lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

look for the narrow alley with the rainbowcolouredumbrellas halfway down the blocksouth of the Hotel Empire.Lyan You CHINESE, BURMESE $(Bogyoke Aung San Rd; meals from K3000; hlunch& dinner) Lyan You has Skol and Dagon beeron tap and above-average Chinese food – werecommend the special assorted noodlesand short ribs in soy sauce.Shwe Min Thu Café TEAHOUSE $(Gold Mine; Bogyoke Aung San Rd; snacks fromK400; hbreakfast & lunch) Near the post office,this humble teahouse has posters of Londonon the walls and hot tea, coffee and cakes towarm your belly on cold mornings.Saung Oo SHAN $(Chin Thae St; noodles from K500; hbreakfast &lunch) North of the centre on a lane off themain drag, this popular noodle house serveshearty bowls of Shan-style noodle soup.Sein Restaurant BURMESE $(Bogyoke Aung San Rd; meals from K2000; hlunch& dinner) Locals crowd into this busy restaurantat the north end of town for tastyChinese food and Myanmar set-meals withall the trimmings. The fried snakehead fishgoes down a treat.8 InformationThere is no tourist offi ce, but hotels can adviseon tours and transport. Also see www.lonelyplanet.com/myanmar-burma for further informationon travelling in Myanmar.Public Internet Access Centre (Bogyoke AungSan Rd; per hr K500; h8.30am-9pm) Fastaccess; near Bogyoke Park. There are severalother internet cafes along Bogyoke Aung SanRd, most open from 10am to 10pm and chargingK300 per hour.Shan Pyi Thar (%24549; 8 Bogyoke Aung SanRd; h9am-6pm) There’s no English-languagesign, but this ticket agency is located roughlyacross from Hotel Empire. It’s the place to buyairline tickets as well as change money.8 Getting There & AwayAirThe airport at Heho, about 22 miles west ofTaunggyi, has regular fl ights to Yangon, Mandalay,Nyaung U (Bagan) and other cities – see p 174 .A taxi from Heho to Taunggyi costs K25,000; acheaper but less convenient option is to hike thenear mile to the Hwy and wait for a pick-up truckor bus to Taunggyi (K2000, 1½ hours).Air Mandalay (%21330; h8am-5pm Mon-Fri& 9am-1pm Sat & Sun) has an offi ce on BogyokeTHE BORDEAUX OF BURMA?Myanmar probably isn’t the first placethat comes to mind when you thinkof fine wine, but all that may be set tochange with the increasingly robustvintages coming out of two Shan statewineries. Myanmar Vineyard (%inYangon 664 386; www.myanmar-vineyard.com), located at Aythaya, 3 miles westof Taunggyi, was founded 1999 by Germanentrepreneur, Bert Morsbach. Thevineyard sits at an elevation of 4290fton well-watered, limestone-rich soils,providing good growing conditions forShiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, SauvignonBlanc, Chenin Blanc and Moscatograpes. Red Mountain Estate (%209366; www.redmountain-estate.com)located in a valley just outside Nyaungshwe,grow similar varietals, as well asPinot Noir.Both vineyards are open daily fortours and tastings – see the websitesfor details. You can reach MyanmarVineyard by taxi, or on any pick-uptravelling between Taunggyi and Shwenyaung;Red Mountain is within cyclingdistance of Nyaungshwe.Aung San Rd, as does Air Bagan (%24737;h8am-5pm Mon-Fri & 9am-1pm Sat & Sun),which is owned by Tay Za (see p 21 ).BusBuses leave Taunggyi from several standsaround town. The offices of companies runninglong-haul bus and van services to Yangon(K10,000; 2pm; 16 hours) and Mandalay(K6000; 5pm; 12 hours) are found along thewest side of Bogyoke Aung San Rd, just south ofHotel Empire. The office for buses to Nyaung U(Bagan; K11,000; 4am; 10 hours) can be boughtaround the corner, on Nagar Pwat Kyaung St.Share taxis to Mandalay (K25,000 per person, 8to 10 hours) can also be arranged here.Buses to Kalaw (K2500; 1pm, 2pm & 3pm; 3hours) and Pindaya (K2000; 1pm & 1.30pm; 4hours) leave from the Maw Cherry bus stand(Circular Rd West), about a mile north of thetown centre. Any of these buses can drop you inShwenyaung or Heho. To get to the Maw Cherrybus stand, charter a taxi at the market in or frontof Hotel Empire for around K1500.For buses from Yangon, see p 70 .191INLE EASTERN LAKE MYANMAR EATING EATING AROUND INLE LAKE