Hsipaw + Namshan

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30/11/2010 - 03/12/2010

I took the bus up north to Hsiphaw, a good place to do some trekking and visiting local villages
with Shan or Palaung people. I decided to go on a 2 day trekking with overnight in a homestay in a small Palaung village. It was a good change coming from the cities; now enjoying the beautiful myanmar mountain landscape. But what it really made memorable was my guide, Mr Bean (cause he also sells beans in the market)
. Though he had several nicknames, the most appropiate one was Mr Lust as he liked to say!
We would joke and laugh 2 days long, mainly about the opposite sex....
We left at 9 am and arrived around 4 pm in the mountain village where the host family welcomed
us with an extensive late lunch. A bit later we would eat again and drink some Shan alcohol... Mr Bean's other was also Mr Whisky! In the night I brushed my teeth under an unbelievable starry sky (never saw so many), with falling stars as well.
Next day we came back down making a small detour cause we went to the waterfall as well..
In the late afternoon I walked to sunset hill. Here you have an amazing view over entire Hsiphaw.

Next trip on the agenda was Namshan, again a Palaung village, but further up north and higher into the mountains (around 2100 m). For this I hired a motorbike, it took me a 5 hour drive along these 'roads' in very bad shape. The surroundings however made the trip easier. They call this area the 'Switzerland of Myanmar'. In the early afternoon I arrived. This village only had one guesthouse...and I was the only foreigner!!😊 The people were unbelievable friendly. Kids would run up to say hello, older women would wave from their houses,... in the evening I had a good dinner and played chess with some locals.

The next day I had again a 5 hour motorcycle drive ahead of me and when I finally arrived back to Hsiphaw my body aked in very particular places. I decided to go a nearby hot spring to relax...it was a public one though, so while you were relaxing some local men were washing there hair and scrubbing their feet next to you..took a shower again when I got home

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Photos

stay at the local family
with Mr Lust at the left

playing chess with the locals
..kicked my ass:)