Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
al hair-washing ceremonies was drawn from a
spring
here and transported to Inwa, 800km
away. The spring is now covered by a pavilion that is usually kept locked, but a small tank at
the side of the pavilion is accessible - local people sometimes still use the water for rinsing
their hair, as it's thought to bring good luck.
You'll need to explore Gaung Say Kyun barefoot, leaving your shoes by the jetty. The
nineteenth-centuryMon-style
monastery
buildingsarehometoasmallconvent,amonastery
and a meditation centre (although with the 2006 Thanlyin Bridge just 50m away, meditation
ispresumablyfarmorechallengingthanitusedtobe),andtheoutlying
zedi
representseveral
different Buddhist traditions from Nepal to China, although the centrepiece is the Burmese-
style
Sandawshin Pagoda
.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: MAWLAMYINE
By plane
Some 8km southeast of town, Mawlamyine's small airport is served by a weekly
Myanma Airways ( 057 21500) flight from Yangon, which continues south to Kawthaung
afterabriefstop.NokAiroperatesadailyflighttoMaeSotinThailand,althoughtherunway
at Mae Sot was closed for repairs at the time of research.
Destinations
Kawthaung (weekly; 2hr); Mae Sot (daily; 1hr); Yangon (2 weekly; 30min).
By bus
There are several bus stations in Mawlamyine. Buses to Yangon and Upper Burma
leavefromthehighwaybusstationontheeasternsideofthehills,whilesouthboundservices
depart from the Zeigyo bus station 6km south of the market. Buses to Hpa-An depart from
just south of the football ground, near the Upper Market, and services to Thanbyuzayat and
Kyaikkami depart from the southern end of the Zeigyi Market on Lower Main Rd until 4pm.
For Inle Lake take the Mandalay bus and change at Meiktila (10hr).
Destinations
Bago (5 daily; 5hr 30min); Dawei (11 daily; 9hr); Hpa-An (1-2 hourly until
4pm;2hr);Kinpun(forKyaiktiyo,4daily;4hr);Kyaikkami(hourly;3hr);Mandalay(2daily;
12hr); Myeik (11 daily; 16hr); Naypyitaw (2 daily; 11-12hr); Thanbyuzayat (hourly; 2hr);
Yangon (2 daily; 8hr).
By shared taxi
Minivans depart for Myawaddy (6hr; K10,000) from the Zeigyo bus station
every other day (traffic can only run in one direction at a time along the narrow mountain
road) between 8 and 10am. Book a seat in advance through your accommodation and you'll
qualify for a free pick-up.
By train
Mawlamyine's railway station is located 4km southeast of the market area on the
eastern side of the ridge. At the time of writing, foreigners required permission from the im-
migration office on Taung Waing Rd near the Zeigyo bus station in order to travel to Dawei
bytrain-oddly,permissionisnotnecessaryforthosetravelling alongthesameroutebybus,
and the requirement will hopefully disappear soon.
