Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bago
K5000; 3hr; frequent 8am-4pm
N/A
Hpa-an
K5000; 3hr; frequent 11am-4pm N/A
Mawlamyine
K7000; 4hr; frequent 11am-4pm $3-6; 4hr; daily noon & 11.30pm
Yangon
K5000; 5hr; frequent 8am-4pm
$3-8; 5hr; daily noon & midnight
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Mawlamyine
057 / POPULATION C300,000
With a ridge of stupa-capped hills on one side, the sea on the other and a centre filled
with mosques and crumbling colonial-era buildings, Mawlamyine is a unique combina-
tion of landscape, beauty and melancholy. Indeed, the setting inspired two of history's
finest writers of the English language - George Orwell and Rudyard Kipling. Orwell
lived here for some years (his famous 1936 essay 'Shooting an Elephant' is about an ex-
perience he had as a police officer in Mawlamyine), and generations of his family were
born and bred here. Relatively little has changed since those days, and if you've
wondered what life was like during the Raj, Mawlamyine is about as close as it comes to
a living time capsule. But it's not all about history; the area around Mawlamyine has
enough attractions, from beaches to caves, to keep a visitor happy for several days.
Formerly known as Moulmein, the city served as the capital of British Burma from
1826 to 1852, during which time it developed as a major teak port. A great deal of
coastal shipping still goes on, although Pathein and Yangon have superseded it as Myan-
mar's most important ports. The city is composed roughly of 75% Mon, plus Kayin (Kar-
en), Bamar, Indian, Chinese and other ethnic groups.
