lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

104SOUTHEASTERN MYANMAR KAYIN STATEPilgrims standing at the water’s edge placeclay pots of flowers and milk into the sea inorder to ‘feed’ the spirits.The only accommodation in town is KadayKywe Guest Villa (%75019; Bogyoke Rd;r 50,000, without bathroom K6000; a). A shortwalk from Yele Paya, this hotel has tidy butoverpriced air-con rooms with attachedbathrooms, while the shared bathrooms arelittle more than fan-cooled closets. There’sa basic restaurant directly across the street.During the early half of the day there arepick-up trucks to Kyaikkami from Thanbyuzayatfor K500 per person. From Mawlamyine,a Kyaikkami-bound bus (K1050, 2½ hours)leaves from the Thanbyuzayat stop near themarket.SETSE BEACHck'cENot a picture postcard beach by any stretchof the imagination, but as the grime of travelwashes away you probably won’t care. Thislow-key Gulf of Mottama (Martaban) beachis a very wide, brown-sand strip. The beachis lined with waving casuarina trees and hasbeen a popular spot for outings since colonialtimes. Though a few locals stop by fora swim, almost no foreigners visit this areaand facilities are minimal. At low tide youcan walk along the beach to the small templeon the rocks at the northern end.You can stay at the privately owned ShweMoe Guesthouse (%09-870 3283; r $20),which has spacious but run-down beachbungalows. A few modest restaurants offerfresh seafood, including the Pyay Son OoRestaurant, which is very close to the hotel.Pick-ups run between Setse and Thanbyuzayaton a fairly frequent basis (K500). Thelast one leaves for Thanbyuzayat at 4pm.EAST OF MAWLAMYINEKYAIKMARAWkYŸik'mer;This small, charming town of wooden houseslined with flowering plants, 15 miles southeastof Mawlamyine, is the site of an importanttemple. Yet more impressive than thetemple is the drive to get there, which passesthrough bright green rice fields studded withsugar palms and picturesque villages.Kyaikmaraw PayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEkYŸik'mer;.urC"The pride of the town is this temple of serene,white-faced buddhas built by QueenShin Saw Pu in 1455. Among the temple’smany outstanding features are multicolouredglass windows set in the outsidewalls, an inner colonnade decorated in mirroredtiles, and beautiful ceramic tile floors.Painted reliefs appear on the exterior of severalauxiliary buildings.Covered brick walkways lead up to andaround the main square sanctuary in typical15th-century Mon style. The huge mainbuddha image sits in a ‘European pose’,with the legs hanging down as if sitting ona chair, rather than in the much more commoncross-legged manner. A number ofsmaller cross-legged buddhas surround themain image, and behind it are two recliningbuddhas. Another impressive feature is thecarved and painted wooden ceiling.8Getting There & AwayBUS Buses nip between the eastern side of zeigyi(Mawlamyine’s main market) and Kyaikmarawevery hour during the daylight hours for K800.KHA-YON CAVESxru®8UUSpirited away in the back of the little-known,dark and dank Kha-Yon Caves, a short wayalong the road to Hpa-an, are rows of ghostlybuddha statues and wall paintings that comelurching out of the dark as the light from atorch catches them. Close by is another, smaller,cave system. This one is more of an opencavern and contains further statues, as well asa small cave-dwelling stupa. Bring a torch orbuy candles from the stall near the entrance.The statues and shrines in these cavesmake for a popular stop for local touristsand pilgrims alike. There is something unnervingabout stumbling upon a meditatingmonk sitting in utter darkness at the foot ofa cobweb-stained shrine.To get here from Mawlamyine, head tothe bus station and take any bus towardsHpa-an (K1050, 10 departures between 6amand 4pm) and ask to be dropped at the junctionfor the caves.KAYIN STATEThe limestone escarpments and luminouspaddy fields, coupled with a fascinatingethnic mix, would make Kayin State(kr='¨p–'ny''') a Myanmar highlight butsadly, like so much of the nation’s borderregions, much of the area is very much offlimits to foreign visitors.