We left behind the temples and pagodas of Bagan to explore the hills, tribes, and treks in the northern village of Hsipaw. Before that, we had to stop by Mandalay, one of Myanmar’s major cities. Despite its busy streets and congested mix of buildings, Mandalay has its own charm and plenty to see in the nearby villages. However, our goal was to get off the beaten path, so we only spent one night in the city.
We arrived in Mandalay in the late afternoon, had dinner, and went to bed early. The next morning, before catching the bus, we took a stroll around the lanes near our guesthouse. Even among the city’s modernity, traditional Asian life was evident with bustling markets and people riding old bicycles and tri-shaws. Experiencing a bit of Mandalay made us wish we had more time to explore, but our plan to escape the usual tourist spots took priority, so we set out for Hsipaw.
After a seven-hour bus ride, we arrived in Hsipaw around 9:00 pm and checked into a basic room at Mr. Charles Guest House. We were informed that guides would be available at the restaurant in the morning to arrange treks. Eager to plan our hike, we headed down to the restaurant early the next day. Unfortunately, we found that with only four guides and around 30 tourists, treks were more like guided tours in groups of six to eight people—definitely not our preferred style.
A bit disappointed, Dariece and I decided to look for our own guide around town. We checked out two other guesthouses but found that every guide was booked into larger groups. Over the years, we’ve realized that large group tours aren’t for us; they result in less interaction with the locals and more with other tourists. Plus, arriving in a village in a large group can be intimidating to the locals, making meaningful conversations difficult.
Feeling defeated, we chose to explore Hsipaw and its nearby villages on our own. We walked north to a place called Little Bagan, a small cluster of old temples. While interesting, it was no match for the grandiosity of Bagan. We also visited a school where the kids greeted us with “goodbye,” which we soon understood was their attempt at saying “hello.”
After leaving the school, we headed west and passed by Miss Popcorn’s Cafe. We were invited by some Taiwanese travelers to join them. They told us about a school they had started in a small Shan village about an hour from Hsipaw. They invited us to teach with them that evening. Excited about the opportunity to experience something off the typical tourist path, we gladly accepted and planned to meet them at 3:00 that afternoon.
…to be continued
