lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

THAZI TO INLE LAKEThe rolling hills between Mandalay and InleLake have attracted travellers ever sinceMyanmar first opened up to internationalvisitors in the early ’90s. From the junctiontown of Thazi, a pitted highway cuts eastacross a series of mountainous ridges, dividedby broad valleys covered in a multicolouredpatchwork of fields, villages and hedges. AfterYangon and Bagan, this is probably the mostvisited part of Myanmar – not least becauseof the enduring appeal of Inle Lake.Thazis;c–'%064 / POP C10,000Thazi crops up on travellers’ itineraries forone reason only – the town marks the intersectionof the Mandalay–Yangon rail lineand the highway towards Inle Lake and theThai border.4Sleeping & EatingMoon-Light Rest House GUESTHOUSE $(%69056; Thazi-Taunggyi Hwy; r $3-10;a) On themain route to Taunggyi and located acrossthe street from the road that leads to thetrain station, this simple guesthouse is runby the delightful Htun family. The basicrooms are clean, the atmosphere is wholesome,the welcome is genuine and the attachedrestaurant serves good food. Staffcan help out with travel arrangements.8InformationInternet (Thazi-Taunggyi Hwy; per hr K500; h9am-10pm) is available across the street fromMoon-Light Rest House, in the post officecompound.8Getting There & AwayMost people arrive in Thazi by train – the stationis about 300yd north of the main road. Busesdrop off and pick up passengers along the highwaynear Moon-Light Rest House.BusTo reach Thazi from Mandalay, take a bus toMeiktila (K3000, three hours) from the highwaybus station, then hop on a pick-up truck fromMeiktila to Thazi (K500, one hour).Heading east from Thazi, several buses leavebetween 7am and 11am daily bound for Kalaw(K2500, four hours), Shwenyaung (K3000, sixhours) and Taunggyi (K4000, seven hours).TRAVELRESTRICTIONSMost places between Thazi and Taunggyiare open to foreigners, but the onlyway to reach Kengtung from insideMyanmar is by air. Even then, you aregenerally not allowed to exit the countryat Tachileik, and must fly back theway you came (or to somewhere elsewithin Myanmar).Confusing things even more, touristsentering Myanmar from Thailand viaTachileik are only permitted to travel asfar as Kengtung – it’s not possible tocross to China nor will you be allowedto fly anywhere else in the country. Fordetails on this border, go to p 197 .Parts of Kayah State are open toforeign tourists, but only to those whohave received advance permissionand who have booked a governmentsanctionedpackage tour. For details onarranging this go to p 198 .Fares are typically doubled for foreigners. To geta seat on one of the more comfortable expressbuses between Mandalay and Taunggyi, you’llneed to make an advance reservation – the staffat the Moon-Light can help.Pick-Up Truck & TaxiThere are frequent pick-ups for Kalaw, Shwenyaungand Taunggyi, charging the same as busesbut taking longer and not quite as comfortable.A few long-distance taxis loiter around thestation in Thazi charging $70 to Kalaw and $90to Nyaungshwe (Yaunghwe) near Inle Lake. You’llneed to bargain hard for a fair price.TrainThazi is an important stop on the rail route betweenYangon and Mandalay, and also one endof the scenic mountain line to Shwenyaung. Forinformation on getting here from Yangon seep 71 , and from Mandalay see p 222 .A horse cart from the station to the bus standwill cost around K1000.YANGON Ordinary $9 to $12, upper $24to $28; 11 to 12 hours; departures 7.45am,8.17am, 9am, 12.25am.MANDALAY Ordinary $3, upper $8; threehours; departures 3.52am, 4.19am, 7.22am,5.41am, 8.44am, 6.04pm.SHWENYAUNG Fare $5; nine hours; departure5am.KALAW Fare $3; six hours; departure 5am.167THAZI EASTERN TO MYANMAR INLE LAKE SLEEPING THAZI& EATING