lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

Pyayæ Top SightsSehtatgyi Paya.....................................D2Shwesandaw Paya...............................C2æ Sights1 Wunchataung Paya .............................D3ÿ Sleeping2 Lucky Dragon.......................................A23 Myat Lodging House ........................... A14 Pyay Strand Hotel ...............................A25 Smile Motel ..........................................B2ú Eating6 Grandma Café......................................A27 Hline Ayar Restaurant.........................A2Night Market ................................ (see 6)8 Pyay Star Restaurant..........................B2ï Transport9 IWT Office.............................................A3cute place that turns out very tasty dolsotbibimbap and kimchi ramen, along withless adventurous dishes such as sandwiches,burgers and pasta.Southern Star CHINESE $$(%25484; Strand Rd; dishes K4000-5000; h10am-11pm) Enjoy river views from the terrace ofthis big restaurant serving good food, closeby the Nawade Bridge. In the eveningsthere’s karaoke, unless it’s a weekend whenthey screen English Premier League soccermatches.Pyay Star Restaurant CHINESE $$(cnr Bogyoke Rd & Pyay-Yangon Rd; dishes fromK1800-3000) The Star is a great spot: a twofloorbeer hall with plenty of buzz and a balconyon which to eat tasty Chinese fare anddown draught Myanmar beer or ABC stout.Hline Ayar CHINESE, MYANMAR $$(Strand Rd; dishes veg K1200, meat K2800-4000,fish K3000-6500; h9am-9pm) Over on the river,this live-music spot shows its years (pluscheesy pop singers at 7pm), but it has tableslooking over the Ayeyarwady.8InformationCosmic (Kan St; per hr K400; h7.30am-11pm)For internet, try here. It’s in the same buildingas a cinema.My Space Another internet provider; across theroad from Cosmic.8Getting There & AwayBoatRoutes along the Ayeyarwady River start andstop in Pyay, heading either north or south. Fewforeigners use either service.The IWT office (%24503; Strand Rd; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri) is helpful on ever-changing timesfor slow-going government ferries. At researchtime, a ferry left at 5.30am on Wednesday forMandalay (deck/cabin $9/18, about fi ve days),and another cargo boat left Tuesday night forYangon (deck/cabin $9/18; about three days).BusPyay is located at the junction of roads to Yangon,Bagan and Thandwe (for Ngapali Beach).The highway bus station is about two miles eastof the centre (just off Bogyoke Rd).Several companies run buses to Yangon(K4100, seven hours) throughout the day, includingAsia Express (%28145). There are nodirect buses north to Bagan from Pyay, but youcan catch a bus that left from Yangon for the fullYangon–Bagan fare (K15,000 to K18,000, 12 to13 hours). Or take the 8.30am bus run by SunMoon (%09-4950 0521) to Magwe (K4100, sixto seven hours), from where a 6am or 7am busthe next day leaves for Bagan.Heading to Ngapali by bus is possible, but notterribly convenient. Thile Lone Kyaw run minibusesto Taunggok (K10,000, 11 hours) leavingat 5pm.TrainA lone daily train leaves Pyay’s central train stationat 11.30pm for Yangon (sleeper/upper/1st/ordinary class $14/13/10/5, 8½ hours). FromShwethekar station, 3 miles east of the citytowards Thayekhittaya, you can also board theYangon to Bagan train as it takes a three-minutepause at 10pm (sleeper/upper/1st $28/26/23),before arriving in Bagan 8am; the Bagan to Yangontrain arrives at 2.30am, before continuingon to Yangon.8Getting AroundTrishaws and blue taxi pick-up trucks are themain ways of getting around. A trishaw ride to/from the bus station is around K1000, and K1500by blue taxi. A regular pick-up truck service runsalong Bogyoke Rd to the bus station (K200).Around PyayTHAYEKHITTAYAserextËr;It’s no Bagan, but this ancient site (admission$5, incl museum $10; h8am-5pm), about 5miles east of Pyay centre, can make for a fun145YANGON–BAGAN & CENTRAL HIGHWAY MYANMAR 8 8 AROUND PYAY