Middle-aged flash packers

We set off on a lazy meander to find the viewpoint described by the hotel manager. A place well signposted, to be found after the bamboo pagoda, a 2 hour walk max from the hotel. Lovely views over Kalaw.

It was a beautiful day and there were lots of photo opportunities. Flowers are abundant here and it’s the first time I’ve seen poinsettia trees in full bloom in the wild. Cute little puppies were everywhere as were very grand, new colonial style houses. I would say that Kalaw is not as poor as Mandalay. People’s homes, even the simple ones seem of a reasonable standard.

We arrived at the bamboo pagoda to find the locals covering a Buddha figure in gold leaf. I think this is quite the thing in Myanmar. I guess the purchasing of the gold leaf squares is a money maker for the monastery.

After walking past the market stalls where Nik couldn’t resist several purchases, although luckily the garish pom pom hat didn’t fit him, we found the signs to “the viewpoint”. We followed it, up a concrete road to someone’s house. The people who were washing clothes in their garden looked surprised and pointed us back down the hill.

We found another sign and followed it along a dusty, rubble road. At regular intervals, we were passed by motorbikes, cars and the occasional truck. It wasn’t unpleasant though and the surrounding scenery of mountains an hills was lovely.

The road went on and on, and worryingly was taking a definite downward direction. Eventually We had a conflab and decided this was not the way as we’d been walking for 2.5 hours already with no sign of the viewpoint.

On our return we bumped into some French people and their guide who informed us that this was the viewpoint, everywhere was the viewpoint along here. Well, how very esoteric. Being of more practical minds we were looking for a specific viewpoint, one where you stand and look over something, maybe have a picnic, something more tangible. Ah well.

Retracing our steps, we found a track that took us back to Kalaw. The viewpoints were good here too now we knew what we were looking for.

Hot, sweaty and thirsty, we stopped at the first place we came to that had a sign with a beer bottle. Unfortunately the menu only had delights such as pork intestines so in true Brit abroad fashion, it was chips all round.

There was a supermarket opposite which was an Aladdin’s cave of just about everything. I managed to buy some Jack and Jill dewberry biscuits, reminiscent of the apple crumble biscuits in Slovenia. Steve and Jan bought sensible things like bug spray but Nik joined into the spirit of things by purchasing some very tiny torch lights that will probably never work.

We had a few other chores to do and went our separate ways, but bumped into Jan and Nik at the bottom of the hill on our way back. I thought they looked sheepish, then they confessed they had booked a tuktuk to get up the hill instead of walking. Call themselves walkers?!

Next it was time to cram into a rucksack everything required for a 2 day trek. There is no room for even a fag paper.

Dinner was back at the Red House. Unfortunately the choice of pizza wasn’t a good one for me. Cue an uncomfortable belly again but at least I slept.