Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ashortwalksouthwestofthecentreistheimposing
LawkanandaPagoda
,Sittwe'sprincip-
al temple. The huge Shwedagon-style pagoda (the gift of military ruler Than Shwe in 1997)
sits on a vast empty terrace covered in jazzy blue and white tiles, with four faux-antique
stone doorways leading into the opulent interior, painted in wall-to-wall gold and red and
with many gilded pillars supporting the domed ceiling.
Fromthewestsideoftheterrace, stepsleaddowntoasmalloctagonal paviliontoppedwith
a many-tiered gilded roof, like a very fancy hat. This is home to the exquisite
Sakyamuni
Buddha
, a 45cm-high bronze Buddha said to be more than two thousand years old. The
statue is seated in the earth-witness pose, holding a star-shaped
dharmachakra
(“wheel of
dharma”) and clad in a robe and hat covered with more than a thousand finely carved mini-
Buddhas.
View Point
K2000 by tuk-tuk - although it's also perfect for a late afternoon walk
The best place to appreciate Sittwe's superb natural setting is at the beautiful
ViewPoint
(or
just“ThePoint”),3kmsouthoftownalongthepeacefulwaterfrontroad.There'salsoasmall
café here (daily 6am-9pm) - great for a beer while watching sunset over the waves.
Bhaddanta Wannita Museum
Main St, 1.5km north of the centre • No fixed opening hours, although there's likely to be someone around to
let you in at most hours of the day or evening • Free, but donations appreciated
Housed in a fine old colonial mansion north of the centre, the Maha Kuthala Kyaung Tawgyi
monastery is home to the
Bhaddanta Wannita Museum
, showcasing (if that's the right
word) the great heaps of bric-a-brac collected by the late Venerable U Bhaddanta Wannita.
The museum's dusty display cases are stuffed full of coins, notes, Buddhas, pipes, bits of
coral and a couple of golfing trophies - nothing's actually labelled, although most of it is
obviously junk. Resident monks often hang around wanting to practise their English - their
conversation is likely to be a lot more interesting than the exhibits on display.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SITTWE
BY PLANE
Theairportis2.5kmwestoftown(K3000bytuk-tuk).Thebestlocalsourceofairticketsand
other flight info is the Mayflower Air Ticket Centre ( 04323452),onMain Rd opposite the
KBZ Bank. Thandwe (for Ngapali beach) is just 40min away by air, although airlines typic-
ally travel a circular Yangon-Thandwe-Sittwe route, meaning you might have to travel back
to Yangon first.
Destination
Yangon (6 daily; 1hr 20min).
