Pyin Oo Lwin

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Geo: 21.9759, 96.0842






Today I was picked up at 4.30 am for the sunrise at U Bein Bridge in Amarapura which is the world's longest bridge made out of teak wood, built by the mayor of Amarapura from teak posts salvaged during the uprooting of the capital to Mandala . This bridge is over 200 years old and maintained by the monks, It is nearly a mile long and spans Taungthaman lake. We were very early and I could not see in the dark so we just sat near the bench for almost an hour for the sunrise. The sunrise was nice and then we headed for Pyin Oo Lwin, there was traffic on the way and I saw many pickups, packed with people on the way, we passed a street market where locals were selling fresh vegetables and fruits.



Pyin Oo Lwin is quite charming due to its colonial past, formerly known as May Myo, renamed (May Town) after Colonel May, the commander of the post and a veteran of the Indian Mutiny. It was initially a Shan village and It is located about 67 km from Mandalay at an altitude of 1070 meter. During the British colonial occupation, the British developed it as a hill station for a retreat because of it's refreshingly mild climate, especially during the souring summer temperatures. It now hosts the academy of the armed forces of Myanmar, where all future high military officials are educated. Pyin Oo Lwin is also known as" Pan Myo Daw”, means "The City of Flowers”, for its different species and colourful flowers.


Pyin Oo Lwin is well known for its colonial style houses with large compound and pine trees, unique horse carriages in town and a good place for shopping for Knitted sweaters, wines, Strawberry jams, various fresh fruits and also there are coffee plantations there as well.
The Dattawgyaik Waterfall is located in Ani Sakhan which is the half way point between Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin. It is also known as the Anisakan Falls. The height of the waterfall is nearly 122m and the depth is about 91m. The trail to the fall is steep, it takes 45 minutes from the trail-head to the bottom of the falls and climbing back to the top is about 90 minutes up. I went ¾ way down and then my asthma was bad so I took the motor cycle and the water falls was bit dry, the motorcycle ride up was bit scary but fun as well.


Maha Ant Htoo Kan Thar Pagoda or the Pagoda of the Reluctant Buddha

The building of this Pagoda has an interesting history because three marble Buddha Images sculpted in Mandalay were being transported to their planned destination in China and one of the Buddha statues fell down from the truck and could not be reloaded due to its weight. After many attempts, this Image was left behind and the other two were taken on their way. A local Buddhist monk decided he would try faith and he sat for 7 days on this image, recited teachings of Buddha. After the 7 days the image was apparently easily lifted and placed in its current location and the local people built a pagoda as an offering to the Buddha. This temple is on the hill with beautiful gardens and nice views; I really liked this pagoda the most.

Pyeik Chin Myaing cave

The Peik Chin Myaung Cave is formed in a limestone mountain with a stream flowing inside this massive cave; there are many pagodas and Buddha images built inside the cave. The whole cave is lit with electric lights, be careful of your camera and electric equipment's inside the cave as it is very humid inside. We were there on Sunday and it was school holidays so there were huge crowds of locals; we all walked in single line, the deeper you go, the hotter you get with a feeling of suffocation; if you have a respiratory problem, don't go too deep inside. There is nice waterfall cascades down the cliffs near the caves, it was great delight to see the children enjoying the dips, bathing in the streams outside the caves; as my feet were dirty from walking the caves, I also dipped my feet in the cool stream which was lovely.

Kandawgyi National garden (Botanical Gardens)

The gardens were originally modelled after the Kew Gardens of England with British influence, In 2000, the garden was upgraded to be a recreation garden and renamed it “Kandawgyi National Gardens”. The place is vast and well maintain with a large variety of plants with masses of colourful flowers, well-manicured shrubs, lakes, swans, geese. There is a Butterfly and Orchid Museum and an aerial walkway through aviary with hornbills and a variety of other birds as well as the swamp trail.





I saw the Male Peacock dancing to the peahen in his full glory of feathers so it was nice picture opportunity. There is a watch tower to climb up which offers a great views over Pyin Oo Lwin and the Shan Hills. It was Sunday so I saw many couples over there for picnics and pictures; it is lovely here though I have seen better gardens and parks. I saw Takin, who was hiding in bushes

After the gardens we passed the market, we bought some strawberries and we had a look at some of the Colonial buildings which are now turned into luxury hotels; then we headed back to Mandalay. I really had a lovely day in Pyin Oo Lwin and the weather here is much cooler so I was more comfortable here.

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