lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

96SOUTHEASTERN MYANMAR MON STATE5EatingBecause Kinpun is the starting point for MtKyaiktiyo, there are numerous Chinese andBamar restaurants running up and downthe town’s main street, capitalising on themountain’s popularity.In addition to the food stalls at Kinpunand all along the footpaths, there is a veritablefood court of restaurants at the summit,past the shrines and plaza area and downthe steps.Mya Yeik Nyo BURMESE $(meals from K2000) This is the pick of thebunch, and the one that all taxi drivers willrecommend. It’s very close to where thetrucks depart for the mountain.8InformationKinpun is where you’ll fi nd most of the accommodationfor foreigners – besides a few hotelsnear the top of the mountain itself. It’s also thestarting point for trips up the mountain to Kyaiktiyo.There is no internet access.8Getting There & AwayFor individual travellers, Bago makes a betterstarting point for road trips to Kyaiktiyo thanYangon, as Bago hotel staff are adept at arranginginexpensive alternatives. A guide and driverto Kyaiktiyo can be hired through any of thecentral Bago hotels (p 89 ) for $55.Bus & Pick-Up TruckFor buses from Yangon, see p 70 .Win Express run air-con buses from Kyaikto toBago (three hours) and Yangon (fi ve hours) at8.30am, 10am, 12.30pm, 2pm. Despite whereyou’re getting off, you’ll have to pay the full fareto Yangon (K7000). Tickets can be purchased inKinpun across from Sea Sar Guest House. Theticket price includes truck fare to Kyaikto, whereyou’ll board the bus.Similar air-con buses also run to Mawlamyine(K7000, 4½ hours) at 5am, 6am, 7.30am,8.30am and 10.30am.Small pick-up trucks leave from Kinpun toHpa-An (K5000, fi ve hours) from 6am to 1pm, orthere is a more comfortable bus (K7000) thathas a useful departure time of 1.30pm.Pick-ups cruise the road between Kyaikto andKinpun every half an hour or so (K500).TrainFor times and prices of trains from Yangon, seep 71 . Trains run to Yangon (ordinary $3 to $4, upper$6 to $9; fi ve hours; departure 10am, 1.20pm,3.40pm) and Mawlamyine (ordinary $3, upper $6to $7; four hours; 6.20am, 10.40am, 12.30pm).Trucks run between Kyaikto’s train station andKinpun every half an hour or so (K500).Mawlamyine (Moulmein)em;'l¨miŸ='%057 / POP C300,000With a ridge of stupa-capped hills on oneside, the sea on the other and a centre filledwith mosques and crumbling colonial-erabuildings, Mawlamyine is a unique combinationof beauty and melancholy. If you'veever wondered what life was like duringthe Raj, Mawlamyine is about as close as itcomes to a living time capsule.But it’s not all about history; the areaaround Mawlamyine has enough attractions –from beaches to caves – to keep a visitorhappy for several days.Mawlamyine (some maps may show it asMawlamyaing) served as the capital of BritishBurma from 1827 to 1852, during whichtime it developed as a major teak port. Agreat deal of coastal shipping still goes on,although Pathein and Yangon have supersededit as Myanmar’s most important ports.The city is composed roughly of 75% Mon, orsome mixture of Mon, plus Kayin, Bamar, Indian,Chinese and other ethnic groups.1Sights & ActivitiesMon Cultural MuseumMUSEUMmân'yw'ekY"mHU¨ptiuk'(cnr Baho Rd & Dawei Jetty Rd; admission $2;h9.30am-4.30pm Sun-Fri) This governmentrun,two-storey museum is dedicated to theMon history of the region. It’s on the cornerof Baho Rd (formerly Dalhousie St). Themuseum’s modest collection includes stelaewith Mon inscriptions, 100-year-old woodensculptures depicting old age and sickness(used as dhamma-teaching devices in monasteries),ceramics, silver betel boxes, royalfunerary urns, Mon musical instrumentsand wooden buddha altars.This is all well and good, but unfortunatelythe collection is so poorly lit that manyof the exhibits are actually impossible to seewithout a torch!Buddhist MonumentsUnknown Mawlamyine has inspired two ofhistory’s finest writers of the English language– George Orwell and Rudyard Kipling.Orwell lived here for some years (the famousessay ‘Shooting an Elephant’ is about an experiencehe had as a police officer in Maw-