lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

142Meiktila #e 0 200 mA1Pick-Ups toMyingyan##›Htee Thone # Ú BusSint Paya StationClock #áTower0 0.1 milesB1# AsiaWorldMeiktilaæ Sights1 Antaka Yele Paya.................................A32 Phaung Daw U Paya ............................A2ÿ Sleeping3 Honey Hotel .........................................B3BAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMAR YANGON–MANDALAY HIGHWAYTo Aung Sanstatue (160m);Lakeside WunzinHotel‚(300m)23‚LakeMeiktila2#Ú# Ú 1To ShweKyaung (1 mi)AMarket# ü 5Mandalay-YangonHighway3 #ÿ# ú4Train#£StationA mile around the west end of the lake,Shwe Kyaung is a walled monastery on theinland side of the road with Japanese signsleading to a WWII monument that Britishand Japanese survivors put up in 1972.Monks will show you around. Just past themonument, a picturesque path leads betweenthe lake and (usually) flooded ricefields.Don’t keep going to the south side of thelake, as the path leads into the no-go zone ofa military compound.4SleepingHoney Hotel HOTEL $$(%25755, 23588; Panchan St; r $10-30;a) Righton the lake in town, this converted mansionis Meiktila’s best bet. If available, opt forroom G2, which has views directly across thelake. Newly built, more expensive rooms atthe front of complex substitute fresh paint,linens and TVs for the lack of lake view.Lakeside Wunzin Hotel HOTEL $$(%23848, 23559; 49A Than Lwin Rd; economy/superior/deluxes $8/24/30, d $12/30/36;a) Showingits years, the pricier, huge rooms hereoverlook the lake from a quiet backstreetout of the centre. Staff are happy to join youfor tennis on the scrappy court outside.B23ú Eating4 Shwe Ohn Pin.......................................B3ü Drinking5 Gold Rain Tea Center ..........................B35Eating & DrinkingMeiktila’s not much for fancy eats.Shwe Ohn Pin CHINESE $$(Mandalay-Yangon Rd; dishes K2500-4500; h7am-10pm) This clean tiled restaurant, located inthe centre, hands you an English menu forits tasty Chinese and Myanmar dishes.Golden Rain Tea Center TEAHOUSE $(tea K200; h5am-9.30pm) This popular place,just off the Mandalay–Yangon Rd, has all theusual milky, sweet drinks and filling chickenor pork steamed buns. Mix with locals at thelow tables shielded by a rattan roof cover.8Getting There & AwayBusesExpress buses zooming between Yangon andMandalay stop on the road east of the clocktower (and not at the local bus station). Alongthis road you’ll fi nd half a dozen ticket-salesshops, including Asia World (%09-4301 1348)opposite the Thiri Minglar Mosque.Buses from Meiktila go to the following destinations:Bagan (K6000, fi ve hours, daily at 4pm),Lashio (K9000, eight hours, two daily), Magwe(K5500, eight hours, four daily), Mandalay(K2000, three to four hours, several daily), NayPyi Taw (K2000, three to four hours, several daily)and Yangon (K8500, 10 to 12 hours, three daily)Pick-Up TrucksFrom the bus station, pick-ups for Taunggyi(K2500 to K4000, six hours) leave regularly,stopping in Kalaw for the same price.Pick-ups for Myingyan (K4000, 2½ hours)leave regularly from the main road in front of theHtee Thone Sint Paya, north of the clock tower.TrainThere’s a small train station in town, catchingslow trains heading east–west. A more usefulstation is in Thazi, about 16 miles east, at the