The road back to Mandalay.

When I’m not writing, I’m reading From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey by Pascal Khoo Thwe. It is an autobiography of the first part of his life in Phekhon, Kayah State and his incredible journey taking him eventually to study at Cambridge University. It is poignant to drive through Phekhon as we start our long road back to Mandalay. Cont. myandering.blogspot.com

We leave Loikaw in Kayah State and drop down to 4,800 feet toward Pin Laung in Southern Shan State. The vegetation changes as we drive. Pine and Teak are everywhere, along with yellow acacias that form arches of gold over the roads. Men with bullock carts loaded with rows of cabbages are throwing them up one by one to waiting men in trucks. The cabbages are stacked one by one, making pleasing patterns both in the bullock carts and then in the trucks. Some plants climbing over trellises remind me of grape vines, but they are chokos, which are fruiting prolifically.

Pin Laung is to be our overnight place to cut three hours off the drive that Win Kyaing would have to do in one day. But we arrive at 10.30 am! As it’s still early, we drive on to Aung Ban.

The soil in Kayah State and here in Southern Shan State is a rich chestnut colour. It is beautiful in places with no flowers, but even more so with scarlet Salvias and red Poinsettia lighting the way. Lower down, Marigolds splash orange and tall Asters bloom blue. We reach Aung Ban and as it’s still early we decide to try to reach Kyause where last year we attended the Elephant Festival.

Every road we take both in Kayah State and Southern Shan State are being improved. And there is plenty of room for improvement. On the roadside, stacks of boulders are hacked into smaller stones, by women as well as men. The old ‘made up’ part of the road in the middle of these huge piles of boulders, rocks and gravel is full of holes so we jolt along. Perhaps the road improvement is being undertaken so that the government can shine in the November election.

I did wonder if Kyause would have a hotel in which foreigners might stay. If I stay anywhere that is not licensed to take foreigners the owners or managers (or both) could be in a lot of trouble. I faced this once years ago and after a tiring drive, then showering and unpacking it was a pain having to pack up and move out. I don’t want a repeat.