lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

242NORTHERN MYANMAR MYITKYINA & THE UPPER AYEYARWADYchurning up the muddy stream in accompanyingTang Phray village using semi-mechanisedbamboo-tower conveyor belts. You’llhave to hurry to see any of this. A vast damproject will eventually put the whole areaunder water, pagoda, village and all. The surreallyneat Aung Nge Tang ‘model village’,11km south of Myit-Son, is being built to rehousethe displaced villagers but so far looksfar from big enough to help all those affected.The road north of Myitkyina (boundeventually for Putao) has been newly rebuiltas far as the dam construction site,but the last 11km to Myit-Son are horrendouslybumpy. You’ll need a photocopy ofyour passport and visa to hand to a policecheckpoint en route. A motorbike/taxi fromMyitkyina costs around K15,000/50,000 return(1½ hours each way). For a token extrafee you can detour 1 mile off the main roadat Nawng Nang village to comically namedJaw Bum. Its name translates as ‘prayingmountain’ but it’s really only a fairly modesthill, a sacred site for Kachin and Lisu Baptists.In spite of its religious connections,most visitors here are amorous local coupleswho climb a repulsively ugly six-storey concreteviewing tower to observe and drop litteron a sweep of rural scenery.Myitkyina to BhamoTravelling by boat, the first day is through lowlying scenery that is not immediately memorablebut has the bonus of a forced stay inappealing Sinbo, a village that’s wonderfullyunspoilt apart from the piles of riverside rubbishthat mar almost every habitable areaalong the route. The Sinbo to Bhamo section,on smaller (25 plank-seat) longboats, spendsmost of the route traversing the Ayeyarwady’sFirst Defile where the river cuts through hillsshaggy with forest-bamboo mix, the boatstopping at isolated sandbanks to pick upgold-panners, rattan harvesters and cantileverfishermen. In the dry season the accessinto Bhamo can be complicated by weavingthrough a maze of very shallow sandbars.SINBOPOP C1700Taking the river route between Myitkyinaand Bhamo you’ll be forced to spend a nightin this delightfully car-less riverside village.Though conditions aren’t luxurious, the stopis actually a blessing in disguise – for sometravellers one of the highlights of the rivertrip. Founded as a teak station for the Scottishfirm Steel Brothers, Sinbo is a neat gridof unpaved streets, the mostly wood and parttimberhouses set amid coconut and toddypalms. There are no must-see sights but riverviews are mesmerising from the muddy lanethat climbs between the trio of old stupasand the 1919 British Officers’ Bungalow (nowfenced and out of bounds for military use) atthe south end of town. On arrival from Myitkyina,boats are usually met by Hla Tun, themanager of the one ultrasimple guesthouse(bed/dinner/breakfast K3000/2000/1500). It haseight hardboard-separated sleeping spacesover a party dining room featuring portraitsof Buddha, Jesus and Avril Lavigne. Deliciousdinners are cooked by Hla Tun’s wifeon a simple wood-stove out back.Bhamo (Banmaw)bn'"em;'%074 / POP C25,000For most travellers, Bhamo (‘ba-more’; Banmaw),is just a staging post on the riverjourney to Myitkyina or Mandalay. However,it’s an attractive little town that rewards atleast one day’s rest-stop. The bustling centralriverfront (Kannar Rd) features several oldstained-teak houses and is overhung withmagnificent mature ‘rain trees’, so named becausetheir lovely pink flowers bloom in themonsoon season. At the southern end of thisriverfront are dealerships selling great stacksof clay-pots including simple water carriersfrom Shwegu and giant glazed amphoraefrom Kyaukmyaung. Two short blocks eastthen one north on Lammataw Rd bringsyou to the main market (Thiri Yadana) fromwhich Sinbyushin St leading west becomesthe main road to Myitkyina and China. Itquickly passes Post Office St (for Grand Hotel,turn right after one block), the pre-dawnvegetable market and Letwet Thondaya Rd(for the Friendship Hotel, turn left after thesecond block). Around 500m further is thelarge, photogenic complex of TheindawgyiPaya featuring an elongated golden bellshapedgilded stupa. It’s best admired fromthe southeast across a pond lined with processingconcrete monk statues.About 3 miles north of town, beyond themilitary enclave, the much more historicShwe Kyina Pagoda has two gold-toppedstupas and marks the site of the 5th-centuryShan city of Sampanago (Bhamo MyoHaung, Old Bhamo). Almost nothing remainsof the old city, though locals remember nu-