Page 302 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

300 MANDALAY AND AROUND AMARAPURA
K15,000 as a stand-alone trip. A motorbike taxi to interesting; rather than sitting in a cart and following all
Mingun will cost around K20,000 return, or double that the other carts around, you can plot your own course,
in a taxi. and even take off into the countryside. Mingun is a long
By bike It’s possible to visit all the sights around return trip by bike, though you can always take your bike
Mandalay by bike, though you’ll be sharing the main on the ferry one-way (see p.309) and cycle back via
road from Mandalay to Sagaing with plenty of buses, Sagaing.
lorries and the like – it’s not terribly pleasant. However, By ferry Both private and government boats operate to
having a bike certainly makes a visit to Inwa a lot more Mingun (see p.309).

Amarapura
Just 11km south of central Mandalay is the small town of AMARAPURA (from the Pali,
meaning “City of Immortality”, and pronounced with the stress on the first “ra”).
Nowadays a rather sleepy suburb of Mandalay, the area has substantial historical
7 pedigree, having twice served as Myanmar’s royal capital (see box, p.281). The town
is a major religious centre, with numerous temples dotted around the lake, although
it’s best known for the remarkable U Bein Bridge, a lengthy teak construction that’s up
there with Myanmar’s most photogenic sights.
The bridge stretches across pretty Lake Taungthaman, named after an ogre who came
here in pursuit of the Buddha, and ringed with an impressive series of stupas. Paddle
boats (around K10,000/45min) can be rented for short trips around the lake from the
western end of the bridge. Hunt around the maze of lanes inland from the bridge’s
western end (beyond the umpteen trinket stalls by the bridge itself) and you’ll see
plenty of villagers making longyi and other garments – despite the horde of tourists
padding along the bridge nearby, this is up there with Myanmar’s cheapest places in
which to shop for fabrics. If coming here on a tour, your driver might take you to
Shwe Sin Tai Silkwear, just west of the lake, where there’s an interesting traditional
silk-weaving workshop, plus attached shop.

Mandalay (8.5km)
N Bagaya Kyaung AMARAPURA
MYO PATT RD
MANDALAYSHWEBORD
HTOTE POE ST
Pahtodawgyi Shwe Linmin Pagoda 78TH ST
SGNMDY AND MDYYGN JOIN ST
Bupaya
KUNE TIE TAN ST
KAN PAT ST YADANABON KYAUNG ST
SGNMDY AND MDYYGN JOIN ST
MANDALAYSHWEBORD AH LA KA KAUNG ST MAHA GANDAR YONE ST Lake

Shwe BU TAR ST KAN PAT ST Taungthaman 7 8T H ST
Sin Tai
Silkwear Kyaw
Aung
MONE TANE ST
Sandar
Pagoda YADANABON KYAUNG S T
Z AYE ST
Maha
Gandayon
Kyaung K A N PAT S T YANGONMANDALAY EXPRESSWAY
MAL SAEE TAN ST Kyauktawgyi
Pagoda
0 500
U Bein Yadanarbon YADANABON KYAUNG S T
Bridge University metres