Page 85 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

Around YAngon Yangon and around 83
THE CIRCLE LINE 1
A popular excursion with many visitors, the Circle Line – or the Yangon Circular Railway as
it’s officially known – describes a huge loop around the city, running for 46km and stopping at
39 stations on the way. Admittedly, it’s not the world’s most exciting rail journey, although the
train’s slow, ambling pace, with glimpses of house backs, gardens and trackside life en route, is
pleasant enough, and makes a change from yet more pagodas. The complete circuit takes
around three hours, which is probably a bit long for most tastes. A good plan is to ride the train
as far as Insein (1hr) then hop off to explore local attractions (see opposite).
PRACTICALITIES
Circle Line trains leave Yangon Central railway Station from platforms 6 and 7 (on the far
side of the main station relative to the main entrance, although right in front of you if you
come in via the small back entrance off the Pansodan road bridge from the south. There’s
also an office on platform 6/7 from where you can buy tickets, costing just K200. There are
currently nineteen services daily (eleven travelling clockwise, eight anticlockwise), running
between 6am and 6.10pm – it’s a good idea to check latest times the day before travel.
note that if you’re not completing the full circuit you’ll need to produce your passport
when buying a train ticket back to central Yangon, which also involves the sort of
form-filling normally associated with visa applications – an entertaining or maddening
insight into Burmese bureaucracy, depending on whether you’re about to miss your
train or not.

Arlein Ngar Sint Pagoda
• Lanthit Rd • Daily 6am–9pm • Free
A short walk from Insein station, the Arlein Ngar Sint Pagoda is well worth a look, and
easily combined with a visit to the Kyauk Daw Kyi Pagoda. This is without doubt one
of Yangon’s kookiest temples, particularly the strange central shrine, topped with what
looks like a large pineapple and surrounded by a miniature maze arranged around
dozens of little golden pavilions. A large, green, rather Chinese-looking pagoda-tower
stands behind, guarded by pairs of horses, tigers and elephants.

Around Yangon
Despite the city’s size, it’s surprisingly easy to get out of Yangon (assuming you don’t
head north through the endless suburban sprawl). The quickest escape is by hopping
on the ferry south over the Yangon River to Dalah, from where you can continue to the
pottery and temple town of Twante, with perhaps a visit to the weird Snake Temple en
route. Heading southeast, the oil-based boom town of Thanlyin is home to another fine
temple, while the gorgeous Ye Le Pagoda, memorably located on an island in the
middle of a lake, is also close by.

Dalah
• Ferry $2 one-way • Boats depart every 20min from the Pansodan St Jetty (at the end of Pansodan St); the crossing takes 10min
On the far side of the Yangon (Hlaing) River, the tumbledown little village of DALAH
offers a truly surreal contrast between the crowded streets of downtown on the one
side and the rural landscapes of the Burmese Delta (see p.100) on the other. The
ten-minute ferry ride is an experience in itself, usually packed with both passengers and
hawkers and offering fine views of Yangon’s waterfront. You’ll probably be approached
on the boat itself with offers of onward tours or transport to Twante. There’s not much
to Dalah itself, although the flyblown little market and dusty streets offer an interesting
snapshot of rural life, seemingly a million miles away from the densely packed
buildings of the city rising just over the river.

054-097_Myanmar_B2_Ch1.indd 83 30/06/17 2:20 pm