Myitkyina Kachin State Chinese Mountains Adventure
Myitkyina is the most north city of Kachin State where you can fly to without a special permission. The ways to travel to Myitkyina are boat, bus, train and fly.. My choice was to fly there, so i took a domestic flight with Air Bagan from Yangon. After arriving at the Myitkyina airport there is a passport check. The local officers are very friendly. Outside many taxi drivers are waiting so easy service towards the city by car taxi or motor taxi. Myitkyina being a lot smaller then Yangon in a very different area gives a deep impression. The people are very helpful and friendly. The city made me feel as going back in time for a short while. However immediately i felt very welcome here…
The area near the Ayeyarwaddy is very beautiful as the river moves as a snake though the landscape. At my arrival the water level in the river was very low. Still The Ayeyarwaddy gives a magical expression.. The river looks as a mighty though peaceful giant.. People offering boat trips across the Ayeyarwaddy river.. Exploring the area is a great idea, as it has a lot to offer.. Choices by taxi, Bicycle foot or small motorcycle are the main choices. There are many small motorcycles in city much more then cars… You can rent a motorcycle with or without driver… With two days exploring the area by foot i did meet a lot of fantastic people. Most people i met in Myitkyina Kachin State could speak English very well and where very communicative. Several days i went out on motorcycle. At the hotel i rented a moped with driver. The friendly guy knew the area perfectly.
One of the trips made was north of Myitkyina across the Bala Min Htin Bridge. When crossing the bridge on the left you can see the golden top of a pagoda. We decided to be it a first place to visit.. Just across the bridge, on the right, is a small sand path towards a place of worship… We took a quick look and made some photos… The place offers a great view across the river… After our visit we continued the voyage to the pagoda on the mountain near the river.. The place is not so big though beautiful with the Golden pagoda and Golden statues.. A friendly lady there gave us some good information about an interesting place to visit in the Chinese mountains…
So we decided to make our way towards the Chinese mountains. Arriving at the spot in the Chinese mountains we went on by foot up the stairs. Statues next to the stairs of Buddha with Monks in Red robes holding their bowl in the hands guiding our way upwards. The smiling faces on the statues make you feel the welcome spirit. Half way up the stairs there is a small village where several monks live. A place of worship with a charming garden where the statue of Buddha with cobra and tigers can be seen. When moving on the next stairs can be followed after giving a small donation for good health of your loved ones…
At the beginning of this second set of stairs on the left a golden robed Buddha with his bowl in hand welcomes you. Also a small copy of the Golden Rock is placed there.. At the end of this stairs there is an opportunity to go up and see the statues of 4 historical important people… When head down on the way back you can see this place from a different perspective… Near the road at the bottom we found ourselves a place to get something cold to drink… Time to relax and head forward across the river again…
With the temperature being 41*C there in Myitkyina Kachin State it is a pleasure to find so many places where one is able to drink something and small shops along the road selling cans and bottles of cool soft drinks..
Continue this voyage on the next page, Mandalay division Sagaing Hill
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