219MANDALAY8MANDALAY & AROUND8MANDALAYSHOPPING(^)
pay commissions to drivers or guides, so pric-
es may prove better if you visit alone.
Handicraft specialists include Aurora
(Map p 202 ; 78th St, 35/36), Garuda (Map p 204 ;
80th St at 15th), Soe Moe (Map p 202 ; 36th St,
77/78) and Sunflower (Map p 204 ; Marie-Min,
27th St, 74/75). There are numerous silk
workshops and a couple more handicraft
emporia along main Sagaing road in Ama-
rapura (p 224 ). Puppets are sold at Mous-
tache Brothers and Mandalay Marionettes.
Good-value items can be found at the stone
carvers’ workshops (p 209 ), and there are
several interesting shops on 36th St beside
the gold-leaf-pounding workshops (p 209 ).
Shwe Pathein SOUVENIRS
(Map p 202 ; No 141 36th St, 77/78; h8am-5pm) Sells
Pathein-style parasols (K4000 to K8000) and
bark animal portraits (from K4000).
Rocky SOUVENIRS
(Map p 204 ; Sein Win Myint; 27th St, 62/63; h8am-
9pm) Various handicrafts including stuff ed
‘gold-thread’ tapestries, plus gems and jade.
Sut Ngai FABRIC
(Map p 206 ; 33rd St, 82/83) Sells Kachin fabrics
and costumes, aimed mainly at Kachins
themselves rather than tourists.
Markets
Zeigyo MARKET
(Map p 206 ; 84th St, 26/28) This downtown
market off ers wall-to-wall stands selling just
about everything Myanmar. The Chinese
communist-style architecture dates from the
early 1990s after a disastrous 1988 fi re de-
stroyed an earlier model. This market should
be replaced in a few years by a vast 25-storey
tower mall, currently under construction.
Night market MARKET
(Map p 206 ; 84th St, 26/29) Vendors selling
food, music, army hats and clothes imported
from China block off the street as dusk ap-
proaches – a worthy wander.
8 Information
Internet Access
Internet cafes are fairly common along 27th St
and are scattered widely around the city centre,
but most are appallingly slow.
Acme-Net (Map p 206 ; 26th St, 78/79; per hr
K500; h9am-9pm) Better connection than
most and adept with proxy servers.
Dream Land (Map p 204 ; 27th St, 72/73; per hr
K400; h9.30am-11pm; a) Good connection
and AC, free drinking water.
Money
EXCHANGE Most guesthouses will change pris-
tine US$ cash, but for rates approaching Yangon
levels, ask at gold shops such as Shwe Hinn
Thar (26th St 84/85; h10am-4pm), beside the
clock tower, or travel agencies such as Seven
Diamond Express (Map p 206 ; %22365; 32nd
St, 82/83). Marie-Min vegetarian restaurant
also off ers decent rates.
CREDIT CARDS Nowhere in Mandalay gives
cash advances. If you’re out of dollars and need
a room, the Mandalay View Inn and the Hotel by
the Red Canal accept credit cards at 10% com-
mission if you pay one day ahead.
Post
DHL (Hotel Mandalay, 78th St, 37/38;
h8.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm
Sat) Costs from $80 for the cheapest
document-only package to Europe.
Main post office (Map p 206 ; 22nd St, 80/81;
h10.30am-4pm)
Telephone
Local/national calls cost K100/200 per minute
from PCO street stands. Royal Guest House and
Royal City Hotel both off er international calls for
$2 per minute.
CTT Telephone Office (Map p 206 ; 25th St,
80/81; calls to Europe/Australasia/North
America per min $4/4/5; h7am-8.30pm)
Anonymous-looking room for expensive inter-
national calls.
Tourist Information & Travel Agencies
Daw San San Aye (Map p 206 ; %31799; Hotel
Dynasty, 81st St, 24/25; h7. 3 0 a m - 8 p m) Ve r y
obliging, fair-priced air-ticket sales booth.
Seven Diamond (Map p 206 ; %30128, 72828;
82nd St, 26/27; h8am-9pm) Helpful agency that
can pre-book flights by email request, change
money at good rates and organise airport-bound
shared taxis. Henry speaks great English.
M T T (Map p 204 ; %60356; 68th at 27th St;
h9am-5pm) The government-run travel
company doubles as tourist office selling city
maps (K200) as well as transport tickets and
permit-needing tours. See p 21 for a discus-
sion of the implications of using government-
run agencies and services such as MTT and
Myanma Airways.
Websites
Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/myan
mar-burma/mandalay) Head here for planning
advice, author recommendations, traveller
reviews and insider tips.
8 Getting There & Away
Schedules and prices change frequently.