lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

play areas add to the attraction for localfamilies but undermine any sense of naturalserenity. It’s a two-minute drive down asteep, easily missed lane excursion off theHsipaw road that starts directly north ofAung Htu Kan Tha Paya.December Strawberry FarmREST STOPThis invitingly stylish complex of newthatched pavilions on a rolling roadsidelawn 2½ miles beyond Aung Htu Kan ThaPaya offers an easy stop for motorists to geta meal or taste locally produced fruit wines.Myaing GyiVILLAGEAfter descending a loop of hairpins, the Hsipawroad reaches pretty Myaing Gyi wherea photogenic monastery climbs a woodedhillside. Two minutes’ drive beyond theroadside Wetwun Zaigone Monastery isequally photogenic with a fine array of stupasand Balinese-style pagodas behind a giganticold banyan tree.Peik Chin MyaungBUDDHA CAVE COMPLEXpit'xY='"e¨m;='ÁekY;k'mE(admission/camera free/K300; h6.30am-4.30pm)Many Buddha caves are little more thanrocky niches or overhangs but Peik Chinis much more extensive. It takes around15 minutes each way to walk to the cave’send (longer when crowded) following anunderground stream past a whole series ofcolourfully painted scenes from Buddhistscriptures interspersed with countless stupasand buddha images. There are a few sectionswhere you’ll need to bend over to getbeneath dripping rocks but most of the caveis high-ceilinged and adequately lit so youdon’t need a torch. It can feel sweaty and humidinside. No shorts or footwear permitted.The access road is around 2½ miles eastof Myaing Gyi, just beyond the green signannouncing your arrival in Wetwun town.Turn right through a lion-guarded gatewayarch then descend inexorably for another2 miles to the large parking area throngedwith souvenir stalls.KyaukmeekY;k'mEE%082 / POP C85,000 / ELEV APPROX 900MPronounced ‘chao-may’, Kyaukme is a lowrisedistrict centre with a gently attractivecentral market area bracketed by monasterytoppedhills, each only 15 minutes’ walk awayusing steep, covered stairways. The main attractionis hiking and motor-biking optionsinto surrounding Shan and Palaung hill villages(see boxed text, p 258 ). Although Kyaukmeis rather bigger than Hsipaw, the town isfar less accustomed to travellers and there’sonly one foreigner-licensed guesthouse. Kyaukmemeans ‘black stone’, fitting a folkloricbelief that its citizens were dishonest tradersof precious (or not so precious) gems.4Sleeping & EatingA Yone Oo Guest House (%40183; Shwe PhiOo Rd; s/d from $15/18, luxury $25/30, with sharedbathroom from $4/8) is the only accommodationfor foreigners. The cheapest optionsare basic bed-spaces with hardboard separators– noisy, and the shared squat toiletsare across the yard. Pay a few dollars moreper person and the beds are better, walls arethicker and the shared bathroom has hotwater. The luxury rooms set around the rearcourtyard are vastly better appointed andcome with fridge, air-conditioning and heaterbut so too do the slightly larger, decentlymaintained $18 doubles, arguably the bestdeal here. Management speaks some English.Evenings, the hotel has a barbecue stallout front. There’s a greater dining choicearound the cinema, three blocks south.8Getting There & AwayBusBuses to Hsipaw (7am, noon and 4pm) plus the7am air-conditioned bus to Lashio start fromthe southwest corner of the market, two blockssouth of the guesthouse.Four buses to Mandalay all leave around 5.30amfrom a bus terminal, just across the rail tracks,around 10 minutes further north. Mu-se–Hsipaw–Mandalaybuses mostly stay on the AH16,bypassing Kyaukme by over a mile, though somehalt at the Mao or Nentang Dan restaurants forlunch (a K1500 motorcycle ride from town).Taxi & MotorcycleOddly, a taxi to Mandalay (typically K60,000) ismore expensive from Kyaukme than from Hsipawand there’s no share taxi system. The guesthousecan help you organise motorcycle rentals.Note that the gem-mining town of Mogok isnow completely off limits to foreigners – if youtravel too far along the road running north fromKyaukme, you will be turned back. The roughKyaukme to Namhsan road is closed to foreignersnorthbound.TrainFrom the guesthouse the train station is a10-minute walk west then north.257MANDALAY NORTHERN MYANMAR TO LASHIO SLEEPING KYAUKME& EATING