Day 12 Bagan to Kalaw 8 January

We headed off early 200kms to the east to the hill town of Kalaw. The trip was supposed to take 6 hours but our driver was obviously in a hurry as he had to go home again and had bought a friend along. Kalaw was created as a mountain retreat by the British to get away from the heat in the summer. We passed lots of little villages and a couple of big towns, stopping once for local tea, attracting some attention. It was nice to be away from the tourists and to see the local countryside. The last 30kms was very slow going as we headed up into the hills and the temperature started dropping. We started seeing big bamboo forests and very inventive farming as crops were planted up the hills of the mountains and every flat space possible. We knew we were getting close to Kalaw when the pine forests stared appearing. These are not native to Myanmar as the British planted them, but they are obviously thriving.

We checked into our bright blue hotel, the Pine Breeze on top of a hill giving panoramic views of the hills and surrounding town. 20 minutes after checking in our trekking guide Michel arrived to give us an overview of our 2 day trek to the local villages. We then headed off to find a place for lunch and to explore the town. It was a bustling little town that had a lovely feel about it, especially as there were less tourists around. After another great lunch we explored the market where the boys acquired more knives and a couple of DVDs which are unlikely to work, but are of the latest films. They then made there way home whilst Mandy and Liam went for a walk around the town. A South Korean girl started chatting to us and suggested we come and meet a guy called Tommy who runs the Rural Development Service (RDS) and works with the minority ethnic tribes in the area of which there are many. He is a very impressive man, taking in children from rebel ethnic tribes who are fighting for their independence. Their parents have either been killed or their villages are too dangerous to live in, so they come and live with him. He did 2 years in jail for helping these people and also does other projects like putting wells into villages. He left quite an impression. After chatting with him, we headed back to the hotel as it was getting cold and was threatening to rain. Our first experience of cold weather in Mynamar.

In the evening we decided to try the Nepalese restaurant, and the heavens opened big time when we started to head out. However the hotel was well organised and provided umbrellas so we could trudge down the road in the puddles. It was much colder than anticipated. The meal however was excellent and enjoyed with a couple of rounds of gin rummy. The weather had cleared when we headed back and turned in watching some Myanmar TV which was quite amusing.

Location:Kalaw