Pyin Oo Lwin
Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin also known as Maymyo (the town of May, named after a British Colonel) is a scenic hill town situated close to Mandalay design to get away from its heat. It is a calm and charming getaway from the busy city and once the railway between the cities was constructed, Pyin Oo Lwin became the summer capital for whole British colonial administration. Famous for its fruits, fruit drinks and wines, also various jams, visited by thousands of travelers and local visitors during the hottest season as a weekend getaway.
Helpful tips
Restaurants. There are multiple places in the city where you can find descent food. In most of the local restaurants you will find price and quality ratio alright and food fresh. Stop by and try local food in street markets, look for a cleaner place and enjoy!
We enjoyed snacks and dishes in Night market which occurs every day. It is like a huge food court where you can find basically anything you like. Here we found both food and price quality ratio are great.
Markets. In Pyin Oo Lwin as in almost every other city in Myanmar you will not easily find a lot of cheap souvenirs to put on your fridge. However, we encourage to walk around and look for hand made goods in local markets. Here they will charge you less the less you look like a tourist and if you know some simple Myanmar phrases, that will melt their hearts away. In shops all over city prices vary around same level, thus, choose a more convenient for you. There are some shops where you can pay with card, however, they inventory is limited, thus, be prepared and have some cash with you!
Transportation. To get to Pyin Oo Lwin you can use car, bus, train or plane to Mandalay and then a transfer as it is quite close to it. We traveled to Pyin Oo Lwind using train from Hsipaw through famous and scenic route and amazing sights of “Gok Teik” viaduct. We got lucky and our train was not too late and we reached Pyin Oo Lwin before the sunset. Either way you choose, be aware that infrastructure is underdeveloped, roads are small and sometimes two-line road (one line each direction) is already considered as a highway. Traveling with trains between major cities are alright, however, if you plan to visit more remote areas, be prepared to spend some quality time in the process. Our train ride from Hsipaw to Pyin Oo Lwin took us around 7 hours to cover around 150 kilometers. So, at this point you must be able to enjoy the trip not only the destination.
Inside the city you will find yourself using local Tuk Tuk’s, bikes which are one of the most convenient transportation devices used to get around. However, exploration is doable on foot if you decide to skip on bike.
Best of luck planning your holidays in Myanmar!
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