On the morning of the 29th in Taungoo I was up at 5 and at 5:30 the kind manager of my hotel drove me to the bus stand for Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State, Burma's smallest and least populated state, with less than 300,000 people. The small bus, with about 40 seats, left at 6:15, just as the sky was getting light. The driver and his attendant were friendly Kayahs, as most of the passengers seemed to be.
Kayah State, wedged against Thailand's northwestern border, has only recently been opened for individual travelers. It is generally east of Taungoo, but we had to travel north to access the newly paved road across the hills. The video at the front of the bus played Kayah Christian music videos as we headed north. A woman sang "O Holy Night" and a rock group played Christian rock music. Later in the trip there was a pretty terrible movie and a music video featuring several songs sung by a tall albino with very white hair. I was later told he is a very famous Kayah singer. At the front of the bus, above the driver's head, "'I'm nothing without Jesus'" was painted. The Kayah, like many of Burma's minority groups, are predominantly Christian, as are the Chins, Kachin, Karen and others. Shan, Rakhine, and Mon, however, are predominantly Buddhist.
The sun rose over the hills to the east and we reached Naypyitaw's big, fairly modern bus station after about two hours. We headed further north, passing a huge new modern stadium, built for the ASEAN games held in Burma in late 2013, and other big buildings. Nearing Tatkon, north of Naypyitaw, we finally turned onto the newly paved road that crosses the hills about three hours after leaving Taungoo. Now heading southeast, we climbed rapidly on a narrow but well paved asphalt road into lovely wooded hills. Soon we were in Shan state. The bus went up and down over ridges, some parts of the road quite steep, rising to about 3000 feet, then descending to about 1500 feet.
About 10:30 we had a half hour meal stop at a little village where the road turned northeast. We soon had a view of a reservoir in a wooded valley. It must be a relatively recent one, as the electricity pylons near it had no wires. We climbed to about 5000 feet elevation before descending to a river near the reservoir and crossing it on a large new bridge. Heading further east the hills became much less forested and much more cultivated.
About 2 we reached the north-south road just south of the town of Pinlaung and turned south, heading southeast to Loikaw. This is a much poorer road, a thin strip of bad asphalt that is dusty and more heavily trafficked than the road we had been on. The landscape was dry but heavily cultivated. Eventually we had good views of the long blue lake (about 25 miles long, north to south, but much narrower, at its widest less than five miles) south of the more famous Inle Lake. Hills rise beyond it to its east and dry, harvested rice fields lay in front of it.
We stopped in a couple of small towns and drove right along the lake near its southern end, where my altimeter registered about 3150 feet. South of the lake we soon reached the Kayah state border, crossed the river that flows into the lake, and shortly thereafter reached Loikaw just before 5. Loikaw is in a wide flat valley, at about 3200 feet according to my altimeter, with hills in the distance. Loikaw is a spread out town and on the way to my hotel in a taxi I spotted walking along the street the 70 year old German guy, Peter, that I had met in Taungoo. We had dinner together that night in a restaurant on the river that runs through town.
The next morning after breakfast at the hotel the two of us left about 7 in a hired open air three wheeler heading south to Phruso to see the market. The trip was cold in the morning air. The countryside was relatively flat, with hills in the distance. We passed through the town of Demoso about halfway to Phruso. The terrain began to rise just before Phruso and I could see hills bunched up just south of town. We reached Phruso (also spelled Hpruso, and with several other variations I've seen) about an hour after leaving Loikaw, but there was no morning market. Disappointed, we did visit a big Catholic church, but there wasn't much else to see in town.
We headed back the way we had come, passing again through Demoso and again passing a reservoir just south of Demoso with fishermen in boats on it and hills to its east. Just south of the reservoir we turned off the main road and headed southeast, reaching after about three miles a small pond called Umbrella Lake. Gas seeps out from under the shallow lake, creating minature mud volcanos that look like the tops of umbrellas. One had formed and it indeed looked very like an umbrella. It had a hole at the apex. Others were forming and you could spot gas bubbles now and then. Our driver told us they last a day or two.
The area around the pond was very scenic, with cows munching rice stuble in front of not too distant hills. Women were collecting big bundles of rice straw, from where it had been threshed, I suppose, and carrying it a hundred or so feet away to a place where it was spread out on the ground. I suppose that is to dry it before storing it for animal feed, but that is just a guess.
From Umbrella Lake we headed southeast and then south a further seven or so miles to a scenic spot called Seven Lakes, with seven little lakes huddled against some low wooded hills. Some of the leaves on the trees on the hills were turning color, red and yellow. From there we headed back for Loikaw, reaching it about noon.
After lunch I took a walk around town. I first walked to the former palace of the sao pha, or local prince, only a couple of blocks from my hotel. It is an impressive wooden building, now a monastery. Inside are photos of it over the years, along with photos of several of the sao phas, and the lovely young wife of the last one. The palace was built in 1912-1916, and there are some wonderful photos of it at that time or soon after. By 1994 it was in ruins, and there are photos of it then, too. In that year the descendents of the last sao pha, his son and daughter, I think, gave it to the monastery, which apparently completely rebuilt it in 2002, with some changes from the original.
I climbed the stairs and wandered around inside, listening to about seven child monks reciting in the big hall in the back. Three or four others were reciting on a side balcony. From there I walked to a nearby gaudy monastery called Taung Kwe set atop several almost vertical limestone outcrops right in town. I was surprised to find an elevator at the back that took me to the top. The views over the town and the surrounding plains were good, but the buildings not so impressive. From the top I could see other pagodas on hills southeast of town.
I then walked to the railroad station to check out the daily train (leaving at 5:45 in the morning) heading north, and from there along the river to Loikaw's downtown, such as it is. The local people seemed shy, but friendly.
After breakfast the next morning I walked again to the palace converted to a monastery. The young monks chanting in the main hall seemed to welcome the diversion I presented. Later I headed north through town in search of the state museum. I walked north across the river, then past a lake, one of two in town. I spent a few minutes walking through the work in progress called Kayah Landmarks Park, with cement representations of Taung Kwe, Umbrella Lake, Seven Lakes, and a massive hydroelectric site.
It took me a while to find the museum. Finally, a government worker took me the last few blocks on his motorcycle. They had to unlock it for me (later a group of monks joined me) and it was fairly interesting, with mannequins sporting the clothes of each of Kayah's nine different tribes, including the Padaung, whose women wear a massive set of heavy metal rings around their necks, which depress their shoulders and upper rib cages. I've read that can weigh up to fifty pounds. In some cases their long necks can no longer support their heads without the rings. The museum had some good photos of them, and displays of the rings, plus other stuff, such as metal drums and guns fashioned out of metal and wood. Also on display were two of the largest cowbells I have ever seen, made of iron and hard wood. They were about a foot long and quite heavy. Several other cowbells were on display. I guess the Kayah have a fever for cowbells.
I bought some cookies and water from a simple store for lunch and walked to the two big Catholic churches, one built in the 1930's and an even bigger one built just a few years ago. The friendly head priest spotted me looking around and invited me into his office for coffee and cookies. He spoke good English and was very interesting about Loikaw and the Kayah. He told me there are five Catholic parishes in town.
From the churches I started walking out of town to some traditional Kayah poles set together in a sort of outdoor museum northeast of town. I asked directions from a guy on a motorcycle and he gave me a lift there. Some of the poles are quite high, maybe 30 or 40 feet, and there must have been 40 or 50 of them all together. Many have emblems on top. He told me each village has a distinctive pole, but didn't really know much about them.
While I was there, a very friendly little girl, maybe about 7 or 8, in a very frilly orange dress and with yellow thanaka all over her face, came over to see me. She skipped all around and happily posed for photos. She had two older sisters, maybe young teenagers, who were much more shy and kept their distance, except when one came to get the young sister. A brother a little older than the youngest sister soon showed up, and eventually the two older sisters gathered their courage and came over. I even got them to submit to a few photographs, which they seemed to find hilarious.
t took me about an hour to walk back to the hotel from the poles, but it was a mostly pleasant late afternoon walk. Peter had flown to Yangon that afternoon, but I had dinner with another German who had arrived that morning and who had traveled extensively in northeast India, where I plan to head after Burma. That night was New Year's Eve, but I went to bed about 10:30. I did hear some fireworks now and then, and a whole bunch of them at midnight. Soon after midnight it was very quiet.
I spent a good portion of the next day in an internet cafe. They have been few and far between in the places I have traveled in Burma this year. Until this one in Loikaw, I hadn't found one with a connection for almost three weeks. Wifi is taking over, though often the wifi connection is bad, I've been told.
I had a late lunch on the river and then about 3:30 set off for the pagodas on the hills southeast of town. Without too much difficulty I found the right path, passing a surprisingly friendly bunch of about ten pink clad young nuns with shaved heads. They waved as I approached and posed for photos.
I walked to the pagoda furthest south, with reputedly the best view, about a 45 minute walk. It is set upon a hill, a steep climb, though only about 300 feet above the town. The views from the top of the town, the other pagodas, and the surrounding plains and hills were very nice. Just to the southwest is a huge new modern building, the Loikaw Institute of Technology. A very good speaking Kayah guy also at the pagoda at sunset told me the institute has no computers. Sunset was just before 5:30. Reaching town just after dark, I passed by the Taung Kwe pagoda all lit up with strings of multi-colored lights.
Kayah State, wedged against Thailand's northwestern border, has only recently been opened for individual travelers. It is generally east of Taungoo, but we had to travel north to access the newly paved road across the hills. The video at the front of the bus played Kayah Christian music videos as we headed north. A woman sang "O Holy Night" and a rock group played Christian rock music. Later in the trip there was a pretty terrible movie and a music video featuring several songs sung by a tall albino with very white hair. I was later told he is a very famous Kayah singer. At the front of the bus, above the driver's head, "'I'm nothing without Jesus'" was painted. The Kayah, like many of Burma's minority groups, are predominantly Christian, as are the Chins, Kachin, Karen and others. Shan, Rakhine, and Mon, however, are predominantly Buddhist.
The sun rose over the hills to the east and we reached Naypyitaw's big, fairly modern bus station after about two hours. We headed further north, passing a huge new modern stadium, built for the ASEAN games held in Burma in late 2013, and other big buildings. Nearing Tatkon, north of Naypyitaw, we finally turned onto the newly paved road that crosses the hills about three hours after leaving Taungoo. Now heading southeast, we climbed rapidly on a narrow but well paved asphalt road into lovely wooded hills. Soon we were in Shan state. The bus went up and down over ridges, some parts of the road quite steep, rising to about 3000 feet, then descending to about 1500 feet.
About 10:30 we had a half hour meal stop at a little village where the road turned northeast. We soon had a view of a reservoir in a wooded valley. It must be a relatively recent one, as the electricity pylons near it had no wires. We climbed to about 5000 feet elevation before descending to a river near the reservoir and crossing it on a large new bridge. Heading further east the hills became much less forested and much more cultivated.
About 2 we reached the north-south road just south of the town of Pinlaung and turned south, heading southeast to Loikaw. This is a much poorer road, a thin strip of bad asphalt that is dusty and more heavily trafficked than the road we had been on. The landscape was dry but heavily cultivated. Eventually we had good views of the long blue lake (about 25 miles long, north to south, but much narrower, at its widest less than five miles) south of the more famous Inle Lake. Hills rise beyond it to its east and dry, harvested rice fields lay in front of it.
We stopped in a couple of small towns and drove right along the lake near its southern end, where my altimeter registered about 3150 feet. South of the lake we soon reached the Kayah state border, crossed the river that flows into the lake, and shortly thereafter reached Loikaw just before 5. Loikaw is in a wide flat valley, at about 3200 feet according to my altimeter, with hills in the distance. Loikaw is a spread out town and on the way to my hotel in a taxi I spotted walking along the street the 70 year old German guy, Peter, that I had met in Taungoo. We had dinner together that night in a restaurant on the river that runs through town.
The next morning after breakfast at the hotel the two of us left about 7 in a hired open air three wheeler heading south to Phruso to see the market. The trip was cold in the morning air. The countryside was relatively flat, with hills in the distance. We passed through the town of Demoso about halfway to Phruso. The terrain began to rise just before Phruso and I could see hills bunched up just south of town. We reached Phruso (also spelled Hpruso, and with several other variations I've seen) about an hour after leaving Loikaw, but there was no morning market. Disappointed, we did visit a big Catholic church, but there wasn't much else to see in town.
We headed back the way we had come, passing again through Demoso and again passing a reservoir just south of Demoso with fishermen in boats on it and hills to its east. Just south of the reservoir we turned off the main road and headed southeast, reaching after about three miles a small pond called Umbrella Lake. Gas seeps out from under the shallow lake, creating minature mud volcanos that look like the tops of umbrellas. One had formed and it indeed looked very like an umbrella. It had a hole at the apex. Others were forming and you could spot gas bubbles now and then. Our driver told us they last a day or two.
The area around the pond was very scenic, with cows munching rice stuble in front of not too distant hills. Women were collecting big bundles of rice straw, from where it had been threshed, I suppose, and carrying it a hundred or so feet away to a place where it was spread out on the ground. I suppose that is to dry it before storing it for animal feed, but that is just a guess.
From Umbrella Lake we headed southeast and then south a further seven or so miles to a scenic spot called Seven Lakes, with seven little lakes huddled against some low wooded hills. Some of the leaves on the trees on the hills were turning color, red and yellow. From there we headed back for Loikaw, reaching it about noon.
After lunch I took a walk around town. I first walked to the former palace of the sao pha, or local prince, only a couple of blocks from my hotel. It is an impressive wooden building, now a monastery. Inside are photos of it over the years, along with photos of several of the sao phas, and the lovely young wife of the last one. The palace was built in 1912-1916, and there are some wonderful photos of it at that time or soon after. By 1994 it was in ruins, and there are photos of it then, too. In that year the descendents of the last sao pha, his son and daughter, I think, gave it to the monastery, which apparently completely rebuilt it in 2002, with some changes from the original.
I climbed the stairs and wandered around inside, listening to about seven child monks reciting in the big hall in the back. Three or four others were reciting on a side balcony. From there I walked to a nearby gaudy monastery called Taung Kwe set atop several almost vertical limestone outcrops right in town. I was surprised to find an elevator at the back that took me to the top. The views over the town and the surrounding plains were good, but the buildings not so impressive. From the top I could see other pagodas on hills southeast of town.
I then walked to the railroad station to check out the daily train (leaving at 5:45 in the morning) heading north, and from there along the river to Loikaw's downtown, such as it is. The local people seemed shy, but friendly.
After breakfast the next morning I walked again to the palace converted to a monastery. The young monks chanting in the main hall seemed to welcome the diversion I presented. Later I headed north through town in search of the state museum. I walked north across the river, then past a lake, one of two in town. I spent a few minutes walking through the work in progress called Kayah Landmarks Park, with cement representations of Taung Kwe, Umbrella Lake, Seven Lakes, and a massive hydroelectric site.
It took me a while to find the museum. Finally, a government worker took me the last few blocks on his motorcycle. They had to unlock it for me (later a group of monks joined me) and it was fairly interesting, with mannequins sporting the clothes of each of Kayah's nine different tribes, including the Padaung, whose women wear a massive set of heavy metal rings around their necks, which depress their shoulders and upper rib cages. I've read that can weigh up to fifty pounds. In some cases their long necks can no longer support their heads without the rings. The museum had some good photos of them, and displays of the rings, plus other stuff, such as metal drums and guns fashioned out of metal and wood. Also on display were two of the largest cowbells I have ever seen, made of iron and hard wood. They were about a foot long and quite heavy. Several other cowbells were on display. I guess the Kayah have a fever for cowbells.
I bought some cookies and water from a simple store for lunch and walked to the two big Catholic churches, one built in the 1930's and an even bigger one built just a few years ago. The friendly head priest spotted me looking around and invited me into his office for coffee and cookies. He spoke good English and was very interesting about Loikaw and the Kayah. He told me there are five Catholic parishes in town.
From the churches I started walking out of town to some traditional Kayah poles set together in a sort of outdoor museum northeast of town. I asked directions from a guy on a motorcycle and he gave me a lift there. Some of the poles are quite high, maybe 30 or 40 feet, and there must have been 40 or 50 of them all together. Many have emblems on top. He told me each village has a distinctive pole, but didn't really know much about them.
While I was there, a very friendly little girl, maybe about 7 or 8, in a very frilly orange dress and with yellow thanaka all over her face, came over to see me. She skipped all around and happily posed for photos. She had two older sisters, maybe young teenagers, who were much more shy and kept their distance, except when one came to get the young sister. A brother a little older than the youngest sister soon showed up, and eventually the two older sisters gathered their courage and came over. I even got them to submit to a few photographs, which they seemed to find hilarious.
t took me about an hour to walk back to the hotel from the poles, but it was a mostly pleasant late afternoon walk. Peter had flown to Yangon that afternoon, but I had dinner with another German who had arrived that morning and who had traveled extensively in northeast India, where I plan to head after Burma. That night was New Year's Eve, but I went to bed about 10:30. I did hear some fireworks now and then, and a whole bunch of them at midnight. Soon after midnight it was very quiet.
I spent a good portion of the next day in an internet cafe. They have been few and far between in the places I have traveled in Burma this year. Until this one in Loikaw, I hadn't found one with a connection for almost three weeks. Wifi is taking over, though often the wifi connection is bad, I've been told.
I had a late lunch on the river and then about 3:30 set off for the pagodas on the hills southeast of town. Without too much difficulty I found the right path, passing a surprisingly friendly bunch of about ten pink clad young nuns with shaved heads. They waved as I approached and posed for photos.
I walked to the pagoda furthest south, with reputedly the best view, about a 45 minute walk. It is set upon a hill, a steep climb, though only about 300 feet above the town. The views from the top of the town, the other pagodas, and the surrounding plains and hills were very nice. Just to the southwest is a huge new modern building, the Loikaw Institute of Technology. A very good speaking Kayah guy also at the pagoda at sunset told me the institute has no computers. Sunset was just before 5:30. Reaching town just after dark, I passed by the Taung Kwe pagoda all lit up with strings of multi-colored lights.
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ReplyDeleteHi Doug! I saw you stayed 3 days in Loikaw - is that enough to cover all the sites? Would you recommend a longer stay?
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