Places of interest
KYAING TONG
Kyaing Tong is known for its scenic beauty and many colorful ethnic tribes. Situated in the eastern Shan State and 452 km from Taunggyi and 176 km from Tachileik. Places of interest around Kyaingtong are, the Spa, Naung Tong Lake, Sunn Taung Monastery, Central market and Traditional Lacquer ware works and weaving factory. There are many villages of various ethnic tribes resided around Kyaing Tong. The tribes known as Gon, Lwe, Li, Wa, Lah Hu, Thai Nay, Shan, Li Shaw, Li Su, Palaung, Akha, and we can only differentiate the tribes by colourful dresses which is different to one another. There are regular flights from Yangon to Kyaing Tong. Visitors coming from Thailand are allowed to cross into this border town with border passes. Tachileik is also a border crossing point through which visitors from Thailand come to Myanmar. Regular air services are available between Heho, Mandalay, Tachileik and Yangon.
LOIMWE
Loimwe, 38 km from Kyaing Tong, used to be the headquarters of the British District Commissioner during the colonial period. This 'hill station' features a number of old colonial buildings and a century-old Catholic church. The main attraction is the scenery on the ascent to Loimwe, as you pass through forests, terraced rice fields and past a lake.
TACHILEIK
Located on the Myanmar - Thai border in the eastern Shan State, is a gateway to the heart of the Golden Triangle. The Friendship Bridge across the small Mae Sai stream links Tachileik with the northern Thai border town of Mae Sai. You can fly direct from Yangon to Tachileik in an hour. There is a ferry-landing site at Wanpon port on the Mekong River at the Myanmar - Laos border, 29 km from Tachileik. The road from Tachileik to Kyaing Tong is good and it takes only 3 hours by car to get there.
MONG LA (MAILAR)
Located on the Myanmar – China border can be reached from Kyaing Tong by road (2 ½ hours). Mong La is a flourishing town where the border trade, especially the tourist industry is booming. Tourist across the border pour in daily to do shopping, see the highly popular elephant circus and crocodile show or just to relax at a pleasant picnic site surrounded by emerald green mountains.
Restaurants
Street-Food
Kyaing Tong's central market is one of the most interesting and colorful markets in Southeast Asia. It's open until 13:00, but if you go in the early morning it's much livelier and great for people to watch. You can see hilltribe women in their traditional costumes shopping and selling their produce. There are a number of stalls serving traditional food such as noodle soup with fresh wheat noodles or wontons, pancakes, paratha and more.
My Cup
My Cup restaurant is very famous among young locals. There is an outside terrace and an inside seating arrangement for people who would like to escape the hot weather. It is situated by Nyaung Toung Lake, which makes it even more special. They do serve their own style of Western food, but the Burmese and Shan salads, curries and soups are more famous and highly recommended. It's also a great place to drink some beer in the evening with a nice view of the lake.
Cafe Twenty One
Cafe Twenty One is a lovely cafe with a small garden area at the back. They serve a variety of international dishes. Their menu includes a mix of Burmese, Chinese and Western dishes and serves delicious and reasonable dim sum, which costs 800 kyats per serving. It's also a great place to just sit outside and enjoy a good cup of coffee or smoothie.
Happy Cafe
Happy place is such an interesting place where everyone gathers to have breakfast. You can see monks and local people at this open teahouse sitting at the outside area in the shade. It's a good place to pick up a bowl of traditional breakfast also known as mohinga or myishay, which is a type of Shan noodle soup. This friendly teahouse even has Wi-Fi available for anyone to use.
Golden Banyan Restaurant
Golden Banyan Restaurant is a nice local restaurant, which is pretty well known among tourists. They mostly serve Asian dishes such as Chinese and Burmese traditional food like rice and curry. There is a banyan tree, which creates a nice and cool atmosphere and people can choose to have their meal under the tree if they wish. The service and food is highly praised by everyone. You can also enjoy a cup of beer along with your meals. It is a restaurant that is definitely worth a visit.
