Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MOEYUNGYI WETLANDS
About an hour northeast of Bago and close to the village of Pyinbongyi is the
Moey-
ungyi Wetlands
, a 15-sq-mile lake and marsh that is one of Myanmar's handful of
national parks. Sitting on a migration route of birds fleeing the icy Siberian winter
and attracting thousands of local waders, the wetlands, which started life as an ar-
tificial water-storage reservoir in 1878, will bring a big grin to any birder's face. The
last census revealed some 125 different species including great flocks of egrets,
cormorants, white storks and large numbers of the beautiful swamp hen (purple
gallinule) as well as sarus cranes with their brilliant red heads.
Your best chance of seeing exotic birds is from December to February and during
this time a small 'resort' offers excellent boat tours (up to six people) on the lake
including a guide for $15 per person for about two hours. The boat will take you
whizzing over the lake to the marshy reed beds in the centre where the birds con-
gregate in vast numbers.
Should you want to stay nearby, the resort offers accommodation in floating
houseboats
( 052-70113; s/d $55/65; Nov-Mar)
from November to March. The price
includes three meals and a boat ride, and it's essential that you book in advance.
The rooms, though novel, are somewhat overpriced and even serious birders may
prefer to make a half-day tour from Bago.
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Ayeyarwady Region
Pathein
Myanmar's fourth city and the most important delta port outside Yangon lies at the heart
of an area that produces the finest rice in Myanmar, including
pawsanmwe t'ămìn
(fra-
grant rice). There's a general air of prosperity in the city, which has a busy, buzzy atmo-
sphere, particularly along the river and in the markets near the Shwemokhtaw Paya,
Pathein's principal religious site.
Most travellers only stop off briefly on their way to the beaches, but the workshops
that produce colourful, hand-painted parasols, along with the shady, tree-lined village
lanes to the northeast of the town centre, are worth a little more than a token glance. If
you care to look for it, there are also architectural remnants of colonial days in Pathein,
including the central jail dating from 1879.
