Blogs from Pyin U Lwin, Mandalay Region, Burma, Asia

We left the hotel about 4pm and got lucky by catching a pickup straight away to take us the 7 kilometres to the junction where we would catch our bus to Mandalay. We had something to eat and drink at a tea shop and then played pool for an hour while waiting for the bus. The 4 of us had decided that once we got to Mandalay that we would catch another as soon as possible to Pyin U Lwin. We arrived at the bus station in Mandalay about 4.30am and asked many people where we catch the bus to Pyin U Lwin which they all told us there was no bus from there. So we eventually gave up and got a taxi to where the driver said the bus would be. He dropped us off ... read more

Formerly known as Maymyo, Pyin U Lwin is a hill station 69km out of Mandalay, about an hour and a half drive. As it is 1000m above sea level and enjoys a relatively cooler climate it once was the summer capital for the Raj in Burma and a retreat for the British from Burma’s scorching heat. As a result, Pyin U Lwin is well known for its colonial style houses. There still remains a large Indian population because during British times it was the military centre of the Indian Army. Pyin U Lwin is a production centre for silkworm rearing, pharmaceutical production, flower and vegetable production. It is also the home of the Defence Academy of the Burmese military and an important military base. If you took away the military presence and the green uniforms it ... read more

So we flew back from Bhamo all refreshed and went onto the is colonial town which moved en masse from Rangoon in the hot summer. We visited the National Kandawgyi Gardens, basically like Kew Gardens in London and Anisakan Falls which were lovely and where we were treated like stunt men or hunks because we swam in the pools and under the waterfalls themselves. Pretty good times were had. The town itself has lots of British colonial buildings and nice old British houses with red bricks, very plush. Plus it's a lot cooler up this way, so it was a nice escape from Mandalay.... read more

Pyin U Lwin 25/11 It took about 2 hours to arrive in Pyin U Lwin by pick-up from Mandalay. It is cooler here and there is a village vibe permeating the town. The hotel room is nice but the share bathroom is rough. The smell of urine is permenant. I plan to spend only a night here on my to Hsipaw. I eat at a local restaurant and am surprised by the amount of food i get for 1,200 K's (around $1 US). I am tired by the time I finish consuming my enormous meal. I actually couldn't finish it. The people are friendly here but I soon discover there is a serious lack of understanding ye ole english. I discover a small black thing in my nose. Thinking it was perhaps the remnants of tick ... read more

Dear Patrons: Welcome to our news letter. The Staff at Different Perspectives try to bring a clearer picture of current events effecting China and Asia. Although we believe the international media driven primarily by western worlds interests, is bringing the public events as they happen, we at Different Perspectives are independent and non biased without an agenda for prestige or monetary profit. We simply feel the western world may be somewhat isolated from news that is local to our office here in Beijing, China. We hope you enjoy the news from a different perspective. Please contact us with your questions or comments. Thank you Different Perspectives Staff Edward Recently I have returned from a 9 week tour of South East Asia and am reporting on my perspective and personal experience. Currently our newsletter is focusing on ... read more