lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

126BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR AROUND BAGANartist Veronica Gritsenko in 1999, thissmall studio produces lacquerware in thetraditional style, but with exquisite uniqueand unusual designs.Tun Handicrafts/Moe Moe’s LACQUERWARE(Main Rd; h8am-9pm) A large showroomwith mix of traditional and modern lacquerware(exposed-bamboo tea cups for$4 and rice bowls from $7).Bagan HouseLACQUERWARE(9 Jasmin Rd; www.baganhouse.com; h8am-7pm)Worth seeking out on the backstreets, thisstylish showroom has a mix of cheap andhigher-priced lacquerware, as well as theusual artisans at work. Unlike other places,it does accept credit cards if you spendover $100, with the usual 5% surcharge.8InformationExotissimo (%60383; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri,9am-noon Sat) High-end agent, which canarrange Mt Popa tours ($65 including guide andcar) or rent sturdy mountain bikes ($10 per day).Internet Available at several places along themain street.Myanmar Travels & Tours (MTT; %65040;h8.30am-4.30pm) The government-run touristoffice can help organise excursions to visitChin State (see p 287 ).8Getting There & AroundSee Nyaung U for most transport connections.Tiger Head Express Co (Bagan-Chauk Rd)sends daily pick-up trucks to Kalaw and Taunggyi(K12,000, front seat K15,000), departing at 5am.There are airline offi ces on Main Rd. U ZawWeik (%65017; zawweik@myanmar.com.mm;Main Rd) helps with air tickets or can get you ataxi to Mt Popa (K42,000), Mt Popa and Salay(K42,000), around Bagan (K30,000) or to Kalawor Mandalay ($115).Bicycle rental starts at K5000 per day; youcan get a mountain bike at Exotissimo. See p 115for more on getting around the Bagan site.AROUND BAGANMt Popapup¹:"et;='%02Like a Burmese Mt Olympus, Mt Popa is thespiritual HQ to Myanmar’s infamous ‘37 nat’and thus a premier venue for nat worship;for more on these pre-Buddhist spirits, seep 338 .Mt Popa proper is the 4980ft extinct volcanocovered in lush forests protected withinthe Popa Mountain Park and home to theexclusive Popa Mountain Resort; on themountain’s lower flank is Popa Taung Kalat, atowerlike 2418ft volcanic plug crowned with agilded Buddhist temple accessed by 777 steps.The volcano last erupted some 250,000 yearsago (some locals suggest 40 million yearsago). One local told us: ‘Popa is like the sun ormoon; no one can guess how old it is.’From the temple there are mammoth viewsback towards the Myingyan Plain and beyond.It’s gorgeous, but only a few visitors come ona half-day trip from Bagan, and of those whodo, many shrug their shoulders because theydon’t have a guide to enliven the experiencewith stories and explanations – going on a daytrip to Mt Popa without some sort of guide islike watching a foreign-language film withoutsubtitles.One revered guide to Mt Popa is U TaungHwin (per day $20), a gentle old soul withgood English and plenty of experience leadingtravellers around the culturally rich area.Ask for him by name at the Shwe Taung TarnRestaurant, on Nyaung U’s main road.Myanmar superstition says you shouldn’twear red or black on the mountain, nor shouldyou curse, say bad things about other peopleor bring along any meat (especially pork). Anyof these actions could offend the resident nat,who might then retaliate with a spate of illfortune. And no-one likes a mad nat.1SightsMother Spirit of Popa Nat Shrine NAT SHRINEBefore climbing Popa Taung Kalat, drop bythe tiger-guarded shrine in the village at thefoot of the mountain (just across from thesteps guarded by elephant statues – thereare loads of critters around here). Insideyou’ll find a display extending left and rightfrom an inner hallway door of mannequinlikefigures representing some of the 37 officialnat, plus some Hindu deities and a fewnecromancers (the figures with goatees atthe right end of the shrine).In the shrine there are also other nat notcounted among the official ‘37’, includingthree principal figures: the Flower-EatingOgress (aka Mae Wunna, or ‘Queen Motherof Popa’) and her two sons (to her left andright) Min Gyi and Min Lay (see p 127 ).A few other interesting nat here caughtour attention. The plump Pyu goddess ShinNemi (Little Lady) is a guardian for chil-