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Other AttractionsKha Khat Wain KyaungMONASTERYThe is one of the three largest monasteriesin the country and watching the long lineof monks and novices file out in the earlymorning for their daily round of alms isquite a sight.Busloads of tourists visit the monks atlunchtime (10.30am). You’re free to wanderaround the eating hall, and most of the monksthink it’s hilarious that tourists come andwatch them eat, but the atmosphere is a bitlike a zoo. Prior to the protests of 2007 therewere supposedly 1500 monks in residencehere but afterward that figure fell to just 400.Snake MonasteryMONASTERYA short distance from the KanbawzathadiPalace and Museum is the Snake Monastery,where you’ll find a former head of a monasteryin Hsipaw reincarnated in the form of anenormous 118-year-old Burmese python. Apparentlythe snake told its owner up north theexact address he needed to go to in Bago inorder to complete the construction of a stupabegun in a previous life. Streams of pilgrimscome to pay fearful homage to the snake.Even if the snake isn’t actually a monk,it is amazing simply because of its sheersize. Burmese pythons are regarded as oneof the world’s largest snakes but this one,which chows down 11lb of chickens every 10days, has to be at least 17ft long and a footwide, making it probably one of the largestin the world. Don’t worry though, it’s harmless.There’s a zedi nearby on a small hilltopthat’s great for watching sunsets.The temple and zedi are somewhat hardto find, so unless you can speak Burmese, it’sprobably a good idea to hire a guide.zFestivals & EventsShwemawdaw Paya Festival RELIGIOUSOn the full moon of the Burmese lunarmonth of Tagu (March/April) this festivalattracts huge crowds of worshippers andmerrymakers.4SleepingThe quality of accommodation reflects thefact that many travellers visit Bago only forthe day. Most of the options are on the busyand – make no mistake about this – noisymain road, so rooms towards the back ofthese hotels are the choice pickings. Electricityis generally available only from theevening to early morning.BAGO ON TWO WHEELSWith impressive temples, emerald ricefields and a buzzing city all within cyclingdistance of your hotel, you couldeasily spend a day or two exploringBago on two wheels.Travellers keen to avoid governmentownedhotels should bypass the ShwewatunHotel, out towards the Shwemawdaw Paya.Bago Star Hotel RESORT $$(%30066; http://bagostarhotel.googlepages.com;11-13 Kyaikpon Pagoda Rd; s/d $24/30; as) TheStar, one of the better choices in Bago, is locatedjust off the highway and only a shortwalk to the ever-watching eyes of the KyaikPun Paya. The business card describes theaccommodation as ‘Country style, Bangalowtype Hotel’ and the A-frame wooden roomsand pool do give the place a summer-campfeel. The showers are hot, the swimmingpool is murky and the restaurant is echoingand formal. Bikes can be rented for K1000a day. Generators keep the air-conditioninghumming.Emperor Hotel HOTEL $(%21349; Main Rd; s/d $6-14; a) This place isthe best of the downtown budget lot. Roomshave recently been repainted, in a very sexypink, of course, and the more expensive havea bit of light and space. The hotel’s size allowssome respite from the city noise, androoftop offers great views of the surroundingreligious monuments.Gandamar Hotel HOTEL $$(%201629; Shwemawdaw Paya Rd; s/d $20/25;a) That rarest of things in Myanmar, a newhotel! The 35 rooms here are located outsideof the city centre, a short walk from ShwemawdawPaya. Also working in its favouris a generator that provides electricity 24/7.The bad news? The generator also providesjuice for an adjacent karaoke lounge.San Francisco Motel HOTEL $(%22265; 14 Main Rd; r $4-10; a) The rooms arerough and ready but fear not, for this is anexcellent budget hang-out in the true senseof the word. The guys who run it organiseexcellent motorbike tours of Bago’s sightsand are so knowledgeable that by all rightsthey should actually be a tourist office.89NORTH AROUND OF YANGON FESTIVALS BAGO (PEGU) & & EVENTS