Maymyo (Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin, also spelled Pyinoolwin)
An Introduction
Maymyo Purcell Tower
Mandalay, the second capital of Myanmar, is in the hot region. The weather is usually dry and hot most time of the year. People from Mandalay usually take refuge in a nearby resort town which is quite famous among Myanmar people. The name is May Myo (or) Pyin Oo Lwin (also spelled Pyin U Lwin).
Maymyo is originally a small Shan village. It was renamed Maymyo in 1887 by Colonel May, from 5th Bengal Infantry Regiment, who stationed here. From 1896, Maymyo (Pyinoolwin) became British hill station. It was also the summer capital of British Burma. Every summer, the whole British establishment in Burma, including the British Governor, civil, military and commercial administration, moved from Yangon to Maymyo (Pyinoolwin). As a result, Maymyo (Pyinoolwin) has a large collection of colonial style houses and mansions which are not only beautiful, but also grand and timeless.
During the colonial era, there was an influx of south Asians to Maymyo (Pyinoolwin). Today, there are more than 5,000 Nepalese and 10,000 Indians living in Maymyo (Pyinoolwin).
The weather in Maymyo (Pyinoolwin) is always nice. At more than 3,000 feet above sea level, the temperature is always 6 to 7 degree Celsius lower than Mandalay, which is only 69 km to the west of Maymyo (Pyinoolwin). As a result, it is always the favorite destination for people of Mandalay to take refuge from hot, dry, dusty Mandalay. In recent years, Maymyo (Pyinoolwin) see increase in the number of foreign tourists to the town, with many new hotels and guesthouses open in the town. However, the majority of visitors to the town remain Myanmar locals.
Editor’s Note: Many of the above information has been obtained from our reference book Lonely Planet Guide to Myanmar (Burma)
Originally the surrounding villages were quite poor but in the past 5 years there have been significant changes in infrastructure and service industries due to the influx of tourists.