lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

148BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR YANGON–BAGAN HIGHWAYTaung (Tax Mountain). The mountain isnamed for the crafty toll-takers from themid-19th century, who spent the hours betweentaxing boats by carving reclining andmeditating buddhas into the steep cliff.To get there, you’ll need to taxi across theAyeyarwady to Htonbo (q®u".iurâC), a villageabout 90 minutes by road from Pyay, thenhire a boat (about K15,000) for the 45-minutelook. To do so, you must bring a copy of yourpassport or visa to show the strict immigrationofficers in Htonbo.For some visitors, it’s too much travel forminimal payoff. A return taxi to Htonbofrom Pyay (sometimes with Shwedaungthrown in) takes around two hours one-wayand costs about $20.Magwemekâ"%063About 155 miles north of Pyay and 93 milessouth of Salay, Magwe’s locale on the AyeyarwadyRiver is nice enough, as is the impressive1.8-mile Magwe Bridge. Beyond this,however, it’s a place of dilapidated buildingsrunning along a confusing web of leafystreets and limited services, and not particularlygood accommodation. Still, if you’retravelling along the bumpy road connectingBagan and Pyay, you’ll probably wantto break your journey here and the stretchyour legs around the ‘sights’.Famously, the capital of Magwe Divisionsat out of the 1988 prodemocracy marches.1SightsMagwe’s chief pagoda, the 1929 Mya ThaLun Paya, a mile north of the bridge, featuresa gilded stupa and occupies a hilltopsite with great river views.Just across the river, about the same distancenorth of the bridge, is Minbu and thefun Nga Ka Pwe Taung (Dragon Lake), aburping pool of butane gas and mud thathas (over the years) built a few acres oflunar-like terrain with bubbling pools atopfour odd mounds. The sludge isn’t hot; ifyour toes slip in, wash them off below at asmall pagoda. The largest mound is namedThu Sei Ta and the second largest Nanda, forthe mythical Dragon King’s daughter andson, respectively. It’s about a 30-minute taxiride here from the centre.4Sleeping & EatingSein San Guesthouse GUESTHOUSE $(%23799; B-185 16th St, Ywathit Quarter; r $15, s/dwith shared bathroom $8/12; a) Very simple,with stone floors, mint-green walls and thinmattresses on the beds. But the staff arefriendly and speak English and the price isappropriate. It’s on a quiet backstreet, midwaybetween the bus station and the river.Htein Htein Tar HOTEL $$(%23499; 234 17th St, Ywathit Quarter; s/d $25/40;a) Around the corner from the Sein San.Laughably overpriced, this motel-like placeoffers big but tatty rooms.Rolex Guest House GUESTHOUSE $(%23536; cnr Mya Than Lun Rd & AyeyarwadyBridge; s/d with air-con K10,000/18,000, with fanK8000/12,000; a) This bare-bones guesthouse,on the roundabout facing the bridgeentry, has simple concrete-floored roomswith cold-water bathrooms attached. It’seasy to find, but suffers from traffic noise.Central Restaurant CHINESE $$(Pyitawthar Rd; dishes K2000-4000; h7am-10pm)Handy for the bus station, this reasonablyclean-looking Chinese restaurant serves theusual noodle and rice dishes, including hotand sour chicken. It’s next to the Zin YawGuesthouse, which doesn’t accept foreigners.Monalizar 2 CHINESE, BAMAR $$(dishes from K1500; h7am-10pm) On the river,just south of the bridge, this is a very populardrinking spot that also serves passable food.As the sun dips across the river, locals (mostlyguys) hit the beer and whisky as a crew of11 start up the 7pm music and dance show.8Getting There & AroundMagwe’s highway bus station is about 1.5 mileseast of the central market. Yangon-bound busesalso stop in Pyay, but you’ll still need to pay thefull fare to Yangon even if you get off there. Busesfrom Magwe go to the following destinations:Nyaung U (K6000, four hours, departure 6am or7am), Pyay (K4000, seven hours, departure 9am),Yangon (K7500, 12 hours, departure 5.30pm) andMandalay (K5500, 10 hours, departure 6.30pm).IWT ferries between Pyay and Mandalay stopin Magwe. The IWT office (%21503) is one blocktowards the river from the market’s north side.Motorised trishaws – with room for you and afew mates – tout their services at the bus station.A ride from the station to Nga Ka Pwe Taungand a stop at Monalizar 2 costs about K8000.