Twante

Twante is a delta town about an hour from Yangon, known for pottery: unglazed earthenware water pots, the large round vessels that stand at gates across the country for passers-by to drink from. Workshops line the lanes near the canal, with wheels turning under thatched roofs, rows of pots drying in yards and wood-fired kilns behind. There is also a busy market, a canal cut in the colonial period, and the Shwesandaw pagoda on the town's edge. It is a working town rather than a display and visitors are simply tolerated in the yards.

History

The Twante canal, 35 kilometres long and built by the British in 1881, is the longest man-made canal in Myanmar, a shortcut between the Irrawaddy and the Yangon River. George Orwell served as a police officer in Twante, and the Shwesandaw Pagoda, believed to hold hairs of the Buddha, holds its festival at Burmese New Year (Wikipedia, Twante Township).

What you'll find

• The pottery yards - wheels, drying racks and wood-fired kilns in open-sided workshops.
• The water pots - the big unglazed vessels the town is known for, made in quantity.
• The canal - the Twante canal cut to link the delta to Yangon, still carrying boats.
• The market - a large delta produce market, busiest in the morning.

When to go

November to February is the dry season, which matters here because pots are dried in the open and production slows in the monsoon. Mornings are when the wheels are turning and the market is full.

Before you go

There is no visitor centre and no organised tour: you walk into working yards, and a guide or a driver who knows the potters makes a large difference. The road across the delta is slow. Photographs of people at work should be asked for.

Nearby

The Dala ferry crossing back to Yangon is on the way, and Yangon itself is about an hour east.

Key facts