Thanlyin Voyage Tips and guide

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Thanlyin and Kyauktan (Syriam) was once an important city on the Irrawaddy Delta, but is today an almost forgotten suburb of Yangon. In the early seventeenth century the Portuguese adventurer and mercenary, and short-time self-proclaimed king, Filipe de Brito, was the de facto ruler of Syriam. In 1613, he was defeated by Burmese forces led by Alaungpaya, the founder of The Konbaung dynasty .

Thanylin is a short taxi ride away (USD30 round trip) or catch a local bus from Bogoyoke Aung San Rd in Pazundaung Township for a crowded ride into the past (around 350 kyat) From Thanlyin, a boat (1,500 kyat) takes a few minutes to get across to Kyauktan.

• 16.6294596.324171 Kyauktan Ye Le Pagoda (Island Pagoda) (About 20 km south of Thanlyin on a tributary of the Yangon River. The journey by jeep or bus takes about 45 min from Thanlyin). The pagoda is on an island in the middle of the river. It was built by King Zeyasana, the seventh king of the Pada Dynasty in the third century BCE. The first pagoda was only 3 m high. The only way to get into the pagoda is by the boat. Foreigners are required to sit in a larger boat which differs from the smaller ones that the locals take due to security purposes. A hefty price of 5,000 kyat is required to rent the entire boat. The ride from the mainland to the Island Pagoda is barely a minute. As with nearly all Buddhist monuments, footwear is not permitted. All visitors are told to remove their footwear in the boat and leave their shoes in the boat. However, carry a plastic shopping bag, put your shoes in it, and carry it around with you unless you do not mind being harassed for tips by people guarding your shoes in the boat. USD2.