Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: THATON
By train
Thaton's railway station is a short walk west of the market, with tickets going on
sale just before each departure.
Destinations
Bago (3 daily; 5hr); Kyaikhto (3 daily; 2hr); Mawlamyine (3 daily; 2hr
30min-3hr); Yangon (3 daily; 7-8hr).
By pick-up
Frequent pick-ups to Hpa-An (1hr) and Mawlamyine (2hr) leave regularly from
the car park outside Shwe Saw Yan during daylight hours, with the last one leaving around
4pm. Both destinations cost K1500, or K4000 if you want to sit up front.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Aung
Shwe Saw Yan Rd.
This typical Burmese restaurant, just north of Shwe Saw Yan's
north gate, is the most popular in a small row of similar restaurants serving up excellent cur-
ries and mounds of rice. Vegetarian options available, Burmese-only sign.
Daily 8am-7pm.
FirstCaféMountain
Mya Thapaint Pagoda Rd 09 872 0904.
On the road towards hilltop
pagoda Mya Thapaint, this big café is popular with local young people and Thaton's busi-
nessmen. It produces good Burmese curries, Chinese dishes plus real coffee and juices. A
curry meal costs around K2500 and there's good, fast wi-fi available.
Daily 9am-9pm.
Tain Pyar Guesthouse
381 Hospital St 057 40036.
This guesthouse is as good as it gets
in Thaton: the cheapest rooms have fans and cold-water-only shared bathrooms, but there's a
(foreigners-only) ho
tsh
ower(askforthe key),andmore expensive rooms($35)have a/c and
en-suite bathrooms.
$15
Hpa-An and around
Just outside the capital of Kayin State,
HPA-AN
, a sheer limestone ridge pokes through the
brilliant green rice paddies that surround the town, lending a sudden drama and beauty to
the landscape. There's not much to see in the understated town itself, although the
markets
are bustling and
Shweyinhmyaw Paya
boasts wonderful views of the
Thanlyin River
slid-
ing past. The main attraction here is the opportunity to get out into the countryside, where
it's possible to poke around
caves
, climb up jungle-draped
Mount Zwegabin
and swim in
spring-fed pools.
Kyauk Kalat Pagoda
, perched on a vertiginous finger of rock, will amaze
even those suffering from pagoda overexposure, and there are numerous
Kayin villages
to
explore as well. Many people come here for a few days and end up staying longer, but when
youdomanagetotearyourselfaway,there'sthefunoptionofcatchinga
riverboat
downthe
Thanlyin to
Mawlamyine
. Visit in December/January, and you may catch the lively
Kayin
New Year
celebrations, when Hpa-An hosts dancing and kick-boxing competitions.
