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KyaukmeTrekking around

P h o t o E s s a y

Words and photos by Christopher Davy

FEW tourists venture out into the hills around Kyaukme, preferring other destinations in Shan State, such as Kalaw and Inle Lake. Those that do often cite it as the highlight of their visit, and the region has great potential as a tourist site, particularly for travellers looking to do something a bit “out of the way”. Kyaukme’s close proximity to Mandalay and the colonial hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin means there are convenient transport links but the main draw is the region’s wonderful trekking, beautiful scenery, and the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of various local ethnic groups, including the Palaung and Lisu. To get the most out of your visit, it’s best to travel by motorbike with a local guide, stopping off in villages and doing light treks along the way. You get to see plenty of villages this way and the best of the local scenery. The Palaung, which are the main ethnic group in the area, derive most of their income from cultivating and trading tea; their dark green

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Destination

trees litter the hills, creating a dappled counterpoint to the lighter grasses and earthy browns of the land. This type of travelling is best suited to small groups of just a few people. I travelled with a German friend and a local guide, taking two motorbikes. Our three-day tour gave us plenty of time to enjoy the hills, which seem sparsely populated, but also spend time in the villages, talking with the locals, enjoying religious festivities and – unavoidably in Shan State – drinking copious amount of tea.

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We spent the first night in Hoo Kwat, a Palaung village set in the dip between two hills. Many of the men had already travelled to Pan Phat, a nearby village that was hosting the area’s full moon festival, leaving the young children and most of the women in the village. As night closed in, little could be heard save for the hum of a generator at the monastery, which was powering a TV so that young boys could watch a film, and the occasional bark of a dog. In our lodging house, the women cooked over an open fire, creating a smoky ambience. After dinner, the women talk-ed excitedly with neighbours, now and again standing up to rock a toddler back to sleep in a hammock. We woke at 4am and immediately set out to climb the nearest hill. After a great deal of stumbling in the dark and a few wrong turns we finally made it to the top in time to watch the sun dispel the fog from nearby valleys and slowly creep across the village below.

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Photo Essay

As thank you for the kind hospitality we took photos of the women from some of the nearby houses and their children, all dressed in traditional Palaung finery.

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A festival was already underway when we arrived in the village of Toan Hait. Carrying donations for the local monastery, the villagers paraded along the roads to the beat of long Shan drums intermingled with merry-making and laughter. Groups of youngsters were in charge of carrying palanquins on which sat various items for the monks, including new robes and fans.

Snaking along, the parade would stop every 20 metres or so for the music to crescendo, the youngsters to throw the palanquins up into the air and for the older men and women to dance. In the midday heat this must have been quite exhausting but the members of the parade continued undeterred, spurred on by clapping, applause and encouragement from the people lining the roads.

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