Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
North of Mawlamyine
Sights
Nwa-la-bo Pagoda
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
( daylight hours)
A local pilgrimage site, Nwa-la-bo is still relatively unknown
outside Mon State and, currently, very few foreigners make it out here. This is surprising
because the pagoda is a smaller but, geologically at least, far more astonishing version of
Kyaiktiyo. Unlike at that shrine, where just one huge boulder perches on the cliff ledge,
Nwa-la-bo consists of three sausage-shaped
gold boulders
piled precariously atop one
another and surmounted by a stupa.
Getting There & Away
Nwa-la-bo can't be reached during the rainy season (from approximately June to Octo-
ber) and is at its best on a weekend when pilgrims will add more flair to the scene and
transport is a little more regular. From Mawlamyine you'll have to wait at the roundabout
before the bridge for a northbound bus or pick-up to Kyonka village (K1000), located
around 12 miles north of town. From here clamber into the back of one of the pick-up
trucks that crawl slowly up to the summit of the mountain (K2000 return) in 45 minutes.
Allow plenty of time as the trucks don't leave until beyond full, and don't leave your
descent too late in the day as transport becomes scarcer after 3pm. Alternatively, motor-
cycle taxis will do the trip to Kyonka for K7000.
South of Mawlamyine
Sights & Activities
Pa-Auk-Taw-Ya Monastery
BUDDHIST MONASTERY
( 22853;
www.paaukforestmonastery.org
)
Only 9 miles south of Mawlamyine, the
monastery teaches
satipatthana vipassana
(insight-awareness meditation) and, at 500
acres, is one of the largest meditation centres in Myanmar. Foreigners can visit for the
night or several days; sleeping and eating is gratis.
Win Sein Taw Ya
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
