To travel here is to encounter men wear

196

EASTERN MYANMAR

KENGTUNG & BORDER AREAS

Lod Htin Lu Restaurant CHINESE, BURMESE $

(Kyange Rd; mains from K1500) Downhill from

the mausoleums of the Khün princes, this

is another Chinese banquet restaurant with

private tables for families screened off by

partitions at the back. The menu features

noodle soups, pork with cashews and other

Chinese classics.

Golden Banyan

Restaurant CHINESE, BURMESE $

(mains from K2000) Yet another Chinese-

style restaurant near the mausoleums of

the Khün princes. Food is pretty standard

for this kind of restaurant but the outdoor

tables beneath a huge banyan tree create

atmosphere.

Pann Gabar THAI, BURMESE $

(Airport Rd; mains from K2000) If you fancy

a break from Chinese food, this popular

roadhouse by the bridge on the Airport Rd

has indoor and outdoor seating and good

Thai food – the chef doesn’t scrimp on spices.

Seik Tie Kya Restaurant CHINESE, BURMESE $

(Airport Rd; mains from K1500) This recom-

mended Chinese restaurant has a cosy din-

ing room at the back and tables under an

awning in the yard. The spicy bean-curd

hotpot is big enough for two.

 7 Shopping

Kengtung’s morning market has a couple of

stalls selling hilltribe handicrafts.

U Mu Ling Ta LACQUERWARE

(off Tachileik Rd) This fi fth-generation, family-

run shop specialises in lacquerware, from

the ubiquitous multi-coloured Bagan style

to the striking, black Kengtung style. Pieces

are made on-site, so you can get a peek into

the production process if you don’t have the

budget (they’re not cheap). It’s located at the

top of an unmarked driveway on Tachileik

Rd – locals should be able to point you in the

right direction.

8 Information

Moneychangers in the market exchange kyat, US

dollars, Thai baht and Chinese yuan.

gooGate (per hr K500; h9am-9pm) Conve-

niently located internet access off Kyain

Nyan Rd.

Immigration Office (cnr Zay Tan Gyi St & Yang

Kon Rd; h24hr) Down an alley north of the

Paleng gate; issues permits for travel around

Kengtung and to Tachileik.

Sunfar Travels (%22626; 65 Loi Mwe Rd;

h9am-6pm) Sells tickets for all the private

airlines.

8 Getting There & Away

The only way to reach Kengtung from inside

Myanmar is by air, but road travel is permitted

to Tachileik with a permit from Kengtung’s im-

migration offi ce.

THE SHAN

Eastern Myanmar is the heartland of the Buddhist Shan tribe, who have strong cultural

links to the Tai peoples of northern Thailand. Many of the towns in eastern and northern

Myanmar were once ruled by hereditary Shan chieftains known as sao pha (sky lords).

With their strong sense of cultural identity and separatist leanings, the Shan have long

been perceived as a threat by the central government.

Shan talk of succession from the Union of Burma was one of the triggers for the 1962

military coup. On the day of the takeover Sao Shwe Thaik, a Shan sao pha who had

been Burma’s fi rst president, was arrested and his 17-year-old son shot dead – the only

casualty of the coup. Sao Shwe Thaik died in prison within the year and an insurrection

started that still simmers in parts of the state today.

In 2011, the ethnic Shan Dr Sai Mauk Kham, a politician from the military-backed

Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), won a vote in parliament to become

Myanmar’s vice president. For more about the Shan see p 312.

TRAVEL

RESTRICTIONS

From inside Myanmar, Kengtung is ac-

cessible only by air, and travellers en-

tering Myanmar overland from Thailand

cannot travel to the rest of the country.

Travel was previously possible be-

tween Kengtung and Mong La, on the

Chinese border, but at research time

this was off -limits.