#Orange vendors at
Hsipaw station. The regionis known in Myanmar for the quality of its fruit and
vegetables | Route: Mandalay to Hispaw, Myanmar; Miles: 130; Notable
passengers: Shan princes travelling to their palaces at Hsipaw; Dining car:
none, but Burmese street food at most stations; Sit on: the left-hand side, for
the best views from the Gokteik viaduct
OPENING up to the
outside world after years of obscurity, Myanmar is a country changing at
supersonic speed-fortunately, it s rickety railway network remains a resolutely
snail-paced affair. What it lacks in speed it more than makes up for in
character – in particular the train from Mandalay towards the old royal city of
Hsipaw. Setting out from Myanmar’s second city before dawn, the train climbs
through green hills draped with morning mists, stopping at stations where
hawkers sell breakfast noodles through the windows. Around an hour after
sunrise, it trundles into the old British hill station of Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo)
– home to tumbledown colonia townhouse and a wonderfully kept botanical garden.
Those of a nervous disposition should get off here: after leaving Pyin Oo Lwin
the train creaks at glacial speed across the Gokteik Viaduct – a steel span
that was once the highest bridge in the British Empire. There are no sides on
the bridge, but those who can stomach leaning out the window are richly
rewarder: an unobstructed view of jungle canopies, cliffs with circling birds
of prey and a sludge-brown river flowing far down below.
Rail trips in Myanmar can only be booked at the station of
departure; expect to pay around $30 for first class return ticket to Hsipaw.
