Northern Myanmar - Myanmar (Burma) - page 549

left after the second block). Around 500m further is the large, photogenic complex of
Theindawgyi Paya featuring an elongated golden bell-shaped gilded stupa. It's best ad-
mired from the southeast across a pond lined with concrete monk statues.
About 3 miles north of town, beyond the military enclave, the much more historic Sh-
we Kyina Pagoda has two gold-topped stupas and marks the site of the 5th-century Shan
city of Sampanago (Bhamo Myo Haung, Old Bhamo). Almost nothing remains of the
old city, though locals remember numerous remnant bricks and posts remaining into the
1950s. If you know what you're looking for you can still make out a section of 10ft-high
mud rampart where the lane around the monastery cuts through it to the east, but you'll
probably need a guide and the site is hardly memorable. Far more impressive is the awe-
some bamboo bridge (return toll with bicycle K300) that allows you to make your precari-
ous way across the wide Tapin River. A nice cycle ride is to continue over the bridge for
half an hour west through timeless Sinkin village and on to a brickworks from which a
10-minute stairway climb takes you up Theinpa Hill past a meditation hall to a stupa
with very attractive panoramas .
Sleeping
Only three places accept foreigners.
Friendship Hotel HOTEL $
( 074-50095, in China 0086-692 687 6670; Letwet Thondaya Rd; s/d/tr $25/30/40, with shared
bathroom $10/20/30; ) Large, comfortable and excellent value for money. Even the
shared bathrooms are well maintained, while the better rooms have decent mattresses and
all qualify you for one of the best buffet breakfasts in Myanmar. Helpful manager Moe
Naing speaks fluent English and offers a useful free map.
Hotel Paradise HOTEL $
( 074-50136; [e-mail] ; Shwe Kyaung Kone St; s/d/tr $15/30/35;
) All the rooms here are a decent deal: reasonably sized and clean with OK bathrooms.
It's past the southern end of the riverfront on a strip of lively restaurants.
Grand Hotel HOTEL $
( 074-50317, in China 0086-692 688 1816; Post Office Rd; r $20-35; ) Grand indeed is its
modern lobby and blue-glass facade, but the rooms are altogether more down-to-earth
and rather austere. Keen staff and some English spoken.