Events of Tuesday 19th February, 2013
The tour company had proposed a full-day trip to Maymyo. That was agreed, with one change. I wanted to travel from Mandalay to Maymyo by train, returning by car. One problem was that the train was scheduled to leave at 4.00 a.m. Adding the 30 minutes 'reporting time', transfer by taxi to the station and getting ready, I set my alarm for 2.40 a.m. I was on the platform at Mandalay Central, under the bleak fluorescent lighting, about 3.20 a.m. There was plenty of freight piled on the platform, together with a number of porters who tried to sleep whilst waiting. There were about a dozen Europeans waiting and a number of Burmese. There was even a locomotive, sitting at the south end of the platform. All that was missing was coaches to form the train. It was about 6.00 a.m. when the station 'pilot' passed through the station heading north on another line hauling some coaches, returning a few minutes later propelling the coaches into our platform and onto the waiting locomotive. By the time the porters had dragged the freight into the two boxcars at the rear it was 6.17 a.m. when we departed.
The particular reason I had for wanting to make this journey is that the line beyond Sedaw uses a zig-zag arrangement where the train shuffles backwards and forwards between four 'Reversing Stations' in order to gain height before completing its journey to Maymyo.
The Zig-Zag railway in the line to Maymyo.
I arrived at Maymyo station tired but happy and over two hours late. Unfortunately, my guide and driver had also had a long wait before my train appeared.
I had decided to visit the two nuns who run the Shwe Sin Minn girls' orphanage. I'd first visited the orphanage in November 2011 and that visit is described here. Largely because of the continuing unrest in Kachin State, the number of orphans they look after had increased from 300 to 500. More building work was in progress to accommodate the extra girls. The nuns made me welcome and said I should return each year. I took a few pictures during the visit and I've added them to the original collection here.
The two nuns who founded and run the girls' orphanage.
After visiting the girls'orphanage, we drove to Pwe Kauk Waterfalls, about 5 miles northest of the town, off the road to Hsipaw. The falls aren't that spectacular but, by the addition of paths and bridges, the wooded location has been turned into water gardens to appeal to the Burmese and I found it rather charming. There was a long row of stalls selling food and souvenirs but it was all so laid-back I wasn't offended at all. My driver and guide had lunch at one of the tea shops and I joined them for a Coca-Cola 'lookalike'. To my surprise, it tasted very good.
Close by, we went to the Aung Htu Kan Tha shrine. Although modern, it has an interesting story. In April 1997, a truck was carrying a consignment of large Buddhas to China. One of the Buddhas fell off the truck nearby and attempts to re-load it on the vehicle failed. The truck driver then recalled a dream from the previous night concerning a Buddha image which did not want to leave Myanmar! So the Buddha remained and a temple was erected to house it. The design of the building is reputedly based on that of the revered Ananda Temple in Bagan. At the time of my visit, the outside of the temple was being re-gilded, involving elaborate bamboo scaffolding and woven mats covering most of the exterior.
The Buddha which did not want to leave Myanmar at Aung Htu Kan Tha.
Returning to the town, my guide showed me Maymyo's Christian Cemetery, which looked rather neglected, I'm afraid. There was once a large English population in Maymyo since its elevation kept temperatures more comfortable for Europeans in Summer.
It took around two hours to return by car to my hotel in Mandalay, twice as fast as the train was supposed to be and three times as fast as the train that morning but I was still pleased that I'd made the uphill journey by train.
My pictures
By Train to Maymyo.
Shwe Sin Minn Girl's Orphanage, Maymyo.
Pwe Kauk Waterfalls.
Aung Htu Kan Tha Shrine.
Maymyo Christian Cemetery.
Tuesday 19 February 2013
Maymyo
