lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

116BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR BAGANNyaung Ue–;='wI"%061A bustling river town with more happeningthan you’ll find elsewhere in Bagan, NyaungU is where most independent travellers hangtheir hat (or backpack). Roaming the backroads towards the jetty or stopping at scrappyteashops will attract friendly wide-eyedlooks. There are a handful of temples to see,including the Shwezigon Paya (p 164 ), and alively market. Visitors staying in New or OldBagan tend to make it here, if not for therestaurant scene (the closest the Bagan areagets to nightlife) then for the transport links.Guesthouses and roadside restaurantsnow push a couple of miles west, along theroad to Old Bagan, reaching the small villageof Wetkyi-in (Giant Pig). The town wasnamed for a mythical pig that, per local legend,inhabited the lake there and killed a lotof people before being killed by a future kingof Bagan.1Sights & ActivitiesFThanakha GalleryMUSEUM, SHOP(%60179; cnr Yarkinnthar Hotel Rd & Main Rd;h9am-9pm) Claiming that it’s the ‘Only OneThanakha Gallery In the World’, this sizeable1complex has a small gallery devoted to themyriad medicinal and cosmetic uses of thethanakha tree (Limonia acidissima) – fromits roots to its bark. It has a small plantationof the trees, around which bounce a posseof cute bunny rabbits, to which you canfeed bunches of greens. Really, the place isa glorified shop for the thanakha cosmeticsof Shwe Pyi Nann (www.shwepyinann.com),as well as a good range of other Bagan and-Myanmar souvenirs. A restaurant, internetcafe and beauty salon round out the complex.Bagan Nyaung U Golf ClubGOLF(%60035; www.bagangolfresort.net/golfclub.html;green fee incl clubs & caddy $42; h6am-6pm) Justsouth of town, this government-owned facilityrun now by the Amazing Bagan Resorthas about half a dozen pagodas scatteredaround its 18-hole, par-72 course.4SleepingNyaung U’s main road has several cheap, interchangeableguesthouses (not listed below),which offer rooms for about $10. For that priceyou can expect a boxy room with a lazy ceilingfan, concrete or tiled floors and attachedbathroom with (supposedly) hot water, andsometimes even an old air-conditioning unit.Guesthouses off Yarkinnthar Hotel Rd (akaRestaurant Row) are away from traffic noise.66 66 666263Wetkyi-inAAyeyarwadyRiverShwezigonPaya # Ú18 #›Zeigyo(Market)Rd)# ú12Aye NyeinTharyarPark#â 1# ú1014#û11# ú9#ï # ÿ# ú716ÿ6#66Anawrahta RdTo Bagan Princess Hotel Bagan Nyaung(0.3 mi); Golden Express Hotel UGolfClub(0.4 mi); Winner Guest House (0.4 mi)ABBagan-Nyaung U Rd (MainBC#e 0 0.25 milesDNyaung U0 500 m‚13 # û 19 To Boat#›Jetty (1 mi)#þ 15# ÿ#ÿ 4# 2017# 35 # ÿ21 6##ÿ2#ñ# ÿ 8SapadaPaya#Ú#òAnawrahta RdTo Amazing BaganResort (0.4mi);Airport (2 mi);Train Station (2.5 mi)CD‚‚#-123