overnight at danu and pao villages

overnight at danu and pao villages

2nights / 3 days trekking ( Kalaw-inle )

20march 2004 ( sat):
Departed from aungmingalar highway bus station at 1250 .Condition of the road was dusty, uncomfortable …( pass through bago ,pyinbongyi where we can go to moyunngyi wet land for bird watching then deik oo ,nyaunglaypin ,taung oo ,pyinmanar ,thazi ,kalaw) and idiotically first stop at nyaunglaypin at 1630 for dinner .Food there was nothing /beer was double price. we arrived at Taungoo around 1900/2000 ..did not stop there .Taungoo is big town , nice and clean ,I think there will be no problem to spend 1 or 2 night at Taungoo .After 1h30 drive from taung oo, 10 minutes stop at swar and have had dinner which is more proper than first stop at nyaunglaypin .

21march (sun) :
we arrive at Kalaw at 21march (sun)at 0530 , we don't stop at tatkone , thazi and yinmarbin. I saw some working elephant at yinmarbin ver early in the morning.we walked to Dream Villa Motel and slept in the morning. Around 0930 , we were ready to visit Pindaya .we took the car from hotel and drive to Pindaya through aungpan and pwayhla . The landscape is the most beautiful..They grow potato, garlic and tealeaf .Also quicklime is the unique product of the pindaya.Pindaya –Mandalay road is very useful for the small car as it have many deep slopes and U turn. Inle Inn Pindaya is situated at the entrance of the town face to the lake .Dining room is on the upstairs of the reception. Superior rooms are a little bit smaller than other hotel. 4 Deluxe rooms is the best in Pindaya. After Inle Inn , there are market which only good for the market day then November hotel (former government hotel) face to the lake brick building .we visited Conqueror before we go up to Pindaya cave , big compound 1 suite ,2 traditional style and the rest is superior rooms face to pagoda. Dining room is Specious. Good swimming pool. We visited cave and its amazing Buddha images. Umbrella and Shan paper work shop is long-established business for the people around Pindaya. Drove back to Kalaw and visited Hill Top Villa; far from town after kalaw train station, Rooms in front of the reception have nice view of the environs. They can organize for the trekking. Pine Hill also bungalow type rooms and some rooms are good for the family. I don't think they have experienced staffs.Dream Villa .Some rooms could have the view of the monestary and pagoda beside the hotel not far from the market and rooms are good and big enough.Kalaw is nice and clean , better to go out for lunch and diner. Trekking guide are like oranges everywhere at your glance.

22march (mon) :

5day-market was decorated with all sorts of flowers, vegetables and damson wine is sign of kalaw.we left the hotel at 0930 and started trekking .The Sun shine but not very blistering. Walk up and down through tea leaf plantation and pine trees. We visited Ainshay (long bungalow type traditional house for 3 /4 family) at Tayaw
( palaung village).They grow oranges, avocado, and tealeaf and cheroot leaf. Drying the cheroot leaf and cutting the branches and renew the tree after picking the leaves also home business for them. They have primary school and monastery. UNDP supply the water systematically from water source where is far from the village. Incredible, some girls can count the number in French and speak broken English to sell their costume and beautiful traditional caps. Lunch at 1230 , on the summit of the mountain windy and fresh, 20 minutes walk from the village.
Restaurant owner was former chef of Dusit Inya Lake Resort. Chinese food is available. Our trekking guide Michel was nice young Kayin .He knows all trails by heart , local palaung and pao languages. He explain the custom of the palaung people that they are very enthusiasm in Buddhism, incomparable. Wedding ceremony is different from others. They celebrate 2 /3 couple at the same time.

At 1400, restarted the walking towards Yeaye-kan reservoir, which is one of the main water sources of kalaw. We walk through forested area and some garlic plantation. we arrived at Myindeik train station (on the Kalaw-Thazi route).we arrived at night stop place at 1700.The name of the village is Ywapu ( danu village) .we stayed at Daw Aye Myaing 's house .she have 12 children .Youngest is 5 yrs old and eldest is 35yrs .She is talkative .she retold her past and it was very attractive story. They (danu) are workaholic .They make bricks and build home by themselves, they grow paddy and all sort of beans for them and to sell out. They weave their costume themselves. Life is perfect without any modernized thing. Diner at Daw Aye Myaing 's home prepared by our porter Taungyaw .we can see Kephyu mountain under the stars. No mosquito, we can sleep without mosquito net. Toilet is good and clean enough. Still difficult for the water, Daw Aye Mying planed to make brick tank to store water.

23march (tue):

All family was at the work one sister bring out the buffalos to the pasture, one pounds the paddy, makes brick, cooks , goes to the farm etc .we civilians sleep early and wake up lately and have breakfast at 0830. We bought some bottle of pure drinking water and we started the second day trekking. We crossed some villages and kalw-Loikaw road. We arrived at Konehla Village. We met one old villager , he was very please to see us .we had nice chat with him and he asked some awkward curious questions something like human-clone .he use to listen the BBC / VOA and he discussed about royal white elephant from scientific view like royal white elephant has genetic material problem. Fantastic! Now we approached to Pao villages, they grow ginger .we had lunch at Paulke Village. They have primary school .The chief of he village discussed about making NRC cards for his people. He makes to-do list for his village like clinic, bridge, toilet etc.

Very hot, we passed ginger/ potatoes farm. Pao people are working under the mid-day sun. We saw some baking limestone. Around 1500, we have no water except some cokes. The place where we suppose to make night stop was still far (imagine… 2 mountains and one village) we saw some pao women loiter around ruin well and we were happy to have water. But, when we get close …the water in this ruin well is dirty with some fungus. Even though they are not really far from Balu creek they could not have pumped well. We were already tired …anyway we tried 2 more mountains and one village to arrive Hti Thein Pao monastery. Young pao novices welcome in pao language. Our trekking guide requested the chief monk to have kind permission to sleep at the monastery. Hti Thein monastery was old pao monastery ,20 novices and chief monk were settled .The chief monk received the guest at night time ,he explain about pao people and some needs .. He received tourist at his monastery and he would like to be good host when the guest visit his village and monastery. We met one Japanese lady who come from the lake and arrived before us at the monastery .we asked some information about our onward trail and informed her, what she might face in her onward trail especially for the water. She explained that she is coming from than daung where big slope for 01h mounting and water from this part of the lake is too shallow. Around 2000, we already had dinner and we want to go to the bed but the monk chat these and that with Daddy and 20 little novices read very loud the sermons in pao. That's nice but enough is enough!!!

24march (wed):

I don't know since when they woke up and prayed. When I woke up, they already came back with alms/food from the villages nearby. We wrote some souvenir at guest record of the monastery. Michel told us that we could not buy any drinking water from this village (nurse from this village sell the drinking water and she went to loikaw) we asked our porter to go back to monastery and get some boiled water. Unfortunately, he asked 3 and 1 is fall down and broken. We have only 2 bottle of water. Today, route is dusty and stony .we had 2 routes to go down to inle, one is Than daung, normally which is much better than what we choose but Michel told us that Indein is much more convenience for the ferry boat. We walked …. We walked ….and arrived at Indein around noon .Our boat driver is already there. We took a rest and get some cold drinks at jetty.

We took a boat from Indein to Nyaung shwe along the narrow canal. It takes 1h20minutes. They make bar cross the canal like slow-down on the road. We arrived at Nyaung Shwe jetty and went directly to Daw Nyut Yi restaurant. Then to hotel around 1430.Evening strolled around the hotel and visited the office. Dinner at U hla baw's restaurant.Paradise Nyaung Shwe is good .Far from the jetty but very close to the market. Rooms are spacious. In Nyanung shwe , we can visit museum and market only nothing special.


25march (Thurs):

We went around the market and get the boat to IPR .its take 40 minutes from nyaung shwe jetty. In IPR, they make renovation.
Each room is named under the Shan Queens. Chalet rooms are more spacious and they have fully privacy. Then, we went to Lake View Resort; it can be reach either by land or boat. Superior rooms are less charming than junior suite. After we went to nga phe chaung and visited some floating islands. Lunch at Inn Tha Lay restaurant, in front of Paung Daw Oo Pagoda. We visited Paung Daw Oo pagoda and check-in to Shwe Inn Tha Hotel.Visits restarted by Silver Smith and weaving lotus-tissue and sunset at Indein.Overnight at Shwe Inn Tha.

26march (Fri):
Incredible!!! We (I) woke up at 0530.Boat drive to/ from .Frustrated sound from the monastery.0800 get the boat back to Nyaung Shwe.Ko Myo drove us to Shwe Nyaung where is the waiting point for the highway bus.1250 depart from Shwe Nyaung and 5minutes stop at Aung Pan .We did not have time for lunch. NO lunch!!
Diner at Yin mar bin, at the evening .Going-Down way from Kalaw is dusty, they enlarge the uphill road. Several unnecessary stop on the way and arrived at Yangon around 0700morning of 27march (Sat).