lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

thieves. Some of his collection is displayedin his former monastery, which is housed in(of all things) a grand, century-old Britishcolonial mansion about half a mile north ofthe centre. The dusty, eclectic museum upstairscontains cases of old banknotes, buddhasand votives (candleholders) and coinsfrom the Mrauk U and other ancient periods,plus many bone relics of head monks,kept in small tins. Plenty of friendly Englishspeakingmonks will follow you around.On the ground floor is a bronze statue of UBhaddanta Wannita.If you’re interested in this kind of thing,there’s also the government’s BuddhisticMuseum (Baw Dhi St; admission $5) closer tothe airport.Shwezedi KyaungBUDDHIST MONASTERYeráectIekY;='"(U Ottama St; admission free; h24hr) Partlyhoused in a picturesque, ramshackle colonialerabuilding on a backstreet, this monastery iswell worth searching out, particularly duringBuddhist festivals. This was the monastery ofU Ashin Ottama (1880–1939) a leader of theBurmese independence movement duringBritish colonial rule, who died during imprisonmentfor his political activities. In September2007 monks at this monastery followedin his footsteps and took part in the protestmarches then happening across the country.Don’t miss the Fruit Bat Trees aroundSittwe University, where hundreds of fruitbats slumber during the day then head offat dusk – there’s a great view of their migrationfrom the roof of the Shwe Thazin Hotel.Nearby, at the foot of Main Rd is New ClockTower, a painted concrete pillar topped withpagoda style hat. The Victorian-era Old ClockTower is a rusting, yet handsome iron affairon Main Rd, just west of the Central Market.zFestivals & EventsThe Rakhaing State Day (a Saturday in midDecember) is staged at Lokananda Paya, withtraditional wrestling, bamboo pole climbingand tug-of-war – it’s well worth delaying adeparture to see it. Locals may tell you thereal Rakhaing day is December 31, ‘whenMrauk U fell – it’s more a day to grieve’.4SleepingAt the three budget options, all of which coulduse more love, electricity runs from about6pm to 11pm. The far more comfy midrangeoptions include round-the-clock generators.oShwe Thazin Hotel HOTEL $$(%23579; www.shwethazinhotel.com; 250 MainRd; s/d $30/35; a) A bit more polished thanNoble, the Shwe Thazin is proud of a 5thfloorrestaurant, and (higher up) a lookoutdeck, good for glimpses of those fruit batsat dusk. Rooms are clean and modern (withmini-balconies), if not overly stylish.Noble Hotel HOTEL $$(%23558; 45 Main Rd; noble@myanmar.com.mm;s/d $25/35; a) This modern hotel has smallbut clean carpeted rooms with a desk, ateapot and a satellite TV with a few moviechannels. Nothing fancy, but the best dealfor recovering from the boat ride back fromMrauk U. There’s no lift, so ask for a room onone of the lower floors – unless you need aworkout climbing the stairs.Mya Guest House GUESTHOUSE $$(%22358, 23315; 51/6 Bowdhi Rd; s/d $20/30) Abit off Main Rd, this guesthouse and tea gardenis dominated by a century-old, blue-andredmansion once home to a British lawyerwho is said to have put the first Mercedes onSittwe streets. The main building now housesstudents, but a new brick building to theside offers simple, spacious, tiled rooms, withfans and private bathrooms (no hot water).Prince Guest House GUESTHOUSE $(%22539, in Yangon 09 503 4780; http://mraukuprince.com/sittweprince.htm; 27 Main Rd; s/dTHE ROHINGYAOne controversial topic of conversationon Sittwe’s streets is the state’s Rohingyaminority. The Myanmar governmentdenies the existence of this group,which consists of anywhere between750,000 and 1.5 million Muslims (andnot to be confused with another localMuslim group, the ‘Rahkaing Muslims’).According to Amnesty Internationaland the Arakan Rohingya NationalOrganisation (www.rohingya.org), Rohingya– who speak a Bengali dialect –are routinely subjected to persecutionin Myanmar, including arbitrary taxes,forced labour, forced relocation, rapeand murder. Within Rakhaing, Rohingyamust seek permission just to travel tothe next village. For more about thisissue, see the Kaladan Press Network(www.kaladanpress.org).277RAKHAING WESTERN MYANMAR STATE FESTIVALS SITTWE (AKYAB)& EVENTS & EVENTS