Day Trip from Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar
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Escaping the city while in Mandalay, Myanmar isn’t that hard. We did a couple day trips from Mandalay, but the coolest (at least temperature-wise) was our trip to Pyin Oo Lwin.
Pyin Oo Lwin is a British hill station town. It was a favorite weekend getaway for Brits that were living in Myanmar during the British occupation. Located in the mountains, it’s cooler and the air is cleaner. The town has a bit of a British-feel to it, but the horse drawn carts that are often used as taxis give it a bit of a wild west theme. At any rate, we spent a relatively short day wandering the streets, getting lunch, having milkshakes (the dairy in the area is probably the best in all of Myanmar), and exploring the very nice market.
One of the highlights of the trip, for me at least, was the ride there and back. We took a local pick-up, which is basically a pickup truck with a covered back. It’s a very inexpensive and unforgettable way to travel. On the way there, we paid extra for the front seats. This was actually a better view and much more comfortable. On the way back, we rode with about 15 other people packed into the truck’s bed like sardines. Even though we were driving down the hill, the ride seemed to take a lot longer. It didn’t help that I was under-dressed, the sun had set, and the cold breeze was chilling me to the bone. This ride probably led to me getting sick for 2 weeks, but I regret nothing.
There’s plenty of information about visiting Pyin Oo Lwin as a day trip from Mandalay in our 2 Week Guide to Myanmar
