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will probably be charged $3 for a Mingun–Sagaing ticket, and on the way back to themarket, your taxi driver will probably stopoff at one of the silver shops where repoussageartisans bang away at various pieces.Alternatively there are several pedestrianaccess stairways, including one from theMingun road, where nobody is likely tocheck tickets.Soon U Ponya Shin Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLEThis ‘early offering shrine’ is the most importantof the temples on Sagaing Hill’ssouthern crown and the first you’ll cometo on climbing the southern stairway. Itscentral 97ft-high gilded stupa was originallybuilt in 1312. Legends claim that thestructure magically appeared overnight,built by the king’s faithful minister Ponyain a superhuman flurry of activity inspiredby a magical Buddha relic that he’d found ina betel-nut box. The myth fancifully claimsthat Ponya himself was of supernatural parentage,his father having ‘flown’ to Sagaingfrom the Himalayas millennia before, arrivingto a curious communion with the Buddha,seven hermits and a flower-bearingorang-utan. Burmese genealogy is neverboring.Notice the bronze rabbit that serves as acollection box in the rather gaudy Buddhahall. And don’t miss the views from the balconyarea of the small associated snack bar.Umin ThounzehBUDDHIST TERRACENorth of Soon U Ponya Shin, Umin Thounzeh(literally 30 Caves) is one of the moredistinctive complexes on the main hilltop, acolourful crescent-shaped colonnade withinwhich there are 45 Buddha images.TilawkaguruCAVE TEMPLEAccessed from a dead-end road at the southwestbase of the hill, this mural-filled cavecomplex dates originally from 1672. Untilrecently it was a popular site for visitorsand was especially appealing when lit onlyby candles. However, at the time of research,opening times had become sporadic.TOWN CENTREThe market area isn’t especially charming,but further south it’s pleasant to cyclealong Strand Rd with several fine oldcolonial-era buildings lining its northside and views across to Inwa from the Ayeyarwadyriverfront. A block inland fromhere, Htuparyon Paya is a gigantic stupaoriginally built in 1444. It’s unusual for havingthree circular storeys each incorporatingarched niches. Across Yonegyi St, a gardenof garish statues includes a particularlyfearsome red cobra.North of the market area Thacheiselikhas a large golden stupa and Shwezigonis a huge bell-shaped brick stupa, currentlyundergoing a massive renovation.NORTHWEST OF CENTREFive miles northwest of central Sagaing,Kaunghmudaw Paya is a vast gilded puddingof a stupa rising 150ft high. It was builtin 1636 to commemorate Inwa’s establishmentas the royal capital. According to localtradition, the king agonised interminablyover how to shape the stupa. His queen,tired of hubby’s indecisiveness, ripped openher blouse and, pointing to her breast, said:‘Make it like this!’ Less romantic scholarsclaim it was actually modelled after thevast Suvarnamali Mahaceti (Ruwanwelisaya)stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.Kaunghmudaw is distantly visible fromSagaing Hill and easy to spot as you drivepast en route to Monywa.4Sleeping & EatingTo make a more in-depth exploration ofSagaing’s leafy pagoda paths some travellersopt to stay in the town’s one foreignerlicensedhotel. However, while central, it’sa long walk from the main stupa area andmanagement doesn’t rent bicycles or motorbikes,so you’d be wise to bring your ownfrom Mandalay.Happy Hotel HOTEL $$(%21420; standard s/d $15/25, superior $20/30,deluxe $30/40; a) On a small town-centrebackstreet tucked behind the market. Thebest deal in this two-part complex are themid-priced ‘superior’ rooms with comfy mattresses,fridge and modest bathrooms. Standardrooms are contrastingly old-fashionedwith lumpy beds. The sizeable Chineserestaurant (veg/non-veg mains K2500/5000)is partly a gift shop, and there’s a cheaperBurmese eatery next door.8Getting There & AwaySagaing is about 12 miles southwest ofMandalay. Authorities may check/sell theSagaing-Mingun $3 ticket at the old Ava Bridge,but there’s no such check if you use the newSagaing Bridge, used by most Sagaing-Mandalay pick-up trucks.229MANDALAY AROUND MANDALAY & AROUND SAGAING SLEEPING & & EATING