Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
40-minute walk to
Ho Lang
, a hilltop En village. Along the same road, and with great
views of the Tai Khün village of
Wan Loi
and the river valley, is
That Jom Loi
, a hilltop
temple. The area is located a 45-minute drive east of Kyaingtong; a taxi trip to
these destinations will run to about K40,000.
Located a 40-minute drive northwest of Kyaingtong is the jumping-off point for
Lahu Shi
, a remote Lahu village accessible only via an arduous three-hour uphill
slog. Also north of town, off the road that leads to Mong La,
Wan Nyek
and
Wan
Saen
are two villages where the Loi people still live in traditional longhouses. A taxi
to either of these trailheads costs K40,000.
Loi-mwe
, 20 miles southeast of Kyaingtong, functioned as a second-tier hill sta-
tion in the British era and you can still see a number of fading
colonial buildings
and
a 100-year-old Catholic
church
. The main attraction, though, is the drive up here
through a landscape of hills and terraced rice fields. A taxi here should run around
K55,000.
If you don't have the time or funds for a trek, a good
self-guided walk
can be had
along the former road to Mong La, now colloquially known as Yang Kon Rd. The
area is home to several Shan families who earn a living by making
pottery
and khao
sen(fermented rice noodles), the latter made by a laborious process of boiling,
pounding and squeezing a dough of rice flour. Your walk terminates at
Wat Yang Kin
(Yang Kon Rd; daylight hours)
, known among locals for the decorative robes
covering the main buddha statue.
Festivals & Events
Kyaingtong's Chinese community celebrate the
Chinese New Year
in early February
with the usual firecracker-charged festivities.
For Buddhists, the big calendar event is the
Water Festival
in April, when everyone
gets a dousing, including visitors.
Sleeping
The accommodation scene in Kyaingtong will inspire few postcards home. As is the case
elsewhere in Myanmar, breakfast is included in the fee and electricity is scarce; most ho-
tels run generators from about 7pm to 10pm.
Sam Yweat Hotel
HOTEL $
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
