THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 367

Taunggyi
You're unlikely to spend too much time in TAUNGGYI , the capital of Shan State - though
agreeable in a bustling, dusty sort of way, there's precious little of interest here. One might
expect it to function as a travel hub, but in reality the buses it fires west can be booked and
boarded just as easily in Nyaungshwe or Kalaw (saving you an hour or two to boot), and
the few it sends east remain off limits to foreign adventurers. Though the city has the reg-
ular Burmese dole of religious monuments (none particularly notable), there are two decent
reasonstocometoTaunggyi:oneiswhenthecitytakesitscomparatively tourist-free turnon
Shan State's rotating five-day market schedule, and the other is in the autumn, when it plays
host to a fantastic balloon festival .
THE TAUNGGYI FIRE-BALLOON FESTIVAL
Mention Taunggyi to a Shan local, or perhaps even Burmese from other states, and they'll
likely rhapsodize about the city's famed balloon festival - even if they've never been
themselves. It takes place in October or November, but ask one of the Nyaungshwe or Inle
Lake hotels for the actual date if you're in the area around this time. Most visit by taxi on
a day-trip from Nyaungshwe (figure on at least K40,000 return, including waiting time),
though traffic can get snarled up when heading back in the late evening, partly down to the
fact that many of those on the road will be rather drunk. Rather like unmanned hot-air bal-
loons, and decorated with all manner of images and text (often made up of small, cleverly
arranged candles), the fire-balloons themselves aren't the safest of objects - fireworks are
attached to many of them, so it may be prudent to keep your distance. Before or after the
viewing, do take the chance to simply stroll around town while everyone's in party mode.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: TAUNGGYI
By plane Heho airport is the closest one to Taunggyi; it would be a minor miracle to find
other foreigners headed to Taunggyi, rather than Inle Lake, but if you'd like to share a taxi
(around K30,000) you may get some luck asking locals.
By bus Though the vast majority of buses heading west from Inle Lake and Kalaw start in
Taunggyi, don't come here to board one - you'll add hours to your travel time, and may find
it difficult to track down the correct bus stop. These are clustered west of the National High-
waywhichformsthecity'smainnorth-souththoroughfare,betweenKonThe(Merchant)Rd
and Na Ga Pwat Rd; ask at one of the many offices on the west side of the highway for de-
tails.JudderingbusestoKalaw(3hr)leavefromastopnexttotheNaGaPwatKyaung;these
can also drop you at Shwenyaung, for Inle Lake, though less problematic are the direct pick-
ups to Nyaungshwe .