129AROUND BAGAN8BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR8BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMARPAKOKKUwoodcarvings abound, some of which are
painted afresh in original design.
Another mile or so south of Shinpinsar-
kyo (most taxis won’t drive it, but it’s an
easy 15-minute walk) is Temple 99, an un-
assuming 13th-century shrine that features
578 painted Jataka scenes inside. The last 16
paintings to the left as you enter represent
the ‘16 Dreams of King Kosala’.
Other Sights
An interesting aspect of Salay is the faded
colonial-era buildings dotted around town,
a few of which still feature the Royal Crown
high up on their facades (look around the
market area, about 220yd west of the mu-
seum). This area is especially worth visiting,
as few buildings in Myanmar still sport the
lion-guarded crown.
In the complex about 500yd west of the
Paya Thonzu, the Mann Paya is a modern
pagoda housing a 20ft gold Buddha made of
straw lacquer. As the story goes, the Buddha
image was originally located near Monywa
and was washed downstream during an 1888
monsoon – all the way to Salay. Ask for a peek
inside from the latched door at the back.
North 500yd of the Paya Thonzu, the
monastery and meditation centre of Sasa-
nayaunggyi Kyaung (a stop-off point for
day-trippers) features a lovely 19th-century
glass armoire with painted Jataka panels
and 400-year-old scripture in Pali inside. The
monks are chatty and friendly, and will ask
for a donation for their on-site school.
8 Getting There & Away
Salay is 22 miles south of Bagan on a road that’s
often fl ood damaged. You pass through the
larger town of Chauk on the way. From Chauk,
another road goes east to Kyaukpadaung, with a
turn-off for Magwe.
A hired taxi for a four- or fi ve-hour trip to Salay
from Nyaung U runs from $45. It’s technically
possible to come by pick-up truck from Nyaung
U in three hours (not including a change in
Chauk), but it’s not advisable, as some sites in
Salay aren’t close to the drop-off point.
Pakokku
pxukû†
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A transit point for wayward travellers on the
west side of the Ayeyarwady River, Pakokku
was a quiet backwater until 2007, when it
found itself front-and-centre in internation-
al headlines. Monks from the Myo Ma Ahle
monastery here kick-started the nationwide
protests against rising petrol prices that be-
came the ill-fated ‘Saff ron Revolution’.
Since then Pakokku – famed for its to-
bacco and thanakha – has reverted to type
as an interesting and friendly place, even if
you just have a couple of hours before catch-
ing a bus to Monywa or a boat to Nyaung
U. Should you choose to linger, there’s a
riverside homestay that’s basic, but which
many guests rank as a highlight of their trip.
One of the town’s biggest pwe festivals, Thi-
hoshin, is held during Nayon (May/June).
A new bridge – the longest in Myanmar –
across the Ayeyarwady is under construction
and, when completed in the next couple of
years, will speed up connections between Pak-
okku and Bagan, which is only 16 miles south. 1 Sights
If time is limited, you’ll get the most out of
Pakokku by seeing its market, checking out
some of its temples and monasteries – in-
cluding one monastery with a giant clock-
tower – or just wandering its picturesquely
decrepit, slightly tropical side streets, which
feature old homes backing onto the Ayeyar-
wady River.
About 17 miles northeast, on the way to
Monywa, are the remains of Pakhangyi, a
19th-century wooden monastery. About 3
miles east of Pakhangyi (via the road behind
the big modern pagoda) is the destroyed
frame of Pakhanngeh Kyaung, which was
once the country’s largest wooden monas-
tery. Many of its 332 teak pillars still stand,
and the area – near the fork of the Ayeyar-
wady and Kaladan Rivers – makes for inter-
esting exploration. A taxi here from Pakokku
is K25,000 to K30,000.4 Sleeping
oMya Yatanar Inn HOMESTAY $
(%21457; 75 Lanmataw St; r per person K6000, with
shared bathroom K5000) Charming, English-
speaking grandma Mya Mya, her daughter
and four granddaughters will welcome you
to their 100-year-old home on the river, a
couple of blocks east of the market. Rooms
are super-basic and grubby, but bearable
once you fall under the hospitable spell of
these women. Electricity is mostly off during
the day (as with all of Pakokku), and most
rooms share the cold-water bathroom and
squat toilet. They can rustle up a delicious
meal for under K1000, help you get a taxi