lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

BUSES & PICK-UP TRUCKS FROM KALAW175DESTINATION FARE (K) DURATION (HR) DEPARTURE TYPEYangon14,00012-154pm-5.30pmair-con busesMandalay 8000-10,000 9 8am, 8pm air-con busesBagan12,000-13,0006-87amair-con busTaunggyi 2000 3 6am, 6.30am, 7am non-air-con bus,pick-upThazi250046am-2pmpick-upinformation on departures from Thazi and p 184for departures from Shwenyaung (Inle Lake).Heading to Shwenyaung, the train pulls intoKalaw around 10am ($3, three hours); to Thazi, departureis at 1pm ($5, six hours), but trains oftenleave hours behind the offi cial departure times.8Getting AroundMost people choose to walk around town butmotorcycle taxis at the northeast corner of themarket can run you to Hnee Pagoda or the ShweOo Min caves and back for around K2000.Pindayap='"dy%081 / C5000The road to Pindaya cuts across one of themost densely farmed areas in Myanmar – atfirst glance, the patchwork of fields and hedgescould almost be a landscape from centralEurope or middle America. Along the way,you’ll pass buffalo carts and groups of toilingfarmers in black Danu tunics and checkedPa-O headscarves. The main reason to makethis appealing journey is to visit the famousShwe Oo Min Natural Cave pagoda, a massivelimestone cavern filled with thousands ofgilded buddha statues, but the hills aroundPindaya are also home to a nascent trekkingscene.1Sights & ActivitiesoShwe Oo Min NaturalCave PagodaBUDDHIST CAVE PAGODAeráwm='s.;0lHUi='8U.urC"(admission $3, camera fee K300; h6am-6pm)There are several ‘Golden Cave’ temples inShan State, but Pindaya’s Shwe Oo Min pagodais by far the most impressive. Set highon a limestone ridge above Pone TalokeLake, this winding complex of natural cavesand tunnels is filled to bursting point withbuddha images in an astonishing variety ofshapes, sizes and materials, many gaudilydaubed with gold paint.At the latest count, the caves containedmore than 8700 statues, some left centuriesago by Burmese pilgrims and others newlyinstalled by Buddhist organisations from asfar afield as Singapore, the Netherlands andthe USA. The collection of alabaster, teak,marble, brick, lacquer and cement imagesis still growing – pilgrims arrive in a slowbut steady stream, installing new imagesand meditating in tiny meditation chambersformed by natural cavities in the cave walls.A series of covered stairways climb theridge to the cave entrance. Most people arrivevia the long stairway that starts near thegleaming white zedi (stupas) of Nget PyawTaw Pagoda, just south of the ConquerorHotel. You can skip the last 130 steps to thecave mouth by taking the lift.Two more covered stairways lead northfrom the lift pavilion. One descends gentlyback to Pindaya, while the other climbs toa second cave pavilion containing a monumental40ft-high, gilded, Shan-style sittingbuddha. The steps continue along the ridgeto a third chamber with a large recliningbuddha and more shrines and pagodasalong the hilltop.The easiest way to reach the caves is towalk along the tarmac road past the GoldenCave and Conqueror Hotels; it’s about twomiles and takes 20 minutes or so. Alternatively,an easy-to-follow track runs straightto the cave complex from the western shoreof Pone Ta Loke Lake – just follow the roadalong the lake shore and turn right afterthe Pindaya Hotel; the path branches offto the left over a small bridge and, after ashort walk, connects with the long slopingstairway that leads to the main cave. A horsecart from the market to the Nget Pyaw Tawpagoda entrance will cost K1000.THAZI EASTERN TO MYANMAR INLE LAKE 8 PINDAYA