"the myanma name is Mottama" Martaban by cochinjew

The ferry landing, to and fro Mawlamyaing, is the busiest part of this town, which is well connected to Yangon with frequent fast buses and also a train service direct to Yangon

sunset over thanlwin river

Nobody seems to be certain of the times of the governement ferry: large and charges the foreigners 1 usd.each way
we rented a boat for 4000 kyats ( less than 5 ) to take us across to Mottama and back and on the way back the sun was setting and the town of Mawlamyaing lighting up... and with its skyline of moorish mosques and stalinist architecture of hotels...

mawlamyaing skyline

Military and their cronies have preference on this ferry, so you might end up waiting for hours even if you are first in line.
Better to by road, by pass Mottama and go north ...

• Pros:Convenient and tranquil
• Cons:Mawlamyaing is close by, if it is anything negative
• In a nutshell:Time to get off the tourist route and see Burma!