Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 578

Golden Triangle Mandalay-Lashio Rd. Pretty much the
centre of tourist life in Pyin Oo Lwin, this café is lacking in
local atmosphere but brews up its own-brand coffee
(cappuccino K2200) and serves it with decent cakes. You
can also get a few main courses, like pizza (K3000) and
fried noodles (K1800). Daily 8am-9pm.
Thin Ga Ha Mandalay-Lashio Rd. There's no English sign
but you can't miss this place: bamboo trellis arches have
been covered with plastic sheeting to make a large tunnel,
with plants among the wooden tables. There's an á la carte
menu, plus a good-value Shan buffet at lunchtime - you
get two meat dishes, two veg and soup for K1500. Daily
9am-midnight.

By train The train station is northeast of the morning
market. The Goteik viaduct, between Kyaukme and Pyin
Oo Lwin, is a tourist attraction in its own right.
Destinations Hsipaw (daily; 1hr 15min); Mandalay (daily;

11hr 15min); Pyin Oo Lwin (daily; 6hr 15min).

ACCOMMODATION
The only guesthouse licensed for foreigners is owned by a
city councillor, who is also building a more upmarket place.
A Yone Oo Shwe Phi Oo Rd T 082 40669. If it wasn't the
only option in town, it would be hard to recommend this
guesthouse. There are some decent rooms if you're willing
to pay extra, but the basic ones are disappointing. More
importantly, some staff members are unhelpful and the
management take issue with sim ple th ings such as guests
leaving their bags while trekking. $12

DIRECTORY
Bank CB Bank with ATM, Mandalay-Lashio Rd (Mon-Fri
9.30am-3pm).
Cinema Pioneer 3D (daily 10am-10pm; K2000) has only
twenty seats and shows 3D blu-rays in English.
Internet Green Garden Internet Café, Ziwaka St; Roman,
off the Mandalay-Lashio Rd (daily 8am-10pm).
Post o ce Just off the Mandalay-Lashio Rd (Mon-Fri
9.30am-4.30pm).

7

EATING AND DRINKING
Yu Nam Aung San Rd. A very standard Chinese restaurant,
with a concrete floor and the TV usually blaring. The menu
covers all the usual bases, with dishes like sweet-and-sour
pork balls (K2000). Daily 7am-7pm.

DIRECTORY
Internet There's an internet café next door to A Yone Oo
guesthouse (8am-10pm).

KYAUKME
A larger town than nearby Hsipaw,
KYAUKME (pronounced “chow-may”)
is less well known, and has fewer
facilities for foreign tourists, but it
provides access to hiking which is
arguably even better.

HSIPAW
Once considered something of a hidden
gem, Hsipaw (pronounced as either
“see-paw” or “tee-bor”) is transforming
from a sleepy little backwater into a
bustling town, thanks both to trade
with China and to a burgeoning
tourist industry.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Kaukme's busy morning market is a few
blocks west of A Yone Oo guesthouse, and
open every day. he primary reason to
visit Kyaukme, though, is for the fantastic
trekking . You need to take a motorbike or
tuk-tuk to the trailheads, which makes it
more expensive than trekking around
Hsipaw, but the ride itself is one of the
highlights. he town's handful of guides
all charge the same price of $30 per
person per day. he guesthouse can put
you in contact with them; Moe Set ( T 09
403725869, E asiaboy.myanmar@gmail
.com) comes recommended.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus or minibus There are a handful of bus ticket
o ces opposite the morning market.
Destinations Hsipaw (3 daily; 1hr); Mandalay (4 daily;
5hr 30min).

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Most people visit to go trekking, but
Hsipaw itself is an engaging place to
wander around. If you can get up early
enough then the daily produce market is
particularly interesting when candlelit
before dawn.
To learn more about the town and its
history, a visit to the Shan Palace on the
northeastern edge of town (daily
9am-noon & 3-6pm; donation) is a
must. he last Shan saopha (prince)
vanished in 1962, with the military
implicated but denying responsibility,
and his nephew Sao Oo Kya - aka
Mr Donald - was arrested in 2005 on
trumped-up charges. Although released