Page 335 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

Bhamo and around NortherN MyaNMar 333
Pagodas and temples pepper the town, the most notable being Theindawgyi Pagoda,
500m east of the river on Bogyoke Street – look for the photogenic procession of
larger-than-life concrete monks queuing along its western side. In the evenings,
Bhamo’s trendy young people and students congregate in the small park between the
road and the pagoda precincts.
Out of town, you can cycle across a wonderfully rickety bamboo bridge and along the
river to Thein Pa Hill, or hop on a boat and sail down the Ayeyarwady to Shwegu and
beyond (see box, p.334).

Sampanago
• 5km north of Bhamo • Daily dawn–dusk • Free • From Bhamo, cycle north to the prison, turn left shortly after
and follow this road for 1.5km to Shwe Kyina Pagoda; Sampanago’s remains are on the left-hand side of the road 200m southwest
of the pagoda
The plains around Bhamo were once part of Manmaw, an independent Shan kingdom
that ruled the area between the Ayeyarwady and the Chinese border. The remains of
Manmaw’s capital, Sampanago (locally known as “Old Bhamo” or Bhamo myo haung),
lie 5km north of town hidden among the houses and fields near the modern Shwe
Kyina Pagoda. All that can be seen today is a raised embankment and a ditch alongside
it – fragments of the city walls and moat, with occasional rammed earth hillocks that
are thought to have been watchtowers.

Thein Pa Hill 8
• 10km north of Bhamo • Daily dawn–dusk • Free
A ninety-minute bike ride north, the path up Thein Pa Hill is lined with monastery
buildings and small pagodas, and the hilltop looks out over the Ayeyarwady’s
midstream islands. The real attraction, though, is the trip out here, as the path winds
along sandy riverbanks and across a 400m-long bamboo bridge, which is swept away by
the monsoon each year. Each December, hundreds of villagers get together to rebuild
the bridge over just two days.
To get there, cycle north towards Sampanago (see above), turn left just before you
reach Shwe Kyina Pagoda and continue to the bamboo bridge (December–June
only; K300 per person). When the bridge is out of service, a long-tail boat
(K300 per person; K200 per bike) ferries people across. Beyond the river, go
straight until you reach the second village, where a small turning leads back to
the river – Thein Pa is a few kilometres further north. It’s also possible to take a
boat here from Bhamo (see p.334).
arrIVaL aND DePartUre BhaMo
For years, foreigners have not been allowed to travel in or out of Bhamo by road, and though there are rumours of a possible
railway linking Katha and Bhamo, this is not expected to be completed any time soon.
By plane Originally built as a Japanese Air Force base in K6000) and Katha (8hr; K12,000) leave at 8.30am from the
World War II, Bhamo’s airport is 3km east of town. Purchase riverside by Strand Rd; if you’re travelling on to Mandalay,
tickets through your hotel, or through Kong Tong travel you’ll need to spend the night in Katha before continuing
agent, attached to the Friendship Hotel (T074 50095). The your journey. Slower IWT ferries depart Bhamo at 7am on
Myanmar National Airlines office (T074 50269) is on Mon, Wed and Fri for Shwegu (5hr), Katha (9hr) and
Kantawgyi St. Mandalay (30hr) in theory, but the schedule varies with
Destinations Mandalay (4 weekly; 45min); Myitkyina river conditions. During the dry season, IWT boats leave
(2 weekly; 30min); Yangon (6 weekly; 2hr 30min). from a jetty 4km south of Bhamo. You can buy tickets on
By boat As river travel to Sinbo and Myitkyina is forbidden, the boat, or from the IWT office (T074 50117; daily
foreigners travelling by boat are only permitted to depart 9am–5pm) in a colonial building set back from Strand Rd
by going downstream. Daily fast boats to Shwegu (4hr; just north of the main waterfront.

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