Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A bustling river town with more action than is on offer elsewhere in Bagan, Nyaung U is
where most independent travellers hang their hat (or backpack). Roaming the back roads
towards the jetty or stopping at scrappy teashops will attract friendly wide-eyed looks.
There are a handful of temples to see, including the Shwezigon Paya, and a lively mar-
ket. Visitors staying in New or Old Bagan tend to make it here at some stage, either to
experience the restaurant scene (the closest the Bagan area gets to nightlife) or for trans-
port links to other destinations around Myanmar.
Guesthouses and roadside restaurants now push a couple of miles west, along the road
to Old Bagan, reaching the small village of
Wetkyi-in
(Giant Pig). The town was named
for a mythical pig that, according to local legend, inhabited the lake there and was re-
sponsible for the deaths of many local people before eventually being killed by a future
king of Bagan.
