175THAZI TO INLE LAKE8EASTERN MYANMAR8EASTERN MYANMARPINDAYAinformation on departures from Thazi and p 184
for departures from Shwenyaung (Inle Lake).
Heading to Shwenyaung, the train pulls into
Kalaw around 10am ($3, three hours); to Thazi, de-
parture is at 1pm ($5, six hours), but trains often
leave hours behind the offi cial departure times.
8 Getting Around
Most people choose to walk around town but
motorcycle taxis at the northeast corner of the
market can run you to Hnee Pagoda or the Shwe
Oo Min caves and back for around K2000.
Pindaya
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The road to Pindaya cuts across one of the
most densely farmed areas in Myanmar – at
fi rst glance, the patchwork of fi elds and hedg-
es could almost be a landscape from central
Europe or middle America. Along the way,
you’ll pass buff alo carts and groups of toiling
farmers in black Danu tunics and checked
Pa-O headscarves. The main reason to make
this appealing journey is to visit the famous
Shwe Oo Min Natural Cave pagoda, a mas-
sive limestone cavern fi lled with thousands of
gilded buddha statues, but the hills around
Pindaya are also home to a nascent trekking
scene.
1 Sights & Activities
oShwe Oo Min Natural
Cave Pagoda BUDDHIST CAVE PAGODA
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(admission $3, camera fee K300; h6am-6pm)
There are several ‘Golden Cave’ temples in
Shan State, but Pindaya’s Shwe Oo Min pa-
goda is by far the most impressive. Set high
on a limestone ridge above Pone Taloke
Lake, this winding complex of natural caves
and tunnels is fi lled to bursting point with
buddha images in an astonishing variety of
shapes, sizes and materials, many gaudily
daubed with gold paint.
At the latest count, the caves contained
more than 8700 statues, some left centuries
ago by Burmese pilgrims and others newly
installed by Buddhist organisations from as
far afi eld as Singapore, the Netherlands and
the USA. The collection of alabaster, teak,
marble, brick, lacquer and cement images
is still growing – pilgrims arrive in a slow
but steady stream, installing new images
and meditating in tiny meditation chambers
formed by natural cavities in the cave walls.
A series of covered stairways climb the
ridge to the cave entrance. Most people ar-
rive via the long stairway that starts near the
gleaming white zedi (stupas) of Nget Pyaw
Taw Pagoda, just south of the Conqueror
Hotel. You can skip the last 130 steps to the
cave mouth by taking the lift.
Two more covered stairways lead north
from the lift pavilion. One descends gently
back to Pindaya, while the other climbs to
a second cave pavilion containing a monu-
mental 40ft-high, gilded, Shan-style sitting
buddha. The steps continue along the ridge
to a third chamber with a large reclining
buddha and more shrines and pagodas
along the hilltop.
The easiest way to reach the caves is to
walk along the tarmac road past the Golden
Cave and Conqueror Hotels; it’s about two
miles and takes 20 minutes or so. Alterna-
tively, an easy-to-follow track runs straight
to the cave complex from the western shore
of Pone Ta Loke Lake – just follow the road
along the lake shore and turn right after
the Pindaya Hotel; the path branches off
to the left over a small bridge and, after a
short walk, connects with the long sloping
stairway that leads to the main cave. A horse
cart from the market to the Nget Pyaw Taw
pagoda entrance will cost K1000.BUSES & PICK-UP TRUCKS FROM KALAWDESTINATION FARE (K) DURATION (HR) DEPARTURE TYPE
Yangon 14,000 12-15 4pm-5.30pm air-con buses
Mandalay 8000-10,000 9 8am, 8pm air-con buses
Bagan 12,000-13,000 6-8 7am air-con bus
Taunggyi 2000 3 6am, 6.30am, 7am non-air-con bus,
pick-up
Thazi 2500 4 6am-2pm pick-up