261MANDALAY TO LASHIO8NORTHERN MYANMAR8NORTHERN MYANMARHSIPAWold wooden or half-timbered shophouses.
Eateries scattered south of the town hall
along the road towards the Lashio bridge are
even more rickety. Several cafes double as de
facto bus stands, such as the Duhtawadi Cafe.
Street vendors outside the cinema sell
moun-ou-khalei (rice-fl our balls) and kauk-
pout (‘cow-po’) rounds of pounded sticky
brown rice that are barbecued then sprin-
kled with jaggary and sesame.
San SHAN, CHINESE $
(Namtu Rd; meals K1000-2500, barbecue items
from K100; h8am-9.30pm) It’s under-lit and far
from stylish but cosier than many alterna-
tives; the barbecue is well stocked, large Dali
beers cost only K800 and there’s a bilingual
picture menu of other options.
Best Place CAFE $
(Aung Tha Paya St; shakes K500-800; h7am-
10pm) In this archetypal part-timbered
teahouse, ‘Mr Shake’ speaks English while
his wife whizzes up scrumptious lassis using
grated coconut and Pyin Oo Lwin strawber-
ries (seasonal).
Law Chun (‘Mr Food’) CHINESE $$
(Mr Food; Namtu Rd; mains K1000-4000; h8am-
8.45pm) ‘Mr Food’ stands out very obviously
from the pack due to its bright white, if far
from atmospheric, interior. The Chinese
food is reliable and there’s draught Dagon
beer on tap.
Valentines ICE-CREAM PARLOUR $
(Sabal St; shakes K500; h11am-9pm) Cold
drinks, shakes and ice creams in a clean,
modern, if over-cutesy, environment with
kiddy-chairs on the pavement and relatively
little passing traffi c to disturb you.
La Wün Aung CAFE $
(Namtu Rd; mains K800-1500; h6am-10pm)
One of several low-key teahouse bars that
hide the sports field but make amends by
screening international football matches.
Being handy for Mr Charles Guest House
and open relatively late, it gets plenty of
traveller business.
Black House Coffee Shop CAFE $
(23 Shwe Nyaung Pin St; coffee from K800,
banana cake K500; h6am-6pm) The airy,
75-year-old teak shophouse is backed by a
wide river-facing yard, a delightful, if rela-
tively unsophisticated, place to linger over
a coffee made from Shan beans grown in
Taunggyi.8 Information
The guesthouses are good sources of reliable
advice about things to do and see. A remarkable
source of local information and history is Ko
Zaw Tun, who is known locally as Mr Book, as
he runs a small book stall (Namtu Rd; h7am-
8.15pm) opposite the entrance to the Central
Pagoda (which his own family helped to build).
There are several internet cafes but connec-
tion breaks down frequently.8 Getting There & Away
Bus & Pick-Up Trucks
There’s no single bus stand. Instead buses leave
from a confusing plethora of shops/cafes notablyHsipaw
æSights üDrinking
1 Banyan Tree Nat Shrine........................ C2 12 Black House Coffee Shop......................D2
2 Central Market....................................... C2 13 La Wün Aung .......................................... C1
3 Godowns ................................................ C2 14 Valentines ...............................................B2
4 Produce Market ..................................... D2
ïInformation
ÿSleeping 15 Hospital ...................................................C3
5 Golden Doll/Mr Kid................................ B3 16 Mr Book Book Stall ................................C2
6 Mr Charles Guest House........................C1
7 Nham Khae Mao .................................... C3 ïTransport
17 Ah Kong Kaik Restaurant ......................B3
úEating 18 Duhtawadi Cafe ......................................C2
8 Best Place .............................................. C2 19 Khaing Dhabyay .....................................B3
9 Law Chun ('Mr Food')............................ C3 20 Pwai .........................................................C2
10 San .......................................................... C3 Ye Shin ........................................... (see 21)
11 Street Vendors ...................................... C2 21 Yetagon ...................................................B2
22 Yoma Bus Office.....................................B3