The British named the location Maymyo, literally May's Town in Burmese, after Colonel May. The government of Burma renamed the town Pyin U Lwin. Locals travel to Maymyo to escape the heat of Mandalay and to enjoy the botanical gardens, which is surprisingly well maintained with an abundance of colour coming from the flowers and the monks that walk through it. It is the perfect place to wile away an afternoon. The original town plan has hardly changed, and Circular Road runs along the bottom of the ridge, once known as The Rides, a favourite colonial recreational area. Colonial houses are spinkled around the town in varying conditions, which add to the charm of this hill station. You certainly get the feeling of a living town from an almost forgotten era.