Macau Festival, Kachin State, Myanmar

 Yesterday was a long one. We left Mandalay for our six-hour drive to Indaw in Kachin State. In the event it took nine hours due to road conditions. Some were good with only small holes and rocks scattered upon them. Others were more holes than road and some roads were not roads at all. Win San was fantastic weaving his way in and out and around.

The end of the day happily surprised us. Indaw has a new hotel, imaginatively called the Inn Daw. It was sparkling clean, everything worked and we were treated as hallowed guests.

Today the drive will be shorter (I pray). We are headed for Myitkyina further north in Kachin State and not far from China. We are going to the Manau Festival, which has not been held for three years due to fighting. The fighting has now moved elsewhere apparently and the festival is on.

Next day we arrive at the arena to learn that the Manau Festival has been cancelled ‘due to political disturbances’ As these disturbances come out of guns that are almost as tall as I am, I decide I can live without that excitement.

We pull our disappointed selves together and substitute Kachin State Day. But it is only for a morning whereas the Manau was for a week. And we have driven so far and for so long. We are now moving on to Plan B.

We are in Kachin State in the north of the country. To the west is India to the east is China. Myitkyina, the capital, is 147 metres above sea level and surrounded by mountains, the highest being Hkakabo Razi at 5,881 metres. This, coupled with the time of year, ensures it is very cold night and morning

The people of Kachin State include the Jinghpaw, Lisu, Rawang, Lhovo, Lachid and Zaiwa. Each group has its own language, traditional dress and traditional dances. The Kachin want independence from the rest of Myanmar, which is where the political disturbances and fighting come in. But here today it is all peace and goodwill towards everyone and nobody is in army uniform. Far from it: the only males who looks vaguely intimidating are Rawang tribesmen as they wear up-curved boars’ teeth around their wide brimmed hats. The women sparkle with silver in intricate patterns forming capes around their shoulders and bedecking their headdresses.

Kachin State Day commences with marathons run by four age groups (my age group was not among them) According to who was giving me the information, the marathon was eight miles or 16 kilometres or maybe 16 miles. Anyway, it was a long run.

Then the VIPs arrived from Naypyidaw and Yangon. They will give away the prizes and doubtless make speeches. The prizes for each group were the same and were well worth winning. First, was 500,000 kyat (approximately US$500), second 300,000 kyat and third 200,000 kyat.

Next came aerobics where bodies and limbs were contorted in ways possible only to the young. Finally there were dances by the Jinghpaw, Lisu, Rawang, Lhovo, Lachid and Zaiwa groups wearing their fabulous traditional costumes.