Exploring Mawlamyine, Myanmar

Location : Mawlamyine, Myanmar

A Boat Ride?
After 4 days in Hpa-an, it was time to pack-up again and venture out. When I heard that there is a pleasant boat ride from Hpa-an to Mawlamyine, my next destination was penciled-in. What's in Mawlamyine? I don't know, I just wanted the boat ride.

I could have done a DIY on getting the boat ride (I was told it was only MMK 8k) but I just let my hotel, Parami Motel, take care of it - MMK 10k including a car pick-up. A bus trip would have cost me only MMK 1.2k but a boat ride is much more pleasant. Furthermore, I heard from some travelers that the bridges en route are not that strong, so bus passengers have to disembark on every bridge crossing - which adds more travel time and could be aggravating.

approaching Mawlamyine from Hpa-an

Hotel Challenge
As a last hurrah, I wrote to a few established hotels in Mawlamyine about a barter deal, but no response. Worse case, I can check-in at Agoda's cheapest lodging for only MMK 7.5k ($5/day) - Breeze Guest House.

The Boat Ride
It was a pleasant 3.5-hour boat ride along the calm river. I saw many stupas erected on the summits dotting both banks of the river. The boat motor wasn't too noisy either (unlike the boat motors of the Philippines), making way for conversation amongst the travelers. There was a 15-minute stop-over almost near Mawlamyine, into a sleepy village. Not sure exactly why, since there was nothing there.

Arrival
It was 5 pm when we arrived. I grouped with 3 others from the boat to split a jeep ride to Breeze Guest House. It was fully booked! We proceeded to a nearby guest house - Aurora Hotel. Fortunately, I got a room for MMK 10k. The others tried their luck at Cinderella. At least I had a place for the night. I talked to Ulayte, the owner, for a possible barter deal for the rest of my stay, but communication was so poor, nothing came out of it.

Attran Hotel
Unexpectedly, I received a reply from Attran Hotel about my proposal, which led to a one-night stay in their chalet-style hotel. This is probably the best-located hotel in Mawlamyine - right by the riverbank. They have an expansive open-air bar on wooden decks, just by the river. Sunset viewing with draught beer (only MMK 900) is perfect here. The rooms are big with luxurious amenities - fridge, flat-screen tv, a/c and a cabinet. Buffet breakfast comes with the room. Reception speaks English and they are helpful, especially the little requests - document printing, trip planning, clothes drying, etc. Their city location is also handy as it's near the 3 major attractions in Mawlamyine - Zeigyi (Central Market), Kyeik Tha Lan Pagoda and Kyaik Thoke Pagoda.

Walking About
The main attraction of Mawlamyine is really the river. Fortunately, the city has a long promenade along the river bank where you get the view on one side and many eating places on the other side. There is always a coffee shop to break the long walk and delectable street food/house food for the hungry.

Vipassana
I have already abandoned my earlier plan to do my Vipassana (Goenka) in Yangon. It became too challenging - I would have to go back to Thailand and come back for a fresh 14-day visa. This means added transport cost, added lodging cost in Mae Sot, and additional travel time of 12 hours. It didn't make sense anymore.

But as fate would have it, there is a Vipassana center in Mawlamyine - the Pa-Auk Monastery. I would stay there for my remaining visa days. I guess I will have to explore the attractions of Mawlamyine if and when I visit again.

Double Vision
Because I had been doing so much computer work, developing landing pages on this site for every new destination to advertise my hotel sponsors, my eyes got really strained specially while using my phone. And because I'm traveling alone, I often default to Facebook videos to while away the time. At one point, while watching a video, I had a double vision. I panicked like crazy! I closed my eyes and did some eye exercises. Immediately, I deleted my Facebook app. This helped a lot in easing my eye strain. At some point, I would also like to delete my FB account...not just on the phone.

Ending Thoughts
I wish I had more time to stay here in Mawlamyine. It seems that I have only scratched the surface. As one 3-year German resident told me, Mawlamyine is the next Thailand - friendly, affordable, good food, great history and culture, etc. Additionally, he added that the values haven't yet been corrupted by crass tourism. I can see that happening. I think 2 years from now, all of Myanmar would be ready for full-scale tourism - the major highways would have been finished, perhaps all hotels would be able to accept foreigners, and many more destinations would be opened up for travelers (to date, there are still places in Myanmar where foreigners are allowed). The future looks bright for Mawlamyine and for the rest of Myanmar.

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Mawlamyine, Myanmar

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