After 50km we try to find a place to sleep in Kyaukpadaung. We are denied access to both the local hostel (because they don’t have the authorisation to accommodate foreigners) and the town monastery (presumably because we are too close from touristy Bagan). Instead, we are advised to sleep in a guesthouse catering for foreigners on Mount Popa, but this is out of our way… and 25km uphill. So we get back on our bikes hoping to find a proper place to bivouac around sunset. Luck is on our sides: after 15km we enter a hilly area that is less developed, follow a smaller road going into the bush and after a few hundred meters walk up the fields to an nice spot where we are definitely out of sight. The weather is dry and clear of any clouds. A perfect night under the stars is awaiting us.
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| Our bivouac spot |
The next day to Meiktila is quiet and relatively flat. Pierre’s stomach is recovering well. As far as we can judge Meiktila seems a pleasant city* organized around a pretty lake. It holds a strategic position at the centre of the country and is hosting the central command of the Air Force. So as one could expect we are able to find a decent hotel to spend the night. (* It’s difficult for us to make sense of this but two month after our stay, Meiktila has been the stage of attacks by Bouddhist mobs against the Muslim minority, killing 20 people and displacing 12,000. A sad evolution at a time when the march towards democratization is raising so much hope).
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| Meiktila lake |
The following day is when the serious business starts again! Our plan if possible is to reach the town of Kalaw. At an elevation of 1400m this town is the gateway to the Inle Lake plateau. It’s no piece of cake. The first 90km already provide a good serving of ups and downs. Most striking and very much appreciated is the drop in temperature. It happens abruptly after crossing a first mountain crest through a narrow opening along a gorge. Interestingly, changing shades of green create a visible dividing line. Then, after 90km, the climb appears for real and the road starts zigzagging uphill relentlessly.
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| Afternoon nap before the final climb to Kalaw |
Early on I have doubts that I will be able to make it to the top on the same day. But a good break and a solid snack get me back in business. Being aware that there is no proper place to sleep probably helps as well. A sense of relief and accomplishment fills us when we arrive in Kalaw, not long before sunset.
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| In Kalaw at last! |
From Kalaw the classical guidebook activity is to enrol for a two or three day guided tour down to the South-West shore of lake Inlay. The program advertises visits to “local communities” with an opportunity to see the famous long-necked Kayan woman and possibly try a blowpipe. We like the shortcut (the paved road does a long detour before reaching the lake) but not the “safari”. Ideally we would go on our own, but we don’t have maps. Fortunately, in the morning, we meet a friendly local guide, Jonathan, who shows us a bike-friendly itinerary and allows us to take pictures of his personal maps.
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| Our itinerary around Inlay lake |
After asking around and searching a bit in the town of Aung Ban we find the good dirt track off the main road. It’s a great rollercoaster ride through a neatly cultivated countryside. The locals laugh their head off or wave enthusiastically when they see us pass.
In the middle of the afternoon we arrive in Indein (or Intein), which is connected to lake Inlay by water channels, and discover a somehow strange place packed with visitors and souvenir vendors. The attraction point here is a Pagoda (Boudhist temple) surrounded by a record –breaking concentration of stupas (the Bouddhist structures looking like upside-down ice cream cones, no disrespect meant here).
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| Indein pagoda. Pierre is on the picture. Can you find him? |
Visitors only come to Intein for day trips or as the final stage of a trek. So we figure out that most of the empty boats around must already be reserved for the one or the other. Fortunately, probably aware of this, the owner of a classy restaurant (the Golden Kite) very generously offers us to transport us - free of charge - on a boat that will resupply other restaurants owned by his family around the lake. So all we have to do is get in the boat and relax while we are toured around the lake.
After progressing through channels reminiscent of Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” the boat enters the lake itself and heads South to the village of Nampan with its many houses on stilts. A perfect light is shining on the lake. We are enjoying every moment of it.
From there the boat heads back North to Nyaung Shwe where most of the lodging is located. We are lucky to cross the centre of the lake at the best hour just before sunset. Fishermen are showing off their trademark leg-rowing technique, standing on one leg at the tip of the boat, the other leg wrapped around a paddle. Simply gorgeous.
We struggle a bit to find an accommodation in Nyaung Shwe, all of the guesthouses being fully booked. But we are able to benefit from a cancellations at the Gypsy Inn (by the way, don’t expect to pay less than 20USD for a basic room in this town).
Normally there is only one way out of Nyaung Shwe for tourists: go North and take the main road back to Kalaw. But we are itching to try a more adventurous itinerary… and test the limits of our “special permit”. Our idea is to head South on the Eastern shore of the lake, then reach the capital Naypyitaw across the mountains. In theory most of this is restricted territory.
First we go back to Nampan by road (a beautiful ride by the way), which is as far as tourists are allowed to go. From there we opt for a blitzkrieg strategy: bike as fast and as far as possible before we bump into the police, then hand out the permit and hope it gets us through. The main risk, we figure, is to be sent back to Nampan if we are not far enough. A great day of biking follows. The sheer beauty of the sceneries strengthens our motivation as we progress. The sense of breaching the law gives an extra flavour to the experience.
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| View from Mawbe bridge |
At the end of the afternoon, we reach the Mawbe bridge (see the map above) from which we can head back West to the mountains. We have not been stopped yet, but we know that cops are likely to show up if we take a break in full sight of locals at the end of the day. Fortunately, a few kilometres past the bridge, we find a very nice bivouac spot that is already a bit elevated and from which we catch a beautiful sunset on the Inlay plain.
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| Sunset from our bivouac spot |
The route to Pin Long (also spelled Pin Laung) is tougher than expected. Pin Long lies maybe only 300m above the lake, but the landscape is shaped like a giant egg box, for lack of a better description. The slopes are the steepest we’ve seen so far in our trip. In return, the landscape is distinctively beautiful. To stay on his bike Pierre has to stand up on the pedals and give all he’s got, extracting power from his legs in sudden bursts. On my side, I’ve been playing hide and seek with an annoying pain in my left knee for the last two weeks. To contain the damage I prefer to get off the bike and push when the slope becomes too steep.
While resupplying in a small village we make an awkward encounter. A group of teenagers travelling in a pickup truck and displaying very convincing gothic looks (including mohawks, piercing, tatoos, and studded jacket) insist on offering us all kinds of food and drinks. We have to object strongly when they pursue with giving us a handful of banknotes. Are they rich kids on vacation, a music band on tour, or gang members? We’ll never know.
We reach Pin Long at last! A friendly guy encountered on the road when asking for directions invites us for tea. He’s the first local that speaks some English. The language barrier has been a bit of frustration for us (more than in India and Bangladesh), so we are very happy to exchange. We learn that Kong Kham is from the Shan ethny and that he used to work for NGO's (hence the English), but resigned to take care of his family's tea business when his mother died. He draws a map explaining where to catch the road to the capital Naypyitaw and tells us about a village half-way where we can find a monastery to sleep. Now at least we know where we go tonight if the police asks!
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| Kong Kham's tea shop |
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| Po-o women in the street of Pin Long |
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| Lunch in Pin Long with Kong Kham |
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| Incredible black rock structures outside Pin Long (direction Naypyidaw) |
30 kilometers after leaving Ping Pong, we arrive in Pho Kong in a state of near exhaustion and stop in a shop, hoping to get details on the location of the monastery. The shop owner is a Christian lady from the Kaya tribe. She offers to host us for the night enthusiastically. The parish priest comes by and proposes to accommodate us in the Church office instead after warning the authorities. Based on our experience, this plan seems more realistic. While the priest contacts the authorities we are treated to a generous serving of typical Burmese food (rice, vegetables, pork, omelette) at the back of the shop. During dinner, the lady puts on a DVD demonstrating her Christian credentials. The Christian music videos are OK but the vivid crucifixion scene and pro-life dying foetus videos are disturbing, especially during dinner.
The authorities, a group of four or five people, arrive when we finish dinner. Questions are thrown around, the priest doubling as a translator. After first refraining from doing so, we hand out the permit and the situation cools down considerably. The local police officer seems clueless but he is clearly not in charge. The man responsible for the Pin Long district hand us a local cigar (a "cheroot") and we start chitchatting. Belgium players in the British Premier League is always a sure topic… He is accompanied by a friend, an electronic engineer, who looks like a cool cat. Both play it relaxed and easy going. After a while they leave for a “meeting” (probably a drinking binge according to me) making sure that we recall ourselves of their nicknames: “Golden Rain” and “Water Cool”. The road to Naypyitaw is open!
The central valley is 65km away. The expected downhill comes with three unexpected hearty climbs and many tiring bumps. As we progress military installations and military housing become more frequent along the road. At the middle of the afternoon, we exit the mountains at last. We are eager to be in town and take some rest. But our Google Map printcreens are misleading: we don’t know it yet, but another 60km are needed to reach the hotels area in Naypyitaw. Back on busier roads, we cycle on and on - with the little energy we have left - looking for signs of the city. Civilians on motorbikes are clearly following us from a distance, probably making sure that we stay out of sensitive areas. Eventually we are guided on a huge speedway that is nearly empty with six lanes in both directions.
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| Highway in Naypyidaw |
The suns goes down and we discover with disbelief this stretched-out “place” (difficult to speak of a city) where the streets are highways and the roadsides are mostly empty. Apparently lodging is concentrated in the “hotel district”. For several kilometres, we see nothing but huge and brightly lit hotels pass before our eyes. Sort of a stretched-out and empty version of the Las Vegas strip (daylight reveals a less sexy picture of buildings still under constructions filling a dusty no man’s land). Happily, we have the name of a place where we get a reasonably priced room where despite the luxury looks. We narrowly manage to stretch, take a shower and crawl out to a restaurant next door. What a day! Again.
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