Salay

Salay grew as a religious centre in the Bagan period and again as a river trading town under the British, and both layers are still there. Yoke Sone Kyaung is the reason most people come: a teak monastery from the 1880s raised on posts, its exterior panels carved with dense scenes from the jataka tales and from court life, now used as a museum. Around the town are brick temples of the Bagan era, a lacquered Buddha of considerable size, and a row of colonial-era shophouses along the riverbank.

What you actually see

• Yoke Sone Kyaung - a teak monastery on posts, its panels carved with jataka and court scenes.
• The carved panels - the exterior woodwork, which is among the most complete of its kind in the country.
• The brick temples - smaller monuments contemporary with Bagan, scattered around the town.
• The colonial frontage - trading houses and shophouses along the river.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season. Salay is easily combined with a Bagan day and is best in the morning before the heat. The dry zone here is severely hot from March to May.

Honest expectations

The town is small and the visit is short. Many of the carved panels have been removed from the building for conservation and are displayed indoors, which changes the effect. There is little in the way of food or facilities.

Nearby

Bagan is an hour north, and the Ayeyarwady runs alongside the town.