Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pyin Oo Lwin and around
Situated on a lush plateau 65km east of Mandalay, the town of
PYIN OO LWIN
sits far
abovethedustofCentralMyanmar.Atanelevationof1070m,thetownisfamedforitspleas-
ant climate, with temperatures seldom creeping above 30˚C, even in summer. It was estab-
lished formally only in 1896, as a hill station providing refuge from the searing heat of Yan-
gon and Mandalay, and originally named
Maymyo
, or “May Town” after a Colonel James
Maywhowasstationedonanearlyarmybasehere.Fromthe1900sonwardstheentireestab-
lishment ofBritish Burma decamped hereatthestart ofeachsummer,gradually coveringthe
town's gently rolling hills with half-timbered government offices and graceful brick villas.
Pyin Oo Lwin's history is still in evidence today in other ways, making it a wonderful place
to explore. Horse-drawn carriages clip-clop past colonial mansions, the
Purcell Tower's
bells-castinLondonin1935forKingGeorgeV'sSilverJubilee-chimeeveryquarterhour,
and strawberries nestle alongside tropical fruit in the
ShanMarket
. Another British leftover
