Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 573

to at the top is Soon U Ponya Shin Paya ,
which has fantastic views of the
Ayeyarwady River and the surrounding
temple-dotted hills. here are several
other religious structures on the hill, the
most interesting of which is Umin
Thounzeh , a curved chamber containing
43 seated and two standing Buddha
images, a 20-minute walk from Soon U
Ponya Shin.

To get an idea of the intended shape
for Mingun Paya , check out the small
Pondaw Paya to the southeast of it. he
other main attraction in Mingun village
is the bronze Mingun Bell , also
commissioned by Bodawpaya and found
just north of Mingun Paya. With a
circumference of almost 5m, it is said to
be the largest intact bell in the world.
Don't miss Hsinbyume Paya a little
further north. Its wavy design represents
Mount Sumeru, the mountain at the
centre of the Buddhist cosmos, and the
mountains that surround it.
Unfortunately Mingun gets
unpleasantly packed with tour groups
and touts, so you might want to stick to
the backstreets. You may also find that
taking the government boat gives you too
much time in Mingun; the service (1hr;
K5000) leaves from the pier on 26th
Street in Mandalay at 9am and returns at
1pm. he alternatives are to take the
private service from Gawain jetty (depart
8am, return 11am; K6000 return), or to
visit by road in conjunction with the
area's other ancient city sites.

Inwa
Today it may be a sleepy rural area, but
Inwa - formerly known as Ava - was the
site of the Burmese capital for more than
300 years, across three separate periods.
Most people take a tour of Inwa by
horse and cart (2hr; K6000), covering the
four main sights in a 5km circuit. he
closest to the start is the bulky brick
Maha Aungmye Bonzan monastery
(K10,000 Mandalay ticket), where you
should take a look in the bat-filled
undercroft. he second attraction, nearby,
is the “leaning tower” Nanmyint , one of
the only structures remaining from
King Bagyidaw's palace. Further west
you'll find Yedanasini Paya , a collection of
stupas situated photogenically in fields,
and then Bagaya Kyaung (K10,000
Mandalay ticket). he highlight of Inwa,
this is a wonderfully atmospheric working
monastery built from teak in 1834.
You can visit Inwa as part of a tour, or
by public transport: pick-ups from
Mandalay (corner of 29th St and 84th St;
30min) can drop you at a junction from
which it's a ten-minute walk southwest
down a tree-lined road to the jetty. From
there, it's a very short ferry ride (daily
6am-6pm; K1000 return, K1500 with a
motorbike) to the place where horse and
cart drivers wait.

7

Northern
Myanmar
Most of northern Myanmar is closed to
foreigners, largely due to the history of
conflict between the army and ethnic
militias in Kachin State. It most recently
flared up in 2011 and the army has been
accused, with good evidence, of atrocities
including the torture and extrajudicial
killing of civilians. A preliminary ceasefire
was signed in May 2013, but fighting
broke out again later in the year.
For tourists, this has meant some
additional travel restrictions. hose parts
of the north that can be visited, however,
are safe and offer some of the country's
best opportunities to spend time with
local people. One way to do this is to
take a boat trip on the Ayeyarwady River
north of Mandalay around Katha and
Bhamo (see box above), where long
journey times and a scarcity of foreigners

Mingun
he village of Mingun (K3000 entry),
8km northwest (1hr) from Mandalay by
boat, would not be visited today if it were
not for King Bodawpaya, who in 1790
decided to build a gigantic temple here.
All that was completed by the time of his
death - 29 years later - was the bottom
portion, an imposing 70m cube of bricks
on top of a huge terrace.