274WESTERN MYANMAR
RAKHAING STATE
7 Shopping
The broad souvenir selection at Htay Htay’s
(see p 273 ) is worth a browse and you can
watch fabric weavers working on looms at
the rear.Ngapali Art Gallery (www.ngapaliartgallery.
com; h9am-6pm) In Lin Tha Village, just
beyond the north end of Ngapali Beach, is
the atelier and gallery of San Naing whose
mainly abstract canvases are priced from
$100 to around $4500.
Gallerie Htein Lin Thar (h9am-9pm) Next
to Ngapali Art Gallery and representing a
range of artists selling colourful works. A
gift shop and cafe were in the process of
being set up when we dropped by.
Wai Bar La (Main Rd, near entrance to San-
doway Resort; h8am-8pm) Attractive wood
carvings by the son of the craftsman who
decorated the Sandoway Resort.8 Information
Ngapali Dispensary (%42233; h9am-noon,
1-4pm) is a charity-built clinic across from San-
doway Resort with English-speaking staff.
Upscale hotels allow nonguests to use their
internet (per 30 minutes/hour $3/6) or there’s
a small internet shack (one hour K3000;
h9am-9pm) opposite the Pleasant View Resort.
Most hotels can place international calls ($6
per minute).8 Getting There & Away
Air
Thandwe airport is named for the town 4 miles
inland, but is closer to Ngapali village. Hotel
buses meet planes typically off ering free trans-
port to Ngapali Beach.
Both Air Bagan (%42429) and Air Mandalay
(%42404) serve Yangon ($78 to $86; daily; 50
mins) and Sittwe ($65 to $71; daily; 40 mins)
Air Mandalay off er a daily connection from (butnot to) Heho/Inle Lake ($116; one hour). Con-
nections are less frequent from May through
September. Boat
Catch a bus to Taunggok. Fifty miles or so
north of Thandwe, Taunggok is a stopping-off
point for travellers between Pyay (Prome) and
Thandwe by bus, or for catching the Malikha
Express (%60127; $40; nine hours) boat to
Sittwe at 7am on Monday, Wednesday and
Saturday. Bus
Aung Thit Sar (%65363) run daily buses to
Yangon via Thandwe and Pyay (K15,500; 17 to 18
hours); you’ll pay the same if you only go as far
as Pyay (12 hours). Tickets are sold by hotels in
Ngapali Beach, and the bus will pick you up from
your accommodation. The road – particularly
between Taunggok and Pyay – has the reputa-
tion of being one of Myanmar’s hardest, bounci-
est, most stomach-churning trips. Bring warm
clothes, as the ride over the mountains at night
gets cold. For more details see p 146.
The other just-as-rough option to Yangon
(K15,500; 17 to 18 hours) is via Gwa (supposedly
eight hours).8 Getting Around
Pick-up trucks run frequently from Thandwe to
Ngapali Beach and on to Lon Tha village (K400,
one hour). Catch one in either direction on the
main road.
Bicycles can be rented from most hotels for
K2500 per day; and a few motorbikes are avail-
able for K15,000.Thandwe
o®tâE
%43 / POP C50,000
Located about 4 miles inland to the north-
east of Ngapali Beach, Thandwe fi lls a hilly
valley with its low-key streets. It’s been a key
Rakhaing town for many centuries. When
the British stationed a garrison here around
the turn of the 20th century, they twisted
the name into Sandoway.
There are no licensed places to stay and
eating boils down to noodles around the
market, or rice-’n’-curry restaurants on side
streets a block north and south. While not
a major destination, Thandwe makes for a
nice visit if you’re staying at Ngapali Beach
and fancy a change of scene.TAUNGGOK
STOP OVERIf you’re planning on connecting to
Sittwe from Ngapali Beach by boat,
you’re most likely going to have to over-
night in Taunggok. Only a couple of very
basic guesthouses near the bus station
take foreigners. Be prepared at the Roy-
al Guest House (%61088; r K6000) for
lumpy beds and no hot water.