lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

90TRAINS FROM BAGODESTINATIONFARE ORDINARY/UPPER ($) DURATION (HR) DEPARTUREYangon 2/5 3 6am-8pmMawlamyine 5/12 7-9 8.18am, 9.07amMandalay10/27146.11am, 6.51am, 7.21am, 7.50am, 1.50pmAROUND YANGON NORTH OF YANGONMya Nanda Hotel HOTEL $(%19799; 10 Main Rd; r $6-15; a) An acceptable,if grubby, budget choice, and the staff herecan arrange motorbike taxis and guides sothat you can check out the sights.5EatingHanthawaddy CHINESE, BURMESE $$(192 Hintha St; mains K2000-8000; hlunch &dinner) The food here isn’t amazing, but it’sthe only restaurant in Bago with a bit ofatmosphere. Located across from the footballpitch and a short walk from GandamarHotel, the open-air upper level is breezy andoffers great views of Shwewawdaw Paya.And perhaps the food situation will changewhen, as we were told, they get a Thai chef.Three Five Restaurant INTERNATIONAL, BURMESE $(10 Main Rd; mains K1200-4000; hall day; a)A friendly, but shabby, place a few doorswest of the Emperor Hotel. The menu is acombination of Bamar, Chinese, Indian andEuropean; the food is cheap and good, andthe menu includes ‘goat fighting balls’ (goattesticles), prepared in a number of ways.Hadaya Café TEAHOUSE $(hbreakfast & lunch) Opposite the EmperorHotel, this popular teahouse has a niceselection of pastries and good-quality teaand coffee.8InformationSTG Computer Center (Yangon-Mandalay Rd;per hr K500; h5am-5pm) Offers basic internetservice east of the river. Other similar cafes canbe found northwest of the clock tower alongYangon-Mandalay Rd.8Getting There & AwayBusFor buses from Yangon, see p 70 .Bago’s bus station (Yangon-Mandalay Rd) isabout halfway between the town centre and theBago Star Hotel, located across from the Hindutemple. Many buses passing through Bago canalso be waved down from outside your hotel,though unless you have booked a ticket in advancethere is less likelihood of a seat.Buses to Yangon (K1500, two hours) departapproximately every 45 minutes from 6.45amto 5.15pm.Going south, buses to Kinpun, the startingpoint for Mt Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), leave everyhour or so during the day (K5000, three hours).During the rainy season (May to October), busesgo only as far as Kyaikto, 10 miles from Kinpun.Departures for Mawlamyine are at 7.45am, 8amand 9am (K8000, seven hours).Heading north, for Mandalay there are departuresat 5.30pm and 8pm (K11,500). It’s alsopossible to hop on one of the buses comingfrom Yangon – try to book ahead and ask yourhotel to help. For Taungoo and Inle Lake, youmight be able to grab a seat on one of the busesoriginating in Yangon between 1.30pm and 4pm(K14,000 to K16,000, 12 hours).TaxiA more expensive but more convenient alternativeis to hire a taxi for a day trip from Yangon.With bargaining this should cost about $60, but itdoes give you the additional advantage of havingtransport between sites once you get to Bago andsaves traipsing all the way out to the bus stationin Yangon. One-way taxis back from Bago straightto your hotel in Yangon cost about K40,000.A guide and driver to Mt Kyaiktiyo (GoldenRock, p 93 ) can be hired for around $55 return.For any of the above, you can inquire at thetown’s taxi stand (Yangon-Mandalay Rd) orthrough any of the central Bago hotels.TrainFor trains from Yangon see p 71 .8Getting AroundTrishaw is the main form of local transport inBago. A one-way trip in the central area shouldcost no more than K500. If you’re going furtherafi eld – say from Shwethalyaung Buddha, at oneend of town, to Shwemawdaw Paya, at the other –you might as well hire a trishaw or motorcycle forthe day, either of which should cost about K6000.