lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

couple of places to eat in the Junction mall,where you’ll also find a cinema (K1500).oMaw Khan Nong BAMAR $(Golden Hill; meals K1500; h7am-10pm) Join governmentworkers at this canteen and beerstation with a spacious outdoor terrace. Orderthe good value ‘Bagan bowl’ meal, whichincludes a choice from the menu of one vegetableand two meat dishes plus rice.oSantino INTERNATIONAL $$(Golden Hill; meals K2500-5000; h7am-10pm)The menu at this appealing Western-stylecafé, bakery and restaurant has somethingfor everyone, kicking off with full Americanstylebreakfasts (K4000) and continuingwith things such as burgers, club sandwichesand pizza.Café Flight INTERNATIONAL $$(%422 122; info@skypalace.asia; 3 Yarza ThingahaRd; mains K3500-9000; h8am-10pm) The safestway to board a Myanma Airways planeis to board this one, parked in front of theSky Palace Hotel, and turned into a café-barserving draught Tiger beer (K850), coffee,noodles, pasta and pizza.8Getting There & AwayAirA new international airport is under construction10 miles southeast of the city. The government’sMyanma Airways runs a ‘daily’ fl ight here, but inreality it runs very irregularly.BusesNay Pyi Taw has two bus stations. The closestto the hotel zone is at Mymoma Market, west ofthe Thabayaegone Roundabout. The Bawga Thiribus station is on the Pyinmana side of town,around 1 mile east of Uppatasanti Paya; servicesfrom this station depart for Yangon at 6am, 5pmand 9pm (K5900, fi ve hours) and Mandalay at9pm (K4600, six hours).TrainsSeveral miles northeast of the Uppatasanti Payais the ridiculously massive new train station withan old steam locomotive as decoration out front.There are trains to Yangon and Mandalay:Yangon (sleeper/ordinary/upper $21/19/7; nineto 10 hours; departures 6am, 9.10am)Mandalay (sleeper/ordinary/upper $17/15/7;six to seven hours; departures 2.15pm, 9.15pm)8Getting AroundNya Pyi Taw is no place for walking and there’snothing approaching a public bus service. Thebest way around is by private car, taxi or privatemotorbike taxis. From the bus and train stationsto the hotel zone costs around K5000 by taxi.Four hours by motorbike taxi around the cityfrom Pyinmana should cost you around K10,000.Nay Pyi Taw Taxi & Car Rental Services(%414 994, 09-4921 0613) Run by governmentaffiliatedMax Myanmar group; see p 21 .MeiktilamitIÏl;%064This attractive lakeside town, on the crossroadsbetween Yangon, Mandalay, Baganand Inle Lake, is a busy little trade centrewith plenty of locals in uniform issued fromthe air-force bases outside town. It’s not terriblyexciting, but a bike ride around thelake can be fun – and you can peek at theold British officers’ house where Aung SanSuu Kyi and Michael Aris honeymooned.Legend goes that King Anawrahta, founderof Bagan, had a pond here broadened into thecurrent lake that looms west of town. Whenthe king asked if the lake extended all the wayto Mt Popa, the report came back: ‘Lord, itdoesn’t go that far.’ The name ‘Meiktila’ is anabbreviation of that bad-news report.Between February and March 1945, theBritish killed 20,000 Japanese soldiers basedhere in the final WWII battle for control ofBurma. Much of the city was flattened. Sadlythat trend has continued: town-engulfing firesdevastated the city in 1974 and 1991; anotherbig one took out several buildings in 2003.1SightsLake Meiktila is the town’s premier attraction.There are no boating options, but youcan cycle around some of it. Between the roadand rail bridges, west of the city centre, youwon’t miss Phaung Daw U Paya, a templehoused in a giant floating barge shaped in theform of a golden Karaweik, a mythical bird.Cross the road bridge to reach the woodenpier leading to the pretty Antaka YelePaya, a small pagoda perched on an islandin the lake. Back on the main road is anAung San statue.About 270yd southwest of the bridge is abuilding that was once a British colonialdiplomat house. The building was used asan interrogation centre by the Japanese inWWII, and many years later Aung San SuuKyi and Michael Aris honeymooned here.The house is to the east of the LakesideWunzin Hotel.141YANGON–MANDALAY BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR HIGHWAY 8 MEIKTILA8