April 17th - 18th Trek in Hsipaw and Gokteik Viaduct

Hsipaw (pronounced "Thibaw") is a delightful, tranquil little place, still in Shan state and adjacent to a range of hills and villages populated by Palaung peoples, and hence is a popular place to undertake some trekking into the countryside. It was raining very heavily the day before i'd arrived, and this continued into the next day, when I'd hoped to join an organised trek. The trekking agency adjacent to where I was staying generally ran a 3 day, 2 night trek, but the heavy rain meant it had to be limited to a 2 day, 1 night trek, which was a bit of a shame, but I was pleased that I was able to get on a trek of any kind. There were five of us in total.

So we set off with our guide, Auso, a really informative guy who knew so much about the history of the place. We started off at the Muslim cemetary and began the five hour trek to the Palaung village of Pan Kam. From here at the edge of Hsipaw you could admire the wondrous scenery, and Auso was quick to point out the wild root ginger and, a little later, the cultivated okra. Mimosa is considered valuable by local village people for assisting with overcoming sleeplessness.

Wild ginger

Cultivated okra

Stunning vegetation

Mimosa

The landscapes were quite wonderful, alternating between lush greenery and the recently-baked red soil. At various points we walked through various Palaung villages, and at one of them we stopped for a cup of tea and some snacks. The tea plantations were quite abundant on the brow of a hill.

Landscape

Tea plantation

Eventually after a gradual ascent we reached Pan Kam village and were warmly greeted by the family with whom we would be staying. The house was built on stilts, with the lounge consisting of a large room with the central point given over to an open fireplace, which also serves as a stove. We were served a delicious lunch of stewed pumpkin, a french bean and cucumber salad, and another potato dish.

In Burmese, Shan, Palaung and English

Stewed pumpkin dish

French bean and cucumber salad

Male head of the household by the open hearth

Village kids playing football in the mud

Female head of the household

Auso told us that families would construct homes on stilts next to their own when a marriage had taken place, and recalled from his youth that there might be a dozen or more houses in a row as part of an extended family. It was a tradition, therefore, to start collecting wood for one's children, mindful of the quantities of wood required to build such a large structure, well in advance of them reaching marriageable age. The community would join the family in helping to construct the home. Quite a contrast to having a 25 year or more mortgage debt!

Stored firewood for building a future house

Rear view of the house

The rear side of the house led onto a small garden area, and beyond this lay a space for growing vegetables.

Growing aubergines in the garden

Mango tree

Damson tree

Female head of the household tilling the land 

The next morning I would really liked to have continued the trek, but i'd arranged to curtail it in order to catch the train to Pyoo Oo Lwin, which passes over the famous Gokteik Viaduct. Built in 1901, the viaduct is a real must-see in this part of Myanmar. However, it meant leaving Pan Kam village very early, by way of a pre-arranged motorcycle ride, back to Hsipaw. Although it was not raining, the huge amount of rain that had fallen before meant the pathway had become a real quagmire, so much so that at times the motorcycle became completely stuck and both driver and I had to walk. Nonetheless in the drier light, the landscapes were mesmerising, and I felt more than a tinge of sadness that i'd curtailed the trek.

Hsipaw landscape

Hsipaw landscape

It was another race against time to return to the hotel, grab a shower, pick up most of the stuff i'd left in storage, and then scramble for the train. Thankfully I just made it by the skin of my teeth, thanks to a most obliging autorickshaw driver carrying most of my stuff across the train lines and onto the train. It was a very close run thing, and I really needed to catch that train in order to get to Pyoo Oo Lwin, and then hopefully catch a shared taxi back to Mandalay.

This was another fabulous train journey in Myanmar. Gazing out onto gorgeous rugged landscapes alternating from luscious, verdant green dripping with life to more austere, barren but no less beautiful vistas. These journeys with their ever-changing many-textured views with colours sometimes muted, at other times more vivid, were such a highlight of my travels in Myanmar, quite unforgettable.

The viaduct itself - the highest bridge in Myanmar - did not disappoint, as gradually the train slowed and then rose above a steep escarpment onto the Shan plateau, before suddenly lurching steeply upward above the Dokhtawady river. The views across the landscape were terrific.

Arriving in Pyoo Oo Lwin, it turned out that the shared taxis had long since departed, contrary to what I'd been told earlier, which meant having to get a shared lift to Mandalay on one of the vehicles that gathered about one of the main roundabouts out of Pyin Oo Lwin on the road to Mandalay. The vehicle was like a pick-up truck,and as I clambered on and more and more people got on, it became incredibly cramped, such that my limbs and posture had to be periodically rearranged. What a relief to arrive back in Mandalay.