250
NORTHERN MYANMAR
MANDALAY TO LASHIO
Hanlin Village VILLAGE
Coming all this way without visiting the ar-
chaeological sites would seem inexplicable,
but Hanlin village is nonetheless a magical
place in its own right. Unpaved ox-cart tracks
link an incredible plethora of decaying old
stupas that create the feeling of an untouched
mini-Bagan. This is best appreciated when
the scene is viewed from behind Maung San
Monastery with its obvious golden zedi.
Near the market is a collection of inscribed
steles and stone slabs in now-forgotten Pyu
script. Within the Nyaung Kobe Monastery
(donation expected), a museum room displays
various ancient, but unlabelled, archaeo-
logical fi nds. Another minor attraction is the
little hot spring area where villagers collect
water from circular concrete-sided well-pools
and bathe in two bigger basin-pools. 8 Getting There & Away
Hanlin is about 12 butt-kicking miles southeast of
Shwebo. Follow the canal beside the bus station
for 6 miles to Bo Tè village, then turn left (across
the canal) on the fi rst signifi cant road. This soon
degenerates into an outrageously rutted ox-cart
track that is very slowly being regraded. Fork
left at the only other junction. Coming by car or
three-wheeler would be excruciatingly uncom-
fortable on these tracks. It’s marginally less
painful by motorcycle: with a driver you’ll pay at
least K12,000 return from Shwebo.MANDALAY TO LASHIO
For an easy escape from the heat and smog
of Mandalay, do what the colonial Brits al-
ways did – nip up to Pyin Oo Lwin. And once
you’ve got going, why not continue further
across the cool Shan Plateau to discover
some of Southeast Asia’s most satisfying
short hill-tribe treks from Kyaukme or Hsi-
paw. But bring a decent fl eece: although days
are warm, it gets chilly after dark and can
be downright cold at 5am when buses depart
and markets are at their candlelit best.Pyin Oo Lwin
̈p='wI"lâ='
%085 / POP C70,000 / ELEV 3445FT
Founded by the British in 1896, the town was
originally called Maymyo (‘May-town’), after
Colonel May of the 5th Bengal Infantry and
was designed from its inception as a place
to escape the Mandalay heat. Following the
Indian-raj terminology for such places, ithas ever since been known as a ‘hill station’,
though in fact it’s almost entirely fl at ( just at
raised elevation). After the construction of
the railway from Mandalay, Maymyo became
the summer capital for the British colonial
administration, a role it held until the end of
British rule in 1948. The name was changed
after the British departed but numerous co-
lonial half-timbered buildings remain. So too
do the descendents of the Indian and Nepali
workers who came here to lay the railway line.
In later decades, Pyin Oo Lwin was fa-
mous mostly for its fruit, jams, vegetables
and fruit wines. And the huge military
academies, built here to train the soldiers of
the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army). However,
as Myanmar gets a new breed of nouveau
riche, Pin Oo Lwin is once again becoming
a popular weekend and hot-season getaway.
The town is seeing a burst of investment,
roads are getting busier and construction
is beginning to fi ll up the once generous
tree-shaded spaces between mansions in the
wealthy southern quarter. Come quickly to
experience what’s left of the old calm. 1 Sights
Getting around town by horse and cart adds
to the nostalgic atmosphere, and by suit-
ably manoeuvring the buggy you can add
foreground interest to photos of the various
colonial buildings. Town Centre
Marking the town centre is the Purcell Tower
a 1936 clock tower which thinks that it’s Big
Ben, judging from its quarter-hourly chimes.
Around 6am, the pretty Maha Aung Mye Bon
Thar Pagoda insists on broadcasting Bud-
dhist lectures through its loudspeakers just in
case you weren’t already awake. The most im-
portant central pagoda is Shwezigone Paya,
though it’s not worth a special detour.
The red brick, Anglican All Saints’
Church (Ziwaka St; hservices at 8.30am Sun,
7am Wed) was originally built in 1912 as the
regimental church for Maymyo.GARDENS AREA
oNational Kandawgyi Gardens PARK
amY¬i"s;"kn'et;'äkI"wyY;w''
(Nandan Rd; adult/child under 12yr/camera $5/2/1;
h8am-6pm) Founded in 1915 (though only
offi cially recognised from 1924), this lovingly
maintained 435-acre botanical garden fea-
tures more than 480 species of fl owers, shrubs
and trees. For casual visitors its most appeal-