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174EASTERN MYANMAR THAZI TO INLE LAKE3N South Indian Food INDIAN $(Union Hwy; meals from K1500; hlunch & dinner)Probably as authentic as that Italian restaurantyou ate at in Nyaungshwe, but tasty andgood for vegetarians.There are several good teashops in Kalaw,many with a distinct Indian feel. All areopen from breakfast to lunch, and a snackbreakfast should set you back less thanK1000.Morning Star TEAHOUSE $(Kone Thae St) The sign’s faded, but it’s hardto miss this tidy, bright-blue teashop. Coupleyour sweet tea with equally sweet Indiansweets.Ma Hnin Si Teahouse TEAHOUSE $(Butar St) This tiny teahouse on the east sideof the market has no English sign but youcan’t miss it – just look for the crowds oflocals enjoying plates of pakoda (vegetablesfried in lentil-flour batter), Shan tofu andother tasty deep-fried snacks.Tet Nay Win Teahouse TEAHOUSE $(Butar St) An Indian-style teahouse servingsamosas, nanbya, channa puri (fried breadwith chickpea curry) and other treats fromthe subcontinent.Hi Snack & DrinkBAR(Kone Thae St; h5-10pm) Hi is the size of acloset and boasts a palpable speakeasy feel.If you haven’t had a rum here, you haven’tbeen to Kalaw. Mr Myo is a welcoming host,and there’s a ragged guitar that takes embarrassinglylittle prompting to get played.Golden WingBEER STATION(Min St; h5-10pm) South of the market, thistypical Chinese beer station has Dagonand Skol beer on draught, as well as grilledsnacks.7 ShoppingA couple of art galleries around the marketsell paintings of monks, tribal people andmountain scenery; some ordinary and othersvery good.Rural DevelopmentSociety ShopHANDICRAFTS(Min St; adr1992@gmail.com; h8.30am-6.30pm)On the west side of the market, this charitableenterprise sells fabrics, clothing andhandmade paper produced by local tribes.Profits go towards development projects inlocal Shan and Pa-O villages.8InformationIn addition to the two cafes below, internet is alsoavailable at Golden Lily Guest House (p 173 ).Cyber World Internet Café (Aung Chan Tha St;per hr K1000; h8am-11pm)Sky Net (Kone Thae St; per hr K500; hnoon-11pm)8Getting There & AwayAirKalaw has no airport of its own, but fl ights areserved via Heho, about 16 miles away.Air Mandalay (www.airmandalay.com) fl iesfrom Heho to Yangon at 9.30am, 9.40am and4.30pm ($86, one to three hours), with theafternoon flight routing through Mandalay ($42,25 minutes) and Nyaung U (for Bagan; $68, onehour). Air Bagan (www.airbagan.com), operatedby Tay Za (see p 21 ), also fl ies a similar route toYangon at 8.45am, 9.45am and 4.40pm ($95, oneto three hours), with the afternoon fl ight stoppingin Mandalay ($53, 25 minutes) and Nyaung U(Bagan; $75, one hour). Air Bagan also operates adaily flight to Thandwe (Ngapali Beach; $122, onehour), Asian Wings (www.asianwingsairways.com) and Air Bagan also conduct fl ights betweenHeho and Kengtung ($85, one hour).Taxis waiting at the airport charge K30,000 toKalaw (1½ hours); a cheaper but less convenientoption is to hike the near mile to the Union Hwyand wait for a pick-up truck or bus bound forThazi (K2000, 1½ hours) or Meiktila (K1500, onehour), although you may face a long wait.Bus & TaxiFor information on buses from Yangon see p 70 .Several bus ticket offices across from themarket book seats on the long-distance busesbetween Yangon and Mandalay and Taunggyi.These buses stop on the main road, in front ofthe market.Small local buses bound for Taunggyi departfrom a stop behind the Aung Chang Tha Zedi.Buses, minivans and pick-up trucks bound forThazi will drop you in Shwenyaung (Inle Lake;two hours) for the same fare, or in Aungban (thejunction for Pindaya; 20 minutes) for K1000.Buses, minivans and pick-ups to Thazi (K2500,four hours) or Meiktila (K3000, fi ve hours) stopperiodically on the Union Hwy – fares for foreignersare routinely doubled along this route.You can charter taxis from Kalaw to Pindaya(K35,000, two hours), Nyaungshwe (K35,000),Taunggyi (K40,000) and Thazi (K65,000).TrainA single daily train departs from either end ofthe winding line that links Thazi and Shwenyaung.Stunning scenery makes up for the slowjourney time and frequent delays. See p 167 for