An hour from Yangon, most travellers never think to cross the river. They should. Thanlyin — known to the Portuguese as Sirião — wears centuries of history lightly, and a full day here makes a fascinating counterpoint to the city.
We begin at the National Races Village, a slightly faded but revealing introduction to Myanmar's many ethnic communities, with areas representing different peoples. It's best explored on a rented bicycle, weaving between the Mon and Kayin villages and Reed Lake before climbing the Nan Myint tower for the view.
Across the water
The 2.2-kilometre Thanlyin Bridge delivers you over the river, the golden cone of Shwedagon glinting on the Yangon skyline behind. In 1539 the Portuguese invaded with the help of Rakhine forces, eventually renaming the town Sirião. What followed — Burmese reconquest, French occupation, British rule — left a place that was simply forgotten, until the bridge was built in 1993 and development crept back.
Skulls and crossbones
The ruins of the Portuguese church still stand, and among them lie what are believed to be the graves of pirates, marked with a skull-and-crossbones. The nearby market is a feast for the senses, occasionally including a herbalist with remedies you won't find at home.
After lunch, the tour crosses to Kyauktan and the Ye Le Pagoda, said to be over 2,000 years old, sitting on its own little island mid-river. The day closes on the hilltop at Kyaik Khauk Pagoda, with long views over Thanlyin and the river country beyond.
