Page 164 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

162 SoutheaStern MyanMar MawlaMyine
Gaung Say Kyun
• Daily during daylight hours • Free • Boat from Mawlamyine K1000 return
A short boat trip from the northern end of Mawlamyine, the pretty island of Gaung
Say Kyun is forested with almost equal numbers of palm trees and pagodas. The island’s
name, meaning “Shampoo Island”, dates from the Ava period, when the water for the
king’s annual hair-washing ceremonies was drawn from a spring here and transported
to Inwa, 800km away. The spring is now covered by a pavilion that is usually kept
locked, but a small tank at the side is accessible – local people sometimes still use the
water for rinsing their hair, as it’s thought to bring good luck.The nineteenth-century
Mon-style monastery buildings are home to a small convent, a monastery and a
meditation centre (although with the 2006 Thanlyin Bridge just 50m away, meditation
is presumably far more challenging than it used to be), and the outlying zedi represent
several different Buddhist traditions from Nepal to China, although the centrepiece is
the Burmese-style Sandawshin Pagoda.
3 arrIVaL anD DeParture MaWLaMyIne
By plane Some 8km southeast of town, Mawlamyine’s Thanbyuzayat (hourly; 2hr); Yangon (3 daily; 8hr).
small airport is supposedly served by a daily Myanmar By shared taxi Minivans depart for Myawaddy (daily;
Airways flight from Yangon (30min), but it actually 5hr) from the Zeigyo bus station between 8–10am. Book a
operates on what is described as a “flexible” service – which seat in advance through your accommodation and you’ll
means if there aren’t enough customers, it doesn’t take off. qualify for a free pick-up.
By bus There are several bus stations in Mawlamyine. By train Mawlamyine’s railway station is located 4km
Buses to Yangon, Hpa-An and northern Myanmar leave southeast of the market area on the eastern side of the
from the Highway Bus Station on the eastern side of the ridge.
hills, while southbound services depart from the Zeigyo Destinations Bago (3 daily; 7–8hr); Dawei (daily; 15hr);
bus station 6km south of the market. Buses to Thanbyuzayat Kyaikhto (for Kyaiktiyo; 3 daily; 5hr); Thaton (3 daily; 2hr
and Kyaikkami depart from the southern end of the Zeigyi 30min–3hr); Yangon (3 daily; 9hr); Ye (daily; 6hr).
Market on Lower Main Rd until 4pm. By boat Chugging upstream along the Thanlyin River to
Destinations Bago (5 daily; 5hr 30min); Dawei (11 daily; Hpa-An (4hr) is a popular way to depart Mawlamyine (see
9hr); Hpa-An (1–2 hourly until 4pm; 2hr); Kinpun (for box below). Boat services to Bilu Kyun are covered in the
Kyaiktiyo; 2 daily; 4hr); Kyaikkami (hourly; 3hr); “Around Mawlamyine” section (see p.164).
GettInG arounD
By motorbike taxi A short trip around town ought to Guesthouse (K2000/day).
cost K500. Longer trips start from K1000 (like from the By motorbike Motorbikes can be rented from Breeze
market area to the Zeigyo bus station). Guesthouse and Kyaw Pool Club, one block north of Breeze.
By bicycle Bikes are available to rent from Breeze Both charge around K10,000/day.

MAWLAMYINE TO HPA-AN BY BOAT
The three- to four-hour boat ride past bucolic villages of palm-thatch huts (K10,000) along the
Thanlyin River, from the waterfront to the dramatic limestone scenery around Hpa-an, is one
of the most memorable journeys in southern Myanmar.
Most choose to go from Mawlamyine to Hpa-an, leaving the best of the scenery to the end
of the journey. Boats make the round trip from Mawlamyine to Hpa-an and back in a day – if
there aren’t enough people to run the first leg, then the boat will not do the second leg either.
They generally leave Mawlamyine at 8.30am (with a hotel pick-up around 8am) and return
around 1.30pm, with a 1pm pick-up from Hpa-an hotels; along the route, many stop briefly at
a monastery.
There were once public ferries, but they stopped running a few years ago and now a couple
of different private operators have stepped in to cover the trip. These services are aimed
squarely at tourists, so don’t expect to see any local colour on board. Make sure you bring
snacks and water, and that you visit the toilets beforehand because there aren’t any on board.
The boat service stops between June and October.

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