THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 194

The temple (much modernized) in which the image was once housed survives, however,
alongwiththreeancientBuddhaswhichstillattractmanyworshippers,particularlythe1.5m-
high central image, known as “Mahamuni's Brother”. There's also a small museum here,
with some fragments of stone carvings and inscriptions found around the site.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: MRAUK U AND AROUND
By bus Foreigners are now allowed by road to Mrauk U, although few currently do so, and
it remains something of an adventure - while lousy roads mean that the bus back to Sittwe is
actually slower (and a lot more uncomfortable) than the faster ferries, so there's not much in-
centivetotravelthisway.LeavingMraukU,buyyourticketatleastonedayinadvance.You
may also need copies of the information pages of your passport to hand out at government
checkpoints en route - check the latest situation locally.
Destinations Magwe (1 daily; 10hr); Mandalay (1-2 nightly; 24hr); Sittwe (3-4 daily; 5hr);
Yangon (1-2 nightly; 24hr).
By boat Most visitors still come by boat from Sittwe . Services dock at the jetty close to the
town centre within walking distance of most accommodation. A tuk-tuk to outlying hotels
will cost K1000-2000. Leaving Mrauk U, there is currently one boat daily back to Sittwe.
The fastest is the Shwe Pyin Tan (Mon & Thurs; K20,000; 2hr 30min; buy tickets in advance
fromthe Hay Mar restaurantbythejetty);slightlysloweristhe Aung Kyaw Moe (Tues,Fri&
Sun;K10,000;4-5hr;ticketsavailableinadvancefromtheirofficenearthejetty,orbuythem
as you board the boat); the slow government boat (Wed & Sat; $6 or K7000, plus K1000 for
a seat; 6hr 30min-7hr 30min) fills in one of the remaining days. All boats leave at 7am. You
can also charter a boat from Sittwe.
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information The tourist office (signed “Regional Guides Society”; 09 4217
20168, [e-mail] ) is opposite the ferry jetty, although it's not often manned.
If you want to arrange a local guide to show you round the temples it's best to call or email
in advance.
Tours Tours(tolocalChinvillagesandelsewhere)canbearrangedthroughmostguesthouses
and hotels, or try Aung Zang (“Mr Fix-It”; 09 4217 22241), who can usually be found
hanging out at the Lay Myoe River Resort Guesthouse .
GETTING AROUND
The roads in Mrauk U are some of the worst in Myanmar - more pothole than actual road in
many places - just riding a bike can be a bit of a rattle, while even a kilometre in a tuk-tuk
can turn into a bone-shatteringly bad trip.