THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 401

MANDALAY ADDRESSES
Mandalay's roads are laid out along a numbered grid system , which makes it easy to find
your way around the city. One common source of traveller confusion, however, is that
streets up to 50th are east-to-west (ie the “wrong” way around), and numbers above 50
north-to-south. Our addresses give the street on which the place sits first (81st St, for ex-
ample) and then the cross streets between which it lies (eg 29th & 30th streets).
GETTING AROUND
Bybicycle Almost pancake-flat, Mandalay is a great city in which to cycle; the traffic can be
bad, but most drivers are well mannered and respectful of bikes. Everywhere in this chapter
can actually be reached by bike (though Mingun is a bit of a stretch), so you may wish to
rent one out on your first day and keep it with you until leaving Mandalay. There are a few
operators renting out bikes in the centre of town; try Mr Lim, just outside the ET hotel on
83rd St, between 23rd and 24th sts (daily 7.30am-7.30pm), or Mr Jerry, opposite Mann bar
on 83rd St, between 25th and 26th sts (daily 7am-7pm). Both charge K2000/day for a bike,
and from K10,000/day for a motorbike. If you fancy a fun little trip, try crossing the small
bridge which starts just beyond the western end of 14th St; a more delightful village would
be hard to find.
By bus and pick-up Mandalay does actually have a bus network of sorts, though precious
few foreigners will ever end up using it - the numbers are all in Burmese, the routes change
as often as the wind, vehicles are packed to the gills and it's simply so easy to find easier and
only slightly more expensive alternatives. The only possible exceptions are pick-ups heading
south to Amarapura and Sagaing , which you can find rolling down 84th St, near the junction
with 29th St; do note, however, that these will put you nowhere near the sights in those two
towns, so you'll have to find onward transport in any case.
By taxi and motorbike taxi Mandalay's many taxi and motorbike taxi drivers will take you
anywhere you need to go. A motorbike taxi to the Mingun ferry terminal will set you back
K1500, to the Gawein jetty K2000 and to the bus terminal K3000; you can double these fees
for taxis. Hiring one for the day is the most popular way for independent travellers to get
themselves to the various sights around Mandalay .