Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ยป Contrary to what most Mandalay guesthouse owners will tell you, there are two
afternoon buses to Hsipaw (leaving Mandalay at 1.30pm and 2.30pm, K5000).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Lashio
082 / POPULATION C130,000 / ELEV 2805FT
Lashio (pronounced ' lar -show') is a booming and sprawling market town with a signi-
ficant Chinese population. You're most likely to come here for the airport - the nearest to
Hsipaw - or, if you've managed to organise the necessary permits, to meet your guide for
the four-hour drive to the Chinese border at Mu-se.
Once the seat of an important Shan sawbwo (prince), Lashio played a pivotal role in
the fight against the Japanese in WWII as the starting point of the Burma Road, which
supplied food and arms to Chiang Kai-Shek's Kuomintang army. Little evidence of that
evocative history remains today, thanks to a disastrous 1988 fire that destroyed most of
the city's old wooden homes.
Sleeping & Eating
Most hotels in Lashio are Chinese-owned and overpriced; room rates don't include
breakfast. Food stalls serving Shan noodles, hotpots and barbecue can be found at the
junction of Theinni Rd and Bogyoke St. Many more appear after 5pm when the busy
night market (5pm to 9pm) gets going. There's also an internet cafe close to the market
on Theinni Rd. Three-wheel pick-ups and motorbike taxis charge K300 to K1000 for
short hops around town.
Ya Htaik HOTEL $
( 082-22655; Bogyoke Rd; s without bathroom $15, tw/d $35/40, tr $50-55; ) The only
place where you'll find a budget bed. The cheapest rooms are perfectly acceptable, but
the shared bathrooms have squat toilets and tiny showers. More expensive rooms are
decent-sized.
Thi Da Aye HOTEL $
( 082-22165; Thiri Rd; r $30-45; ) Large, clean and bland rooms, with proper
showers. They're still not worth the money but you're close to the night market.
 
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