Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DIRECTORY
Banks
The CB Bank on Theinni Rd and the KBZ Bank on Bogyoke Rd have ATMs and
currency exchange.
Internet
STInternet(daily8am-10pm),nexttothe
Royal Ground Hotel
onTheinniRd,has
internet for K500/hr.
Bhamo and around
For centuries, caravans carrying jade and other exotic Burmese products passed through
BHAMO
on their way to the markets of southwest China. While this small town on the east-
ern bank of the Ayeyarwady belies these romantic origins, today it's a pleasantly relaxed
place,punctuatedwithagedraintrees,darkteakhousesandbusymarkets.Thereareacouple
of fun things to do nearby as well - cycle across a wonderfully rickety bamboo bridge and
along the river to
Thein Pa Hill
or rumble down the cobbled road towards China and quaint
Kyauk Sakhan
, the “Stone Village”. For many, however, the main reason to visit Bhamo is
in order to leave again on a
boat
down the Ayeyarwady to Shwegu and beyond. There's also
a rough-but-interesting overland route to Lashio via Namhkan that requires permits and an
official guide.
Oddly, Bhamo doesn't make much of its waterfront. The town's Strand Road is dominated
byshopssellingtractorsandseedstothefarmerswhogathertoselltheirproduceattherather
messy
vegetable market
that sets up here each morning (Mon-Sat 6.30-8am). The
main
market
,hiddenawayoneblockeastoftheriver,isworthalookaswell,thoughmoreforthe
quaint covered market - surrounded by a small moat - than the goods on sale.
Bhamo's pagodas pepper the outskirts of town, the most important being the elongated
Theindawgyi Pagoda
, 500m east of the river on Sinphyu Road - keep an eye out for the
photogenic procession of larger-than-life concrete monks queuing along the western side of
the complex.
