lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

PLAN YOUR TRIP

REGIONS AT A GLANCE

Mandalay &

Around

Temples 
Culture 
Shopping 

Temples
As Burma’s last royal capital,
Mandalay has retained many
fi ne monastic buildings. Ar-
guably more interesting are
the older stupas and temples
on the sites of several older
former capitals, including
what would have been the
world’s biggest stupa (Min-
gun) had it been fi nished.

Culture
Mandalay is considered
Myanmar’s cultural capital,
so it’s a convenient place
to see intimate traditional
dance performances and
marionette shows, while the
dissident Moustache Broth-
ers’ vaudevillian rants are
an eternal talking point.

Shopping
Numerous antique shops
don’t necessarily stock real
antiques, but even if you’re
only window-shopping
there’s an impressive range
of craft work, notably
stuff ed embroidery, silk,
stone carving and the
manufacture of gold leaf.
The stone carving and the
hammering of gold leaf are
fascinating to watch.

p 199

Nor thern

Myanmar

Outdoors 

Culture 

Boats 

Outdoors

Lace up your boots and hike

to unspoilt hill-tribe villages

that are easily accessible on

short yet easy-to-arrange

hikes from Hsipaw and

Kyaukme. Given permits

and serious money, intrepid

travellers can trek deep into

Myanmar’s Himalayan foot-

hills from Putao.

Culture

Immerse yourself in this re-

gion’s cultural panoply. Ob-

serve the contrasts between

the predominantly Chinese

Lashio, Palaung and Shan

villages around Hsipaw and

Kachin, and Lisu popula-

tions in Myitkyina, home to

two of Myanmar’s biggest

‘minority’ festivals.

Boats

Bump elbows with locals in

no-frills public boats chug-

ging down the mighty Ay-

eyarwady River. You'll barely

see another foreigner here.

But if you want something

even remoter, you could

join a relatively exclusive

tour that takes you rafting

or boating on the dramatic

Malikha River near Putao.

p 233

We s t e r n

Myanmar

Temples 

Beaches 

Boat Trips 

Temples

Explore the ruined and

functioning temples and

palace remains scattered

across the lush hillsides of

the old Rakhaing capital of

Mrauk U. Sittwe’s giant Lo-

kananda Paya and the teak

buildings of the Shwezedi

Kyaung monastic complex

are also worth searching

out.

Beaches

Idyllic stretches of palm-

fringed sand hardly come

more perfectly formed than

that at Ngapali Beach. You

can also watch the sunset

over the Bay of Bengal from

the beach and viewpoint a

short walk or cycle south of

Sittwe.

Boat Trips

The only way to reach

Mrauk U or the remote

Chin village further up the

Lemro River is by a leisurely

boat ride. For the really

adventurous there’s also the

day-long coastal hop from

Sittwe to Taunggok via the

island port of Kyaukpyu.

p 268

33