lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

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MON STATE

SLEEPING

SOUTHEASTERN MYANMAR

SLEEPING

SOUTHEASTERN MYANMAR

MAWLAMYINE (MOULMEIN)

Htyan Haw Chinese Temple serves the lo-
cal Chinese community. Of historic interest
is the sturdy brick First Baptist Church (cnr
Htet Lan Magyi Rd & Dawei Jetty Rd), also known
as the Judson Church; this was Myanmar’s
fi rst Baptist church.

Gaungse Kyun (Shampoo Island) ISLAND
ex:='"ez"kâJn'"
This picturesque little isle just off Mawla-
myine’s northern end is so named because,

during the Ava period, the yearly royal hair-

washing ceremony customarily used water

taken from a spring on the island.

You can hire a boat out here from the

pier at the north end of town, not far from

the former Mawlamyine Hotel, for K2000

return. Peace rather than sights are the rea-

son for venturing out here, but you can visit

Sandawshin Paya, a whitewash-and-silver

zedi (stupa) said to contain hair relics, and

a nearby Buddhist meditation centre. Many

nuns, with a menagerie of pet dogs, live on

the island.

 4 Sleeping

Most of Mawlamyine’s accommodation is a

K1000 motorcycle taxi ride from the train

station, bus station or boat pier.

oCinderella Hotel HOTEL $$

(%24411; http://www.cinderellahotel.com; 21 Baho Rd;

s/d/tr $18/30/40; aiW) Where else could

you aff ord to stay in the nicest place in

town? This shockingly purple structure has

numerous and capable staff who look after

huge rooms with heaps of amenities: 24-

hour electricity, TV, air-con, wi-fi and a huge

fridge stuff ed with junk food.

Breeze Guest House BUDGET HOTEL $

(Lay Hnyin Tha; %21450; breeze.guesthouse@

gmail.com; 6 Strand Rd; s $6-12, d $16; a) The

rooms aren’t much but the Breeze, an at-

tractive, blue, colonial-style villa on Strand

Rd, produces its charms in other ways. The

staff are an endless source of information,

pleasant conversation and superb guiding

skills. Try to snag one of the more expensive

rooms, which are quite spacious and have

large, modern bathrooms with air-con.

Attran Hotel HOTEL $$

(%25764; Strand Rd; r $25-60; a) Overlooking

the sultry river waters, the Attran is suitably

reminiscent of a beach resort. Tour groups

enjoy the series of orderly bungalows spread

across the green pastures. It’s exceptionally

friendly and helpful, but there is no getting

away from the fact that it’s a little overpriced.

The hotel restaurant, on a deck by the river

and lit up at night, is a nice place to eat.

Sandalwood Hotel HOTEL $$

(%27253; 278 Myoma Tadar St; r $15-35; a) A

modern and clean multi-storey hotel, con-

veniently located near the town’s attrac-

tions, restaurants and internet cafés. Com-

municating in English can be problematic

Mawlamyine (Moulmein)

æTop Sights

Kyaikthanlan Paya ...............................C3

Mahamuni (Bahaman) Paya...............C3

æSights

1 Aung Theikdi Zedi................................C4

2 First Baptist Church ............................B5

3 Htyan Haw Chinese Temple ...............A5

4 Kaladan Mosque ..................................A2

5 Moghul Shiah Mosque.........................A2

6 Mon Cultural Museum.........................B5

7 Seindon Mibaya Kyaung .....................C4

8 Surtee Sunni Jamae Masjid ................A3

9 U Khanti Paya ......................................C4

10 U Zina Paya ..........................................C4

ÿSleeping

11 Attran Hotel ......................................... A1

12 Aurora Guest House............................A4

13 Breeze Guest House............................A4

14 Cinderella Hotel ...................................B4

15 Ngwe Moe Hotel ..................................A5

16 Sandalwood Hotel ...............................A4

úEating

17 Chan Thar Restaurant.........................A4

18 Help Grandfather and Mother

Restaurant ........................................A4

19 Mi Cho Restaurant...............................A2

20 Mya Than Lwin Restaurant.................A5

21 Peking Restaurant ...............................A4

Teahouse..................................... (see 12)

þShopping

22 Big Market ............................................A2

23 Myine Yadanar Market ........................B2

24 Zeigyi ....................................................A2

ïTransport

25 Boats to Bilu Kyun ...............................A2

26 Boats to Gaungse Kyun ...................... B1

27 Kyaik Hpa Nai Jetty ............................ C1

28 Pedestrian Jetty to Mottama..............A3

29 Vehicle Jetty to Mottama.................... B1