A trip to the old Shan capital, a city surrounded by green mountains and picture-postcard Buddhist monasteries, is like stepping back 100 years in time. But first you have to get there ...
I'm strapped into my seat, looking for a bit of wood to chew on, to take my mind off the sheer mountain drop that the 1980s Toyota Corolla I'm travelling in is hurtling towards at an alarming speed. As we career round yet another hairpin bend, tyres squealing, one passenger lets out a yelp followed by a completely incomprehensible slurred phrase, which sounds something like "f#@*". Our driver, beaming from ear to ear, appears oblivious to the distress our somewhat swift ascent into the Shan Hills is causing, and if anything his foot hits the accelerator with renewed ferocity.
We are still a good two hours away from Kyaing Tung.
The road from Mae Sai in Chiang Rai province to the ancient capital of the Thai Yai, Kyaing Tung, in the Burmese Shan State, is a winding, breathtaking trip that takes three, sometimes four or more hours, depending on the number of checkpoints and roadblocks you encounter - there are many.
Once a far more treacherous road, the highway is now well paved - although this is something of a double-edged sword, as it just seems to encourage the suicidal urges of the Burmese Toyota-driving masses.
Gradually the ancient city walls start to emerge from the hills around the heart of the 300-year-old city and our pace slows as we approach Kyaing Tung.
As we reach our destination, a tuk-tuk driver pulls up to gawk at us, a cloud of dust rising from the old city road. Farangs are not a common sight in Kyaing Tung.
Once we have finally come to a halt, we each pay our Bt400 taxi fare, and step out in front of the Shan State's new, rather posh hotel, located about 100 metres from the central market.
The Princess Hotel is rather a surprise to find here, but a relief for weary travellers not accustomed to roughing it. Rooms cost US$28 (Bt1,120) for a single or $35 for a double, including breakfast, and have hot water, TV and air con. It does seem a little strange finding Holiday Inn-type accommodation in such an ancient capital, though, and the lavish treatment and comfortable rooms are a bit disconcerting in a way.
Apart from this modern beacon, the town itself is like a glimpse into the past - a charming place to stroll around and just soak up the surroundings. It feels you have wandered into a time warp, and there are strong reminders of its colonial history to be found in its buildings - the red brick immigration office, the old British governor's residence, Christian missions - as well as wats. The town is not "restored" and for that reason its history radiates everywhere.
Kyaing Tung itself sits under the watchful eye of a guardian standing Buddha in the Zoapa-Sak Hills. The image is a great first stop in town and offers a panoramic view of the town's resting spot on the hillside. Locals come to make merit, while on Sundays monks chant from morning until just after sunset in undulating tones, which are audible across the entire city on a quiet night.
Downhill from the Khmer-style Buddha are a number of Christian missions, including St Mary's Church. A school in their compound teaches catechism to village children of various ethnic minorities. Visitors may call in on the classes and many of the local nuns speak excellent English.
"We teach the Akha, Shan and minority village children catechism in their native language," Sister Catherine, an elderly Burmese nun, explains. "Visitors are welcome to come and watch, and it's exciting for the older children who are anxious to practise their English."
About four years ago, the parish added a large stage so they could put on concerts and other events for their very young congregation. Ask around town for scheduled performances.
Nightlife in the Shan capital is a little quiet, but the Seing Tawng-Ya Karaoke and Night Villa are worth a visit, a short drive from town. This is a series of shacks with flickering Christmas lights, closed in by a barrier wall filled with rambunctious locals having a great time. The nightlife villa is not lascivious at all, despite the prevalence of karaoke parlours and massage services.
Inside the shacks, a traditional Burmese massage performed by Akha women costs 1,500 kyat (about Bt80, black market rate), games of darts, food, drinks and karaoke are all offered at reasonable prices.
Over Myanmar or Mandalay Beer, karaoke fans can browse lists of tunes which include Western and Thai pop and lots of Burmese music blasted at ear-splitting levels. It's more fun to watch the locals as the liquor takes effect and they begin to croon popular songs, bringing cheers from everyone.
The other local pastime is gambling at Seing Tawng-Ya, playing a Burmese variation of darts on a blue-and-white board with a numbered grid. Odds are placed on a range of numbers, 1-4, 4-8 etc, and you double your money if you hit the board within the score range you set, although I don't see anyone win in about 30 minutes of playing and watching. Jubilant children participate and even our driver once started had to be pried away from this addictive hobby.
Nightlife is not the capital's heart and soul, though. Rather, the old town's spark lies in the bustling central market. Teeming with knick-knacks, kitchenware, instruments, posters and gold, it has amazingly quirky odds and ends, including a laminated poster of "foods that are not appropriate to eat together". The nearby food market swarms with people haggling for chickens or fruit all day long. A word of warning for the fainthearted though: the fresh food market is a bit gruesome.
Meanwhile, another traditional form of bargaining takes place on certain days for local farmers outside the city walls - selling buffalo. Make sure you check with the tuk-tuk drivers near the central market exit whether the Buffalo Market is running before they take you out there though. This market has a giant pit filled with animals chewing cud with apathy, while people hum and haw about their value. It is very close to an old Burmese cemetery featuring turquoise blue headstones.
Town restaurants and bakeries offer great Chinese and Shan snacks. Two of the best are Golden Banyan and U Ah Lyan (English menus available). U Law Thye near the market is run by a super friendly couple who like to show off photographs of their relatives in the US and a vacation in Las Vegas. House specialities here include ginger fried chicken, mushrooms in oyster sauce and noodle snacks.
The Golden Banyan Restaurant, up the road from the market a bit, sits in front of the departure taxi rank, and also serves excellent cheap treats. The owner swears his paprika chicken is the best thing on the menu, but they also serve hot and sour fish and noodles that are both noteworthy.
The ancient capital is modernising and hotels around town are sprucing up in preparation for a brighter future for tourism, which locals say has already arrived.
Aw Maung a local tuk-tuk driver puts it best, "We aren't a secret anymore, and the more people learn, they will come - it's been a big week for me, internationally speaking: two French people, Americans, Germans, and Thais - that would never have happened even a short time ago."
Fast Facts
At the time of writing, the Immigration Control does not allow tourists to travel on from Kyaing Tung through the north of Burma to China. If you get a visa on arrival Burmese Immigration will hold your passport guaranteeing your return through Tachilek to Mae Sai in Thailand. "We don't want people moving further north and going from Wa territory into China," said Mying Aung who has worked at the checkpoint for eight years.
The required exchange is US$100 (Bt4,200) in cash to Foreign Exchange Certificates or FECs (which are worth around 500 kyat for 1 FEC) and a $15 visa fee for travel to Kyaing Tung.
Treks to see local tribes are best arranged through Harry's Guesthouse and Trekking to the north of town. Harry himself speaks excellent English, and is often hanging around the Tachilek border crossing looking for folks headed his way.
If you are thinking of visiting Burma on holiday you should know that the US-based Human Rights Watch reports in its 2003 World Report that ethnic minorities in Burma continue to report grave human rights abuses including forced labour and the rape of Shan women by the military.