•Pindaya
Pindaya is located at the basin of Zawgyi River where it flows from South to North. Pindaya is also at the foot of the mountain high 5000ft. It has the beautiful scenery. There is also a lake called Pote-ta lote lake at the entrance of the City. You will also find amazingly Century Old Bannyan Trees standing in a plane with steady and serene. Approximately one miles west of Pindaya, you can visit to Pindaya Caves also known as Shwe U Min Cave. Most geologists say that lime stone caves are aged approximate 10,000 years to 40,000 years. Shwe U Min Pagoda is at the entrance of the cave, 15 meter (50 ft) high from the ground. Shwe U Min meaning Golden Cave. Matching with the name, inside the Cave, you can find Golden Shwe U Min Pagoda and also uncountable Buddha Statues inside the cave including ceiling of the cave and also at the walls. Apart from those Buddha Statues, you will also find natures’ wonders. In side the cave, a tunnel which is said to believe that lead to Bagan.
Shoes are forbidden within the underground complex. The rest of the area you can ware shoes.
Here, you will experience to meet the Burmese Speaking Taung-yo peoples. They are very much specialist in making Hand Crafts like Shan Paper( Made from Mulberry Bark) , Colourful Shan Parasols @ Umbrellas, and terra-cotta pottery.
Pindaya is also popular as a off pint for long treks.
Popa is approximately 1 hour drive from Salay. At the lower Hill side of main Poppa Hill, There is Forest of Teak and Petrified Wood. Over there, at the 798 meters above sea level, there is Popa Resort – from where you can see and unforgettable views of Plug (737 meters above sea level.). Poppa is marked as Spiritual Area for 37 nats (Spirits/ God).
Mount Popa itself is an extinct volcano. The peak of Mount Poppa is 1518 meters above sea levels.
Popa area is rich of Soil and therefore, you will see a lot of herb plants growing naturally and also flowers including Myanmar Orchids, Roses, etc. That is why Popa is the main place of Flower supply to Bagan Palace in Bagan Dynasty. You will hear a long and sad heart shaking story of U Byat Ta who was assigned by King Anawrahta to pick, gather and to bring the various flowers from Popa to Bagan. The places remain as evidence of his existence and his heart-braking story with Mae Wunna.
Pyay known as Prome is located on the Bank of Ayeyarwady River. It takes 5 to 8 hours drive from Yangon. Or, if you love to enjoy the River, you can also take boat trip. You can see the ruins of ancient Pyu around the Pyay City. Pyay is 161 Kilo Meter North from Yangon. From Pyay, you can travel to Beautiful Beach – Ngapali or to Heart of Myanmar – Mandalay and Bagan.
Pyay was also known as Sri Ksetra. The Ancient Phyu Kindom’s capital Thayekhittay ( Sri Ksetra) is founded 5 miles far from Pyay at the Mhaw Zar area which is located South East.
Interesting Places :
- Ancient City of Sri Ksetra and its Wall and moats
- Mhaw Zar Museum
- Shwe San Daw Pagoda
- Se Htet Gyi Pagoda
- Baw Baw Gyi Pagoda
- Be Be Gyi Pagoda
- Payama Pagoda
- A Kauk taung ( Trade Port or harbour of ancient time and it is well known for its carvings of Buddha Image on the Cliff along the River)
Saggaing is just an hour drive from Mandalay across Ayeyarwaddy River by famous Ava Bridge. Sagging Hill is also famous for its unique religious places.
Saggaing is full of Acient, Historical and Amazing Stone Carving fine works at U Min Thoneze ( 30 caves). City is also wellknown and famous for its fine and detailed silversmith.
Interesting Places are :
- U Min Thoneze
- Zayartheingyi, Nunnery a
- Ywataung Silver Smith
- Swun Oo Pone Nya Shin Pagoda
- Kaung Mu Daw Pagoda ( Built by King Thalun in 1636. 36 meter high dome. 1.5 meters high houses of oil lamps total 812 stone pillars are surrounding the base of Pagoda.
It is now exist as a small town down stream Bagan – Nyaun U. The small town still holding all the maginificent Myanmar Fine Arts with it.
The main attraction Yoke Sone Kyaung (complete monestry) wooden monestry. This magnificent wooden monastry is built in Burmese year 1244 (around 1882). Building has 154 teak pillars. It also has many very detailed Buddha Jataka by carving the wood at the outside all around the building. Inside the monastry, you will definitely feel fascinating when you see earthenware from old time, religious texts which are in foldout palm leaf inscriptions, various Buddha images, Lacqureware offering bowls, decorated boxes for storing robes. All those things giving impression of Myanmar’s Glorious Cultures and Traditions.
Place of Interest
1. Yoke Sone Kyaung
2. Shin Bin Maha Laba Pagoda (6 meter high Buddha Image made from lacquer and sawdust. It has around the back cramp doors. You will experience to crawl into narrow small interior of the statue.)
3. Shin Pin Sar Kyo (Built in 1174 by King Nara Pati Sithu to mark the spot where King Anawrahta Stopped for rest after conquering the Mon Capital – Tha - Htone in 1057. The compound is so quiet and you will feel the magical sense. A lot of Bagan era stupas side by side, monasteries and meditation halls, brightly painted Jataka Murals, plaster sculptures and Paintings. Especially decorated the pagoda with Beautiful Patterns and Designed Glass Mosaic Teak Columns.
Shwebo is a unique city – city with 5 names. 1. Shwebo, Moksobo ( Master of Hunter) , Yangyiaung ( Victory to all fights), Konbaung, Yadana Thein Gha. Shwebo is located in Sagaing Division 113Km north west of Mandaly on the Bank of Chindwin River.
This city also near to the Acient Pyu City Sate of Hanlin.
Shwe Bo was a Royal Capital of Myanmar at the time of King Alaung Paya.
Shwebo was royal capital of Myanmar under King Alaungpaya (who was a Shwebonative) from 1760-1764. He used the city as a base from which to conquer Innwaand Lower Myanmar, establishing the Third Myanmar Empire. His successor, King Hsinbyushin, moved the capital to Amarapura in the 1780s, and the city has been indecline ever since.
As with Monywa, the city is a trade center for agricultural produce, especially beans, rice and sesame from the surrounding plains between the Mu and the Ayeyarwady River.
Major Attractions
The major tourist attraction in Shwebo are its numerous Buddhist temples, and the ruins of Alaungpaya's palace. The city is still surrounded by its ancient moat.
Up to 1752, Shwebo was a village, called Moksobo (Burmese: It lies near the site of the [mou s ó bò]; lit. "Hunter Chief") of about 300 houses. ancient Pyu city-state of Hanlin. In March 1752, the chief of the village Aung Zeya founded the Konbaung Dynasty to resist the upcoming invasion of Lower Burma-based Hanthawaddy forces. Aung Zeya, who also assumed the royal title of Alaungpaya, gained the allegiance of 46 surrounding villages, and organized defenses building a stockade and digging a moat around Moksobo. He renamed his village, Shwebo (lit. Golden Chief). Over the next eight years, Alaungpaya led the reunification of Burma with Shwebo as his capital.
Sittway is the Capital of Rakhine (Arakan) State. It lies between the Rakhine Yoma (Arakan Mountain Ranges) and the Andaman Sea. It is also the Major city of producing seafood and exporting to other area around the country and also to world wide thru Yangon International Port.
It has also the historical fort with old cannon – where nowadays peoples called “Point” where they fought against the intruders of Myanmar.
Sittway is famous for its rich of Natural Resources like Natural Gas, Oil, and especially Sea Food, more over it is 2nd largest farming for Soft shell crabs and Jelly Fish.
City is famous for its long and beautiful Strand Road along the city and sea. You can also see it from your flight.
