick-upsandother fordetails , (Map (Map p553 Air Mandalay Air Bagan and ;admissionUS$1; Yangon Airways all serve Mandalay. allserve

(code AB;

a-nyeint pwes (code 6T; % h h 61791; www % 8.30pm) 7am-5pm) (code HK; (folkoperas)beingall-nightaffairs:‘Nowjustonehour, 31548; performs nightlyinthebrothers’simplehome performs 09511 8357;www.malikhatravels.com) boats to Bagan. Theschedule isn’tyetfixed,boats toBagan. daily optionsfortransport.Youcanarrange Map p553 Mandalay’s (off BusStation dustyHighway amind-numbingarrayof) sees Bus due todemand. will costUS$23,doublethepriceof upstream but itislikely todepartthree and timesaweek privateHowever, operator suspendedatthetimeofhad been writing. owned andoperated. Express boatstoBagan to buytickets. IWTboatsare government- is alittlefurthertothewestandplace day, Thursday andSunday).GawweinJetty US$9/24/54, twotothree days,6amMon- and toBhamo (lowerdeck/upperdeck/cabin Wednesday andSunday)ontheslowboat, deck/upper deckUS$10/20,15hours, 5.30am (lowereyarwady, includingtripstoBagan 2pm) The Boat hasinformationonboatstheAy- IWT office Moustache BrothersTroupe

(Map (Map p553 About aBoy ; % 36035; 35thSt; Malikha has high-speed hashigh-speed lonelyplanet.com .

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(Map (Map 72279, 10am- lonelyplanet.com deals drivers work outwithshop owners. paying over theodds thanks tocommission Try nottoshop withadriver, asyou’llendup AROUND GETTING hours) andHsipaw (US$4/7, 10hours). northeasttoPyinULwin(US$3/5,three goes from US$11/30,24hours). Onemorning train trains gotoMyitkyina(ordinary/upper class class US$10,10hours) at9pm.Three daily US$36 toUS$44. US$16, 1stclassUS$33toUS$38andsleepers at 10.30pm.Ordinarytickets costUS$12to traindeparts 5am and6am,whileonenight between bunched together on thehalf-hour Taungoo Three andBago). are inconveniently a daywere headingtoYangon (viaThazi, is agovernment operation. thetrain,asit stilldon’tuse mission. Better your tickets com- upstairs toavoid theMTT information ontraintimes,butaimtobuy entrance. Come here forEnglish-language h a government-run Mandalay’s includes enormoustrainstation Train hours). (K8000, five (K10,000,seven hours) orLashio (off Map p553 hasa BusStation Highway the 1½ hours). orat Checkatyourguesthouse is viashare (perperson taxi about K4000, The easiestwaytoPyinULwin(Maymyo) Taxi driv- ers refuse totake foreigners. Monywa-bound Some St. 88th off p555) leave (Map fromasmalldowntownstation greatest company or check onthe latest, withyourguesthouse tickets toYangon downtown atsmallstands Trains alsoleave 1st forNyaung U(Bagan; At thetimeof research, justfourtrains forMonywa(K5000,fourhours)Buses aa 60 h 9m p p local air-con 9am,2pm&9pm TypeofBus 6pm Departures 8hr Duration 10-12hr K6500 K11,000 Fare Yangon K15,000 Taunggyi (toInleLake) K3000 Meiktila Bagan 12-15hr Destination 3hr MANDALAY BUSES&FARES frequent local 5.30pm air-con 9.30am-6pm) taxi stand ; %

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Lashio taxistand ; % . The 22541; 25/26; perdayK2000; etarian Restaurant ( Restaurant etarian p557 arrange amotorbike. activity is renting a with tea andtoddy shops. Apopular sunset Kyauktawgyi Paya and fishers commutingtoandfro. Itleadsto of life alongits1060teak posts, withmonks 1.2km. At200years lots old,thebridge sees Bein’s Bridge 11kmsouthoftal Mandalay, isfamedfor The ‘Cityof ashort-lived Immortality’, capi- AMARAPURA Pakokku. travelled route fromMandalay via toBagan MonywaisonaninterestingLesser-seen less- is day-trippingtothefouroldcitiesnearby. For mostvisitors, thereal drawof Mandalay MANDALAY AROUND expect rates torise. Hill todowntown.Alwaysbargain. Atnight, and K1000foralonger one,such asMandalay port. CountonK300toK500forashort ride, Trishaws are theusualaround-towntrans- Trishaw nearby attractionsisabout K20,000. K2000 orso. to Afull-daytripbybluetaxi jettyisabout from downtowntotheBagan lay mosthours. Pricesare negotiable. A ride Mazda pick-ups)whiskfolksaroundManda- (whichWhite and‘bluetaxis’ are taxis ancient Taxi 5pm rush hours. ticularly duringthe7amto9amand4pm Mandalay’s are citybuses very crowded,par- Bus cles, including There are centralplacestorent several bicy- Motorcycle & Bicycle , theworld’slongest teak bridge at Mr Htoo Bicycles Mr Htoo h andsmall 8am-7pm). boat

(about K2000) )canusuallyhelpto Taungthaman Marie-Min Veg-

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U MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) place duringour last visit. Inwa’s handful of sights. Beside theroad,vil- Inwa’s handfulof Beside sights. Kyaung) isabrick-and-stuccomonastery above, andpathways leadalltheway tothe temple datingfrom 1672.There are great views isamural-fillednear thesouthwest base, cave monasteries tothetop. tion. Trees hangover stonesteps leadingpast known for 21541; [email protected]). centrethe meditation satipatthana vipassana visitors tostay. Travellers wantingtopractise friendly monkshave known toinvite been Buddhistscometorelaxmese – andmeditate and monasteries galore, Sagaing iswhere Bur- loom over theAyeyarwady.With500stupas tion, thestupa-studdedhilltopsof Sagaing Across theAva Bridge fromtheInwa junc- SAGAING are boats to Inwa. here it’s1kmsouthtothewater, where there dating from 1822. of Sagaing. acrosstheriverdistance, about 10kmwest breast-shaped Kaunghmudaw Paya inthe watchtower leansprecariously. Lookforthe supported by267posts.The27m unrenovated Mandalay p554). ticket (see ples. AdmissionisincludedintheUS$10 picturesquely dotted withabandonedtem- lagers tillsoilorbatheinpondsanarea (2 peopleK5000) fornearlyfourcenturies. capital Ava astheBurmese bytheBritish)served Cut off byrivers andcanals, Inwa (called (AVA) INWA US$10 ticket (see p554 minutes. 45 It’s possibletocyclefromMandalay inabout bridge; askthepick-updriver fordirections. era intheirfaces,assome travellers do. 11am. Resistthetemptation tothrustacam- dreds, of if notthousands monksbreakfast at by fromawaterside station. beer as theskiesturnorange, orwatching life go 560 The finest sight istheatmosphericandThe finestsight Amarapura isincludedintheMandalay isabout 1kmwestofThe highway the Just westisthe Sagaing Hill Take apick-uptotheInwa junction.From RUDMNAA • Iw Aa AROUND MANDALAY ••Inwa(Ava) silver shops silver leadathree-hour looparound Maha Aungmye Bonzan Aungmye Maha

Bagaya Kyaung (admission US$3) Ganayon Kyaung Ganayon and Tilawkaguru Tilawkaguru like thisspottoo. Try Kyaswa Kyaung )andchecks were in guitars isthebigattrac- , ateak monastery Sagaingisalso , where hun- (donation K500) . (akaOk Horse carts Nanmyin

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candidate fortheworld’slargest pileof bricks. the remains of aplanned150mstupa,surely a art andpostcards.The pered withampleopportunitiesfornoodles, facethewater,a halfdozen sights allpep- visit. Theboatdriftspeacefullyfor11km,and dalay, Up andacrosstheAyeyarwadyfromMan- strain forabout K4000 forhalfaday. ing isspread out.Atrishawdriver cantake the but theadmissionfee also includes Mingun. of themarket. Somelocalsknowfree waysup, water fortheadventurer. Thehillis1kmnorth The easiest waytovisitisby taxi. Buddha. standing the world’s second-tallest foothills, including a90m 4km eastof the Buddhas fillingnooks andcrannies.About yellow andblue. Insideare over half amillion bursts withcarnivalshadesof pink,orange, Paya Thanboddhay nearby. Aboutsuperb sights 20kmsouth, bymostvisitors,dalay, ismissed buthassome This scrappytradetown,136kmwestof Man- % MONYWA 9am andreturns at1pm. boat (K1500,1½hours) thatdepartsdailyat along theway.There isalsoagovernment-run ride forabout K10,000, includingsomestops sion toMingunincludesSagaing. white, wavy-terraced bell. It’sworthpressing on200mnorthtothe the It isstillpossibletoclimbup.Justnorth MINGUN Pick-ups leave fromnearthemarket. Saga- Negotiate withprivate boats forareturn Sts) Frequent SEEING THEANCIENTCITIES101 boat (see below can bedone. isonlyaccessibleby Mingun ing thethree inonedayisareal rush,but from K20,000toK25,000forafullday.See- ers poolkyatfora‘bluetaxi’,whichcosts Someshoestring- the day,K400after dark. ing Sagaing(45minutes). It’sK200during (40minutes)Inwa junction before reach- ping atAmarapura(30minutes) andthe 071 /pop140,000 Mingun leave whenfullfromMandalay,stop- Mingun Mingun pick-ups (admission US$3) , theworld’slargest uncracked paya ).

(admission US$3;

(Map (Map p555 isaBuddhafrenzy inthe Hsinbyume Paya Mingun Paya Mingun isanadventurous reclining ;cnr29th&84th lonelyplanet.com h isactually 6am-5pm) . Admis- and admission K2000,camera/video K200/K1000; streams of holesin beamingthrough light dha. There Buddhas, with are manycarved shapedcupy amountain like areclining Bud- the 492 Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com to thewest of thetown centre. pool facing asmalllake. It’safew kilometres is a176-hectare little Eden,withaninviting don, the Modelled onthefamousKew Gardensof Lon- Sights Internet Htay paw doublesasthemainroad. Mandalay between out. Thehighway andHsi- For asmalltown,PyinULwinisvery spread Information & Orientation hottest months (fromMarch toMay). Fargo daysof theAmericanWest. miniature outof wagons,straight theWells locals. Localtransportincludescute pony-led shady avenues orsippingtea withthefriendly is easytowhileawaysometimebikingalong known as Maymyo duringtheBritishera. It Shan thisformerBritish State, hilltownwas inthefoothillsofbygone era. northern Set homesfroma linedwithstately boulevards cooler weatherthaninMandalay andwide colonialstylée,withThis islittleBritain, % PYIN ULWIN(MAYMYO) are ferries. nopassenger (K4000, 4½hours) There enroute toBagan. way, see p558 the centre. Forinformationongoingtheother four hours) 1.5kmsouthof fromthestation, the restaurant. a goodrange of foodavailable in Burmese wooden floors, air-con andTV. There isalso lows US$5/8; &Restaurant Hotel K20,000). people onewayK8000,charter return about (five stand fromajeep K1500), thenajeep a boatfromtheMonywajetty(each way best togowithaguide. Toget here, catch rock, givingthefeeling of aminiPetra. It’s intothe the walls,pluswholetemples carved Across theChindwinRiver and25kmwest, Domestic touristsgravitate here duringthe The roomsattherear of Get onlineopposite at thebusstand Get leaveHourly buses forMandalay (K5000, 085 /pop80,000 Hpo Win Daung Caves Hpo WinDaungCaves National Kandawgyi Gardens National Kandawgyi a (Main Rd; (Main . Four daily buses gotoPakokku .Fourdailybuses ) are apretty gooddeal,with

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( % 8am-5pm) 22130; Shwe oc- old sewing machines old sewing and wine,pluspullover-makers leaningover railway. information about this famousstretch of p562 formore See 1km eastof stand. the taxi frequently, Hsipaw (K3500). Tower, headtoMandalay (K2000)and,less Most gofrom7amto2pmor3pm. two hours) andHsipaw (K5500,three hours). tower, arranges toMandalay taxis (K4000, onthemainroad, 200m eastofstand theclock Hsipaw isbyshare Asmallshare-taxi taxi. far theeasiestwaytoorfromMandalay or By Pyin ULwinhaslimited busservices. Getting There&Away brewed localcoffee. this isagoodbetforsnack,pastryorfreshly lunch &dinner) Lashio Rd;sandwiches&pizzasK2000-4000; bathrooms andsatellite TV. eats porksometimes).Allroomshave private and rollMuslim’(translation:drinksbeer, ‘rock to theoutgoingowner,aself-confessed US$15-25) rooms are basicbutincludeabathroom. just astrollawayfromthecentre of town.The person US$7) a balconybutnobathroom. by afriendlyIndianfamily.Cheaproomshave of the(limited) action,thisoldstand-by isrun US$3-5, dUS$6-10) and southof themainroad. restaurants liningthesidestreets tothenorth breakfast. Forreliable food,trythe Chinese south andsouthwestof town. Allrates include The mostappealinghotels are located tothe Eating & Sleeping K500) fromthemainroadinPyinULwin. (around K20,000). Pick-upsruntoAnisakan about est togowithaguide(includingtaxi 8km southof PyinULwin. Itmaybeeasi- hilly trek fromthevillage of itself Anisakan, tractive The Victoria, stillchimes tothetuneof BigBen. The train station isnorthofThe trainstation themain road, Pick-up trucks,lingering near Purcell &Bakery Café Golden Triangle Motel Dahlia 1 Grace Hotel Hotel Golden Dream The mostenjoyable daytripistotheat- In town,the market Anisakan Falls Anisakan There’s atraveller vibehere thanks The Grace is set inspaciousgardens TheGraceisset isfilledwithlocalstrawberryjam Housed inagrandoldbuilding, Housed (

% If youwanttobeinthethick ( Purcell Tower % 21230; 114ANannMyaingRd;s&dper 22255, 09-2044153;sUS$8-15,d (admission free) .

( % 21302; 42/43 Main Rd;s 21302; 42/43Main , a gift from Queen , agiftfromQueen ( % , a45-minute 24288; Mandalay- h breakfast,

561 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) main road,pulls the travellers thanks toits curries, including pumpkin for vegetarians. Rd; curryK500) Across fromMrFood, English-language menu andsatellite TV. cheap eats. annexe, which isalsoa bit quieter. over theyears. Smarter roomsare inanew session beer manyalate-night here hasseen budget placesinMyanmar,andthe veranda US$3-6, dUS$6-15) rundown, butafallbackifMrC is full. the clocktower,thisfriendlyplaceispretty bathroomUS$6/10) room US$3/6,withprivate @myanmar.com.mm; Rd;s/dwithshared bath- 134Bogyoke GuestHouse Mao Nam Khae Eating & Sleeping riverises tubing maps of outlying-area treks. He alsoorgan- the mainroadandgives outhand-drawn person. per MaoKhae fromaboutUS$5 GuestHouses arranged theMrCharlesorNam through a pathleadingto both hills. road,walk200mandlookfor on theLashio dha Hill The palaceisinthenorthpart of town. Princess, read tertwined withthatof Shan State. Formore, memorabilia andtells itsstory,which isin- gracious coupleshows gueststhemansion’s the lastprinceof Hsipaw andhiswife. The set) The Activities & Sights Mandalay. and theusualgatewaysState, are PyinULwin ary/March (see p576 morning. each king andhostsabustlingriverside market Hsipawpassed. for isapopularbase trek- of daysandbefore has theyknowitaweek this laid-back townforacouple highland clocks tickmore slowly.Travellers cometo Hsipaw hasitsowntimezonewhere the % HSIPAW 562 For agreat walktoeither sunset, Bawgyo Paya Pwe The market offer stalls Hsipaw’s best Mr CharlesGuestHouse Talk to Boat trips , builtin1924,ishometothenephewof 082 /pop15,000 Shan Palace AA PGN EIN • aa BAGAN (PAGAN) REGION••Bagan Twilight over Burma:MyLife asaShan or byAustrian-American Inge Sargent. Mr Book hasarow of potsfilled withtasty Nine BuddhaHill along the Dokhtawady canbe alongtheDokhtawady Mr Food Thisisoneof thebest-known

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Bud- Myanmar’s mostbeautifulrides,though Gokteik Gorge andisrevered asoneof here period date fromaround thesame the4400templesmost memorablesight, of Angkorforthecrownof SoutheastAsia’s filled plainof Rivallingthetemples Bagan. ofto get theambition of asense thetemple- lot more forgoodmeasure, andyou’llstart onto Manhattan islandandthrowinawhole Gather allof cathedrals Europe’smedieval % BAGAN REGION BAGAN (PAGAN) is often late. toleaveposed Hsipaw at9.30amdailybut the carriages canrocklike ahorse. It’ssup- Taxis toLashio cost K3500. Mandalay (perperson K8000,fourhours). (K2000, twohours), 72km northeast. alsoheadtoLashio Pyin ULwin.Buses at 6amforMandalay (K5000),stoppingin known asbreakdowns. leave Buses Hsipaw often involve unscheduled stops, Bus services Getting There&Away ple building. Thingsbegan togobadunder goldenage,Bagan’s aperiodof manic tem- but hisdynastyruled for200years. Thiswas killedbyawildbuffalo, was eventually rahta them over, hetookthembyforce. Anaw- him.Whentheyrefusedlightened tohand heldbytheveryTripitaka) Monswhoen- coveted thesacred Buddhist scriptures (the grand Shwezigon. Thehubristic Anawrahta firstand beganbuildingBagan’s temple, the country, introducedTheravada Buddhism the thronebyforcein1044.He unifiedthe History eventually. down thevendorsalthough willusuallytrackyou allowssomesilenceandsolitude, low season canget very season busy,while plain. High lective viewsof stupa uponstupadottingthe brillianceisinthewonderfulcol- Bagan’s ual temples maybemore but spectacular, more than 800years ago. Angkor’sindivid- took wasbornwhen KingAnawrahta Bagan The the traintoPyinULwincrosses Most peoplegobyshare toorfrom taxi 02 &061 Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com

lonelyplanet.com Thiripyitsaya 4 6 1 3 2 5 BAGAN

ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ Village See Enlargement 32 SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Kyat KanKyaung...... (see 13) Htilominlo Pahto...... Gubyaukgyi...... Gawdawpalin Pahto...... Dhammayazika Paya...... Dhammayangyi Pahto...... Archaeological Museum...... Ananda Pahto...... (see2) Ananda OkKyaung...... Abeyadana Pahto...... auaPy...... A4 Manuha Paya...... 0.2miles 0 0 Ayeyarwady Somingyi Old Bagan Kyaung River 30 Myinkaba AC 14 26 Old Bagan 1 11 36 35 9

Yeosin 300 m Pebinkyaung Bupaya 25 Rd Bagan-Chauk BAGAN(PAGAN) REGION••Bagan New Bagan 3 Creek 12 6 28 7 Seinnyet NyimaPaya Seinnyet AmaPahto& Shinbinthalyaung Paya Myazedi 27 33 Myinkaba Paya Bagan- Nyau n

10 g Nyein Paya Gon

U 15

Rd 17 Paya Mahabodhi

Anawrahta Rd 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Anawrahta Rd 23 B2 A4 A1 C4 B3 A2 B1 A4 18 31 22 4 Pahto 29 34 B admny at...... D3 Nandamannya Pahto...... Upali Thein...... Thatbyinnyu Pahto...... Tharaba Gate...... Thabeik Hmauk...... Tayok PyePaya...... Sulamani Pahto...... Shwesandaw Paya...... Shwegugyi...... Payathonzu...... Nathlaung Kyaung...... Nanpaya...... Nagayon...... Mingalazedi...... Mimalaung Kyaung...... Sint 2 24 Thamuti & Ayeyarwady River Kutha Bagan- North Plain 8

Nyaung U Rd Wetkyi-in 19 5 21 Thuhekan Manu Kan See NyaungUMap(p565)

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Taung Wetkyi-in West Pwasaw Central Plain Hsu Pye South Plain 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

B2 B2 B1 C3 D3 B3 B2 B1 D3 B2 A4 A4 A3 A2 Creek aah I...... B1 Sarabha II...... Tiger HeadExpress Co...... Old BaganJetty...... Shwe WarTheinHandicrafts Shop.... Art GalleryofBagan...... Si ThuRestaurant...... Green Elephant...... Golden Myanmar...... Thiri MarlarHotel...... Kumudara Hotel...... Bagan ThirizarniHotel...... Bagan CentralHotel...... TRANSPORT SHOPPING EATING SLEEPING Leimyethna Winidho Tawagu Group Viewing Tower Bagan Pahto Petleik Paya Anauk (West) Minnanthu 20 Petleik Paya Ashe (East) Izagawna Nyaung U 1km 0.5miles 0 0 East Pwasaw 16 Thambula Pahto Minnanthu 13

Kan To Kyaukpadaung Rd Kyaukpadaung - U Nyaung Mt Popa(53km); Train Station(4km) D To Airport(2km); Ohnmin (2km) Kontangyi To KyaukGu (42km); 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 Tetthe

563 A5 A2 B1 A4 A5 A5 B1 A5 A5 A5 A5 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) a wholerange of placestoeat. istheunnamed ‘restaurantstation row’ with market totheSapadaPaya. of Justeast thebus Rdfromthe andalongtheAnawrahta station, URdeastofalong theBagan–Nyaung thebus in text) torefer to themainstrip,which runs the temples. tres, crisscrossed bydirttrailsventuring to tions. Well-paved cen- roads connectthese has somemore budget andmidrange op- isabout 4kmsouthandgroups. NewBagan more expensive hotels here cater totour located amid thebulkof thetemples, and isabout 4kmwest,atmosphericallyBagan north of Old theairportandtrainstation. andisabout 5kmis hometothebusstation, the northeastcornerof the zone,thistown travellers themselves atNyaungU. base In andafewBagan others. Mostindependent of Nyaung U, Myinkaba, Old Bagan, Newstretches 42sqkmandishometothe‘towns’ The massive Archaeological Zone Bagan Orientation known asNewBagan). land4kmtothesouth(now in undeveloped the residents of plantingthem OldBagan, 1990, whenthegovernment forciblyrelocated structures. ter scaledamaged manyof principal Bagan’s an earthquake measuring6.5onthe Rich- byKublai tack in1287. Khan rupted thecity,leaving itvulnerable toat- the gorgeous Mingalazedipagodabutbank- the decadentKingNarathihapati,whobuilt 564 In NyaungU,‘Main (locallyand Rd’isused mostrecentBagan’s upheaval happenedin The citywascrushed againin1975,when changed to67,meaningtheoldnumber numbers thatpreviously beganwith70 are five digits. Toaddtothefun,anyold old numbers that start with old numbersthatstart numbers asplacesopenedafter 2000.All was assignedintherushfornewtelephone % two area codes: phone codesare alittleconfusing. There are Bagantele- Are yousittingcomfortably? BAGAN TELEPHONECODES been switchedto borrowed Pakokku code( old signsorbusinesscardsstillhave the AA PGN EIN • aa BAGAN (PAGAN) REGION••Bagan 062-70999 isnow % % 061 and 02. Alllocalnumbers % 02-67999. % % % 062), which 02. Some 062 have 4 Thiripyitsaya; sUS$6-8,dUS$10-14; 4 Thiripyitsaya; US$4/8; we don’t advise youtestwe don’tadvise thistheory.TheWa that canburndigitalcamerashotsontoCD. U; internetperhrK2500; indulging. Allpricesincludebreakfast. Lonely Planet’s ered here. Sneakalookatsomeone’scopyof to bigger walletsandassuch are notcov- joint-ventureOld Bagan’s hotels are geared Centre RMCG Computer Stand Internet SkyInformation Service Ever internet access. support systems, and includingapostoffice actually happensornotisopentodebate. Archaeology Department,butwhetherthis Half of togotheBagan thisfee issupposed technically lastingaslongyou’dlike tostay. logical ZonemustpayaUS$10entrancefee, All foreign visitors Archaeo- totheBagan are goodvalue,including wooden floors, bungalow-style roomscompound, these include extrassuch asTV. family. More expensive roomsare larger and of roomshere, allwelltended byahospitable thereguesthouse, isamind-boggling selection Rd;sUS$5-18,dUS$8-20; Main original buildinghasatmosphere. is anewerannexe across theroad,but the air-con.private bathroom andefficient There with travellers thankstolarge roomswith 10, dUS$7-15; dows upstairs. and hasdecentair-con roomswithbigwin- Ga washaving aspringcleanduringourvisit Inn WaGa U NYAUNG guides, plusithasasmallbookstore. and in restaurant row,EverSky canarrangecars,trips 60146; NyaungU; blocked internetmailsites. blocked K2000; Sleeping Information sometimes costsK500toK1000. isvery Itshould befree,houses, useful. but o LarGuestHouse Kha May Eden Motel Nyaung Uishometomosttraveller life- The Map of Bagan, h a 8am-8pm) Asolitarycomputerwithaccessto )

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(Map (Map p565 (Map (Map p565 Rd, NyaungU;perhr ; Main h ) The Edenisareliable favourite Myanmar 7am-9.30pm) Convenientlylocated ; % h ; (Map (Map p565 Rd, Nyaung ; Main % 061-60902; Main Rd;s/dfrom 061-60902; Main 7am-9pm) Computershop a foundatmostguest-

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(a p565; (Map guideifyoufeel like A deceptively large ) a ) Set inaleafy Set ; ; % % % 061-60322; 061-60304; 061- some extracreature comforts andaccessto wanting The Thante isafairdealforthose ticket totheswimmingpool(US$3for non- as [email protected]; Rd;sUS$15-25, dUS$18-30; Main to ‘restaurant row’. are friendlyandinformed,plusit’sjustastroll bathroomsandporches.attached Theowners lonelyplanet.com Shwe NaDi Pann CherryGuestHouse thepoolforUS$3. can use and deckchairs onasmallporch. Nonguests minibar roomy bungalowswithsatellite TV, a pool.Theextensive gardensare hometo Rd;s/dUS$30/35; [email protected]; Main of kilometres westof town. with bathroomsandsatellite TV. Itisacouple ploring thetemples. Roomsare well-equipped guests), which isareal drawafter ahotdayex- bathroom only. s/d US$4/6; Closetothebusstation. isright. simple, buttheprice Rd;sUS$3-4,dUS$6-8)Theroomsare smalland Main 7 1 3 2 (8.5km) New Bagan Bagan (3.5km); To Old NYAUNG U Ὀ Ὀ Golden Express Hotel Golden Express Thante Hotel Thante Wetkyi-in Ch Other cheap deals: heio aa...... A2 Shwezigon Paya...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION aung Thetkyamuni...... Kondawgyi Pahto...... RMCG ComputerCentre...... (see6) Internet Stand...... Ever SkyInformationService...... ) Gubyauknge The cheaper roomshere are acheap Kyanzittha a Mp p565; (Map Umin AC ) BasicroomswithacapitalB;shared

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) 2 8 21 13 Market Nyaung U Rd; s/dUS$15/20; 6 for open-airbreakfast. floors, aroundaleafycourtyardwithtables set hotwater andwooden include satellite TV, Rooms goes. central asfarNewBagan telephone andbathroom. fridge, as alltheroomsincludesatellite TV, in town,thisbungalowcomplexisgreat value, Rd; s/dfromUS$10/15; Hotel Bagan Thirizarni BAGAN NEW Bagan Central Hotel Bagan Central give itamiss. and costsaheftyUS$10toexperience,so top, butit’sareal blightonthelandscape are sure theviewsare impressive fromup Viewing Tower guidelines forhistoricsites, the by thegeneralsandfloutingallUnesco Surely itis. not?Unfortunately Conceived skyscraper loomingover ancientBagan? Is thatreally Aconcrete whatitlookslike? SKYSCRAPER BAGAN Hospital Train Station(4km); To Airport(2km); Mt Popa(50km) Thamiwhet Hmtathat Umin Tetthe Umin 20 a ) To Pakokku(25km); Mandalay (180km) Thisfriendlyplaceispretty 1km 0.5miles 0 0 a isopenforbusiness. We Shwe TaungTarnRestaurant Pick-Ups toOldBagan&New (TrainTicket Office)...... Bagan...... Nyaung UJetty...... Bus Station...... Air TicketOffice...... San KabarRestaurant&Pub.... Pho Cho...... Beach...... Aroma 2...... A LittleBitofBagan...... (see16) C2 Thante Hotel...... Shwe NaDi...... Pann CherryGuestHouse...... New ParkHotel...... May KhaLarGuestHouse...... Inn WaGa...... Golden ExpressHotel...... Eden Motel...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING Themostsoutherlyhotel

(Map (Map p563 )

(Map (Map p563 ; ; % % Ohnmin (700m) 061-60309; Main 061-60309; Main D 02-67141; Main 02-67141; Main To KyaukGu Bagan 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 565 B2 C1 C1 B2 B2 B2 B2 B1 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 A3 C2

3 5 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) 566 Htilominlo PahtoHtilominlo murals fromtheearly18thcentury.Across theroad,locationforterraced 46m-high some showing Portuguese traders. some showingPortuguese walled city. Nyaung U-OldBaganRdisthe9th-century lotus goat herders whencyclingaround. Rdbetween NyaungUandNewBagan,look out forA ruralarea tothesouthofAnawrahta Plain Central The thousandsofpilgrims.tracts month ofPyatho(betweenmid-December andmid-January), athree-day has giant Buddhaimagesfacingeachofthefourentranceways. Onthefullmoonof sikhara thetwo.(roughly) westtoeastbetweenthetwopaved roadslinking The bulkof‘Bagan’fillsthebroadspace betweenNyaungUandOldBagan.These sites are Plain Northern The foot orbybicycle. This insites 2kmanticlockwisecircuittakes withintheoldcitywalls. It’smanageableon Bagan Old biggest andbest. With more than4000temples tochoosefrom,itpaysworkoutinadvancewhichare the Temples Top on Map p563 alone. This groups someofthemore section popular(andimpressive) temples inBagan(all , unlessotherwisenoted). See p569 many temples in tochoosefromitiseasyfindasolitarystupaordecayingmuraltake Ancient Bagan BAGAN sightsinSoutheastAsia, maybeoneofthemostspectacular butwithso OF TEMPLES THE

square base,surroundedbydiminishingterraces andrimmedwithspires. to deity)and half-guardian buthasbeenrestored.quake Gawdawpalin Pahto AA PGN EIN BAGAN (PAGAN) REGION Thatbyinnyu Pahto –thetallesttemple atBagan,toppedwithagoldenspire. Shwezigon Paya (Map p565 ) –the original GawdawpalinPahto goldenstupa,prototypefortheShwedagon in –considered thecrowningachievement ofthelate period. Midway betweenOldBaganandNyaungU, Midway Just northwest is Just northwest eastofThatbyinnyu,About halfakilometre the52m-high oftheunsubtle North Yangon. Bagan. Dhammayangyi Pahto –anabsolute colossus,thisred bricktemple isvisiblefromallover Another 200m north oftheThatbyinnyu is Another 200mnorth roadleadspast About 200msouth,adirt AnandaPahto –oneofthefinest, best-preserved andmostrevered ofalltheBagantemples. Thatbyinnyu Pahto sikhara topandgilded spires, isprobablyBagan’stopdraw.Finished in1105,thetemple (Indian-style temple finial) atop and stucco carvings inside. (Indian-styletemple Backonthemain finial)atopandstuccocarvings was picked by 1218 by King Nantaungmya, usinga‘leaningumbrella’. by1218King was picked Ananda OkKyaung , one of the finest late-period temples, bythe1975earth- , oneofthefinestlate-period wasrocked (OmniscienceShrine).Bagan’shighesttemple, builtin1144,ithasa Nathlaung Kyaung Archaeological Museum , with colourful muralsdetailing18th-centurylife,, withcolourful Mimalaung Kyaung Tharaba Gate (theonlyremaining temple Hindu atBagan) Shwegugyi Upali Thein forinfoongettingaround.

(Nyaung U-OldBaganRd) , atemple datingfrom1131with , theformereastern entrytothe features large, brightlypainted Ananda Pahto (note the , paya , withitsgolden , the60m-high lonelyplanet.com festival at- ahalf-lion, lonelyplanet.com tion in1170.Batcallsechodownfromthedarkceilings. ruineditafter Narathuwassuchabastardthattheworkers hisassassina- It’s saidthatKing Pahto was toppledbythequake. south,theever-visible, Halfa kilometre walled sunset, butit’sotherwiseemptyduringtheday.Note theoriginal ful white pyramid-stylepagodawith360-degree viewsofBagan’stemples. for Itispacked start ofatunnelintended togo18km–only50misaccessible nowadays.start east. see temples justofftheAyeyarwady: English) features figures ofeach. the Bamarmonarchyhere. Ayellowcompoundlocated ontheeastside (called‘37 be theprototypeformanyBurmese pagodas. The 37pre-Buddhist In town,thegilded bellof Around NyaungU three interconnected shrines,drawsvisitorstoitsmurals. good westwardviewsofBagan.Tothesouth,13th-century roadleads2kmtoDhammayangyi. worshippers. Adirt design.It’sveryfor itsfive-sided welltended withlushgroundsandlavishattention from the Central Plain.About3.5kmeastofNewBagan, roadsfrom This orbydirt ruralstretch isaccessedviatheroadfrom NewBagantotheairport, Plain South onthepillars. Brahma three-faced assuggested shrine;itwaspossiblyonceHindu bythefrom thesameera,isacave-style his prisonlife. Stairsattherear leadabove thereclining Buddha. Justsouth, ages thatare seeminglytoolarge fortheenclosure, symbolicofManuha’sdiscontent with Manuha Paya interior paintings. Youshouldbringatorch(flashlight).Inthevillage,modern-looking with 561glazed tilesandtastyviewsofthenearbyriver andsurroundingtemples. with sites. Oneofthemostpopularis The village,located area betweenOldBaganandNewBagan,isbrimming aroundMyinkaba Myinkaba Around to climbthetop. Thabeik Hmauk Bagan region’s prettiest stucco. temples, withlushgroundsandcarved Just150meast, possibly aprototypeforAnanda. Kyaung Buddha. It’soften askatPayathonzu locked; master’. forthe‘key Justbehind,the of Mura’murals–intheformtoplesswomenreaping noresponse fromameditating the road, Pahto One kilometre totheeast,broadtwo-storeyedOne kilometre South ofThatbyinnyu, the11th-centuryfive-terraced From theNyaungU jetty,itispossibletoarrangeafun boat trip(aboutK5000orso)to About 200mnorth, An excellentcluster oftheroad, ofsites isabout3kmeast.North stupaofthe11thcentury, About 400msouthoftown,theSinhalese-style oftown, Just north Kyauk GuOhnmin hastwoencirclingpassageways,theinneroneofwhichbeenintentionally filled. , was likely built by King Kyanzittha’sBengaliwife builtbyKing , waslikely andfeatures original frescoes. Across has been a cave-style monastery hasbeenacave-style fornearlyonethousandyears. Nagayon BAGAN(PAGAN) REGION (1059)wasbuiltbythecaptive Monking. Note thefourgiant Buddhaim- looks like a mini Sulamani, but without the hawkers – aminiSulamani,butwithoutthehawkers lookslike hassometightstairsleadinguptotheroof. Itslotus-shaped Nandamannya Pahto Gubyaukgyi cave temple, dating backathousandyears,wassupposedly the Shwezigon Paya (1113) seesalotofvisitorsthankstoitsrichlycoloured Mingalazedi Thetkyamuni , fromthesameperiod,features the‘temptation (1102;Map p565 ) isconsidered bymanyto (1274), withthree receding terraces lined Dhammayazika PayaDhammayazika and Sulamani Pahto Shwesandaw Paya Kondawgyi Pahto Payathonzu hti nat lying tothesouth–it Tayok PyePaya (1181)isoneofthe , asmallcomplexof were endorsedby (1196)isunusual and (1057)isagrace- Dhammayangyi are about1km itispossible Abeyadana sikhara Nanpaya Kyat Kan

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567 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) ture inrestaurant row,thisplaceisslightly h for asundowner. hour from 4pmto6pm,the perfect excuse plusthereEurope andtheEast, isahappy gardens. Themenu includesflavours from inastrikingpavilion surroundedbylushset overlooking is the Ayeyarwady,Beach plus there isinternet accessavailable. IndianandItalian, menu includesBurmese, pricier, butmore atmosphericthanmost.The K2000-5000; courtyard isamajor drawinthedryseason. inspired creations. Like Aroma,thecandlelit Kabar remains apopularstopforitsItalian- & dinner) pastas K2000-4000,pizzasK3000-4000; season. dry that overflows inthe withcandelittables Brits happy.There isalarge gardenarea of classics thatwillkeep -craving even restaurant intownoffering aspicyselection K2000-4000; won’t findit 100% authentic. regulars Bangkok Thaifood,although tasty known asPuppet,thisplacehassomepretty h Thai and Indian available. an Asian assortmentof Chinese, Burmese, food ispopularatmostplaces,butthere’s also and thefamous‘restaurant row’.Italianesque are plentyof restaurants along themainstreet of andthereThis isthediningcapital Bagan U NYAUNG Eating view, guestsenjoyfree internet access. a bigbathroom.As wellasthepoolwitha minibar,IDDphoneand include satellite TV, scured panoramaof thesoaringtemples, and Kumudara have balconiesoffering anunob- here Roomsatthe forthebestviewsinBagan. s/dUS$36/45; .kumudara-bagan.com; There isabarandbreakfast area up top. asitfillsupfast. season, ahead inthehigh smart roomsfacingaleafycourtyard.Book the extradollars, thisquietretreat has21 s/dUS$20/25; [email protected]; 568 Kumudara Hotel Hotel Marlar Thiri Beach A LittleBitofBagan &Pub Restaurant San Kabar o Pho Cho Pho 7am-11pm) breakfast, lunch&dinner) AA PGN EIN • aa BAGAN (PAGAN) REGION••Bagan Thebirthplaceof pizza,theSan Bagan

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% (Map (Map p565 ais h ; 02-67080; www Another fix- % breakfast, lunch a 02-67370; ; Main Rd; ;Main ) Worth Head Head ) Air Bagan domestictickets.road inNyaungU thatsells & dinner) dinner) night. horse cartdriver alongtohelp. more bowlsof localcondiments.Invite your feed afamily.Fourcurriescomewith10or deliveredbuffet’, to isenough toyourtable, Shwe War Thein Handicrafts Shop Handicrafts Shwe WarThein Shopping h gardenforintimatea delightful dining. & dinner) and busloadsof touristsinpeakseason. puppetshows withfineviews,nightly Bagan, are large several riverside restaurants inNew placesalongthemaindrag.ThereBurmese The cheapest eatsare thehole-in-the-wall BAGAN NEW corneroffrom every theglobe. tour groups,butthemenuincludessomething Theprices reflecttables. thetarget audienceof rants, thishasaleafygardenandplentyof spots totheheartof thetemples. eateries areBy day,OldBagan’s theclosest BAGAN OLD Yangon Airways (Map p565 Heho (fromUS$55).There isan (from US$75),Mandalay (fromUS$35)and withYangon connectBagan Regular services AIR about US$90orso,Mandalay US$60. about hiringashare Acharter taxi. toInleis U. Ask atEver Sky( p564 operate outof Nyaung Most travel services Getting There&Away lery ofBagan around temples. Onereliable placeis better qualitythanofferings fromhawkers traditionalpieces,which areworkshops sell epicentre of Myanmar. family-run Several is atreasure trove of Myanmar trinkets. shop, 67032; [email protected]; Si Thu Restaurant Si Thu Elephant Green Golden Myanmar Sarabha II The townof Myinkaba isthelacquerware lunch &dinner) The quieter of thetwoSarabha restau- j ust eastof TharabarGate inOldBagan, Part of acountrywide empire, thishas Comehere hungry, asthe‘personal ;

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Main Rd) Main 061-60240; www . Shwe 6000/7000 toNyaungU/Old Bagan/New Moon-Light Rest House Moon-Light Rest Meiktila. Lake a Hotel corridor, the elling theBagan-to-Inle If youfindyourself in Thazi Meiktila whiletrav- & Meiktila forest along the way. driver topointoutremnants of thepetrified in ashare forUS$7per person. taxi Ask the Kyaukpadaung. Far easierisgetting aslot U (aboutK1000),often withachange in It’s possibletovisitbypick-upfromNyaung have itself. atleasttwofulldaysforBagan 69168; s/dfromUS$70/80; at theupmarket cember). It’spossibletoswimatthesummit the 37 foot of features themountain, adisplayof monks called ing theslow-stepping nonordainedhermit past monkeys andmanypilgrims,includ- of theplain.The30-minute climbupgoes to thewest–andoffers breathtaking views endof day –looktotheright themountains onaclear topped hillisvisiblefromBagan monastery-the country.This1520m-high the stupa-studdedcentre of The MtOlympusof Myanmar, Mt Popa is Popa Mt BAGAN AROUND Bagan. day costsabout US$20 to US$25. forthe Myinkaba. AridecostsK300.taxi and stoppinginOldBagan New Bagan, pretty after uncomfortable a few hours. range onewithafoamcushion, asitcanget spacefortwopeople. Tryandar-sufficient for thewholeday,butthere isonlyreally ondayone.grips withBagan It’sK10,000 vendors. have assometemples water don’t though, Carry Nyaung U,doublethatinNewBagan. The goingrate isK1000perdayin Bicycles are aleisurelyBagan. waytosee Around Getting Thazi, the railjunction,ishome tothebasic The Popatripupisonlyworthitifyou fromtheairportcostsK5000/ A taxi NyaungUandA pick-uprunsbetween A horse cartisn’tabadwaytoget to ) is aconverted mansion ontheshores of

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02- MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) te centre. the water runbyapricelessoldcouplewhohave town andcanhelpwithtrekking tours to .com.mm; though manylocalsarethough Christian.The admission US$2; modest villages. Kachin ered Myanmar’s best. Kachin villages. Ricegrownhere isconsid- low-key trekking centre forvisitstonearby tion pointforariver tripsouth.Itisalsoa ofcapital Myitkyina isapopularembarka- land travel TheKachin inthenorthgoes. This istheendof thelineasfar asover- % MYITKYINA toforeigners.closed lane. slow going withtheflowandenjoyinglife inthe take thetraintoMyitkyinaorBhamo before in Kachin State. Mosttravellers flynorthor best of theactioniswaynorthof Mandalay memorable experiencesinMyanmar. The line totheoutsideworld,isoneof themost arefor whomtheriver anditstraffic alife- through Ayeyarwady, jungle-clad gorges andpastfriendlyvillagers the down Drifting AYEYARWADY UPPER rent. for years. Bicyclesandmotorbikes are available travellers taking been informore than20 per personK4000) at on thewestbankof theAyeyarwady.Stay bythisslow-pacedauthentictown nywa goes An alternative andMo- Bagan route between Pakokku 570 Several Buddhistsites areSeveral inthearea, Snowland Tours Much of thearea awayfromtheriver is Animal Farm read, butsadlywhatshediscovers ismore footsteps ofthefamousnovelist. Agreat followinginthe US journalistEmmaLarkin Finding George OrwellinBurma READ MUST Mya Yatanar Inn 074 /pop140,000 PE YYRAY • ytyn UPPER AYEYARWADY ••Myitkyina Kachin State Culture Museum Culture State Kachin h closed Sun) h , adowntownmansiononthe than 10am-3pm Tue-Sun)

( % ( Burmese Days % has a local office in hasalocaloffice 062-21457; 75LanmatawSt;r 23498; snowland@mptmail (2006)sees is3kmfrom .

(Youngyi Rd; (Youngyi Shan citywallsof from surroundingvillages. Theruinousold market, drawingLisu,Kachin andShan folk erside townof Bhamo hasabustlingdaily More of acharmer thanMyitkyina,theriv- % BHAMO for K7000perday. fromUS$31/36,25to sleeper 50 hours). the traintoandfromMandalay (1st-class/ checkpoints. for Y at8.30am.Have passportcopiesready Bhamo andMyitkyinaleave fromnearthe est. Pick-upsonthe188kmroadbetween hours), butit’sworthchecking thelat- on thefastboatstoBhamo (US$10,seven (US$70). Mandalay code UB; .com) access is,like thepaceof life, slow. on whenitcomestothelocalarea. Internet are prettyhas basicrooms,butstaff switched most traveller-friendly placeintown. TheY 12 MyothitRd;sUS$6-10,dUS$10-14; is still used. op. Thetennis court mentionedinthe novel the novel revolves, isnowanagriculturalco- The old hisnovel1926–27 andbased on thissetting. Blair (hisreal here name)wasstationed in town.Eric enjoy foragingaroundthissleepy Fans of George Orwell’s KATHA hours) aresix toseven exceptional value. to Katha (ordinary/1stclassK5000/15,000, US$9/54. Thetriptakes 1½days.Fast boats andminibarinthe satellite TV top rooms. a bathroomUS$20/25; shared bathroomUS$7,s/dwithprivate ( movies. Ask aboutitatthe Win,who wasinspired byJamesSein Bond reach. within north of town.Interesting % Deck/cabin ontheferry toMandalay costs Check outthe A blanket on ismandatoryfornights Foreigners are totravel notsupposed Air Bagan The A shopbehind theYcanrent motorcycles ) 074 /pop20,000 , 50095; [email protected];perpersonwith andgovernment-run

one of thebetter provincial pads,with % YMCA British Club British 01

- (code W9; ( % 374874) 23010; [email protected]; homemade helicopter Sampanago connectMyitkyinaand , aroundwhich much of % 01 - Burmese Days 513322; www.airbagan Myanma Airways Kachin villages Kachin lonelyplanet.com are located 3km Friendship Hotel Friendship ai , made by , madeby ) isthe (MA, will lie

One ofthefew internetplacesintown; it’s slow. US$7/42, around 24 hours) goes threeUS$7/42, around24hours) times goes wady GuestHouse catch someriver viewsatthebasic Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com morning Kaladan The of River theBay kisses Bengal. main attractions are found where the wide A busyporttown forgenerations, Sittwe’s Sights stand Internet Information toric andimpressive religious site in town. with thecentralJama Mosquethe mosthis- cation. Thepopulationisabout 30%Muslim, Mrauk U, Sittwe hasastrikingwaterfront lo- Used asahubfor visitingthetemples of % (AYKAB) SITTWE which isin southern State. Rakhaing border toBangladesh as refugees. citizens, andmanyhave escapedacrossthe The government recognise themas doesn’t heavilybeen persecuted bythegovernment. Buddhist majority, astheRohingya have Rohingya, isfrequently inconflictwiththe and moved toMandalay in 1784. story of howitwasstolenby the Burmese a sensitive subjectandlocalslove totell the and culture. TheMahumuni Buddharemains by thegovernment, love theirownlanguage reached byaboat ride inland. the atmospherictemple cityof MraukU,is cessible byairorwater and‘baby Bagan’, thanBurma. Sittweisonlyac- to Bangladesh this enigmaticregion isinmanywayscloser and inaccessiblefromtherest of thecountry, Isolated people,isalanduntoitself. khaing Western Myanmar,hometotheproud Ra- hour). one is25kmwestatNaba(US$1, train station Mandalay (K8000,12hours). Thenearest It’salsopossibletotake abustoweekly. WSEN MYANMAR WESTERN The ferry southtoMandalay (deck/cabin Ask forafront-facing roomupstairs to See See p540 The Muslimpopulation,knownasthe people,dubbed‘Burmese’ The Rakhaing 043 /pop200,000 fish market for information on Ngapali Beach, forinformationonNgapaliBeach, (Main Rd;perhrK3000; (Main (Strand Rd; r K3000-5000) kicksoff at6am,with h WESTERNMYANMAR •• Sittwe(Aykab) 8am-9pm) . Ayeyar- there are inthelow a week justtwoflights Thandwe (fromUS$46) mostdays,although ride into town. centre; headoutside thegate toget acheap Theairportis2.5kmsouthwest of the season. .yangonair.com) .com) Air Mandalay AIR Foreigners cannottravel by roadtoSittwe. Getting There&Away band here by night. the riverfront restaurants, there isaone-man K2000-4000; currysoup. ing, prawn-filled Rakhaing restaurants, includingthisplace good stripof family-styleBurmese/Chinese h opposite City Hall ontheairportroad. cals swearthisplacehasthebestintown.It’s mohinga, Mondi 24-hour air-con andsatellite TV. smart roomsare reasonable value,including .com.mm; s/dwithbreakfast US$25/35; rooms. expensive rooms. Air-con isavailable inthemore rooms here are smallandhave shared bath- The mosttraveller-friendly hotel, cheaper Rd;sUS$10-25,dUS$15-30; hotel.com; 27Main , forthe best dining. ing specialities,which and involve seafood Electricity iserraticatbest.TrysomeRakha- Eating & Sleeping mansion. colonial-era interesting collectionof relics inanoldBritish Rd;admissionfree) Main astery ofGreat Merit; centre, the moves. wrestling of theera,andwatercolours of traditional features aMraukUmodel,manyartefacts Museum a peninsulaboastingbig views. sunset About 2kmsouth,viatheStrand,is ofthousands fishsplashed onthestonepier. City Point Music Restaurant City PointMusic Nyein Chan Mondi stand Hotel Sittwe Prince inthecentre,Back the Noble Hotel A coupleof hundred metres northof the breakfast, lunch&dinner) and is the tasty localvariantof isthetasty Burmese

(Main Rd;admissionUS$2; (Main withchillies instead of peanuts. Lo- Yangon Airways h Maka KuthalaKyaungdawgyi Maka

fly toYangon (fromUS$82)via

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MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR , MYANMAR (BURMA) A huge add amysterious hazetothetimelesssetting. dotted with temples, andsmoulderingfires hillocks Shepherds leadtheirflockspast curvy butmoreMrauk UissmallerthanBagan alive. pretty 65kmboatridenortheastfromSittwe, to more than 150temples. Accessibleviaa building spree home inthisancientcapital, of Mrauk U (mrau-oo)wentonamerryold kings Like totheeast,Rakhaing Bagan % (MYOHAUNG) U MRAUK ices toandfromMraukU. in advance. go toPyayorThandwe(Ngapali).Buytickets Mrauk U. FromTaunggok, orpick-ups buses Saturday, connectingwithfastboatsto/from hours) onMonday,Wednesday,Fridayand Taunggokbetween andSittwe(US$40,eight can reach NgapaliorYangon. Fast head boats to MraukUandTaunggok, fromwhere you Rd; Main Express Malikha T A O B 572

1 3 2

MRAUK U Phara Waze See See opposite Daingri 043 /pop25,000

Site Kan

(65km) To Sittwe Parabow Creek Baw ETR YNA • MakU(yhug WESTERN MYANMAR ••MraukU(Myohaung)

Creek h Fortress Ngwetaung 9am-5pm)

Aungdat Creek AC Lokamanaung

Viewpoint forinformationonboatserv- Aungminggala ( 15 % Hill has connectionsfromSittwe Viewpoint Tayzayamo Fortress 23441; www.malikhatravels.com; 23441; www.malikhatravels.com; Laytanknan Hill Naretsa Thoropavata Mokseiktaw isheldinmid-May. Parahla Yokkhataung Shantaung 13 taung Pagan Laymyetnha Sankartaung Mrauk U Pannzeemyaung Market Hotel Kyaung Bandoola Ahmyinttaung Myatanzaung Kaenawin 7 2 16 Fortress Ngapithema U Myawa 8 10 3 B Image Wuthaie Htuparyon Laungbanpyauk Paya 1 9 6 Laksaykan

Aleze Shwekhyatheing Anoma Alaisaita 5 Sakka Thila Lake Ratanathinkha

Creek Ratanasanraway Ratanamhankin Tinamanaung 14 Palace Sakyamanaung Site Ratanamanaung Htintawmu Shwegutaung Minkhamaung Kalamya Paya ‘evil birds’ at his Launggret palace. Insidethe birds’athisLaunggret ‘evil bun tomove hishomehere in1429toshun Apparently astrologers KingMin- advised central palace,located justeastof the market. Apart fromcrumblingwalls,littleisleftof the PALACE SITE&AROUND temple. ples. Payment canbemadeattheShittaung fluorescentfor tacky insometem- lights pay US$10tovisit,plusaK1000‘donation’ small townover a7-sq-kmarea. Foreigners The more than 150temples blendintothe Rakhine Golden Mrauk U:AnAncientCapital of A GuidetoMrauk U Bengal. ofing neighbouring countriesfromtheBay and thenaval of fleet 10,000boatsterroris- hiring Japanese asbodyguards samurais Sights Myawtawmu Yenla Fortress it toSittwe. Itwasafinetime,withthekings from 1430to1784,whentheBritsrelocated 11 Wuntnattaung It’s worthreading up.TunShwe Khine’s Mrauk U served as the Rakhaing capital astheRakhaing Mrauk Userved Fortress Myataung 12 Ponnomyaung Laythataung Fortress Fortress are onlyavailable inYangon. Neikbuzar (Middle) Neikbuzar (Lower) Paranyinaung Paraoke 4 Minkhaung Shwegu (Main) Neikbuzar Shwetaung Paya...... Shittaung...... Ratanabon Paya...... Pitaka Taik...... Museum...... Mahabodhi Shwegu...... Laksaykan Gate...... Kothaung Temple...... Haridaung...... Dukkanthein Paya...... na aa...... B2 Andaw Paya...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING Jetty...... Moe Cherry...... Royal CityGuesthouse...... Mrauk UPrinceHotel...... aiSad...... B2 Taxi Stand...... 0 0 or U Shwe Zan’s or UShwe Zan’s lonelyplanet.com D 600 m 0.4 miles 11 10 16 15 14 13 12 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C2 B2 B2 B1 B2 B1 B3 C2 B2 B2 A3 B2 B3 C2 The Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com spaced further apartand sometemples ofEast thepalacewalls, thetemples are GROUP EAST ing libraryatMrauk U. and ornate entry walls.About 200m north,thecompact ries of theBuddha’spastlives) onitsnarrow bodhi Shwegu sun-drenched Buddhaintheinnerchamber. on sculptures onthecoilingpathleadingto a look forMraukU’s64traditional hairstyles green field,isthemostimpressive of thebatch: bunkerlike aWWIIbomb. from 1612thatsurvived and beyondisthe ings of localfigures. there are someratherpornographicrender- dha footprint’ontheway.Onouter walls, chamber coilstoadeadend,passing‘Bud- 1000sculptures;east side,passes theinner via thefarleftdooratentryhallto like floorplan.Anouter chamber, accessible temples. Built in1535,thepagodahasamaze- Images), themostintricate of thesurviving beyond the The mainsites of MraukUare clustered GROUP NORTH daung replica of theShittaung pillar. has prerestoration photos, asite modelanda gy’s western walls,theDepartmentof Archaeolo- Further north of Ratanabon, hilltop Further northof Ratanabon, Across theroadwestfromShittaung, the Just northisthe16th-century On ahilljustnorth,the18th-century their faces. older womenstillhave tattooson weblike inatraditionalChinvillagewheretrips take outofBagan.The and-up toursrunbyMTT this isabargain compared withtheUS$550- outatlessthanUS$30perperson, Working visit andthiscanbeshared bythree people. US$85 includingboat,vehicle, lunchand the lifetime The costisabout ofthisbook. ation willnodoubtchangeagainduring but notovernight trips,althoughthesitu- Currently, daytripsare onceagain possible, U have beenonandoffinthelastfew years. Excursions toinland Chin State fromMrauk EXCURSIONS STATE CHIN museum pagoda hasnicewestwardviews. Pitaka Taik Pitaka Dukkanthein Paya Dukkanthein

Shittaung (1448)features 280 (admission free; Ratanabon Paya Ratanabon (1591)isthelastremain- (Shrine of the80,000 h (1571), set amida (1571),set 11am-3pm Mon-Fri) , a stupa dating , astupadating WESTERNMYANMAR ••MraukU(Myohaung) jakata Andaw Paya Maha- (sto- Hari-

, staff give awayfree maps ofstaff the temples. bathroom withhotwater onrequest. Helpful are finished in bambooandincludeaprivate ner) of local Rakhaing-style curriesandsome of localRakhaing-style travellers, Cherryhasarange theMoe three hours), leaving at2.30pm.Inthe other travels.com) ing inMraukU. about US$80to US$100, includingwait- frompossible forsmall groupsandstarts at 7amor2.30pm.Private boatcharter is boat’ (US$10toUS$15,fourfive hours) Other daysyoucancatch asmall‘private from ajetty1kmnorthof Sittwe’scentre. hours), leaving three mornings aweek Mrauk UfromSittwe(US$4,six toseven two-tier government-run IWTrunsto The onlywaytoMraukUisbyboat. Getting There&Around information. boat a goodplacetoaskabout carrental or good veggie options.Therestaurant isalso sUS$10-25,dUS$15-30) princehotel.com; Balinese-style. than bathrooms are openair–that’sbasicrather has smallroomswithmozzienets.Shared the jetty,thisamiable riverside guesthouse galows US$15) Royal CityGuesthouse Eating & Sleeping eponymous lake, a water source. the river tothewestjustify the scrapes. Viewsof beuseful. theChinHillsand might so itisbesttoreturn before dark.Aguide ace. intovegetation Trailsdisappear attimes, Pagoda; 1553),which issoutheastof thepal- best viewisatthe this area hasanumberof pagodas.Mrauk U’s Tucked awayinthelively village backlanes, GROUP SOUTH images. Buddha ofwith thousands bas-reliefs evocative of at Shittaung. Theouter passageway islined Minbun’s sontobeatdaddy’s80,000images of the90,000Images) wasnamedbyKing east. Themassive islocatedOne of 2km MraukU’shighlights onhilltopswithgoodvantage points.stand Moe Cherry Hotel Mrauk UPrince To thesouth, Themostpopularplaceintownwith runs enclosed ‘fastboats’ (US$20, runsenclosed The closest accommodationtoThe closest (dishes K1500-3000; Malikha Laksaykan Gate Gate Laksaykan Shwetaung Paya Kothaung Temple

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( 23808-19; dUS$8-12,bun- %

( % 24200; www.mrauku 23159; www.malikha h Roomshere leads tothe (GoldenHill lunch &din- (Shrine

573 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) unexpected stormoverturned afastboat five tourists,were Italian killedwhenan to haggle gentlyto haggle ifplanninga longer stay. don’tbeafraid available inthelowseason; October toMarch. Smalldiscountsmaybe in thischapter are roughly forpeakseason, rate. disadvantageous slightly Priceslisted prices inUSdollars. Mostacceptkyatata bathroom. private pricesinthischapterotherwise, include con, hotwater TV. andeven Unlessstated few dollars more, extraswillincludeair- a basicbreakfast beincluded.Fora might and ashared bathroomdownthehall,but onthewallsfloors, squashedmosquitoes Don’t expectmuch more thanconcrete ful of dollars (US$4toUS$6perperson). possible tofinda plainroomforafist- ing countries.Inplaceswithchoice, itis expensive inMyanmarthanneighbour- areHotels andguesthouses atouch more ACCOMMODATION DIRECTORY MYANMAR on thenorthsideof the palace. is (forjeeps) stand K2000 perday.Thetaxi K10,000 perday.Bicyclerental isabout dark. after hotel. or ket, butdouble-check withyourguesthouse 8am fromthejetty,1kmsouthof themar- direction, boatsusuallyleave MraukUat 574 A horse cartaroundthetemplesA horse isabout people,includingIn late 2004,seven Nearly all hotels and guesthouses quoteNearly allhotels andguesthouses its hands on. room costs,theless thegovernment gets goes tothegovernment. The lessyour 10% ofwhatyouspend atanyguesthouse and flythenationalflagoutside. Generally destination (eg MraukUHotel inMraukU) ernment hotels are often namedafter the with small-timeguesthouses. Full-on gov- and joint-venture hotels, butrarely bother have oftop-end theirfingersinthepockets ernment-run hotels? Government officials selves inMyanmarishowtoavoidgov- The bigquestion manytravellers askthem- HOTELS GOVERNMENT YNA IETR • Acmoain MYANMAR ••Accommodation DIRECTORY Unfortunately, there’s notmuch underwater Snorkelling & Diving ted pedal pusher. maydeflate themostcommit- even season Southeast Asian hot countries.Thebrutal are actuallysmootherthaninsomeother rain fromMandalay toHsipaw. Roads viaMyingyan,orthehillyter-to Bagan, quered. Popular stretches includeMandalay areanmar’s highways there tobecon- With yourown bike andspare parts,My- Cycling turous traveller. there are someotheroptionsfortheadven- town are themostcommonactivities,but (such asMandalay Hill)orbikingaround Barefoot uppagoda-toppedhills tions are basic. Prices are about US$2(inkyat)andcondi- willacceptwearytravellers.guesthouses towns,somelocal story. Inout-of-the-way they’resay ‘full’ratherthanexplainthefull will guesthouses port. Sometimesunlicensed toholdontoyourpass- hotels don’tneed are details and visa required atcheck-in, but toacceptforeignlicensed guests.Passport Burmese Phrasebook more comprehensive coverage, orthehelpful mar. PickupLonelyPlanet’s toreadwise upbefore arrivinginMyan- Even more thanwithmostcountries, it’s BOOKS trails. slippery as heavy rainmakesthe wetseason, for chilly sobringsomewarmclothes.Avoid able aroundHsipaw. canget Winter nights Otherinspiringhikeshouse. are avail- p550 Treks Kalaw between (see andInleLake Trekking p787 (see operatingoutofaboard cruises Thailand generally onlyaccessibleviaexpensive live- Myeik Archipelago, nearKawthoung, is Themore spectacularChaungtha Beach. or NgapaliBeach fish andsomecoraloff traveller. Youcansnorkel pastcolourful action available inMyanmarforthebudget ACTIVITIES All accommodation supposedly mustbe All accommodationsupposedly )take inanovernight inalong- stay ). . lonelyplanet.com Myanmar for lonelyplanet.com be pretty laxonour last visit. wefoundchecksand cameras. However, to tronic goodssuch aslaptops, iPods,radios rency inexcessof US$2000,as well aselec- visitors must declareOfficially, foreign cur- customs officers appearrelatively cheerful. contemporaries aroundtheregion. Even friendlier thansomeof theirstone-faced Immigration officers atYangon airportare CUSTOMS average temperatures and rainfall. October. theclimate charts ( See p916 the landfrommid-May tomid- through ) for Eliot,untilrainsbless month’, toquote TS increasingly hot–Aprilbeingthe‘cruellest such asKalaw. Frommid-February, itgets tofreezing inplaces in thehills,andclose time tovisit.Temperatures canget quite cold November toFebruary through isthebest CLIMATE Shops Restaurants Post offices Friday offices Government Usual business hours inMyanmar: HOURS BUSINESS

Other topbooks: to studyliterature at Cambridge. tribesman escapingthepost-1988chaos Thwe. Theliterary memoir of aKarenni mese Odyssey From the Landof GreenGhosts: ABur- ing lady. tion of fromthecountry’s essays lead- (1995) byAungSanSuuKyi.Acollec- Freedom fromFear &Other Writings events. historical amidlushlyrecounted Burmese) nese, a motleycrew of locals(Indians,Chi- Ghosh. Thismodernclassicinterweaves The Glass Palace Burma. ence, thisisamustonanytripto old lonely daysof colonialexperi- Britain’s well. Thedefinitive novel of thelast Burmese Days century. football tohilltribesinthelate 19th of acolonial-eraScotwhointroduced shall. Theauthorfollowsthefootsteps Trouser People

h 9.30am to6pmorlater

h

h 9.30am to3.30pm,MondayFriday 7am to9pm MYANMAR ••BusinessHours DIRECTORY (2002)byPascal Khoo

(2002)byAndrew Mar- h (1934) by George Or- 8am to4.30pm,Monday (2001)byAmitav

out of thisisnot thecountry,although Pagoda Rd) Bangladesh Australia sentation in Yangon: with kyat.Countries withdiplomaticrepre- alotof business.Sometimesyoucanpay see for othercountries,astheembassies don’t Myanmar isusuallyagoodplaceto get visas Embassies &ConsulatesinMyanmar information,see For visa p581 CONSULATES & EMBASSIES arrange. to ment inYangon, butthisisnotthateasy Road TransportAdministrationDepart- an International DrivingPermit fromthe ing amotorbike. Would-be drivers need Licences aren’t usuallyrequired whenrent- LICENCE DRIVING the hotseason. especiallyin the powerwillbeonallnight, generators. whether Checkwithguesthouses Yangon, have butmanybusinesses theirown be quite frank.Don’tforcepoliticalissues. In private places, andsometeashops, somewill letalocaldictate theconversation.Generally get might intotrouble.San SuuKyi’shouse foreignerstaking thearea tosee aroundAung endanger them,sobediscreet. driver Ataxi limits)toexplore.off notorious drugtrade,canbedangerous (and anmar–Thai border,hometothecountry’s have halted of late. Areas aroundtheMy- Yangon inrecent to years, seem butthese at anyshopsyouvisit. or guidesgetting acommission forpurchases changers slippingintornnotes, anddrivers guarded. try byflashingvaluables orleaving themun- rare, butdon’ttempt fate inthispoorcoun- you’ve dropped.Fornowtheftremains quite chasing youdowntheroadwithsomething with yourmoneyorbelongingsisifthey’re Usually ANNOYANCES the onlytimealocalwillberunning & DANGERS enforced. often Power outages are pretty in common,even A few bombincidentshave occurred in The onlyreal scams are dodgymoney- Technically, antiquescannotbetaken Talking politicswithlocalscanpotentially Mp p532; (Map of a p528; Map (off % 01-251810; 88StrandRd) % 01-549557; 56 Kabe Aye 01-549557; 56 Kabe .

575 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) Pagoda Rd) Rossini, 18,00198Rome) Dhaka) Paris) Taw WinRd) USA UK South Korea Japan Italy Israel India Germany France Beijing100600) Chaoyang District, China Canada Bangladesh Australia Asia, therelevant countrychapter. see For Myanmardiplomaticoffices inSoutheast Abroad Myanmar Embassies&Consulates Vietnam USA UK Thailand Singapore New Zealand Malaysia Laos Japan Yeiktha Rd) Indonesia India Germany France Rd) China Canada Cambodia 576 Dong Yongsam-ku, Seoul 140-210) Seoul Dong Yongsam-ku, kyapuri, NewDelhi110021) kyapuri, 20008) this book. thelifetime of during embassy willmovetoInyaLake Township) Rd, Bahan Berlin) 2600) ACT Yeiktha Rd) gawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo140-0001) gawa, Shinagawa-ku, Bahan Township) Bahan Yeiktha Rd) ham, 85 Range Rd, Ottawa, Ontario K1N8J6) Ontario Rd,Ottawa, ham, 85Range ( p532; (Map ( p532; (Map % Mp p530; (Map % ( ( p532; (Map ( p530; (Map YNA IETR • Fsias&Eet MYANMAR ••Festivals &Events DIRECTORY % ( ( % Mp p528; (Map Mp p530; (Map % % % ( ( bytheAustralianembassy. Represented 020-7499 8841;19ACharles St,LondonW1X5DX) % Mp p528; (Map % 202-332 9044; 2300SStNW,Washington, DC Mp p530; (Map Mp p530; (Map ( ( p528; (Map 06-854 9374;1stfl,Int2,VialeGioacchino Mp p530; (Map of a p528; Map (off 11-688 9007; 3/50F Nyaya Marg, Chana- 11-688 9007;3/50FNyayaMarg, Mp p528; (Map % % 03-517 0760;26HayarkonSt,Tel Aviv 68011) 010-6532 1584; 6 Dong Zhi Men WaiSt, 010-6532 1584;6DongZhiMen 03-3441 9291;8-26,4-chome,Kita-Shina- 01 42255695;60ruedeCourcelles,75008 613-232 6434;Apt902-903,TheSandring- ( ( Represented bytheUKembassy. Represented % % % 02-6273 3811; 22 Arkana St,Yarralumla,02-6273 3811;22Arkana 30-206 1570;Zimmerstrasse56,10117 % % % % % 02-60 1915;89BRdNo4,Banani, 01-281700; 80StrandRd) 02-792 3341;723-1/724-1 Hannam- % 01-282055; 581 Merchant St)This 01-282055; 581Merchant 01-222482; A1 Diplomatic Quarters, 01-222482; A1DiplomaticQuarters, % % 01-243972; 545-547 Merchant St) 01-243972; 545-547Merchant % % 01-221280; 1PyidaungsuYeiktha 01-549644; 100NatmaukSt) % % 01-212520; 102Pyidaungsu 01-548905; 36WingabaRd, 01-226721; 45PyayRd) 01-220249; 82Pyidaungsu 01-548951; 32NatmaukSt) % 01-254465; 100Pyidaungsu 01-559001; 238DhammaZedi 01-546156; 34 Kabe Aye 01-546156; 34Kabe of Bogyoke Aung Sanandhiscomrades on19July1947. of Bogyoke insanity isover. many adultscheckintomeditationcentres untilthe withyoungstersbut toahalt.It’sfavourite grinds just jointhefun.Businessescloseandsometransport is impossibletogooutsidewithoutgettingdrenched so Traditional Burmeserestraint goesoutthewindow.It is celebratedwitharaucousnationwidewaterfight. February/March and countrywidecelebrations. inYangon, Lake fairatKandawgyi byaseven-day marked June/July moon, thisisoneoftheoldestandlargestShanfestivals. Full-Moon Festival Armed ForcesDay Festival Shwedagon Bawgyo Paya Pwe Union Day Independence Day January holidays andfestivals are alsoobserved. holy days,someHindu,MuslimandChristian Buddhist the build-upcangofordays.Besides monthinwhich theyoccur,but the Burmese festivals inMyanmarare onthefullmoonof not befixed ontheGregorian calendar. Most lunar calendar,somostfestival dates can- Traditionally Myanmarfollowsa12-month EVENTS & FESTIVALS Martyr’s Day Martyr’s Buddhist Lent Day Workers’ Festival) (Water Thingyan Buddha’s Birthday March/April onthisday. has pardonedprisoners with paradesandfireworks. Since1989, thegovernment ethnic groups. ofunifyingMyanmar’sdisparate achievement short-lived at Yangon’s ShwedagonPaya. thisceremony is Oneofthebestplacestoobserve nirvana. of theBuddha’senlightenmentanddayheentered April/May oftheyear at ShwemawdawPayaevent inBago. July/August totheirmonasteries. are restricted monks Lent period the three-month robes, becauseduring ‘Buddhist Lent’). withnew Laypeoplepresent monasteries placeonthefullmoon. Myanmar andtakes 12 February. Marks Bogyoke AungSan’s 12February. Bogyoke Marks 19July.Commemorates theassassination 1 May. 1May. Start of the Buddhist Rains Retreat (aka (aka Retreat oftheBuddhistRains Start 27 March. This event iscelebrated Thisevent 27March.

TheTagu fullmoonisthebiggest 4January.Amajorpublicholiday Thefullmoonalsomarkstheday Held the day after theTabaungHeld thedayafter full Thisisthelargest TheBurmeseNewYear lonelyplanet.com paya festival in just north ofYangon,just north and in Hpa-an. suburbofInsein, largest celebrationsare heldintheKaren The by hostingfolkdancingandsingingperformances. theirtraditionaldress and Myanmar celebratebywearing communitiesthroughout national holiday,whenKaren December offered tothe monastic community. whichnewmonasticrobesandrequisitesLent are during Myanmar. Thebestplacetobeis Inle Lake. pondsallover andeven lakes races are heldinrivers, Festival Paya inYangon. ofShwedagon Wreaths are laidathismausoleum,north lonelyplanet.com include free refills, so come hungry. Most meals led veggies asdipping sauces). fullofa table condiments (includingpick- alongwith Buddhists. Soupis alwaysserved, considered offensive tomostHindus and andporkare lesspopular, astheyare commonly fish, chicken, prawnsor mutton. eaten withachoice of there. out inspire, butthere are somecrackingdishes Vietnam orMalaysia, itmaynotinstantly influences. Ifyou’re arrivingfromThailand, blend of Mon,Indian andChinese Bamar, Mainstream cuisinerepresents Burmese a Food FOOD &DRINK inBaganatthe Pahto full moon. Ananda Festival NewYear Kayin Day Christmas Kathein Tazaungdaing October/November mundane candles andeven lamps. electric the festival, allMyanmarislitbyoillamps,fire balloons, ofpreaching.return fromaperiod Forthethree daysof Festival ofLights(Thadingyut) Boat Races September/October to providemonkswiththeiralms. i Yangon. in biggest weavingcompetitionsoccuratShwedagonPaya thenight.Thespeed-weaving competitionsduring competitions. Insomeareas there are alsofire-balloon celebrated intheShanState.InTaunggyi there are (Karen). holiday indeference tothemanyChristian Kayin A typicalmealhas A one-month period attheendofBuddhist period Aone-month Thisistheheightofwetseason,soboat 25December. Dayisapublic Christmas Another ‘festival of lights’, particularly Another‘festival oflights’,particularly December/January.Considered a December/January.HeldattheAnanda MYANMAR ••Food&Drink DIRECTORY Lotsare drawntoseewhowillhave htamin hin (currydishes),most CelebratesBuddha’s (rice)asitscore, street markets around Myanmar. other ingredients asthere are cooks. withfishsoupandasmany noodles served coloured rice salad. US$1.50 forabigbottle) isthebestlocal (about as popular astea. Myanmar Beer lar streetside drink. nearer K1000.Sugarcane juiceisavery popu- compared withthe(rare) bottleof Coke for Maxtasy, are andStar) justK150perbottle, is very sweet. cho bouk ye isn’t aseasyinrestaurants. Ask for (flat breads) pastries.Ordering orChinese pensive snackssuch as ple thetea experienceandmunch oninex- a nationalinstitution,are goodplacestosam- tea asyoucanhandle.free Teashops, Chinese drink. Mostrestaurants willprovide asmuch of milkandsugar,isthenational condensed K150 orK200fromstalls and shops. in townsandcities.Bottledwater costsjust mote areas, butitis usuallyfactoryproduced Only drinkpurifiedwater. waryof iceinre- Be Drink delicious. is particularly grilledsquidinNgapaliBeach, is State. out AnotherShan dishworthseeking is mostcommoninMandalay andtheShan or tofu) isafavourite allover Myanmar,but brothwithmeat thin wheatnoodlesinalight most popularis meals.Byfarthe snacksbetween or aslight and fermented shrimp or fish). with cookingisflavoured inBurmese everything lic) isalwaysnearbytoaddsomekick.Almost gent poundedtogether) orthepun- paste. , plusplentyof peanutoilandshrimp ofmasala ,, and ,salt the chilli front. Mostcooksoptforasimple foodisprettydesh), mostBurmese mildon htamin chin, (tea withadollopof milk); condensed Locally producedsoft drinks(such asFan- tea, brewedBurmese Indian-stylewithlots alongthecoasts, served The seafood Noodle dishes are often eaten forbreakfast State (nearBangla- Outside of Rakhaing Shan khauk-swe See See p535 Let’s notforgetLet’s which thebeer, isalmost kyaw ngapi Balachaung is less sweet, and islesssweet, (a salty paste concocted (asalty fromdried forexamplesof snacksfoundin literally sourrice,aturmeric- (spicyshrimp paste withgar- mohinga (chillies,and (Shan-style noodlesoup; nam-bya (moun-hinga),rice kyauk padaung and lahpeq palata 577

MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) you don’t hearanythingafter a few days. If trying to bookaroomvia email,resend if unknown forthem tohitthedelete button! it’snot whenabacklog develops, Worse, being delayedby hours, sometimesdays. in bothdirections. Thiscanresult inemails in ‘.mm’issubjecttogovernment censorship time of research. www.nytimes.com were accessibleduringthe the censors. Sites such aswww.bbc.co.uk or Yahoo, butmostplaceshave software tobeat web-based emailsites such asHotmailand like K2000.Thegovernment triestorestrict itcostsmore andInleLake Ngapali Beach Yangon, atplacessuch asBagan, though It’saboutrise. K500toK1000 per hourin 2001, butaccesstotheinternet isonthe Myanmar onlyjoinedthecyberworldin ACCESS INTERNET Day Christmas National Day Day Workers’ Armed ForcesDay Peasants Day Independence Day other major public holidays include: Apart fromthebigfestivals such asNewYear, HOLIDAYS – foranyoneare frowned upon. share rooms,butpublicdisplaysof affection gon hasthemostactive gay‘scene’.It’sOKto with foreign more menraise eyebrows.Yan- culture.Burmese Infactlocalwomenwalking and Lesbians gays are generally accepted in GAY &LESBIANTRAVELLERS boozers. local is agreat waytoearnyourstripeswiththe Local firewaters are them not,butsampling andisveryproduced nearInleLake palatable. stronger tipples.Localwine,Aythaya,isnow hotels and restaurants, asare of aselection plastered. get orsitatarestaurantto yourguesthouse, and local drinkers. It’sfinetobuyabottle totake tions’ embraceasteady crew of red-faced open-air barbecuerestaurants sta- and‘beer places tofindout-and-outbars. Elsewhere the weakest link.Yangon isoneof theonly Dagon Beer. isconsidered Mandalay Beer brew. It’savailable asisthenewer indraught, 578 Bear inmindthatalllocalemailending Bear International winesare available insome YNA IETR • Gy&LsinTaelr MYANMAR &Lesbian Travellers ••Gay DIRECTORY lateNovember/earlyDecember 1 May 1May 2March 25December 27 March 27March 4January .com) (though these date quickly). travelinformation.com) Includestrainandairlineschedules organised in1998byBurmesejournalists in exile. a deal. a cal activistsare lesslikely tobeable tocut out of arrest. aheroin-possession Politi- heard of aFrench traveller bribinghisway drugs, youhave nolegalrecourse. We’ve border intothecountry,orget with caught some Westerners have), illegallycrossthe (eg handingoutpro-democracyleafletsas judiciary. Ifyouengage inpoliticalactivism nothaveMyanmar does anindependent MATTERS LEGAL Online Burma/MyanmarLibrary Information Myanmar Travel Myanmar HomePage Mizzima Irrawaddy RESOURCES INTERNET up andamilitary-run broadband service. ings. Both are scarce beyond Yangon. international and entertainment list- flights is the Farfor theanti-Western poems. more useful propaganda and clunky English. Look out mar For theofficialline, Newspapers (Map p532 upmarket hotel shops orat mist, Reasonably up-to-date copiesof Magazines MEDIA maps forYangon, Mandalay and Bagan. ing the (DPS) produceshandyfoldoutmaps,includ- Travel Map; Periplus Editions’1:2,000,000 The bestmapfoundoutsideMyanmaris MAPS ment listings, flight schedules). papers, includingtheuseful andtwolocalEnglish-language funny governmentdictum, but coversmanycultural news topics. Bangkok-based publication,itfocusesonpoliticalissues, .org) Comprehensive database ofbooks on Myanmar. There are twoISPs –agovernment-run dial- ishilarious,overflowing withOrwellian . In Myanmar, Design Print Services . InMyanmar,DesignPrintServices

Newsweek Myanmar Times, (www.mizzima.com) A nonprofit news service (www.mizzima.com) A nonprofit newsservice ;232SulePaya Rd, Yangon) Tourist MapTourist of Myanmar (www.irrawaddy.org)Thewebsiteofa finditat and (www.myanmar.com) Providesa Myanmar Times Time withaschedule of MapLink New Light of Myan- (www.myanmar are available at . (www.burmalibrary lonelyplanet.com Inwa Bookstore

(forentertain- (www.maplink Myanmar The Econo- andlocal

languages three timesaday.Onlymusic othernational Englishandeight in Burmese, Myanmarbroadcastsnews controlled. Radio broadcastsare state All legalradioandTV Radio lonelyplanet.com is expected for the efficient completionofis expected forthe efficient ryday life inMyanmar. compensation Extra English –aremoney’ inBurmese partof eve- a longer stay. during quietperiods,orifyou’re planning andhotels maydroppricesGuesthouses can often forhalf thefirst be purchased offer. andentrance fees. Handicraftsthan taxis) aregotiation. Exceptions transport (other almostanypriceisopen tone- Essentially Tipping & Bribes Bargaining, Myanmar hasnoATMs (cashpoints). ATMs is alsoincreasingly being accepted. rooms indollars ratherthankyat.Theeuro mostof forguesthouses, whichuseful price attract thebestexchange rates. Smallbillsare andmore.you need Crisp,newUS$100bills sureate much. tocarryalltheUSdollars Be recent years, costsinUSdollars don’tfluctu- Whileinflationhasskyrocketedmuseums. in requested forferries, airtickets, hotels and dollars (orvanishingFECnotes) are usually tles of water, renting abike, somerice),while sizes here. Kyatcovers thelittlethings(bot- p580 Kyat, dollars, thedreaded even FECs(see by the government. tobenocensorship andthere sets seems these are available on the lobby.CNNandBBC broadcast. plant. EnglishPremiership gamesare often the censored newsbefore amuralof apower national news,whenanewscaster coldlyreads local powersupply.Checkoutthe9.15pm it’satthemercyof although the to midnight, Myanmar(MRTV) operates from5pm TV V T fornewsfromthe BBC outside world. broadcasts fromtheVoiceof Americaandthe airwaves. the outon with Burmese-languagelyricsgoes MONEY Minor bribes–called ‘presents’ or‘tea Many ifonlyin hotels have satellite TV, Many listen toBurmese-language Burmese ):moneycomesinmanyshapes and MYANMAR ••Money DIRECTORY of 100K1000bills.Ifyouwanttobewelland kyatarecounting. Generally bandedinstacks street. Honestexchangers won’tmindyou ing over dollars, anddon’tchange inthe than elsewhere. Countthecashbefore hand- ing inYangon, where rates are alittlebetter from this. considerably Myanmar; othersourcesdiffer here inthestreets of used are onthose based the borderwithThailand.Theexchange rates in Myanmar. canbeexchanged Baht onlyat US dollar! exchangeofficial rate isahilariousK6tothe while inYangon rates were aboutK1250. The at research timeoffered K450forthedollar, numbers ‘CB’.Theairportexchange counter withtheserial accept USdollarbillsstarting less reliable blokes onthestreet. Somewon’t shops,travel guesthouses, through agencies or sible waytoget kyatisviathe‘blackmarket’, longyi Offers to‘change money’nearlyoutnumber Money Exchanging accepted. banking crisisin2003,mostcredit cardswere the Before cards here does. andnooneelse Very, very few upmarket hotels accept credit acreditNeed cardbailout?FlytoBangkok! Cards Credit sorry)andK1000. devilish, we’reK100, K200,K500,K666(allright, being K50,K90(nojoke),K15, K20,K45(seriously), into thefollowingbanknotes: K1,K5,K10, nounced chat, andabbreviated K)is divided currency,Myanmar’s everyday thekyat(pro- Cash appreciated.certainly restaurants. Roundinguparestaurant billis the ruleinanybutfanciesthotels and extension. as avisa such bureaucraticmany standard services, Many travellers dothebulkof theirchang- Only USdollars andeuroscanbeexchanged Tipping, asitisknownintheWest,not boat operators willinsiston dollars. wise. Note museumstaffand some strict lars whenlocalsask forthem,kyatother- Prices inthisbook follow localusage:dol- KYAT VS DOLLARS in this country. Essentially theonlysen- inthiscountry.Essentially

579 MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR MYANMAR (BURMA) cally made products. Eat inlocalrestaurants cally madeproducts.Eat bybuying lo- erty. Supportlocalbusinesses pros andconsof visitingMyanmar. you and the seller. Comingontoo strongor toboth sible price, butonethat’s acceptable remember theaimisnottoget thelowestpos- ity peopleswhere available. remote regions, includingindigenous minor- picnicsfromtown. Usetaking localguides for when possible anddineinvillages rather than ‘Should YouGo?’( See p521 TRAVEL RESPONSIBLE Australia, US$50. isaboutage US$65,to toEuropeorCanada (restricted A0.5kgpack- duetosanctions). 80/81) Sule Paya Rd; DHL can. Forbigger (ormore valuable) packages, asmanyyou losing moneyonthis,sosend That’s US$0.05!Thegovernment hastobe cards atjustK50toanywhere intheworld. Myanmar istheplacetoget retro withpost- POST San SuuKyi’shouse. road blocks,bridges, NLDoffices andAung facilities,uniformedindividuals,military small camerafees. Avoid photosof taking includingsomepagodas,chargesights, is widelyavailable inmosttowns.Some have yourownadapter. Colourprintfilm onto aCDforabout K1000,butyoushould Most internet photos caféscanburndigital VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY commission. at someupscalehotels fora3%to10% In Yangon, youcancashtravellers cheques Cheques Travellers increasingly rare. such asferries orairtickets, butit’s services accepted athotels and fortourism-related FEC, pegged at1:1totheUSdollar,isstill (FEC)uponarrival.The Exchange Certificates visitors tochange US$200worthof Foreign In 2003,thegovernment stoppedrequiring Foreign ExchangeCertificates(FECs) a government bankorairport. truly stitched up,thenbyallmeanschange at 580 Much of Myanmarremains mired inpov- When bargaining forgoodsortransport, ( Yangon sends packagessends toanywhere buttheUSA YNA IETR • Poorpy&Vdo MYANMAR ••Photography&Video DIRECTORY Map Map p532 Mandalay ; Map Map p555 % 01-664423; TradersHotel,223 ; % )formore onthe 02-39274; 22ndSt, entries underYangon ( p533 Forlonger suffices. month, atouristvisa entry visa’, whichentry visa’, youcannotapplyforwhile terms, toapplyfora‘special- it’snecessary to 11pm. ous –sometimesnonstoppracticefrom3am experienced only.Dailyschedules are rigor- dancing, jewelleryorperfume. It’sforthe ing nofoodafter noon,aswellnomusic, precepts,meditators mustfolloweight includ- and lodgingare provided atnocharge, but good placetofindopportunities.Often food centres.HQ, withseveral Sagaingisanother awareness Yangon meditation. ismeditation busy with Most foreign studentsinMyanmarare getting STUDYING battle againstpoverty. local organisations tryingtoassistinthe is tomake adonationtooneof themany member. Foodisoneoption,butbetter still pimp’orfamily toa‘begging going straight giving moneytochildren, asitismostlikely nettocatch thefallen.Avoidsocial security people andthere islittleinthewayof a government give adamnabout doesn’t the days.Rememberthatthemilitarymar these positive feelings towardsforeign visitors. arguing over nothingtofoster afew centsdoes ( p560 to10weeks. process takes eight receive aletter of from acentre. invitation The in Myanmaronatouristvisa. Applicantsmust For individual meditation centres,For individualmeditation see ofFor practicesessions lessthanone isquite inMyan- acommonsight Begging blocked. TalkMediaRing orothersoftware thatisn’t usingcheaper internet telephone services out for(thefew) internet cafésthathave bythegovernmentblocked censors. Look suchasGoogleTalk,service whichisn’t sider signingupforaninstantmessaging family andfriends,switchtoemailor con- Ifyouneedtostayin touchwithpocket. them goesdirectly intothegovernment’s by regional standardsandthemoneyfrom Myanmar, asthey’re ludicrouslyexpensive international callsinTry toavoidmaking THAILAND! FOR SAVE THEINTERNATIONAL CALLS ). satipatthana vipassana, lonelyplanet.com )andSagaing orinsight- TELEPHONE tate.htm. http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/medi centres atwww.rainbow2.com/burmaand lonelyplanet.com and getting infoontravel restrictions. interms of can beuseful gaugingprices staff but the don’t recommend usingits services, Mandalay, andInle Lake. Wecertainly Bagan Yangon ( p531 ism organ inMyanmar. Itsmainofficeisin governmentism (MHT),theofficial tour- mtt) &Tours Myanmar Travel INFORMATION TOURIST widely available, butshouldnot be flushed. ern-style sit-downflush toilets.Toiletpaperis andhotels, you’llfindWest- In guesthouses reached byadirtpathbehind arestaurant. jobs, generally inacobweb-filled outhouse In manybackwater places,toiletsare often squat TOILETS perseverance are required. some regions of thecountry–patienceand tocontact in mindthatitcanbevery difficult area code(including0)andthenumber. Bear withinMyanmar,dialthe dial longdistance the 0)andfive- orsix-digitnumber. To (Myanmar’s countrycode),thearea code(less country’s international accesscode,then To callMyanmarfromabroad, dialyour Codes Phone be declared onarrival. If you’re to carryingamobile, itissupposed der townswhere intoThailand. youcantap where in Myanmar,save foracoupleof bor- Roamingisnotpossibleany- far between. ping US$2500foranumbertheyare few and Myanmar hasmobilephones,butatawhop- inaction. can beahoottosee manualswitchboards,towns stilluse which extra dollartoNorthAmerica. Somesmaller US$5 perminute toAustraliaorEurope,an –arefrom guesthouses awhoppingUS$4or office or International calls–madeataCTT onthestreet. office orfromphonestalls (CTT) Telephonecheap fromaCentral &Telegraph is Domesticlongdistance from guesthouses. Local callscanbemadecheaply orforfree Mbl Phones Mobile There is useful information on meditation There informationonmeditation isuseful is partof theMinistryof Hotels &Tour- )andthere are in alsooffices MYANMAR ••Telephone DIRECTORY

(MTT; www.myanmars.net/ (MTT; % 95 advance or fromelsewhere inMyanmar. from MTT. in Theprocess cannotbestarted photographs andarecommendation letter twopassport-sized your passportand visa, of twocopiesofa total US$50.You’llneed agent canhelpnavigate thebureaucracy for usually takes about twotofive days.Atravel Yangon only.TheprocesscostsUS$36and (only) beyonditsoriginal28-dayvalidity in extend byanadditional 14days atouristvisa At thetimeof research, itwaspossibleto Extensions you’reOtherwise likely toberejected. director orproducer,cameraperson orwriter. tographer, editor,publisher,motion-picture another profession ifyou’re ajournalist,pho- grounds of applicants.Considerdeclaring visa are scrupulousinchecking outtheback- Myanmar’s embassiesandconsulates abroad Applications der regions of Myanmar. thatallowminimaltravelterm ‘visas’ inbor- as Phnom Penh orVientiane. and arrange ina‘quieter’ such thevisa capital, a coupleof days.Itmay be easiertoplanahead embassycantake The processattheBangkok 1800B, twodays1600Bandthree days1100B. times, which alwaysaren’t inoneday met:visa for Myanmar. dependonturnaround Rates ingettingRd specialise quicktouristvisas travelling(US$30) forthose forthispurpose. is US$150.There are visas alsomeditation for US$36).Amultiple-entrybusiness visa tended forthree tosixmonths onceinYangon former Myanmarcitizens(which canbeex- (US$30)for (US$30) and28-dayspecialvisas passport-sized photosfortheprocess. threeentry visit.ItcostsUS$20.You’llneed after issue andonlyallows a28-day,single- ties do. validityexpires Atouristvisa’s 90days for tovisitMyanmar.visas Allothernationali- toapply andRussiaBangladesh donotneed Passport holders fromAsean countries,China, VISAS forthefullyambulatory. even and difficult virtually unheardof andtransport iscrowded impaired travellers. rampsare Wheelchair Myanmar isatrickycountryformobility- TRAVELLERS WITHDISABILITIES

Travel San Khao agencies alongBangkok’s There are also28-daybusiness visas Visitors fromThailandcanget very short- MYANMAR (BURMA) (BURMA) MYANMAR © Lonely Planet Publications MYANMAR DIRECTORY •• Volunteering lonelyplanet.com

Overstaying Your Visa a repercussion of the monastery’s connection Another option, if you want just a few more with ousted prime minister Khin Nyunt. days, is overstaying your visa. Check with a Yangon agent before your visa’s up, but at re- WOMEN TRAVELLERS search time there was generally little hassle to Women travelling alone are more likely to be overstay if you were leaving from the Yangon helped than harassed. In some areas, you’ll be or Mandalay airports. Be prepared to spend regarded with friendly curiosity – and asked, at least 20 minutes with some paperwork, and with sad-eyed sympathy, ‘Are you only one?’ to pay US$3 per day overstayed, plus a US$3 – because Burmese women tend to prefer to ‘registration fee’. Try to have correct change travel en masse. At the more remote religious handy. Apparently, it’s possible to overstay sites, a single foreign woman is likely to be by up to six weeks without major incident; ‘adopted’ by a young Burmese woman, who many travellers have reported overstaying a will take you by the hand to show you the week or more. highlights. At some sites, such as Mandalay’s When departing overland to Thailand on Mahamuni Paya (p554 ), ‘ladies’ are not per- an expired visa, it’s best to enlist help from a mitted to the central altar; signs will indicate travel agency before popping up at the border. this if it is the case. In one case, an extra US$35 fee was lopped You can get tampons at upmarket shops in onto the US$3-per-day penalty to cross to Yangon and Mandalay. Ranong, Thailand. WORKING VOLUNTEERING Work permits in Myanmar are not totally im- You’ll have plenty of chances to help locals possible to get these days. The first step is to with English over tea. Some foreigners have arrange sponsorship from a local company and been able to volunteer as English teachers at have a persuasive reason to be here – an Eng- monasteries. In November 2004, seven for- lish teacher at one of the international schools, eigners doing so at Mandalay’s Phaungdaw for example. Seek out expats in Yangon for Kyaung were deported, though this was likely more information.

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