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 The
region northeast of former British hill
station Pyin Oo Lwin has its own attractions
especially for those who would like to explore
on the laidback trails: whether taking a
train ride over the world’s second highest
Gokteik Viaduct to the appealing old Shan
principality Hispaw hunting down Paul Theroux’s
Great Railway Bazaars; the northern Shan
state capital Lashio, where the historic
Burma Road ends; or taking an overland drive
on the Burma Road to the Myanmar’s frontier
town of Muse passing through many minority
villages, ex-Shan principality town of Theinni,
and beautiful vista of Loi Sansip. One may
leave Myanmar for China at Muse border checkpoint
or make a circular trip back to Mandalay
via old British outpost town of Namkhan
to an ancient trading port town of Bhamo
from where the spectacular downriver journey
on Ayeyarwaddy River begins.
Train Ride to Gokteik Viaduct
and beyond
 The
world second highest Gokteik viaduct is
located some 55km northeast of Pyin Oo Lwin,
on the way to Lashio. The Pennsylvania Steel
Co had it built in 1903 on behalf of the
British, where the construction took only
9 months. The viaduct is spanned over the
deep Gokteik Gorge giving way to access
the entire region of northeastern Shan State.
It’s a thrilling experience when the train
slowdown to drive on this oldest and longest
modern railway bridge in Myanmar. On the
other hand, the railroad from Pyin Oo Lwin
to Hsipaw or Lashio is quite fascinating
to see the life of the people, backroad
villages, farms, and stunning mountain sceneries
although the seats on the train car aren’t
so comfortable. However, it is worth trying
on this part of railway road in Myanmar
where once Paul Theroux described in his
book, “The Great Railway Bazaar”. It is
best to begin the train ride in Pyin Oo
Lwin at 8:15am and get off at Hispaw, around
2:30pm.
Hsipaw
Once the administrative center of an
independent Shan kingdom ruled by the Sao
Bwe (Shan Chieftain), Hispaw still has its
bucolic charms, where many travelers find
a good reason to stay longer than they have
intended. In February / March, the town
celebrates a big pagoda festival for the
region’s most sacred 700-year-old Bawgyo
Pagoda. Many pilgrims from all over Shan
State, including tribes living on the steep
slopes, come to worship the four holey images
that are allow to take out from the inner
sanctum once a year for a week-long festival.
During the Sao Bwe times, gambling was allowed
to collect tax for the Hispaw Shan kingdom.
It is highly recommended to read “Twilight
over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess”
an account of Austrian-American Inge Sargent,
who was the popular Mahadevi of Hsipaw from
1950s until 1962. The European-style Shan
Palace (Haw in Shan language), which was
built in 1924, is still standing at the
northern end of the town, where the visitors
are welcomed after 4:00pm. From Hsipaw,
there are several trekking trips to surrounding
hills, waterfall, typical Shan villages,
mandarin orange orchards and boating on
Dokhtawady River can be made. For those
who tend to be a bit more adventurous can
be visited a remote town of Namhsan, another
Shan principality perched on a 1600m-high
narrow ridge, surrounded by valleys and
mountains that rise to 2000m. The 80km unpaved
dirt road seems exhausting but what rewarding
is to see Shwe (Golden) Palaungs, a tribe
renowned for best tealeaves producing, and
the stunning beauty, which got its nickname
as the Switzerland of Myanmar.
Lashio
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