Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 542

the jetty. In some villages you will be
asked to donate to community projects
such as school buildings.

Moe Cherry Just east of the palace. A backpacker
favourite, family-run and with quite a homely feel
considering that the decor is brick walls and concrete
floors. Curries start at K4000. They can also arrange guides
($20-25/day) and transport. Daily 7am-10pm.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By boat The jetty is 1km south of the market. Services to
Sittwe all leave at 7am. These are: the government ferry
on Wed & Sat (6-7hr; $6 plus K500 for a chair), the Shwe
Pyi Tan ferry on Thurs (2hr; $20) and the Aung Kyaw Moe
ferry on Tues, Fri & Sun (5hr; $10). An o ce ( T 043 50127,
T 09 421733776) marked Inland Water Transport sells
tickets for government ferries and also Aung Kyaw Moe
boats. Buy tickets for Shwe Pyi Tan at the jetty teashop.
By bus The small bus station is just northwest of town, on
the road to Sittwe. Until recently foreigners were banned
from taking buses to or from Mrauk U, and at the time of
research few people had successfully done so. It's easiest
to get tickets through accommodation or from the bus
company o ce next to Wady Htut guesthouse. It's theoreti-
cally possible to get to Bagan by changing at Magwe.
Destinations Magwe (3 daily; 14hr); Pyay (3 daily; 8hr
30min); Sittwe (3 daily; 4hr 30min); Yangon (3 daily; 26hr).

DIRECTORY
Internet Sky Net, close to the market on Minbar Gyi Rd
(daily 8am-9pm).
Money There are no banks or ATMs in Mrauk U. You can
change money (US$, euros and £) in the Nawarat hotel for
a rate a little worse than you'd get in a bank.
Shopping L'Amitie art gallery (daily 7am-after sunset;
E [e-mail]) exhibits the work of Shwe
Maung Tha, who has had his work shown overseas, as well
as his son Khine Minn Tun. You're likely to see one or the
other of them around.

7

Southeastern
Myanmar
Easily overlooked by tourists in the rush
to head north from Yangon, southeastern
Myanmar more than justifies a diversion
and is likely to attract many more visitors
now that border crossings with hailand
have opened to foreigners (see p.551). If
nothing else, it's worth seeing the holy
sites of Bago before heading up to
Mandalay, but further south you'll find
more riches in store.
he most iconic attraction in Mon State
is the boulder-and-pagoda balancing act
at Kyaiktiyo , although the experience of
being among believers is likely to be just
as memorable as the Golden Rock itself.
Further south, you can search out old
colonial buildings and a ridge packed
with pagodas in the former British capital
of Mawlamyine .
he mountainous eastern part of the
region, which stretches along the border
with hailand, has long been a refuge for
ethnic minority resistance groups . Kayin
State, in particular, has seen a great deal
of bloodshed since the country gained
independence, although the Karen
National Union signed a temporary
ceasefire with the government at the start
of 2012. Many Karen, however, complain
that the government has now started

ACCOMMODATION
Lay Moe River Guesthouse Minbar Gyi Rd, T 043
50255 or T 09 8522139. The 12 rooms here are all the
same, with wooden floors, small desk fans, mosquito nets
and bathrooms with cold showers. Some rooms are in
more urgent need of repainting than others, though, so
it's worth looking at more than one. Staff can arrange
bike rental (K2 000/ day), guides ($25/day) and car rental
(K25,000/day). $15
Mrauk U Palace Resort Alodawpyi Street, T 043 50262
or T 09 250327705, W mraukupalaceresort.com. It's a
stretch to call it palatial but this new hotel, in easy reach
of the market and the northern temples, is the best you'll
get for this price. Rooms in the duplex bungalows have
wooden floors, satellite TV, a minibar and a comfortable
bed - a/c is an extra $15 - alt hough the bathrooms haven't
been brilliantly finished. $25

EATING AND DRINKING
There are several teashops and restaurants around the
market.
Happy Garden Minbar Gyi Rd. You don't have to eat in
the garden here - there's also a building at the top of the
slope - but it's a peaceful (if not particularly green) spot
for a bite to eat or just a beer. It's run by a friendly family
and serves dishes such as Rakhine curries and grilled fish
(K3000 each). Daily 7am-11pm or later.
Khaung Thant Junction of Taung Rat Rd & Myinn Saing
Pyin Rd. A simple and cheap place to fill up on Rakhine
food, with a curry, rice and side dishes costing around
K1500. Daily 8am-11pm.