131AROUND BAGANEATING & DRINKINGBAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAREATING & DRINKINGBAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMARMONYWAfar plainer ‘standard’ rooms (s/d $25/30) are
hidden away above staff workstations and
are aimed more for drivers rather than for
guests. The inviting pool has a swim-up bar
and Jacuzzi area, but mosquito repellent is
advised.
Monywa Hotel HOTEL $$
(%21581, 21549; Bogyoke Rd; s $20-25, d $25-30;
a) Set well back from the busy street amid
birdsong and creeper-draped trees, this
well-maintained series of multiroom cabins
is popular with small tour groups. Interiors
feel a little dated and the colour schemes
are hideous, but even the cheaper rooms
are fair-sized with eff ective air-conditioning,
desk, fridge, piping-hot showers, satellite
TV and comfy beds. Superior rooms score a
bathtub and a chair on your terrace.
Shwe Taung Tarn BUDGET HOTEL $
(%21478; 70 Station Rd; r per person $8-12; a) For
years Shwe Taung Tarn has been Monywa’s
most popular budget choice. The facade looks
unkempt – and it’s worth skipping the front
building’s $8 rooms, which are worse – but
behind is an unexpectedly pleasant little gar-
den area and a pair of newer two-storey build-
ings. Rooms there remain good value for the
price, but while they were once relatively styl-
ish, many now suff er seriously scuff ed fl oors
and gob-stained walls. 5 Eating & Drinking
Shwe Taung Tarn has a restaurant section
beside its budget hotel that cooks fi ne Chi-
nese food and has an unexpectedly chic roof-
top section.Pleasant Island CHINESE $$
(Myakanthar Lake, Bogyoke Rd; mains K3000-
8000, rice/beer K500/3500; h7am-10pm; E)
Monywa’s fi nest restaurant occupies a tiny
lake island across upper Bogyoke Rd from
the Win Unity Hotel. It’s a photogenic spot
at sunset, linked to the shore by a roly-poly
wooden bridge. Fine if pricey Chinese food
is served at open pavilions: bring mosquito
repellent. If you want (partial) lake views at
far lower prices, walk 200m further south
and cross the side-road, where there’s a sim-
pler Sino-Burmese eatery.Yad Khel Taung BEER STATION $
(Bogyoke St; mains K1500-4000; h8am-10pm)
This friendly if typical draft beer station
serves Shan and Chinese food, but is most
remarkable for the tiny amuse-bouche
plates of namakyien, a delicious local
sesame-based humus that arrive free with
most meals.Aung Pan BURMESE $
(Phyar Gyi St; meals K2000; h9am-9pm) The
typically generous multi-dish spread ar-
riving with your choice of curry includes a
superlative khayandi thuk (mashed roast
eggplant). The setting is unremarkable, but
helpful Bagyi in the attached computer-
repair shop speaks English. Similar meals
are served at Su and Zwe Mahn, both on
Station Rd.Shine’s Shine CHINESE $
(Saik Pyoe Yae St; mains K2000-4500, rice/draft
beer K100/600; h10am-10pm) Oddly recycled
from a vehicle-repair yard, but shaded by
fi ne trees full of coloured lights, this large,
busy outdoor space serves fair-priced deli-
cacies, including eel, duck and catfi sh. The
crumbed Slavia fi sh in lemon sauce (K2800)
was scrumptious if MSG-loaded.Night Market FOOD STALLS $
(Bogyoke St; h5-10.30pm) Various cheap eats
between the clock tower and Bogyoke (Aung
San) statue.Monywa
æSights
1 Shwezigon Paya .................................. B1
2 Su Taung Pye Zedi...............................B3ÿSleeping
3 Golden Arrow Hotel .............................B2
4 Shwe Taung Tarn................................. B1úEating
5 Aung Pan .............................................. B1
6 Night Market ........................................C2
7 Shine's Shine ....................................... C1
Shwe Taung Tarn......................... (see 4)
8 Su .......................................................... B1
9 Yae Khal Taung .................................... C1
10 Zwe Mahn............................................. C1þShopping
11 Government Emporium ......................C3ïTransport
12 Express Boat Jetty ..............................A2
13 IWT Ticket Office .................................A2
14 Jetty (for cross-river boats) ...............A2
15 MGRG ...................................................A2
16 Ngwe Shwe Oo.....................................B3
17 Shwe Nadi ............................................B3