Page 182 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

180 Central MyanMar Yangon to MandalaY
Central Myanmar

Stretching between the Shan Hills to the east and the Ayeyarwady River
to the west, the lightly populated plains of central Myanmar (which
includes parts of Bago, Mandalay and Magwe regions) comprise a flat and
relatively featureless expanse of countryside whose modern-day
somnolence belies its pivotal role in the history of the nation. The
heartland of Bamar identity, the region is home to three of the country’s
former capitals – Pyay, Bagan and Taungoo – each of which successively
controlled empires stretching across large parts of Myanmar, and
sometimes beyond.
Today, many visitors to Myanmar fly straight from Yangon to the temples of
Bagan (covered in chapter 5), and completely miss out on everything the rest of
central Myanmar has to offer. If you have time on your hands, a road trip
through this often parched region is incredibly rewarding, revealing the ruins
of ancient capitals, gold-soaked pagodas, rock-hewn Buddhas, charming small
towns and, perhaps most intriguing of all, Myanmar’s new capital, Naypyitaw – a
4 surreal city that speaks volumes about the vanity and insecurity of Myanmar’s
ex-military government.
There are two possible roads leading north from Yangon across this region. The
Yangon–Mandalay Expressway, the fastest route north, allows you to stop in the
moated town and former capital of Taungoo with its clutch of temples, fine lake views
and hints of former glory, while further north personable Meiktila has plenty of
small-town charm, a beautiful lakeside setting and a further sprinkling of colourful
shrines. Midway between the two, the nation’s bizarre new capital, Naypyitaw, is
essential viewing for Myanmar at its most brazenly outlandish.
Alternatively, you can opt for the much slower road north from Yangon along
National Highway 2. Pyay, one of the more enchanting towns in the country, is home
to another major temple complex and the enigmatic remains of the ancient Pyu capital
of Thayekhittaya (Sri Ksetra). The little-known ruins of Beikthano, the oldest of the
historic Pyay city-states, lie half-buried in the undergrowth to the north of here, close
to the lively town of Magwe.

Yangon to Mandalay
The modern Expressway between Yangon and Mandalay offers a swift and
relatively painless route to both Mandalay and Bagan, although the personable towns
of Taungoo and Meiktila offer an enjoyable slice of traditional Burmese small-town life
if you fancy breaking the journey. Halfway between Yangon and Mandalay, the nation’s
new capital of Naypyitaw is required viewing if you’re interested in the consummate
madness of Myanmar’s ruling military junta and the surreal excesses of modern urban
planning gone wrong – although it doesn’t have a lot to recommend it otherwise.

Ministries in motion p.187 Ancient city of Beikthano p.196
Thayekhittaya (Sri Ksetra) orientation Village life in Yenangyaung p.197
p.194

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