Nay pyi daw

[harleyclarkey]

While we were in Rangoon we decided to take a look at Nay Pyi Taw.....Abode of Kings.

On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Burma was officially moved to a greenfield site 3.2 km (2.0 mi) west of Pyinmana and approximately 320 km (200 mi) north of Rangoon), the previous capital. Population is not far off a million and this costly monument to the inflated ego of a few disgusting souls covers a vast area of, seemingly, 7,000 sq. kms!! Split into zones for Residential, Military, Ministry, Government, Hotel and eight townships. Foreign embassies have refused to move here.....so far!

The Rangoon bus station is a good way out of town so do allow at least an hour to get there....depending on whether you are in rush hour or not. The taxi should be about $6-8.

We choose Elite Express as the bus company to travel with. It was recommended as about the best with air con, comfy seats and the usual DVD player. The bus station is quite strange as it is just a long line of buses with the company name over the office. There are yet more around the corner. So look carefully, and make sure your driver knows the correct bus company, or you may end up going South/West/East!! I think we paid the cheap fare of about $7 one way. On the journey we got a small inkling of what is ahead when passed the first toll gate and travelled on an empty 4 lane highway, unlike anything else you have been on in Burma. You will stop off half way up into a very large and spread out rest area with really excellent dining in a busy clean dining room, with a good choice, served instantly and the price is fine. You have a choice of areas and foods to choose from but we just headed to the busiest. The toilets are also clean.

Arriving into Nay Pyi Taw was a strange affair for us. We just kept seeing these huge US style mansions being built along by the highway. It looked so out of character with the rest of Burma. The first crossroads we arrived at had an eight (yes, eight) lane highway in both directions and again totally empty. This is where the hotel zone is with big, expensive hotels dotted along. A couple of out of place western style shopping centres completed this bizzare picture for us. We could just as easily been in the States.

Careful!! Arrival at the terminus wasn't good at all. It is just a square with shops all around and an Elite office. The ususal taxi guys were there and we were really upset when they demanded over $20 to go anywhere, even 5 minutes. The fare from the airport, I was told is either $40 or $80. This could be more than the air fare. I wasted my time, and self respect, by getting shirty and narky with the drivers. I was then told that the military control all the taxis and hence the stupid outrageous fares. So it is not the drivers fault.

We were really lucky....a woman in the nearby internet shop took pity on us, smiled, shook her head and then called her driver and told him to bring us to our hotel. What a lovely wonderful gesture that was very much appreciated. An offer of a good tip was firmly and politely declined by the driver. This is the true, lovely Burmese at their best.

We choose the Mount Pleasant Hotel and Resort to stay in. This is owned by a famous (we were told) actor who is a decent guy. Seems he helps those less fortunate and the staff speak highly of him. It is 10 minutes, plus, from the bus and up a steep hill in the middle of nowhere. Then again, whatever hotel you pick you will have nothing around you. Everywhere is by taxi!! I did see local buses and if you would possibly stay more than 1 or 2 nights then you could suss these out.

Wow...what a eye opener of a hotel. Huge steep banks, impressive entrance, lovely gardens with tasty bungalows (also VIP villas with pools) and a restaurant on the top of the hill. The staff are wonderful and our room was really good. Big, modern with a bathroom to match and a huge private patio. No. It wasn't all that expensive (for Burma anyway and especially Nay Pyi Taw). We dined, with reasonable prices, in the restaurant and had the whole place to ourselves for the night. My favourite beer, Mynamar, was the same price as anywhere else.

What a fantastic view! The whole of this strange, huge and bizzare city was below us. Yes...a good place to stay and I guess one of the best in town. Even if you stay elsewhere come to dine and especially so for the views.

We just had to see what this was all about. We had a very open, and candid, long conversation with someone (absolutely no names...it was NOT the internet cafe nor the driver) about the city and other issues. We rented a Toyota Camry car for four hours to tour the city at a cost of $50. Very reasonable considering the cost of a ten minute taxi ride. Every road was the eight lane variety with hardly a soul on them. We saw only a few motorbikes and a couple, litterally, of cars/pick ups and two buses.The driver warned us not to point any camera at the military bases which seem to be prolific.The parliament buildings are totally off limits and are like something from Disneyland. There is a battallion of soldiers all around the perimiter as the first line of defense. The second has more troops and the third harbours the elite troopps/guards. We got as far as the first gate on foot and were told not to cross the line! Clicking with my camera didn't seem to go down too welll so I stopped! The beautiful Temple is moddled on Schwedagon in Rangoon.

There are about 1,200 apartment buildings dotted about, and each one colour coded according to what ministry you work in. You are also allotted your apartment according to your status at work and the size of your family.

There wasn't much to see but endless ribbons of concrete, fenced off bases, fenced in apartment blocks, two shopping centres and a couple of more local small trading/vending areas.

All in all we were really glad to have seen Nay Pyi Taw for the sheer folly of the place and to reaffirm our disgust for the Generals and their cohorts. I would recommend it only for a night as there really is little to see after the initial shock of the place. I reckon that nearly all of the monies collected in this awful city ends up in the bottomless pockets of those in charge. Not a nice thought for us. I was quietly told that 25% of all hotel takings go as a "tax". Whether this is true or not I do not know.

A better option is for sure to stay in nearby (like, right next door), more local with more to do, Pyinmana.

[SeaVisionBurma]

hayleyclarkey - sorry for the late response but thanks for another informative and detailed post!

[Tomtomtom69]

I've been to Naypyidaw too and stayed one night there last year. Came with a car and driver who unceremoniously abandoned us so we had to find another one for the drive north to Mandalay.

Naypyidaw kinda reminds me of a Burmese version of Canberra, well planned, lots of roomy villas, houses and apartments not to mention big roads and large distances between suburbs (or shopping/retail, hotel and government/residential areas) - indeed they are about the same size although Canberra obviously has more traffic, though not a huge amount either.