Page 301 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

DIRECTORY • AROUND MANDALAY MANDALAY AND AROUND 299
gold decoration applied in-house, and is also a good place good place to pick up all sorts of local crafts. They’re
to stock up on gold leaf (from K5000 for a packet of ten currently repurposing the business to focus exclusively
pieces) for putting onto an appropriate Buddha image (see on gems and stones (jade in particular) and running
p.289). The sight (and sound) of the workmen beating the down their other stock, although at the time of writing
gold into super-fine thickness is oddly hypnotic, almost they still had big piles of interesting traditional
musical, and there’s also a small display on the making of merchandise including marionettes, Jataka tapestries
bamboo paper. Daily 8am–6pm. and woodcarvings (cleverly aged to look like antiques).
Mandalay Yatanar Mall 34th St, at the corner of 78th Daily 8.30am–8.30pm.
St; map pp.282–283. This huge shiny new mall is the Shwe Pathein 36th St, between 77th and 78th sts
latest word in Mandalay retail, with a range of international T09 504 3067; map pp.282–283. This tiny store (also
designer outlets and a top floor stuffed full of jewellery and known as Zaw Man Khaing) sells gorgeous paper parasols
gem shops – although many of the outlets hadn’t yet from Pathein in a range of sizes, from miniature kid-sized
opened at the time of writing. Daily 8am–6pm. umbrellas to huge creations big enough to shade an
Rocky 27th St, between 62nd and 63rd sts T02 elephant. The cheapest cost just K8000 – just a pity that
74106; map pp.282–283. This shop-in-a-house is a the staff are usually so grumpy. Daily 6am–6pm.
7
DIRECTORY
Banks There are foreign exchange counters and ATMs in Police There are many police offices around town, with
the arrivals section at the airport and lots of banks around even the far-flung ones often featuring an English-language
the city with ATMs accepting foreign Visa and MasterCards; “How may I help you?” sign outside. The main office is on
many banks also have Forex facilities. 81st St, between 29th and 30th sts (T02 36869).
Hospital Mandalay General Hospital is on 30th St, Post office The main post office is at 22nd St, between
between 74th and 77th sts (T02 21041; call T192 in an 80th and 81st sts. There’s also a DHL office on 78th St,
emergency). between 37th and 38th sts, outside the Hotel Mandalay.

Around Mandalay
In many ways the myriad sights scattered across the countryside around Mandalay
– including a trio of former royal capitals and a gigantic, although unfinished, stupa
– are more interesting, and enjoyable, than the city itself. Now virtually a suburb of
Mandalay, the sleepy former royal capital of Amarapura has dozens of temples
surrounding a tranquil lake, plus the famed teak footbridge of U Bein. Further myriad
pagodas dot the beautiful hills of Sagaing, while the nearby village of Inwa preserves a
few reminders of its royal heritage, plus fun horse-and-carriage rides through its syvlan
country lanes. All of these former capitals are tethered together by the mighty
Ayeyarwady, a river which – as elsewhere in the country – functions as the lifeblood of
the region; the Ayeyarwady also slides quietly by the village of Mingun, which never
functioned as a capital but boasts a building which (had it been completed) would have
beaten any in the area for size.
Most people combine Sagaing, Inwa and Amarapura in a single day’s excursion,
although this is a lot to take in at one go and you might prefer to spread them over two
days; this would give you the chance to explore some lesser-known and less-touristed
attractions, and allow you to combine a visit to Amarapura with a trip to the
interesting “snake temple” at Paleik.
GETTING AROUND AROUND MANDALAY
By pick-up It’s possible to reach Inwa from Mandalay by motorbike driver or taxi for a day or half-day;
pick-up (see p.305). There are also pick-ups in the direction a motorbike taxi will ask for around K8000 to Amarapura,
of Amarapura and Sagaing, though since they don’t go K12,000 to Amarapura plus Sagaing, and around
anywhere near any of the sights in those cities, they’re K18,000 for these two plus Inwa. By taxi it’ll be more like
barely worth bothering with – you’d have to get a taxi in K40,000 to visit all three, though you can split this
any case. between up to four people. To add Paleik onto these
By taxi/motorbike taxi Most people choose to hire a itineraries will cost an additional K10,000 or so, or