Page 292 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

290 MANDALAY AND AROUND ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
Shwe In Bin Kyaung
• 89th St, between 37th & 38th sts • Daily 24hr • Free
Raised on stilts, the teak Shwe In Bin Kyaung is a real stunner, and surprisingly
untouristy too. The monastery was built in the late nineteenth century by jade
merchants from China – whose legacy lives on in the nearby Jade Market (see p.289)
– and is most notable for the fantastically rich profusion of carvings covering every
doorway, eave and balustrade, many of them covered in spiders’ webs, and extending
way up to the extravagant five-tiered roof.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE MANDALAY
BY PLANE these can be a nightmare if you’ve got any amount of
Mandalay International Airport Mandalay luggage. Pyi Gyi Mat Shin Station is 3km east of the centre
International Airport (Wmandalayairport.com) is some and serves destinations to the northeast including Hsipaw,
35km south from the city centre. There are a few ATMs at Kyaukme and Lashio. Finally, Thiri Mandalar Station is the
the airport. most central of Mandalay’s three stations, though only
7 Transport to/from the city The taxi booking desk in covers a few destinations, among them Pyin Oo Lwin,
the airport charges a set K5000 per seat, or K12,000 for Shwebo and Monywa (buy your tickets from the windows
the full cab. on the south side of the station).
Tickets Plane tickets can be booked through many Booking tickets The easiest way to book bus tickets is
travel agents around town including the reliable Seven either through your hotel, at a travel agent or at one of the
Swan (see p.292). bus company offices dotted around town; they’ll charge
Destinations Bagan (1–2 daily; 30min); Bhamo (4 weekly; commission (around K1000–3000), but this works out far
50min); Heho (5 daily; 35min); Kengtung (2 weekly; 1hr); cheaper and less time-consuming than taking a motorbike
Lashio (1 daily via Heho; 2hr 30min); Myitkyina (3 daily; taxi or taxi out to the main bus station and back. There are
1hr 10min); Putao (2 weekly via Myitkyina; 2hr); Tachileik a number of handy bus company offices along 32nd St
(6 weekly; 1hr 10min); Yangon (around 10 daily; 1hr). between 84th and 82nd streets, including the well-run Ko
Htay, who can arrange tickets to pretty much anywhere.
BY BUS More expensive tickets also include transfers from your
Mandalay is the transport hub of northern Myanmar and hotel or the bus company office in town to the bus station.
there are services to just about everywhere you might want If travelling to the main bus station independently, ask
to go. There are numerous services to Bagan, including your taxi driver to drop you at the appropriate bus office –
express services, while numerous operators head to Yangon, it’s a large and confusing place.
with a mix of ordinary services and luxurious express buses Kwe Se Kan Station destinations Bago (2 daily; 7–8hr);
run by operators including Boss, Elite, Shwe Mingalar and JJ Kalaw (6 daily; 6hr); Meiktila (7 daily; 3hr); Naypyitaw
Express. There are also a reasonable number of buses to Inle (8 daily; 4hr); Nyaungshwe (5 daily; 8hr); Nyaung U for
Lake, all travelling via Kalaw – some go into Nyaungshwe, Bagan (16 daily; 6–8hr); Pyay (2 daily; 13hr); Taungoo
others drop off in Shwenyaung on their way to Taunggyi. (2 daily; 7–8hr); Yangon (18 daily; 8–10hr).
Heading northeast, note that if travelling to Hsipaw or Pyi Gyi Mat Shin Station destinations Hsipaw (2 daily;
Kyaukme you may have to pay the full fare to Lashio. 6–8hr); Kyaukme (3 daily; 5hr); Lashio (2 daily; 9hr).
Bus stations Mandalay has three bus stations. The main Thiri Mandalar Station destinations Monywa (hourly
terminus is teeming Kwe Se Kan (Main) Station, which until noon; 3hr 30min); Pyin Oo Lwin (hourly; 2hr); Shwebo
serves destinations south and lies around 10km south of (hourly until 4pm; 3hr).
the centre. If your ticket doesn’t come with a pick-up or
drop-off service, a motorbike taxi will cost around K3000 BY PICKUP
and a taxi K6000. You can also catch a pick-up to the station Pick-ups to Pyin Oo Lwin (3hr; K30,000) run between 5am
from the stop on 84th St at the corner of 29th St, although and 5pm, departing when full from the corner of 28th St
MANDALAY ADDRESSES
Mandalay’s roads are laid out along a numbered grid system, which makes it easy to find
your way around the city. One common source of traveller confusion, however, is that streets
up to 50th run west-to-east, and streets above 50th run north-to-south. Our addresses give the
street on which the place sits first (81st St, for example), and then the cross streets between
which it lies (eg 29th & 30th streets).