Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
nine monks, who have set up their living quarters among the faded finery - they'll turn on
the lights for you in return for a small donation and a signature in their visitors' book.
U Zina Pagoda
Viewpoint Rd • Daily during daylight hours • Free
At the southern end of Mawlamyine's hills, a long, sweaty walk from Kyaikthanlan Pagoda,
is the nineteenth-century
UZinaPagoda
.The eponymous monk UZina founded the monas-
tery after discovering a cache of gemstones on this spot, having been shown the location in a
dream. At the time of research, the pagoda was being re-gilded, and the fabulously jewelled
hti
was on display in the hall at the southern end of the complex, along with a collection of
life-sizeteakstatuesofthe“foursights”-anoldman,asickman,adeadbodyandanascetic
- that led Siddhartha Gautama to renounce his princely status.
The markets
Daily 6am-5pm
While local people differentiate between the various markets that sprawl between Strand
Road and Upper Main Road, for visitors they may all blur into one. The whole area is known
as
Zeigyi
(not to be confused with Zeigyo, a separate part of the city, 6km to the south) and
divided into Upper and Lower markets. The
Lower Market
is made up of a characterless
modern complex on Lower Main Road (built after a two-day fire raged through its prede-
cessor in 2008) and the dark, atmospheric and much more interesting covered
New Market
just to the north. In the latter, porters pad barefoot down the aisles and entire sections are
devoted to betel leaves and
ngăpí
; there's also the odd market bar, with stallholders nursing
glassesofwhiskyandwatchingtelevision.Asmallalleywaylinedwithgoldand
longyi
shops
links the Lower Market with the
Upper Market
, largely devoted to stalls selling gold, cos-
metics and Chinese-made toys.
Mon State Cultural Museum
Corner of Baho St and Dawei Tadar St • Tues-Sun 10am-4.30pm, closed on public holidays • K2000
Themodestcollectionondisplayatthetwo-floor
MonStateCulturalMuseum
maybecon-
fusingly organized and poorly lit, but it's still well worth a visit - just remember to bring a
torch.ThehighlightsincludeaMoncrocodile-shapedharp,aneighteenth-centuryteakpalan-
quin,andabeautifulpalm-leaffansetwithgoldandglasspatterns,alongwithaninformative
series of displays about local industries.
Gaung Say Kyun
Daily during daylight hours • Free • Boat from Mawlamyine K1000 return
A short boat trip from the northern end of Mawlamyine, the pretty island of
Gaung Say
Kyun
is forested with almost equal numbers of palm trees and pagodas. The island's name,
meaning “Shampoo Island”, dates from the Ava period, when the water for the king's annu-
