145YANGON – BAGAN HIGHWAY8BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR8BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMARAROUND PYAYcute place that turns out very tasty dolsot
bibimbap and kimchi ramen, along with
less adventurous dishes such as sandwiches,
burgers and pasta.
Southern Star CHINESE $$
(%25484; Strand Rd; dishes K4000-5000; h10am-
11pm) Enjoy river views from the terrace of
this big restaurant serving good food, close
by the Nawade Bridge. In the evenings
there’s karaoke, unless it’s a weekend when
they screen English Premier League soccer
matches.
Pyay Star Restaurant CHINESE $$
(cnr Bogyoke Rd & Pyay-Yangon Rd; dishes from
K1800-3000) The Star is a great spot: a two-
fl oor beer hall with plenty of buzz and a bal-
cony on which to eat tasty Chinese fare and
down draught Myanmar beer or ABC stout.
Hline Ayar CHINESE, MYANMAR $$
(Strand Rd; dishes veg K1200, meat K2800-4000,
fi sh K3000-6500; h9am-9pm) Over on the riv-
er, this live-music spot shows its years (plus
cheesy pop singers at 7pm), but it has tables
looking over the Ayeyarwady.
8 Information
Cosmic (Kan St; per hr K400; h7. 3 0 a m -1 1 p m)
For internet, try here. It’s in the same building
as a cinema.
My Space Another internet provider; across the
road from Cosmic.
8 Getting There & Away
Boat
Routes along the Ayeyarwady River start and
stop in Pyay, heading either north or south. Few
foreigners use either service.
The IWT offi ce (%24503; Strand Rd; h9am-
5pm Mon-Fri) is helpful on ever-changing times
for slow-going government ferries. At research
time, a ferry left at 5.30am on Wednesday for
Mandalay (deck/cabin $9/18, about fi ve days),
and another cargo boat left Tuesday night for
Yangon (deck/cabin $9/18; about three days). Bus
Pyay is located at the junction of roads to Yan-
gon, Bagan and Thandwe (for Ngapali Beach).
The highway bus station is about two miles east
of the centre (just off Bogyoke Rd).
Several companies run buses to Yangon
(K4100, seven hours) throughout the day, in-
cluding Asia Express (%28145). There are no
direct buses north to Bagan from Pyay, but you
can catch a bus that left from Yangon for the full
Yangon–Bagan fare (K15,000 to K18,000, 12 to
13 hours). Or take the 8.30am bus run by Sun
Moon (%09-4950 0521) to Magwe (K4100, six
to seven hours), from where a 6am or 7am bus
the next day leaves for Bagan.
Heading to Ngapali by bus is possible, but not
terribly convenient. Thile Lone Kyaw run mini-
buses to Taunggok (K10,000, 11 hours) leaving
at 5pm. Train
A lone daily train leaves Pyay’s central train sta-
tion at 11.30pm for Yangon (sleeper/upper/1st/
ordinary class $14/13/10/5, 8½ hours). From
Shwethekar station, 3 miles east of the city
towards Thayekhittaya, you can also board the
Yangon to Bagan train as it takes a three-minute
pause at 10pm (sleeper/upper/1st $28/26/23),
before arriving in Bagan 8am; the Bagan to Yan-
gon train arrives at 2.30am, before continuing
on to Yangon.8 Getting Around
Trishaws and blue taxi pick-up trucks are the
main ways of getting around. A trishaw ride to/
from the bus station is around K1000, and K1500
by blue taxi. A regular pick-up truck service runs
along Bogyoke Rd to the bus station (K200).Around Pyay
THAYEKHITTAYA
serextËr;
It’s no Bagan, but this ancient site (admis-
sion $5, incl museum $10; h8am-5pm), about 5
miles east of Pyay centre, can make for a funPyay
æTop Sights
Sehtatgyi Paya.....................................D2
Shwesandaw Paya...............................C2æSights
1 Wunchataung Paya .............................D3ÿSleeping
2 Lucky Dragon.......................................A2
3 Myat Lodging House ........................... A1
4 Pyay Strand Hotel ...............................A2
5 Smile Motel ..........................................B2úEating
6 Grandma Café......................................A2
7 Hline Ayar Restaurant .........................A2
Night Market ................................ (see 6)
8 Pyay Star Restaurant ..........................B2ïTransport
9 IWT Office.............................................A3