Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
weekly,
1¾hr
Getting There & Away
The main bus station is a mile north of the city centre. Minibuses and shared taxis leave
from here too.
Lashio's miniature train station is 2 miles northwest of the market.
The airport is 3 miles north of town. A taxi costs K3000 to the airport; K5000 if you're
coming from it.
MYITKYINA & THE UPPER AYEYARWADY
Snaking across Kachin State like a fat yellow python, the mighty Ayeyarwady River
provides the main transport route between a series of gently interesting port towns, isol-
ated villages and gold-panning camps. While no individual sight is jaw-dropping, the
journey itself involves an immersion in local life that many visitors find unforgettable.
Unlike boat rides from Mandalay to Bagan, ferries on the upper Ayeyarwady are used al-
most entirely by locals and the slow days drifting along the river provide an opportunity
to interact with people in a way that is often impossible on dry land. A phrase book and a
bottle of Grand Royal whiskey can be useful tools to help break the ice.
Note that the Ayeyarwady isn't scenically dramatic in the way of, say, the Nam Ou in
neighbouring Laos, but the landscape does reach several modest crescendos as rolling
fields and distant sand banks alternate with forest-dappled 'defiles'.
WORTH A TRIP
INDAWGYI LAKE
About 110 miles southwest of Myitkyina, placid Indawgyi is the largest natural lake
in Myanmar and one of the most special, serene places in the entire country. The
lakeshore is ringed by rarely visited Shan villages, and the surrounding
Indawgyi
Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary
provides a habitat for more than 120 species of birds, in-
cluding shelducks, pintails, kingfishers, herons, egrets and the Myanmar peacock.
Very remote and tranquil, it's a great place to kick back for a few days.
The mystical
Shwe Myitsu Pagoda
, on an island off Nam Tay village, seems to float
on the surface of the lake. The central, gilded stupa was constructed in 1869 to en-
shrine Buddha relics transported here from Yangon. Pilgrims visit in droves for the
Shwe Myitsu Pwe, held during the week before the full moon of Tabaung (March),
