Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of Bagan
(daily 7am-10pm; K600/hr) or the Shwe Pyi Nann centre directly opposite (daily
9am-10pm;K600/hr);inNewBagan,thewell-equippedSteponKayaySt(daily8am-9pm;
K600/hr) is as good as anywhere.
Post office
Anawrahta Rd, Nyaung U (signed “Telecommunications Centre”; Mon-Fri
9am-5pm, Sat 9am-noon).
Spas
Spa treatments are available at many of the more upmarket hotels and also at the
Blossom Spa at the
Amata Boutique House
in New Bagan ( 061 65099,
amatabtq-
Swimming pools
All Bagan's hotels allow non-guests to use their pools for a fee. The two
nicest pools are at the
Aureum Palace
($10/day) and the
Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Re-
sort
($12).Otheralternatives includethe
Thazin Garden Hotel
inNewBaganand
The Hotel
@ Tharabar Gate
in Old Bagan (both $10); cheaper options include (in Old Bagan) the
Bagan Hotel River View
and the
Bagan Thande Hotel
(both $5), and the
Thante Hotel
in
Nyaung U ($6).
Around Bagan
There's an interesting crop of attractions in the area surrounding Bagan. Pick of the bunch is
the dramatic
TaungKalat
rock,the epicentre ofBurmese
nat
worship,dotted with shrines to
the unruly lords of the spirit realm. Visits to Taung Kalat can be combined with hikes up the
adjacent
Mount Popa
or, alternatively, with a visit to
Salay
, south of Bagan, with its superb
wooden monastery and cluster of Bagan-era monuments. Heading north, the riverside town
of
Pakokku
is home to a colourful trio of modern temples, while continuing past Pakokku
you can just about take in a couple of sights around
Monywa
in a single, albeit very long,
day's excursion from Bagan.
Taung Kalat (Mount Popa)
Easily the most interesting excursion from Bagan is the half-day trip to
Taung Kalat
(“Pedestal Hill”), a dramatic little sheer-sided, temple-topped plug of volcanic rock around
an hour's drive from Nyaung U (it's usually, if erroneously, referred to as
Mount Popa
, al-
though strictly speaking the mountain itself is the adjacent 1518m-high massif with its sum-
mit 4km to the east). Taung Kalat (and Mount Popa) are famous throughout Myanmar as the
home of the
nat spirits
,
attracting thousands of pilgrims to come and pay their respects to
(and perhaps request a cheeky favour of) the resident
nats
. Things are particularly busy dur-
ing the full moon festival seasons of Nayon (May/June) and Nadaw (Nov/Dec).
According to tradition you shouldn't wear red, black or green when visiting the mountain,
norshouldyoubringmeat,especiallypork-possiblyindeferencetotheMuslimsensibilities
