Hello! Shan state and particularly Hsipaw was a highlight of my trip to Myanmar... Loved the two day trek we did despite seeing barren landscapes due to slash and burn agriculture technique in preparation for corn planting.
Six of us- a Brit, 2 Americans, 2 Aussies and me la Quebecoise- went treking through the help of Lily s guesthouse (Lily herself is adorable and very helpful). Along the way we got to visit Shan and Lisu villages. The villagers are quite poor so we were happy that our money went to some locals rather than to a corporation or whatnot. We stayed overnight at Pan Nyaw, which has the cutest kids ever (or cutest "nuggets" as my trekmates said). Half the group was pretty althletic and did some gymnastics with the kids. The non athletic half- including yours truly- had fun also playing games and letting the kids enjoy using our mobile phones and cameras. Truly these kids are genius- figuring out how to use my voice recorder while not actually being able to read English.
Most treking is done with a guide which is a smart idea tiven that locals dont speak much English. They were very welcoming to us...treating us a bit like celebrities. I wonder if the novelty will wear off as Myanmar welcomes more and more tourists over the years to come . My main hope is that tourism will benefit locals and that it will be done in an environmentally sustainable manner...Myanmar from what I have seen is getting increasingly polluted which is such a shame. The country has some great natural beauty to preserve.
The hike was somewhat challenging due to the heat but we enjoyed the views. I was reaaaally happy to have a shower, change, and have a mango shake at the end of it all.
