Western Myanmar - Myanmar (Burma) - page 585

indeed, the former colonial jail is today Thandwe's central market (

6am-4pm) -

they twisted the name into Sandoway.
While not a major destination, Thandwe makes for a nice visit if you're staying at
Ngapali Beach and fancy a change of scene.
Three golden stupas stand on hilltops around Thandwe, each offering excellent
viewpoints of the town's tin roofs, peeking out of a sea of palms and hills. The
tallest, Nandaw Paya ( daylight hours) , a mile west of the market, was sup-
posedly erected in AD 761 by King Minbra to enshrine a piece of a rib of the
Buddha. The long shrine facing the stupa to the south houses some nice wood-
carving reliefs of Buddha's life.
Just east of town, right across a small river about half a mile from the market,
Sandaw Paya ( daylight hours) was supposedly built in AD 784 by Rakhaing
King Minyokin to house a Buddha hair, and was rebuilt by the Burmese in 1876.
Across the river (north past the bus station and east on a stone road about 1.3
miles from the market), Andaw Paya (daylight hours) is the lowest stupa but of-
fers evealing glimpses of the river's fork from the hills east. It claims to house a
Buddha molar relic and dates from AD 763.
Pick-up trucks to/from Ngapali run every 45 minutes from 6am to 6pm (K500).

Sittwe
043 / POPULATION C180,000
Rakhine State's capital Sittwe sits in an incredible spot where the wide, tidal Kaladan
River kisses the big fat Bay of Bengal. Despite this, sectarian violence in 2012 ( Click
here ) and the town's generally scrappy vibe mean that most visitors approach the city as
little more than the transit point for the ruins at Mrauk U.