F E L I N E R S

In the cool foothills, 69km east of Mandalay, Pyin U Lwin evoked the vibe of the British colonial era. As Lonely Planet put it, stately colonial-era buildings on the town's main street house Nepali tea houses or sweater shops, and country cottages sit on grassy plots outside town.

Pony-led colourful minitature wagons trot the town. There is a big military population in Pyin U Lwin as the Defense Services Academy is located there. It is also a bit of a holiday destination for domestic travellers.

Pyin U Lwin was originally a Shan village and was renamed Maymyo in 1887 after British Colonel May who was stationed here. From 1896 Pyin U Lwin was a British hill station and during those days an influx of south asians moved here. Today more than 5000 Nepali and 10,000 Indians live in town. Most people here are well-versed in English.

My ride from Mandalay to Pyin U Lwin. It was a four hour ride on a wooden bench at the back of a pick-up truck loaded with people as well as goods. It was so jam-packed that by the end of the ride, we were one big happy family. Oh, it also had to stop almost every hour - tea houses or restaurants usually have hoses ready for those heated up radiators.

Main street Pyin U Lwin

Nat pwe (spirit festival). Burmese people believe in nat, or spirit. Nat are known to like loud and colourful music, so these people go around banging away at full volume on their gongs, drums and other instruments.

The Purcell Tower on the main road in the town centre was a present from Queen Victoria. An identical tower was also offered to Cape Town, South Africa. The tower's chime copies Big Ben by playing 16 notes before the hour.


Cheeky local kids
My dingy USD5 sleep for the night.

I had travelled with U Siri to Pyin U Lwin in the back of the pick-up but when we got there it was quite late in the afternoon so he said he needed to go and meet his friend at the monastery. We said our goodbyes, I thanked him for lunch at his monastery before our journey to Pyin U Lwin and set up a time to meet the next day. I wandered around town on my own.

Whilst exploring town, I met James. When he first introduced himself as James I was really curious about him; his air of amiable disposition, his Christian name and the way he spoke English really intrigued me. It didn't occur to me then that missionaries during the British occupation had influenced some locals to convert into Christianity.

I liked James straight away. He asked if I needed a guide or if I wanted to go to the Anisakan Fall, a popular waterfall 9km from Pyin U Lwin. I said I would like to but not on that day as it was already quite late in the afternoon. I told him that I was more interested in visiting some Shan villages closer to town. He said, "Okay, let's do it!".

I climbed into his pre-WWII Toyota. He turned the ignition key but the car wouldn't start. He popped the bonnet, went around the front of the car and kicked start the engine from there. I was nodding my head in admiration thinking, "Wow, they really make everything work around here".

James apologised for the condition of his Toyota. As a guide and taxi driver, he said he 'rents' the car from a friend of his because he cannot afford to buy one himself. The government apparently charges a ridiculous sum of USD30,000 for an import permit - I didn't even bother asking how much a car would cost on top of that. How accurate is this information? I am not sure. James had been driving tourists for a long time now, using the Win Yadana taxi stand on main road Pyin U Lwin as a base. He said that he got bored working as a preacher and decided to become a taxi driver because he enjoys travelling. When asked about his childhood he told me that he was baptised when he was a young boy living in Yangon (then Rangoon).

One of the three Shan villages around the area.

Shan children at railroad. She is so cute isn't she??! I feel like biting her.

Flowers, strawberries plantations and paddy fields dot the entire landscape.

James insisted on me seeing these Banyan trees. With their huge portruding branches growing in all directions, it is a wonder they still stand tall.

After the Shan villages, we visited nearby Pwe Kauk Falls, a popular picnic spot.

Aung Htu Kan Tha is a shrine facing the fall that houses a Buddha that fell here off a Buddha-laden China-bound truck in 1997. When the Buddha couldn't be hauled back on, the driver claimed that he had dreamt that one of the Buddhas didn't want to leave Myanmar.

Aung Htu Kan Tha

James Vossion. I promised him a large-print copy of Crime & Punishment as he struggles to read the small-print copy that he owns. He also enlightened me on how Burmese people keep track of the outside world despite the oppressive regime - BBC radios.

Dropping me in town in the evening, James asked how long I plan on staying. I said I am not sure yet. He said, "Look me up tomorrow near the taxi stand and we will go for tea. I enjoyed talking to you and would like to see you again," he said.

I placed a few thousand Kyats (Myanmar currency, pronounced 'jhat') on his dashboard. He looked at me and said thanks. That was the only time he had ever allowed me to give him money as a token of appreciation for bringing me around in his car. All the other times in Pynn U Lwin, even when we met up in Mandalay again and I was sick from food poisoning, he always said, "No, Jessy. It is okay, you're my friend". If he wasn't so nice, I would have killed him for calling me Jessy.