Hsipaw: a bit of Shan country

Our Nat-spirit protected taxi, delivered us safely to Hsipaw. We arrived at Tai House resort, a brand new hotel built to accommodate the backpacker  boom in Hsipaw, fueled by the city's reputation as a jumping off point for treks into the Shan hills. A more adventurous traveler might venture to Lashio, further north in Shan country, closer to the skirmishes between Myanmar and a small group of separatist rebels. I celebrated my 27th birthday in Hsipaw. Myanmar cuisine offers many sweets, but chocolate cake isn't exactly a popular local dish. With the help of the guidebook, we found a decent brownie, and I celebrate the beginning of my 27 years with roast duck, cake, ice-cream and Mandalay rum.

In the fields outside of Hsipaw 

The Shan state and other outer border states that are home to Myanmar's other ethnic groups who had their own princes and governments similar to the maharajas in colonial India.  After World War II, Burma gained independence. In 1948, many of these states and rulers signed the initial constitution which was supposed to protect their autonomy and the eventual  right to secede in 10 years. With the military coup in 1962, the army quashed all notions of autonomous states and attempted to bring the country under their iron fisted control.

Entrance to an educational
 monastery 

The last Saopha of Hsipaw, Sao Kya Sen, was a progressive ruler, who after surviving the Japanese occupation of northern Burma, attended the University of Colorado and while the the US met and married an Austrian woman who became his princess. Together they tried to modernize agricultural practices and improve education.  In 1962, in the first few days of the military coup, the Saopha was kidnapped and eventually executed by the army for refusing to cooperate with the Tatmadaw demands to aid them in destroying  the Shan rebel army. The military government has never admitted to his disappearance and death.

Rice noodles drying outside
 a local factory

Hsipaw is a major agricultural center, surrounded by farming villages and cash crops such as rice, soy beans, and corn. Sam and I took a 5 hour guided trek with a local guide. He led us through Hsipaw showing us the local rice mill, noode factory and then into the villages. In addition to Shan villages, outskirts of Hsipaw was well populated with monasteries. Our guide  (after jokingly asking me if I was a spy) admitted to being part of the 88 Generation. This is the group of university students who on August 8, 1988, protested against the oppressive military rule. The protests were ruthlessly quashed, thousands were killed by the army and the bodies were collected in truck beds and delivered to crematoriums. The 88 generation annointed Aung San Su Skyi their leader. After years of personal sacrifice, harassment by the military government and her long house arrest she remains the official leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Nat shrine at the village entrance 

At the Nat animal workshop 

All that introduction to say our guide was fairly open about the history of Myanmar though subtle in his criticisms. He said because the education within  government provided  schools is poor AND they are not free, educational monasteries fill the gap, at least for primary education. Monasteries take on novices and nuns. These are young children, about 5 to 12 whose parents send them to the monastery to live for a few years to receive primary education and learn the tenets of Buddhism. The monasteries are supported by donations from the villagers in the form of money and food. Hsipaw was full of little boys running around in the red monk robes. Many of the monasteries we walked through had 50-70 novices. Despite the dominance of Buddhism, Animism remains active in Shan villages  through worship of Nat spirits. Each village has a Nat shrine "before the Buddha" at the entrance of the village. Some are raised platforms, decked with red and white flags with offerings of flowers, water, and fruit. Some of the shrines contain large wooden animals representing major animal spirits meant to protect the whole village. It seems Nat worship complements Buddhism, since inside each house a Buddha shrine also receives daily offerings and prayers.

Nat shrine along the path,  a Nat spirit
resides in the "empty " space 

Rainy walk to the teak monastery 

The crumbling pagodas of Little Bagan 

Sam navigating us through the
 back roads Hsipaw 

The rains began in earnest during our stay at Hsipaw. Our 5 hour hike was the last clear day in that it only rained once during the day and again at night. Rain poured all night long and into each morning. We had wanted to take a 10 hour hike to the Paluang  villages where tea is grown. However, we were dissuaded by the rain and muddy, slippery tracks. Each day, despite persistent showers, armed with waterproofs and umbrellas, we took short walks around Hsipaw to see the crumbling pagodas of "Little Bagan" and more villages and monasteries. We spent a lot of time reading on our porch or attempting to use the very slow wifi. I often had to remind my impatient American self that not only is open access to the internet fairly new to Myanmar, wireless internet and 3G are very new. Just one year ago, a SIM card cost $200 dollars, now they are $2 at every street corner. (Local lore courtesy of Samuel Pursch)

Trash along the creek bed

It must be said, Myanmar is a bit rough around the edges. There doesn't seem to be official trash collection or disposal outside of Yangon. The banks of picturesque country streams are covered with the detritus of village living.  Along the railroad tracks, litter lines the path. Even Yangon doesn't have regularly stationed trashcans. On my first day in Yangon, I couldn't figure out where to throw the bits of plastic that sealed the tops of purified water bottles. The crinkly plastic accumulated in my pockets until Sam suggested I throw it on the ground like the Myanmar do. In place of trash cans, the city employs a legion of street sweepers. Still, the city and the countryside are dirty and littered, and I don't want to see the stew it becomes when the real monsoon rains arrive.

Common sight of a motorcyclist
 holding a umbrella while driving

Now I'm on the 15 hour bus back to Yangon. We are slowly retracing our path back to Pyin Oo Lwin to Mandalay and then back to Yangon.  We are inching along the hairpin turns and switchbacks etched into the hills that flank the Goteik gorge. Motorcycles occasionally pass us, there is a line of equally large coach buses and trucks crawling along behind us. I can feel gears grind to brake on the steeper decline and pull us back up the steep ascent. In the morning we'll reach Yangon, but not until we've taken a few rest stops. The driving here is hard, and even in my impatience to get home, I can appreciate the need cool down the engine and restock on Betel nut and tea.

Village path along the river

Shan Hills around Hsipaw 

Shan hills,  more pagodas