90AROUND YANGON
NORTH OF YANGON
Mya Nanda Hotel HOTEL $
(%19799; 10 Main Rd; r $6-15; a) An acceptable,
if grubby, budget choice, and the staff here
can arrange motorbike taxis and guides so
that you can check out the sights. 5 Eating
Hanthawaddy CHINESE, BURMESE $$
(192 Hintha St; mains K2000-8000; hlunch &
dinner) The food here isn’t amazing, but it’s
the only restaurant in Bago with a bit of
atmosphere. Located across from the foot-
ball pitch and a short walk from Gandamar
Hotel, the open-air upper level is breezy and
off ers great views of Shwewawdaw Paya.
And perhaps the food situation will change
when, as we were told, they get a Thai chef.Three Five Restaurant INTERNATIONAL, BURMESE $
(10 Main Rd; mains K1200-4000; hall day; a)
A friendly, but shabby, place a few doors
west of the Emperor Hotel. The menu is a
combination of Bamar, Chinese, Indian and
European; the food is cheap and good, and
the menu includes ‘goat fi ghting balls’ (goat
testicles), prepared in a number of ways.
Hadaya Café TEAHOUSE $
(hbreakfast & lunch) Opposite the Emperor
Hotel, this popular teahouse has a nice
selection of pastries and good-quality tea
and coffee.8 Information
STG Computer Center (Yangon-Mandalay Rd;
per hr K500; h5am-5pm) Offers basic internet
service east of the river. Other similar cafes can
be found northwest of the clock tower along
Yangon-Mandalay Rd.8 Getting There & Away
Bus
For buses from Yangon, see p 70.
Bago’s bus station (Yangon-Mandalay Rd) is
about halfway between the town centre and the
Bago Star Hotel, located across from the Hindu
temple. Many buses passing through Bago canalso be waved down from outside your hotel,
though unless you have booked a ticket in ad-
vance there is less likelihood of a seat.
Buses to Yangon (K1500, two hours) depart
approximately every 45 minutes from 6.45am
to 5.15pm.
Going south, buses to Kinpun, the starting
point for Mt Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), leave every
hour or so during the day (K5000, three hours).
During the rainy season (May to October), buses
go only as far as Kyaikto, 10 miles from Kinpun.
Departures for Mawlamyine are at 7.45am, 8am
and 9am (K8000, seven hours).
Heading north, for Mandalay there are depar-
tures at 5.30pm and 8pm (K11,500). It’s also
possible to hop on one of the buses coming
from Yangon – try to book ahead and ask your
hotel to help. For Taungoo and Inle Lake, you
might be able to grab a seat on one of the buses
originating in Yangon between 1.30pm and 4pm
(K14,000 to K16,000, 12 hours). Ta xi
A more expensive but more convenient alterna-
tive is to hire a taxi for a day trip from Yangon.
With bargaining this should cost about $60, but it
does give you the additional advantage of having
transport between sites once you get to Bago and
saves traipsing all the way out to the bus station
in Yangon. One-way taxis back from Bago straight
to your hotel in Yangon cost about K40,000.
A guide and driver to Mt Kyaiktiyo (Golden
Rock, p 93 ) can be hired for around $55 return.
For any of the above, you can inquire at the
town’s taxi stand (Yangon-Mandalay Rd) or
through any of the central Bago hotels. Train
For trains from Yangon see p 71.8 Getting Around
Trishaw is the main form of local transport in
Bago. A one-way trip in the central area should
cost no more than K500. If you’re going further
afi eld – say from Shwethalyaung Buddha, at one
end of town, to Shwemawdaw Paya, at the other –
you might as well hire a trishaw or motorcycle for
the day, either of which should cost about K6000.TRAINS FROM BAGODESTINATIONFARE ORDINARY/
UPPER ($) DURATION (HR) DEPARTURE
Yangon 2/5 3 6am-8pm
Mawlamyine 5/12 7-9 8.18am, 9.07am
Mandalay 10/27 14 6.11am, 6.51am, 7.21am, 7.50am, 1.50pm