THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 394

THE MANDALAY COMBINATION TICKET
ManyofMandalay'ssights,aswellassomeinthesurroundingarea,arecoveredbya com-
binationticket (K10,000), valid for five days - unfortunately, it's not possible to purchase
individual tickets to the sights it covers. At each sight you visit the relevant section of the
ticket will be stamped, which means it can't really be transferred between travellers. Tick-
ets can be purchased from booths at most of the most sights that it covers, though do have
a think before you buy, since some of them aren't that great, and there are free (and some-
times better) alternatives to others.
You'll most likely need a ticket to get into MandalayPalace , though many visitors don't
find the place all that interesting; some travellers have reported being able to sneak in by
merely asking a question at the ticket booth, then simply ambling past the guards who'll
assumethatyou'vepurchasedaticket.You'llalsoneedonefor AtumashiKyaung ,though
this place is terribly dull and can be missed without causing you sleepless nights; note
that you can't purchase tickets here either. You'll also need one for nearby Shwenandaw
Kyaung , thoughthe ShweInBin monasterytothesouthwestisfree,lesstouristed,andper-
haps even more beautiful. Tickets are only checked at certain entrances at the Kuthodaw
Pagoda , though the nearby Sandamuni Pagoda is very similar, and free to visit.
The palace aside, the only things you'd miss by not purchasing a combination ticket are
the main sights at Inwa , way to the south. Then again, these are visible and easy to pho-
tograph from the outside, and for many the area's bucolic charm - particularly if you have
your own transport - is the main draw anyway.
Sandamuni Pagoda
Off 12th St • Daily 6am-9pm • Free
Amazingly,Kuthodawistrumpedbynearby SandamuniPagoda ,whichboastsanother1774
slabs engraved with commentaries on the Tripitaka scripture. Unlike the concentric forma-
tions of Kuthodaw, here they're arrayed in an almost military-like formation. However, it's
still a strikingly beautiful compound in the heat of the day - the dazzlingly whitewashed stu-
pas make great camera fodder if you can find the right sight lines.
Atumashi Kyaung
Off 14th St • Daily 9am-5pm • Covered by Mandalay combination ticket
The Atumashi Kyaung was originally built in the 1850s to house a Buddha statue that went
missing - complete with the diamond in its forehead - when the British took the city. The
current building is a dull reconstruction dating back to the 1990s, its only noteworthy as-
pects being the preposterously tiny altar hiding away in its large main hall, and the unusually
shaped formation of terraces leading up to it.