lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

102SOUTHEASTERN MYANMAR MON STATENORTH OF MAWLAMYINE1Sights & ActivitiesNwa-la-bo PagodaBUDDHIST TEMPLENâ;"l.iu¾etC='.urC"In the jungle-cloaked hills to the north ofMawlamyine the Tolkienesque side of thecountry comes to life in an extraordinaryfashion at the Nwa-la-bo Pagoda. A localpilgrimage site, Nwa-la-bo is still relativelyunknown outside Mon State and, currently,very few foreigners make it out here. This issurprising because the pagoda is a smallerbut, geologically at least, far more astonishingversion of Kyaiktiyo. Unlike at thatshrine, where just one huge boulder percheson the cliff ledge, Nwa-la-bo consists of threesausage-shaped gold boulders piled precariouslyatop one another and surmountedby a stupa. The result is lifted straight fromthe fairytale world of Middle Earth or couldit possibly be that Middle Earth is actuallylifted straight from the fairytale world of theBurma of old?8Getting There & AwayGetting to Nwa-la-bo is fairly easy (except duringthe rainy season when it can’t be reached) andmakes a perfect half-day trip from town. Try to goon a weekend when pilgrims will add more fl air tothe scene and transport is a little more regular.Bus & Pick Up TruckFrom Mawlamyine you’ll have to wait at theroundabout before the bridge for a northboundbus or pick-up to Kyonka village (K600), locatedaround 12 miles north of town. From here clamberinto the back of one of the pick-up trucksthat crawl slowly up to the summit of the mountain(K1600 return) in 45 minutes. Allow plentyof time as the trucks don’t leave until beyondfull, and don’t leave your descent too late in theday as transport becomes scarcer after 3pm.Alternatively, motorcycle taxis will do the tripfor K7000.SOUTH OF MAWLAMYINE1Sights & ActivitiesPa-Auk-Taw-Ya Monastery BUDDHIST MONASTERYf;"ea;k'etCr.un'"äkI"ekY;='"(%22853; www.paauk.org) Only 9 miles southof Mawlamyine, the monastery teaches satipatthanavipassana (insight-awarenessmeditation) and, at 500 acres, is one of thelargest meditation centres in Myanmar.Foreigners can visit for the night or severaldays; sleeping and eating is gratis.Win Sein Taw YaBUDDHAIf you thought you’d seen some big old buddhas,just wait till you get a load of this one.Draped across a couple of green hillsides atYadana Taung, and surrounded by a forestof other pagodas and shrines, is this recentlyconstructed, 560ft-long reclining buddha.It’s easily one of the largest such images inthe world.Many other stupas and standing buddhasdot the area, including 500 statues lining theroad to the Win Sein Taw Ya. Aside from inflatedbuddhas, the area affords some gentlewalks with wonderful panoramas.Every year around the first couple of daysof February a crazy coloured festival takesplace here to celebrate the birthday of themonk who constructed the buddha. As wellas a host of itinerant traders, monks andnuns, magic men and the odd hermit or two,the festival often hosts a major kickboxingtournament, which leads to the slightly surrealsight of hundreds of cheering monksbaying for blood in the ring!Kyauktalon TaungBUDDHIST MONUMENTekY;k'tc'lu®"etC='Kyauktalon Taung is a strangely shaped,sheer-sided crag rising out of the surroundingagricultural land and crowned withstupas. It’s a sticky 20-minute climb to thesummit. On the opposite side of the road is asimilar but smaller outcropping surmountedby a Hindu temple.KandawgyiLAKEkn'etC'äkI"This lake formed by Azin Dam (a waterstorage and flood-control facility that’s alsoused to irrigate local rubber plantations)also boasts a tidy recreation area and is afavourite picnic spot with locals – don’t missthe buthi kyaw, tasty deep-fried gourd, soldhere. At the northern end of the lake standsthe gilded stupa of Kandawgyi Paya.ThanbyuzayatHISTORICAL SITEs®¨fBjrp'Thanbyuzayat (Tin Shelter), 40 miles southof Mawlamyine, was the western terminusof the infamous Burma–Siam Railway,dubbed the ‘Death Railway’ by the thousandsof Allied prisoners of war (POWs) andAsian coolies who were forced by the Japanesemilitary to build it.About a mile south of the town centre’sclock tower, a locomotive and piece of trackcommemorating the railway are on display.