262NORTHERN MYANMAR
MANDALAY TO LASHIO
Khaing Dhabyay (%80349; Mandalay Rd), Ye
Shin (%80159; Namtu Rd) and helpful Duhtawa-
di Cafe (%80116; Lanmataw St), which can also
organise taxis when cars are available. Apart
from services listed here, other through buses
between Lashio/Mu-se and Mandalay often stop
for lunch or snacks at Ah Kong Kaik (‘Myanmar
Traditional Food’; cnr Namtu & Bogyoke Rds).
Magwe/Pyay 9am from Khaing Dhabyay
(K12,000/16,000).
Mandalay Departs at 5.30am (air-con ex-
presses from Duhtawadi, Yetagon and Ye Shin,
K5000, around six hours), 6.30am (slow bus
from Duhtawadi), 9am (air-con from Kha-
ing Dhabyay, K5000) continuing to Magwe
(K12,000) and Pyay (K16,000).
Kyaukme Departs from Duhtawadi corner
(K1000, one hour) at 8am, 9.30am, 11am,
noon (air-con ex-Lashio), 3pm, 4.20pm (air-con
ex-Lashio). There’s also an 8am minibus from
Pwai (Namtu Rd).
Yangon A Mangshwe Pyi bus bound for Yangon
(K14,500, 15 to 18 hours) calls at the Khaing
Dhabyay shop around 1pm. Shared Taxi
Mandalay (front/back seat K13,000/11,000,
whole car K45,000) from the Duhtawadi Cafe
around 7am.Kyaukme Charter only, K25,000.
Lashio Charter only, K40,000. Train
Hsipaw’s tiny train station is across the tracks
from the end of Thirimingalar St.
Eastbound Departs 3.15pm for Lashio (lower/
upper class $2/4, 4½ hours)
Westbound Departs 9.40am to Mandalay
($4/9) via Kyaukme ($1/2), Naungkhio ($1/2)
and Pyin Oo Lwin ($3/6).8 Getting Around
Tr i sh aw s rides start from K500; they wait by
the market. Bicycles can be rented from Mr
Charles and Nham Khae Mao guesthouses.
Saifha (%80566; Minepon St; h7am-5pm)
rents out 125CC motorcycles for between
K8000 and K10,000 per day. So do Mr Charles
and Nham Khae Mao guesthouses.Around Hsipaw
NAMHSAN
nm'¾cm'
POP 32,000 / ELEV 5249FT
High in the Shan Hills, Namhsan is a fas-
cinating ridge-top town that looks out overPANKAM VILLAGE TREKThe sizeable, traditional Palaung ridge-village of Pankam makes a deservedly popular
short-trek destination from Hsipaw. While other villages have better views, a key advan-
tage here is that the charming young head man, O Maung, speaks good English and his
family readily off ers bed-and-dinner to walkers in their archetypal teak home (K6000 per
person). Walking up from Hsipaw takes around fi ve hours at a very modest pace, cross-
ing fl at fi elds before climbing through timeless stilt-house hamlets including Na Lowe, Na
Muu, Man Piet and Beng Puie. In each Shan settlement en route you’ll fi nd a kin-gyiao, a
wooden phallus placed above a buried urn of vegetable oil to ensure fi eld fertility. Villages
are protected from evil spirits by gateways with crossed wooden knife symbols. And, be-
side the main temple in Pankam, you’ll fi nd a classic shrine-box where a nativity-style doll-
scene depicts the legendary bestowal of tea seeds upon the Palaung in the 12th century.
The Buddha-like fi gure represents Burma’s ‘traveller king’ Alaungsithu who had come
to the Shan mountains in search of rubies, before eventually turning into a powerful nat
spirit after his murder in 1167! Here, Alaungsithu is seen handing out tea seeds to kneel-
ing Palaung leaders. One such chief, embarrassed by the hole in his black baggy trousers,
covered the hole with one hand and so rudely received the gift with the other – politeness
required receiving gifts with both hands. This jolly legend gave rise to the Palaung name
for tea, Lapet, a contraction of Latopet (one hand). And to this day the Palaung tribe see
tea cultivation as a semi-divine raison d’etre – as well as good business.
From Hsipaw there are several ways to visit Pankam: as part of a multiday trek, hiking
out and back in two days, or trekking in one day then engaging one of the villagers to run
you back on a motorbike (around K3000 to Hsipaw, but K8000 back). With a guide (rec-
ommended) you can start by simply crossing the fi elds northwest of Mr Charles Guest
House. Without a guide it’s easier to take the road towards Mandalay for 1 mile then
branch right beside a lone noodle shack where the main road swerves sharp right at the
far edge of Hsipaw. Then keep asking!