lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

236NORTHERN MYANMAR MYITKYINA & THE UPPER AYEYARWADYdry land. That’s especially true of the bigger,slower (government-run) Inland WaterTransport (IWT) ferries. A phrase book anda bottle of Grand Royal can be useful tools tohelp break the ice.Note that the Ayeyarwady isn’t scenicallydramatic in the way of, say, the Nam Ou inneighbouring Laos, but the landscape doesreach several modest crescendos as rollingfields and distant sand banks alternate withforest-dappled ‘defiles’.Myitkyina¨mc'äkI"n;"%074 / POP C40,000The capital of Kachin State, Myitkyina lacksmuch in the way of real sights but it’s an engagingmulticultural place, home to Kachin,Lisu, Chinese and Burmese. The low-rise architectureis predominantly bland but manymature trees give shade and there’s a fairscattering of part-timber houses. Citizensseem unguardedly keen to assist visitors,with local Christians particularly keen topractise their English.Most visitors jump straight onto an AyeyarwadyRiver boat out (see boxed text,p 239 ), but the town is also host to two ofMyanmar’s most colourful ‘ethnic’ festivals.NAVIGATING MYITKYINAThe town spreads for miles but the centralarea is a manageably compact grid.Walking out of the train station, WaingMaw St heads east reaching the riverbank in five short blocks. Parallel butfour blocks further north is Zei Gyi Rd,the junction marked by one of Myitkyina’stwo clock towers. Zei Gyi runs eastto the market and river, west across thetracks passing very close to the YMCA(follow the tracks north), Hotel United(second block then north), Three StarHotel (fifth block then north) and plentifulrestaurants. Parallel to Ze Gyi fourblocks further north, Si Pin Thar Yar Stalso crosses the railway. The main roadthen swerves northwest to become PyiHtaung Su Rd, the road to the airportand Sinbo ferry jetty. But if you insteadcontinue in a northerly sweep on ThakhinPhay Net St, you’ll reach the museumand, eventually, Manao Park and JingHpaw Thu restaurant.1Sights & ActivitiesProduce MarketMARKET(h5am-5pm) This riverside market specialisesin colourful heaps of Chinese fruit and localfresh vegetables. Many of the latter arriveby canoe and are then lugged up the rearstairway on shoulder poles. At dawn thiscreates an unforgettable scene with moreopen boats gliding in across shimmeringgolden water backed by a rising sun.Directly southwest is the architecturallydrab main market (h8.30am-5pm).Hsu Taung Pye Zedidaw BUDDHIST TEMPLEThis gilded ‘wish-fulfilling’ pagoda is thetown’s most eye-catching religious building,sitting on the banks of the Ayeyarwady Riverat the north end of Zaw John (Strand) Rd.Opposite its stupa, a 98ft-long recliningbuddha and nearby standing equivalent(both ‘housed’) were funded by a Japanesesoldier who had served here in WWII. Theypartly commemorate 3400 of his comradeswho died.Kachin State Cultural Museum MUSEUM(Yon Gyi St; admission $2; h10am-3.30pm Tue-Sun) Displays Kachin and Shan costumesand the usual assortment of instruments,farming tools and ethnological artefacts.Aung Ze Yan Aung PayaPAGODAJust east of the airport, this pagoda is noteworthyfor its arcing ranks of around 1000little buddhas sitting in the grounds.T ToursU Myint Oo (‘Marcus’; %23009, 09 240 1314;khaingkhaingsoesann@gmail.com; A2 ConstructionBldg, Yan Aung Mien St) Born in Italy, ‘Marcus’speaks excellent English, arranges carrental and leads upper-range private tours,some using a snazzy new 4WD SUV-truck.Snowland Tours (%23499; snowland@mptmail.net.mm; Wai Maw St) Two blocks east ofthe station, this helpful agency can bookflights and arrange customised tours.Sher Mohammad Khan (%09 4700 0174)English-speaking driver who can take youaround in his 1940s US Jeep, a vehiclethat his father originally drove here acrossthe Ledo Rd during WWII.zFestivals & EventsLisu New YearCULTURALStarted in 2011 this big three-day bashunites Lisu folks from all across Kachin