The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

418 Pages·2017·50.58 MB·English

by  Rough Guides

INSIDE THIS BOOK START YOUR JOURNEY WITH ROUGH GUIDES
INTRODUCTION What to see, what not to miss, itineraries and more – everything
you need to get started
BASICS Pre-departure tips and practical information
THE GUIDE Comprehensive, in-depth guide to Myanmar, with regional highlights
and full-colour maps throughout
CONTEXTS Background on Myanmar’s history, ethnic groups, religions and
architecture, plus recommended books and a useful language section
TRUSTED TRAVEL GUIDES Since 1982, our books have helped over 35 million
We’ve fl agged up our favourite places – a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a
travellers explore the world with accurate, honest and informed travel writing.
special restaurant – throughout the Guide with the ★ symbol
Myanmar (Burma) chapters
CHINA
N
INDIA
8
Bhamo
CHINA POCKET ROUGH GUIDES “Best of” section, essential itineraries and a unique
pull-out map featuring every sight and listing in the guide. Hip, handy and
perfect for short trips and weekend breaks.
Hsipaw
Mandalay
7
Bagan 5 6
InNley aLuaknegshwe LAOS
Sittwe 2 4
NAYPYITAW
BAY Pyay
OF
BENGAL
1 Hpa-An
Pathein Yangon
3 THAILAND DIGITAL Choose from our easy-
to-use ebooks and great-value
Snapshots to read on your tablet,
1 Yangon and around phone or e-reader.
BANGKOK 2 The Delta and western Myanmar
ANDAMAN
3 Southeastern Myanmar
SEA Myeik
ArchipMelyaegiok 45 CBeangtarna la Mndya anrmouanrd lRaOteUsGt HebGoUoIkDsE aSn.CdO gMet B inusyp airlle odu r
6 Inle Lake and the east
0 200 TGHUALILFA ONFD 7 Mandalay and around with travel features, quizzes
kilometres 8 Northern Myanmar and more.
Make the Most of Your Time on Earth at roughguides.com
This second edition published November 2017
Myanmar_B2_InsideCover.indd 417 30/06/17 4:25 pm
BANGLADESH
THE ROUGH GUIDE TO
MYANMAR
(BURMA)
this second edition updated by
Stuart Butler, Tom Deas and Gavin Thomas
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001-021_Myanmar-B2_Intro.indd 2 30/06/17 4:06 pm
INTRODUCTION 3
Contents
INTRODUCTION 4
Where to go 6 Things not to miss 12
Author picks 9 Itineraries 20
When to go 10
BASICS 22
Getting there 23 Festivals and events 41
Visas 26 Outdoor activities and sports 42
Getting around 26 Culture and etiquette 43
Accommodation 32 Shopping 45
Food and drink 34 Travelling with children 46
Health 38 Travel essentials 47
The media 40
THE GUIDE 54
1 Yangon and around 54 5 Bagan and around 198
2 The Delta and western Myanmar 98 6 Inle Lake and the east 234
3 Southeastern Myanmar 138 7 Mandalay and around 276
4 Central Myanmar 178 8 Northern Myanmar 310
CONTEXTS 356
History 357 Burmese architecture 389
Myanmar’s ethnic groups 381 Books 393
Burmese Buddhism and Language 396
traditional beliefs 385
Glossary 401
SMALL PRINT & INDEX 403
OPPOSITE KYAIKTIYO (GOLDEN ROCK) PREVIOUS PAGE BUDDHIST MONK, BAGAN
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4 INTRODUCTION 0 200
MYANMAR BURMA Hkak
(a5b8o8 R1amz)i kilometres
BHUTAN Dibrugarh Putao N
Nanyun
Guwahati
I N D I A
Homalin IndKaHhwLoagpmkyieinti Myitkyina C H I N A
Kunming
Introduction to
Aizawl Imphal Tam
MuawlaikKawlin Naba KathaShweguNamBhhkamn o Muse
Myanmar (Burma) Kalay Kalewa Namhsan Lashio
BANGLADESH Hakha Shwebo Kyaukme Hsipaw
VIETNAM
Until recently the least-known nation in Southeast Asia, Myanmar is fnally Monywa Mingun
MandPaylainy Oo Lwin
getting the attention it deserves. For half a century, the country languished Mt( 3V0ic5t3omria)
Pakokku Mong La
in self-imposed obscurity under the rule of its despotic and enigmatic N
Byagunagn U M(1t5 P1o8pma) Pindaya Taunggyi Loilem Kengtung
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pmhoialintaigcriaynl gruu,p laehnresda, lwvitaittllshe, tvbhirseit anetadht tiaaonkndian leg lv asenpnde lseecdsas. p Fueon lildso ebwresinitnoggo r dter.ca Aennlsl tfto heracmot enisdo n mioniw cw aanyds that Sittwe Mrauk UAnn Minbu
NAYMPaMgYweITiekAtiWla ThKaazilaw ILnalNkeeyauLnogiksahwe Tachileik MSaaie L AO S
were unimaginable even a few years ago, and visitors have begun focking to
Myanmar in unprecedented numbers. Pyay Taungoo
Taunggok Hpasawng
eIrcoonniocmalliyc, sit’asg pnraetcioisnel,y t hthaet shea dvec haedlepse odf psruefseorcvaet imngu cpho loitfi cMaly iasnomlatairo’sn ,m caogmicbailnlye dti mweit-h BBEANYG OAFL NgapGawliaThandwe
Bago Mt Kyaiktiyo VIENTIANE
warped character into the twenty-frst century (albeit at a terrible human cost). Te old
Burma immortalized by Kipling and Orwell is still very much in evidence today: this Chaung Tha KyaTihkahton Hpa-An
remains a land of a thousand gilded pagodas, of ramshackle towns and rustic villages Ngwe Saung Pathein Twante YangoMnawlamyine Myawaddy Mae Sot
populated with innumerable red-robed monks and locals dressed in fowing, sarong-like
Thanbyuzayat
l
liofne gsytil,l trheeviorl vfaecse asr somuneadr etdh ei nte cmoplolue rafnudl stwhier ltse aohf otruasdei,t aionnda wl thearnea tkhae. cIto’sr pao prlaatcee c ihna iwnhs ich Ye T H A I L A ND
and global brands that have gobbled up many other parts of Asia remain notably
conspicuous by their absence. Kanchanaburi
It’s also a uniquely diverse nation. Physically, Myanmar encompasses landscapes ranging Dawei Htee Phu Nam
Kee Ron BANGKOK
from the fertile plains of the majestic Ayeyarwady River to the jungle-covered highlands of
Shan State, and from the jagged, snowy Himalayan peaks bounding the northern edge of Metres
A N D A M A N Palaw
the country down to the emerald confetti of tropical islands dotting the Andaman Sea in
3000 S E A Myeik
the far south. Culturally, too, it’s a bewilderingly eclectic place, sandwiched between
2000 Myeik
Bangladesh, India, China and Tailand – all of which have exerted their own distinctive
1000 Archipelago G U L F O F
infuence on Burmese architecture, culture, cuisine and much more. Myanmar’s position Bokpyin T H A I L A N D
at one of Asia’s great cultural watersheds also accounts for its extraordinary ethnic 500
diversity, with well over a hundred minority peoples who continue to follow their 200
ABOVE A FISHERMAN ON INLE LAKE; NUNS’ SANDALS OUTSIDE A TEMPLE 0 Kawthaung Ranong
001-021_Myanmar-B2_Intro.indd 4 30/06/17 4:06 pm
yA
Chindwin
River
a w r a
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0 200
MYANMAR BURMA Hkakabo Razi
kilometres
(5881m)
Dibrugarh Putao N
BHUTAN
Nanyun
Guwahati Khamti
C H I N A
I ND I A
Myitkyina
Indawgyi
Lake
Homalin
Hopin
Kunming
Imphal
Naba Shwegu
Bhamo
Aizawl Tamu Kawlin Katha Muse
Mawlaik Namhkan
Kalay Kalewa
Namhsan
Lashio
BANGLADESH
Hakha Shwebo Kyaukme Hsipaw
VIETNAM
Monywa Mingun Pyin Oo Lwin
Mandalay
Mt Victoria Mong La
(3053m) Pakokku
Nyaung U Mt Popa
Bagan (1518m) Pindaya Taunggyi Loilem Kengtung
Mrauk U Meiktila Thazi Nyaungshwe Tachileik
Inle L AO S
Magwe Kalaw Lake Mae
Sittwe
Ann Minbu Sai
Loikaw
NAYPYITAW
Taungoo
Pyay
Taunggok Hpasawng
Thandwe
B A Y O F
Ngapali
B E N G A L
Gwa Bago Mt Kyaiktiyo VIENTIANE
Kyaikhto
Chaung Tha Hpa-An
Thaton
Ngwe Saung
Pathein
Twante Yangon Myawaddy Mae Sot
Mawlamyine
Thanbyuzayat
T H A I L A ND
Ye
Kanchanaburi
Dawei
Htee Phu Nam
Kee Ron BANGKOK
Metres Palaw
A N D A M A N
S E A
3000 Myeik
2000 Myeik
Archipelago
1000 G U L F O F
Bokpyin T H A I L A N D
500
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0 Kawthaung Ranong
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6 INTRODUCTION
traditional culture and beliefs, from the long-necked
FACT FILE
ladies of the Kayan (Padaung) tribe to the warlike Wa,
• Myanmar has a population whose ferce reputation endures to this day.
of around 55 million. Yangon
For the visitor, it’s these images of old Burma – the
is the largest city (5 million),
followed by Mandalay (1.3 spectacular temples of Bagan; the great golden stupa of
million) and the national Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset; traditional
capital Naypyitaw (1 million).
leg-rowed boats drifting across Inle Lake – that provide
• At 676,000 square the touchstone of the Burmese experience. Te winds of
kilometres, Myanmar is change, however, are blowing steadily through the
slightly smaller than Turkey,
country following the recent stunningly swift and
and slightly larger than
France. remarkably peaceful transition to democracy, followed
by the election in 2015 of a new NLD government led
• Buddhism is the main
by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Te new NLD
religion (around 88 percent
of the population), though administration may have so far disappointed, amid
there are also sizeable rising levels of ethnic and religious tension, heightened
populations of Christians,
press censorship and a range of other muddles and
Muslims and Hindus.
abuses, although the fact that the country has a
• The country was formerly democratic government at all stands as a monument to
named Burma after its
the many thousands of unheralded Burmese who
majority ethnic group – the
Bamar, who are thought to sacrifced their liberty, and often their lives, in the battle
represent around 68 percent for freedom during the fve decades of military rule.
of the population. Other
Given the tragic recent past, what is perhaps likely to
major groups include the
Shan (9 percent), Kayin (7 linger most in the memory is the sheer warmth of the
percent), Rakhine (4 percent) Burmese people, starved of contact with the outside
and Mon (2 percent).
world for so many years, and who remain among the
• Three major linguistic friendliest and most welcoming in Asia. Visit now,
families are represented in before it all changes.
Myanmar: Sino-Tibetan
(which includes Burmese),
Tai-Kadai (which includes the
Shan languages) and Where to go
Austro-Asiatic tongues such
as those of the Mon, Palaung One of Southeast Asia’s great cities, Yangon (Rangoon)
and Wa tribes.
is far and away Myanmar’s largest metropolis and
• George Orwell lived in commercial heart. Te glorious Shwedagon Pagoda is
Burma from 1922 until Myanmar’s – perhaps the world’s – most extraordinary
returning to England after
Buddhist temple, while the downtown area is a
catching dengue fever in
1927; his Burmese Days (see magnifcent showpiece of colonial architecture, with
p.393) remains one of the streets full of memorably decaying colonial-era
most-read books about the
buildings, hectic markets, miniature pavement cafés
country. Rudyard Kipling
also stopped by in 1889, after and a fascinatingly diverse range of multicultural
which he wrote his famous attractions ranging from Hindu and Chinese temples
poem “Mandalay” – without
through to the country’s only synagogue.
ever actually visiting the city
itself. To the south and west of Yangon, the fertile Delta
region is largely ignored by foreign travellers, with
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INTRODUCTION 7
BURMESE CHIC
Want to dress up like a Burmese? Just don a longyi, and slap on some thanaka. The longyi is a
sarong-like garment worn by both men and women in most parts of the country. Patterns vary
by gender, as does the style of folding. You may notice certain colour-related traits – green, for
example, is strongly associated with education and thus de rigueur with students, while those
working in the service industry often opt for sky blue. Longyis are extremely comfortable in
hot weather and can be picked up in any local market for as little as a couple of dollars.
Then there’s thanaka, a bright yellow paint that many of the country’s women and children
(and a fair few men as well) plaster on their faces – often in elaborate patterns. Made from
ground tree bark, thanaka is usually applied in the morning and serves as an all-purpose
sunblock, insect repellent, perfume, skincare product and adornment. Thanaka powder is widely
available in shops countrywide: just mix with a little water to form a paste and daub away.
most of those who do visit hurrying straight to the idyllic beach at Ngwe Saung. North
of here, in Rakhine State, is the perhaps even more stunning beach resort of Ngapali,
while in the far north of the state is far-fung Mrauk U, a sleepy backwater dotted with
magnifcent temples dating back to its glory days as one of Myanmar’s richest and most
cosmopolitan cities. North of Mrauk U, remote Chin State is one of Myanmar’s fnal
frontiers, only recently opened to foreigners and still seeing barely a trickle of
adventurous travellers lured by the chance of climbing soaring Mount Victoria and
meeting the state’s famous women with facial tattoos.
South of Yangon (and also accessible overland from Tailand), southeastern Myanmar
ofers a relatively untouristy but rewarding destination. Bago boasts a dazzling crop of
golden stupas and giant Buddha statues, while further south is the so-called Golden Rock
at Kyaiktiyo, a gravity-defying giant golden boulder balanced on the edge of a clif – one
of the country’s most jaw-dropping sights. South of here, the absorbing former British
capital of Mawlamyine is a lovely place to kick back for a few days, and it’s also the
starting point for enjoyable boat trips along the Tanlyin River to Hpa-An, which is
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8 INTRODUCTION
MYANMAR OR BURMA?
Burma was renamed Myanmar by the country’s military rulers in 1989 – a move widely resisted by
opposition groups, including Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). Following
the return to democracy, Myanmar is nowadays increasingly used as the nation’s default name
(including even by the NLD themselves), although it’s fne to use Burma if you prefer. We’ve used
Myanmar throughout the book, except when referring to the historical colonial era, and “Burmese”
to describe the food and the language. For more on the naming debate, see Contexts (p.380).
surrounded by beautiful, cave-studded karst countryside. In the far south of the country
is the wonderfully unspoilt Tanintharyi Region, with the gorgeous white-sand beaches of
the undeveloped Myeik Archipelago the main draw.
North of Yangon, the wide-open plains of central Myanmar are, for most visitors,
simply a region to be traversed en route between Yangon and Bagan or Mandalay. In
reality, the provincial towns of Taungoo and Meiktila ofer an enjoyable taste of
traditional Burmese life away from the tourist hordes, while the sprawling remains of the
great Pyu city of Tayekhittaya (Sri Ksetra) can be seen just outside the similarly
engaging, low-key Ayeyarwady town of Pyay. Further north is the country’s outlandish
modern capital, Naypyitaw, a surreal monument to the former ruling generals’
megalomaniac ambitions, with its vast (but eerily deserted) multi-lane highways and
government buildings.
North of here is Myanmar’s most spectacular attraction, Bagan, nestled beside the
Ayeyarwady River and surrounded by sweeping plains covered in an astonishing
profusion of ancient temples. Tis is unquestionably one of Asia’s greatest spectacles and
demands at least a few days of cycling among and delving inside the myriad monuments,
with perhaps a side-trip to the quirky, nat-infested Mount Popa as well.
Te southern half of Shan State epitomizes the appeal of the hilly east of the country.
Laidback Nyaungshwe is the major tourist hub, close to the northern end of spectacular
Inle Lake with its stilt villages and colourful markets. A great way of reaching the lake is
to hike there from Kalaw, a lofty town with its own appealing ambience, on a beautiful
two- or three-day trek among the hills through ethnic-minority villages.
Mandalay, Myanmar’s second city, doesn’t quite live up to the promise of its evocative
name, but compensates for its manic trafc and faceless concrete architecture with an
impressive palace and a fne crop of pagodas – including those lining beautiful Mandalay
Hill, with its sweeping sunset city views. You’ll fnd a memorable array of attractions
dotted around the fringes of the city, including the former royal capitals of Inwa and
Amarapura (the latter with its iconic U Bein teak footbridge), the stupa-studded hills of
Sagaing, and the monumental (although unfnished) stupa at Mingun, accessible via a
breezy boat trip up the Ayeyarwady.
West of Mandalay, it’s possible to take a day-trip to the remarkable, skyscraper-sized
Buddha statue at Maha Bodhi Tataung, near the town of Monywa. Striking of northeast
of Mandalay, quaint colonial Pyin Oo Lwin retains a decidedly British feel, while further
northeast the towns of Kyaukme and Hsipaw ofer good trekking and the chance to stay
in traditional ethnic-minority villages in the surrounding hills.
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