Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
only an
d sh
ared bathroom), but the owners are friendly and there's good food available on
request.
$20
WonderfulGuesthouse
Main Rd 064 69068.
Newer and smarter alternative to the
Moon-
light
, a 5mi
n w
alk from the station and with pleasant modern rooms, although with govern-
ment links.
$25
Yangon to Bagan
Journeying between Yangon and Bagan, most travellers nowadays either fly or take an ex-
press bus via the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway. With more time on your hands you could
follow the slower route along the old Yangon-Bagan highway via the riverside city of
Pyay
,
one of the country's oldest settlements and also the starting point for the long bus journey to
Ngapali. Further north,
Magwe
sees few visitors but has bus connections west to Sittwe and
Mrauk U, although these are still the preserve of the adventurous few.
Pyay and around
The largest city on the old Yangon-Bagan highway,
PYAY
lies around 275km north of
Yangon (and 350km south of Bagan), sitting next to the Ayeyarwady midway between
the Rakhine Yoma and Bago Yoma mountains. Pronounced variously as either “Pyay” or
“Pea”, the city makes a convenient and enjoyable stop, with one of central Myanmar's finest
temples, the
Shwesandaw Pagoda
, and the ruins of ancient
Thayekhittaya (Sri Ksetra)
nearby.
One of the oldest settlements in Myanmar, Pyay's history stretches back to the days of an-
after being captured by the British first in 1825 (who named it “Prome”) and then retaken in
1852 during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. Burma's first railway line was completed here
in1877,connectingcolonialPromewithRangoon,whileattheendofthecolonialperiodthe
city was the scene of major fighting between British and Japanese forces during World War
II.
AllroadsinPyayleadsoonerorlatertothegilded
statueofAungSan
,standingatthejunc-
tion of Bogyoke and Main roads and the Yangon highway. Just west of here, leafy
Strand
Road
runs along the Ayeyarwady, with gaps between the houses and trees revealing views
of water, boats and temples rising from the wooded hills on the far shore including the huge
gilded stupa of the
Shwe Bontharmuni Pagoda
.
