mrauk oo shares many similarities with another of the ... · mrauk oo is hot and the sun...

11Air Mandalay - The Golden Flight |

The most famous pagodas are

undoubtedly the Shitthaung

and Koethaung temples.

Interesting sites on their

own, the two also represent a

small game of one-upmanship

on behalf of their builders,

the father and son pairing

of King Minbun, who built

Shittaung in 1535, and his son,

King Mintaikkha, who built

Koethaung in 1553. Shitthaung

i n M y a n m a r t r a n s l a t e s

to 80,000 – a reference to

the 80,000 Buddha images

etched or mounted on the

walls, occupying virtually every

available space. Koethaung

is the same again – but with

another 10,000 images.

While most pagodas in the

country, including those in

Bagan, are large structures

with high ceilings and big

interior rooms, the design

and construction techniques

employed at Mrauk Oo are

quite different. Certainly

there are large interior rooms,

but around the outside are

a number of passages that

slowly but surely make their

way to the centre, thereby

creating room for the armies

of Buddha images.

Natural lighting is very much

at a premium and some of the

passages are spookily dark.

It seems odd to carry a torch

with you while you’re walking

around Mrauk Oo during the

day but when you’ve been

inside some of the pagodas the

reasons for doing so quickly

become clear.

Getting around is easy but

at most times of the year

Mrauk Oo is hot and the sun

unyielding. It’s quite possible

to visit most of the sites

within the main pagoda group

– including both Shitthaung

and Koethaung – on foot. But

depending on where you’ve

chosen to stay, it’s probably

worth hiring a trishaw to get

to where you’d like to start.

This is unlikely to cost more

than K2000 (about US$2)

but make sure you negotiate

the fare before you set off.

Alternatively, several places

rent bicycles out for the day,

and any good hotel can also

find a jeep should you prefer

to drive around.

When the temples become

a little overwhelming – and it

does happen – there’s a market


Mrauk Oo shares many similarities with another of the country’s former capitals – Bagan – but unlike that destination it’s not part of the main tourist trail, which makes for a mix of good and bad.

“

12 | Air Mandalay - The Golden Flight

to explore in the middle of the

town, and further afield are

the hills and villages of Chin

State. At least two of the hotels

are able to hire jeeps that will

take you up into Chin State on

daytrips for about $50 a day.

As with all the major religious

sites in Myanmar there is an

archaeological zone entrance

fee – $5 in this case, which

is difficult to avoid paying,

particularly if you visit the two

big temples.

Because the area is far less

frequented than Bagan the

number of hawkers following

tourists around is much lower,

although this might also

be because Mrauk Oo is a

functioning trading town and

not as many people rely on the

tourist dollar.

Accommodation ranges in

price – and facilities – from

as little as $10 a night up

to more than $100 at the

fancier locations. Those who

choose to eat lunch in town

and away from their hotel will

be rewarded – the food from

all the restaurants that I ate at

was excellent and cheap. And

at least one of the restaurants

serves a local specialty – tiny,

pea-sized potatoes, which have

to be seen to be believed. A

favourite with travellers is Moe

Cherry restaurant, which has

an open upper balcony and is

a fine place to relax for a meal

and a drink.

Rakhine State is also famous

for its own particular variety

of fish and noodle soup –

elsewhere called mohinga –

but known in Rakhine as mont

tee. It’s spicy, usually served

hot and less heavy on the fish

sauce. To my palate, it’s a far

more attractive option than

mohinga.

The last thing you want as

a time-scarce traveller is an

extended lay-up in a transit

town like Sittwe but with a little

preparation the experience

can be much more enjoyable.

Getting marooned in Sittwe for

a single night or morning is no

bad thing because the town

has some of the freshest and

best seafood in the country.

More than a day is too long

and you might even make

the mistake of ordering black

coffee.


Rakhine State is also famous for its own particular variety of fish and noodle soup – elsewhere called mohinga – but known in Rakhine as mont tee. It’s spicy, usually served hot and less heavy on the fish sauce.

“

13Air Mandalay - The Golden Flight | 13Air Mandalay - The Golden Flight |


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About 700 years ago, workers began carving into the sandstone at Monywa, creating hallowed caves that eat into the mountainside and then furnishing them with weathered Buddha statues sculpted out of the rock. The result is a haunting and evocative monument to Buddhism – one of just many in the area

surrounding the city of Monywa, which lies 136km northwest of Mandalay in Sagaing

Region, a distance that can be covered in three to four hours by bus.

Sleepier than the pulsating streets of Yangon and less arid than Mandalay, Monywa is

home to some unique tourist attractions – and thousands upon thousands of Buddha

images. From the inch-high statues that line the walls of Thanboddhay pagoda, to the

sandstone carved Buddhas in the Pho Win Taung caves, to the towering 114-metre

(380-foot) tall Laykun Setkyar standing Buddha, Monywa is a veritable land of Buddha

– and one that the government seems determined to keep expanding.

The newest addition to the Buddha statue anthology is also the biggest – in fact, it’s

one of the largest in the world. The Laykyun Setkyar Buddha stands rigidly at the foot of

the Po Khaung Taung mountain range, and though it’s surrounded by hills, its enormity

is still staggering to behold. Construction work on the statue began in 1996, and it

officially opened as a tourist attraction in February 2008. Occasionally, at dawn or on

overcast days, the statue is enveloped by fog and its upper body disappears entirely

into the clouds. But at most times of the day, its golden robe and pearly white skin

dominate the landscape, and the gleaming statue and polished tiles make the area

shimmer with heat.

Destination


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