A review of Southern Myanmar

From what we explored, the southern region of Myanmar is beautiful and authentic, with fewer travellers and westernised experiences. The weather was ever changing. We experienced our first monsoon rain and were scorched from the warm sun. The people were truly wonderful and friendly. But with authentic culture comes at a compromise with food, sleep and transport. Here are some of our highlights and recommendations. 

DAWEI

To do

Dawei is best seen by foot. Go for a walk. Explore. You'll come across stunning architecture of colonial buildings, some preserved but most left untouched; neighbourhoods where you'll be able to see how people work and live. and who will often pop out to say hi and get a picture with you; the town's Pagoda which also has a museum (no translations); and a few small markets. 

Close to Dawei are plenty beaches. You can easily rent a moped from the hotel and make your way down there. With the rain, we didn't get a chance to do this. 

To sleep

Shwe Moung Tan Hotel

It's a fairly new build, quite tall with high ceilings, a rooftop for breakfast and a fantastic view of the town. Rooms are large and the aesthetic is somewhat reminiscent of late 80's decor. Comfortable, cheap, spacious and helpful staff. I'd recommend to grab some extra snacks for breakfast as they just serve plain toast. Staff arranged our trip to Mawlamyine with pick up from the hotel which was awesome. 

To eat

Daw San 

I know. Sounds like Dawson, Matt's last name. To be honest, it's what made us go in. In a large space, the front living room of the owners house, she serves delicious homemade curries of all kinds: chicken, pork, beef, and variations; vegetable, mango salad, beans, pulses, greens. And they are DELICIOUS. By far the best curry we've had. Rice is automatically brought to the table, green tea, complementary soup and spices. It cost just £2, with repeats. If you're in Dawei, don't miss this spot. 

Dream Journey

If you're craving a coffee or a milkshake, maybe something sweet or just a take on western food, this is the place to go. Small with a lovely outside area and average prices, you'll find some comfort here. Also a great spot to wait out the rain. 

Transport out 

We arranged for a shared mini-van to take us to Mawlamyine. Fairly tight spaced, with blasting music, it took around 8 hours with stops every couple of hours at local food cafe's where you could easily grab some fruit, snacks or a burmese meal and tea. We left  at 5am and arrived after lunch time.

MAWLAMYINE

To do on the cheap

If you'd like to be immersed in the local culture, visit both the new and old markets which now make an area called Zeigyi. Slightly overwhelming, the buzz of the traffic and market stalls are so interesting. They merge different neighbouring cultures such as indians and sri lankans. At night you can pop down to the Night Market, a 20 minute walk from Zeigyi, which has tons of food stalls, cooked on the spot with several eating areas to sit down and enjoy. 

Kwaikthanlan Pagoda is just south east of the market area, tucked behind what seemed like a million stairs. Once you're up there, you'll be greeted by a beautiful serene 360 degree view of the town. We enjoyed sunset and the company of some different children: some monks, one disabled, and other just plain cheeky. There are other viewpoints so if you have more time, pay a visit to Mahamuni Paya and surrounding ones.

You could obviously get a taxi to take you to Win Sein Taw Ya Reclining Buddha but why not take the one hour journey in a local bus that takes you the full 20km? It stops often to exchange market goods at local homes and accommodates people in the aisle and hanging on the sides of the bus. It's a full proof experience. So once you see a golden gateway with 2 large cranes (as in birds), walk 2km along the one and only road, alongside the huge buddha statues. At the end, you'll see the 180m long reclining buddha in all its glory. It's sister is an unfinished project but still quite the scene.

Gaung Say Kyun is an island just after the large bridge. The island is home to a small convent, a monastery and a meditation centre. Exploring it barefoot, you'll find the island to be incredibly peaceful and filled with gorgeous fauna. A bit of a small paradise. The boat is 1,000Kyat each, takes a few minutes and leaves from the side of a muddy road off the main road Bogyoke Road. Just keep walking until you are under the big bridge, then you'll find it.

To sleep

Ngwe Moe Hotel 

Greeted with a cold orange juice and an early check-in, the hotel is clean, spacious and more modern looking than our previous stay. Breakfast was delicious and varied, the room was comfortable and shower had good pressure. Only downside was the distance to the main town centre. It's about a 20-30 minute walk, beautiful scenery near the river but fairly dark walking back in the night. 

To eat 

My City Cafe

Great spot for some familiar food or a quick pick-me up. Treat yourself to a refreshing smoothie, milkshake or juice. They serve western food (picture burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and fries) as well as asian dishes. And of course, coffee, although it was far too warm to have a cup. 

DeliFrance 

Staff were hilarious here. Great spot for some cakes or pastries and a coffee or beverage. They have a cool seating area above the deli with a great view of the river. They also have some smaller savoury dishes in the form of pastries. I'll never forget ordering a slice of the chocolate roll and they cut the chocolate roll into slices and gave it ALL to me. As if we could it eat it all. We totally did. 

Restaurant wise, you'll find plenty options and variety near the river. We didn't enjoy the quiet, spacious atmosphere in YKKO, but found Myo Ma River View great. If you get a chance, since we didn't, you might want to go to Pao Mon, a restaurant project started by the Mon Women's Organisation to empower local women to spread their culture through food and souvenirs to preserve their traditions. 

Transport out 

Absolute MUST: the boat trip from Mawlamyine to Hpa-Ann. The Breeze Guesthouse (nearby the Cafe City) can organise this for you, you can get other travellers with you to share the cost and experience with. It was 10,000 Kyats each (about £6) for a 4 hour boat trip. BEAUTIFUL. The boat itself is spacious, safe and has a covered area as well as an open one if you can bare the sun on your skin. It docks off at Hpa-Ann where you can easily get a tuk tuk. The boat officially only runs if there are 4 people but it took just the two of us for an extra 5,000 Kyat each.

 

HPA-AN

To do

The town itself leaves a little to desire, you can obviously go for a little stroll but nothing more than a couple of hours. The main attractions are a short drive away. You can book a tour to take you around the caves (around 6-8) through your guesthouse, but we'd just advise you to book a tuk tuk for the day and customise the trip yourself. It's normally 25,000 Kyat for the day, split obviously by however many people are with you. Some of the caves will charge a small fee to go in. Most of the guesthouses are able to arrange tours for you, although most backpackers still head to the Soe Brothers. We advise shopping around. 

Mount Zwegabin 

10km from Hpa-Ann, you can climb this gorgeous beauty (725m) through two entry ways: try one up and the other down. There's a monastery (food and drinks available) at the top and a stunning view of ever changing landscape. Save half a day for this. And let's just say, I was very glad to find a spare t-shirt in my backpack. Depending on the season, you might be able to sleep at the monastery and see sunrise, check with your guesthouse. If this is not the case, opt to climb it early morning. 

 

Saddan Cave 

If you're going to see a cave, make sure this is the one you check out. It has fascinating stalactites and stalagmites formations and a few bats flying around. You walk through it (don't be afraid to get your feet in the muddy water) and to get your way round back to the entrance there are boats at 1,500Kyat each that row through a peaceful backdrop of the mountains neighbouring the cave. 

 

Mount Hpar-Pu

Can you tell we like climbing things? Well, this is less exciting but is nonetheless worth doing. Opposite the Shweyinhwyaw Paya, take a boat across Thawlin River to the island. You'll walk through a small town, keep following the main road (don't cut through the bushes like Matt and I did to then only find a dead exit) and you'll reach a staircase. Follow that up until there are no more stairs and then look back. Hello sunset view. Just remember to be back for the last boat at 6:30pm. 

To eat 

San Ma Tau

With as many waiters as customers, the restaurant is buzzing! The table is automatically filled with their 10 complementary dishes, soup and tea, as well as 3 different after dinner treats. You then order your curry of choice and a pot of rice comes for as many repeats as you want. You pay peanuts. It is such an authentic experience, really delicious and perfect after a long adventurous day. 

We didn't get a chance to go to Veranda Youth Community Cafe but if you do, please go. It's a gorgeous place made of bamboo and other natural materials, delicious options of good and healthy food and is run by a local youth group. A great way to support the community. 

Transport out 

There are several buses running near the clock tower: you can easily buy a ticket from one of the stalls that also roll up bettle, should you fancy it. You can choose your trip on the hour, and while most buses were advertised to last the whole day, once you're buying the ticket just ask for the fast bus as this will get you there quicker. We went to Yangon, although there are several destinations to main cities and towns. The bus was air conditioned, spacious, comfortable, fairly quiet and stopped a couple of times for food breaks. Journey lasted about 7 hours. Note that the bus station in Yangon is near the airport and still and hour or so taxi ride to the centre. As usual, you'll be greeted by taxi drivers to negotiate your way into town. Taxis should cost 8,000 to 10,000 Kyat, or there is a local bus.