WORLDCLASS DRIVES MYANMAR Dhanyawadi Ancient City N Kyauktaw Mahamuni Kyauktaw Kyauktaw Mtn
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WORLDCLASS DRIVES MYANMAR Dhanyawadi Ancient city N Kyauktaw Mahamuni Kyauktaw Kyauktaw Mtn. Image Pagoda 0 kilometers 10 Paik Thei Chin Villages Lin Hmwe 1 Section in drive Taung Sightseeing locations Pagoda Apaukwa Vesali R Described sealed route Ancient city & Tein Image Sealed road/highway Nyo A sealed/unsealed road (no certain data) K Village near road K Historical H Beach a la City d No Bridge! Boat a n Landings Myathle R I iv er Mrauk U Ferry N L e m E r o R iv e Ferry r M a Myaung Y y u Bway R i Rathedaung v O e r Ferry M Yeoya A Minbya Minbya Ponnagyun Pagoda Uritetaung Pagoda Ferry B a RAKHINE y o f B e Pauktaw n g a l Sittwe AKY Sittwe & Mrauk U and ethnic divide between Bengal The main destination is Mrauk U, Highlights Myenguand mainland Southeast Asia. a small market town set amid the Island Located on an island in the com- The road trip north from Sittwe archaeological heritage of a once bined deltas of three rivers, Sittwe follows the sealed road around the great Buddhist capital that domi- is the state capital of Rakhine and a maze of tidal creeks in the lower nated the region and rivalled the historical hub for marine transporta- Kaladan Valley, passing old histori- capitals of central Myanmar in the tion at the locus of the geographical cal sites on the way. 16–17th centuries. Obtaining a copy of “Mrauk – U A Guide: An About this Guide Ancient City of Rakhine, Myanmar” by Tun Shwe Khine (M.A.), 1992 is essential for in-depth sightsee- This guide is designed to make self-drive touring in ing (available with illustrations on scribd.com or as a Myanmar easier and must be used together with an text only file on archive.org). A freely accessible but online navigation application—though we recom- far less detailed online guide for sites all around mend Google Maps® in general, Maps.me using Mrauk U is at: http://mrauku.blogspot. OpenStreetMap data also provides useful informa- com/2015/08/mrauk-u.html Page tion for the Sittwe area. This guide uses Google Section 1: Sittwe 3 ® Maps spelling conventions for names and distances, Section 2: Sittwe to Mrauk U 3 but actual distances from those shown in this guide Section 3: Mrauk U and Around Mrauk U. 5 may vary (±) by 2.5kms depending on starting point. Tip: Google Maps is not always as up-to-date as their satellite Warning! Police roadblocks on minor side roads may prevent access imagery. Revert to the satellite view for road networks when to “sensitive places” in the Sittwe–Mrauk U area. such is missing from maps, or try Maps.me. Use media such as Lonely Planet’s Myanmar guide or Driving in Myanmar Travelfish.org, or hire a guide for detailed informa- tion—this guide only lists sights. Suggestions for All Yomacarshare rental vehicles are left-hand drive restaurants, hotels (upscale USD75+/mid-range (right-hand shift) for driving on the right in Myanmar. USD30–60+) are given on pages 3 & 5. Traffic Speeds are relatively slow. Myanmar drivers are usually polite and often give way, especially Before You Arrive & Drive outside of major cities like Yangon and Mandalay. Due to old policy, more than 80 percent of vehicles Valid Driver’s License are right-hand drive vehicles. This may contribute to To legally drive in Myanmar, you must have a valid uncertainty and greater caution. Approach intersec- international driver’s permit or ASEAN driver’s license. tions and circles cautiously and you will get through. Smart Phone and Navigation Application Lane discipline approaching intersections is strict. Your smart phone should be preloaded with Google Drivers do not enter empty left-turn lanes and then Maps® or other navigation applications. cut back in—they may pass on the inside (right side)! Myanmar Sim Card Sealed main roads are generally good, but uneven Getting a Myanmar sim card on arrival (essential for road surfaces and abrupt gradient changes are com- Google Maps®) is recommended—wifi in mid-range mon—do not drive faster than the speed limit of 100 hotels is often inoperable. MPT coverage is good. kph! Narrow one-lane provincial highways require Removable Device Holder extra care; drivers must slow and put offside wheels Bring a detachable holder suitable to attach your on the hard shoulder to pass oncoming traffic! device to the windscreen for driver’s ease of vision Tolls are common on Myanmar’s roads and usually and minimal distraction from the road. vary from MMK 200–1000+. Keep plenty of small notes of Myanmar currency to hand in your vehicle. Contents/Planning Your Drive Night Driving should be avoided since unlit vehi- cles and other hazards raise the accident risk factor. Average journey speeds will be reasonable on the main highway, which, except for where the road Gas Stations: Please only top up your tank at new continues to be upgraded in the vicinity of Kyauk- gas stations near large towns. These are less likely to taw, is a new two-lane concrete highway for much of serve contaminated fuel from old storage tanks that the distance. Away from the main road, however, can lead to a breakdown of your vehicle! road conditions are likely to make travel slow. The ± 140-kilometer drive to Mrauk-U need only Hotline - 09 966235338 (09 YOMAFLEET) take around 3–4 hours, but it will take longer if Contact: [email protected] visiting places along the route. Kyauktaw is a typical Further information: yomacarshare.com market town similar in size to Mrauk-U, but without the historical heritage and hills in close proximity. Sittwe & Mrauk U 2 city goes around two kilometers to the city’s recre- Section 1 ational beach and point with a sunset view. The beach is well suited for a stroll around sunset followed by a Sittwe visit to local restaurants near the Royal Sittwe Resort. Sittwe’s status as the capital of Rakhine State is due to The remaining places to visit in Sittwe are Buddhist its strategic maritime location in an area where an sites on the main road out of town north—the entrepôt between the Indian subcontinent and South- Lawkananda Pagoda and a Buddhist Museum (see east Asia had served trading vessels since the times they Section 2). used to sail near the coast rather than across the open seas of the Bay of Bengal. Dining & Overnight in Sittwe Historical sources refer to it as Akyab, but the impor- Most restaurants likely to offer a pleasant meal are tance of Sittwe’s present location during the height of located on ShuKhin Tha Street, the road along the Mrauk-U’s influence in the 16-17th centuries, when waterfront south of the general hospital. The River Ponnagyun to the north may have served as the base Valley Restaurant is the most established of 3–4 for the Arakan Kingdom’s then considerable fleet, is places along this road. uncertain. This guide recommends but two upper mid-range After the first Anglo-Burmese War in 1826, it became hotels (USD 50+)—the Memory Hotel, which has an administrative headquarters in then British Lower restaurant on its top (fifth) floor that serves a good Burma and an important port of commerce for coastal breakfast (by the standards of Myamar’s mid-range and river traffic north along the Lemro, Kaladan and hotels), or the Strand Hotel nearby. Both are within Mayu rivers. In recent times, ethnic and racial issues walking distance of the central market area and the that have long bedeviled the region have compromised restaurants of ShuKhin Tha Street (± 1 km). the city’s history. Another possibility for a meal is the Global Restau- Sittwe’s location has made towns like Pauktaw and the rant, which has an English menu and is among the increasingly important port of Kyaukpyu to the local restaurants at the back of the beach by the Royal southwest much more easily reached by boat than by Sittwe Resort. The pricier Royal Sittwe Resort has a journeys on land. With the failure to construct a bridge beach location and large rooms, but the latter do not carrying an otherwise completed rail link to Kyauktaw look as modern as those in the hotels suggested above. over the main channel that creates the island upon which Sittwe stands, the city’s connection to the manland is by a single road. Unsurprisingly, wa- Section 2 ter-borne means of transport remain important. Sittwe – Mrauk-U (± 140 kms) Sittwe’s downtown market is next to the port area and The road out of Sittwe is wide and good, becoming along the town’s two main roads. The population of for most of its length a recently upgraded two-lane less than 200,000 has not encouraged the growth of concrete road. Views along the route consist of low big retail stores. Shops in the city are small, many hills to one side, and prospects over the villages and being little more than stalls under the common roof of paddy of the Kaladan River delta to distant hills on the central market. This and the fish and rice markets the other. Going up to pagodas atop low hills to get immediately to the north of the port are the centers of panoramic views should be rewarding. commercial activity—wander through the fish market onto the pier to see the small boats crowding the pier The route includes two narrow road-rail bridges and beach (not recreational) to the north.