lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

AROUND YANGON DELTA REGION74DELTA REGIONA vast, wobbly mat of greenery floating ona thousand rivers, lakes and tributaries, likea squishy waterbed, the Delta region southof Yangon is one of the most fertile anddazzlingly green regions of Myanmar. Allthis water irrigates millions of hectares offarmland, making the delta essentially oneof the rice bowls of the country. In addition,the estuarine environments along the coastprovide much of Myanmar’s saltwater andfreshwater fish harvest.TRAVELRESTRICTIONSAt the time of research, a permit wasstill required to visit those parts of theDelta region that were particularlydamaged in 2008 by Cyclone Nargis,namely Dalah and Twante.Thanlyin & Kyauktans®lY=' NH=¾' ekY;k'tn'"%056 / POP C5000One of the easiest escapes from the glamourand noise of Yangon is to the small, ruraltowns of Thanlyin and Kyauktan, just acrossthe river from Yangon. The official goals ofthe trip are a couple of interesting religioussites, but the true purpose is just getting intothe groove of rural Myanmar.During the late 16th and early 17th centuries,Thanlyin was the base for the notoriousPortuguese adventurer Filipe de Brito eNicote. Officially a trade representative forthe Rakhaing (Arakan), he actually ran hisown little kingdom from Thanlyin, sidingwith the Mon (when it suited him) in theirstruggle against the Bamar. In 1599 his privatearmy sacked Bago, but in 1613 the Bamarbesieged Thanlyin and de Brito received thepunishment reserved for those who defiledBuddhist shrines: death by impalement. Ittook him two days to die, due, it is said, tohis failure to take the recommended posturefor the stake to penetrate vital organs.Thanlyin continued as a major port andtrading centre until it was destroyed byBamar King Alaungpaya in 1756, after whichYangon took over this role. Today ThanlyinMawdinPointTo Gwa (37mi)Bay ofBengalPatDiamondIslandheinRiverMouth of theAyeyarwadyRiverPyamalaYakyiAyeyarwaRiver dyHinthadaAyeyarwadyAthokRiverThonzeApyaukMyitnaka RiverTwanteChannelRiverPyaponPyinbongyiOkkan YANGONREGION1Chaung ThaKyaungonnBeachHmawby TaukkyanNyaungdonChaung ThaPantanawNgwe Saung KankyidaungBeachEinmeElephantYangon ThanlyinCampPathein Ma-ubinWakemaDalahMyaungmyaTwante KyauktanAYEYARWADYREGIONMawlamyaing-gyunBogalayHpayaponLabutta2Toe RiverYangonRiverBagoRiverBagoGulf ofMottama(Martaban)MoeyungyiWetlands0 50 km0 30 milesAround Yangon Highlights1 Pretend you’re a localon holiday at family-friendlyChaung Tha Beach (p 80 )2 See a less-visited side ofMyanmar in Pathein (p 76 )3 Stroll the virtuallypeople-free sands of NgweSaung Beach (p83 )4 Cycle around ancientpagodas in Bago (p 86 )5 Boarding a crowdedlocal ferry for the day trip toTwante (p 76 )