HEHO - PINDAYA

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Up at 5.30am pick up at 7am from Hotel transfer to Airport flight to Heho. Breakfast packed for us by the hotel. Boiled egg and cheese sandwiches. Our lighters were confiscated but someone had a lighter in the smoking room. Flight was supposed to be 8.45am but at 8.30am everyone must have been on so we left. Croissant, cake, chocolate and a coffee served, not bad for a 1hr flight.



Picked up by T2 ( Nyi Nyi Tun)and the driver Mr Shwa and 1hr drive to Pindaya very interesting a lot of farming of corn, Sweet Peas, Potatoes, Tomatoes, very rich soil. Stopped at a local store where they gave us a taste of pickled tea, passed bullocks carts and a lot of Chinese Buffulos. People still farm manually with bullocks. Very narrow road with lots of Chinese mosquitoes, (motor bikes) and Chinese Buffulos (Tractor trucks) as the locals call them.



Rested for an hour after booking in at the Global Grace Hotel, looks like it was army barracks. then went to the Green Tea Restaurant lovely place on the lake and the meals were yummy curry chicken Myanmar style and Pork and black mushroom Myanmar style.



Next we went up to the Pindaya Caves 8,000 Buddhas in the cave, very interesting and glad T2 knew where to go, it was a maze, 200 x 50 mtrs. With even a " white Buddha that sees all" (security camera). We are now in Shan territory and they are 1500mtr above sea level so a lot cooler, around 24c thank goodness. Very different culture and tourism has only just started in this area which is right in the middle of Myanmar.



We were then taken to an umbrella place where they showed us the making of the paper, then the wood worker on a manual lave making the tops and bottom, plus the switch he carved into the bamboo, very clever. No machinery here just a lot of hard labour. Heho was used by the British during world war 2, and the Hotel we are in is very Colonial kind of out of place to the average homes. From our balcony we watched the grass being mowed with a whipper snipper it took him ages! Also we could see the locals washing themselves and clothes in the lake. A local was also taking his pig for a walk on a lead, as you do.

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Photos

Chinese Buffulo
Saw this form of work vehicle throughout Myanmar

Road workers
They were working on laying down stones for the road, all manual work with the woman carting the rocks in baskets from the pile to the area they were working on. No machinery all manual work.

Typical form of transport
Saw many of the bullock and drays used by the locals for transport.

Entrance to Pindaya Caves
This cave is a Buddhist pilgrimage site and a tourist attraction located on a limestone ridge in the Myelat region. It extends for about 490 feet along a well-worn path. Contains over 8,000 images of Buddha, the earliest one dates from 1773.

Inside the Pindaya Cave
It was a maze and it would have been so easy to get lost, T2 new the way and was able to point out interesting history around the buddhas donated to the cave. Not accepting any more though due to the cave starting to show signs that the weight of the Buddhas may be too much and they are worried of the floor giving way.

Covered Staircase to the Cave
Thank goodness they now have a road and a lift that will take you to the cave.

Paper making for the umbrella's
It was incredible to watch her and another lady making the paper for the umbrella. All done by hand and they also use it for light shades.

Foot Lathe
This guy was making the umbrella handle, switch and top bits for the umbrellas.

Comments

[Mary FitzGerald]

GREAT PHOTOS
Looks like a really poor country. I've finally been able to get on to the site. Had lots of trouble. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.