We Drove Through Shan State...
Intro
Yesterday, I wrote about how I was denied boarding by the military in Heho, Shan State. With no flights available to Mandalay/Bagan until the evening of the 14th, my options were running low if I wanted to visit Bagan. Realizing that the trains have been discontinued, and the buses aren't the most reliable, I made the choice to hire a private driver for 120 USD to drive me from Heho-Mandalay, but through Western Shan State. Here is what it was like...
I will not speak politically in this post, as I am a guest in the country of Myanmar; these are simply my observations on the situation and what occurred.
"I Cannot Guarantee Your Future"
The driver picked me up around 1 pm and was ready to go to Mandalay. There are two main roads heading up to Mandalay: one is the mountain pass, which takes around 5 hours, and the other one is the highway, which takes 7-7.5 hours. The driver informed me that some months ago, a shootout had occurred on the road heading to Mandalay, so he could not guarantee my future.
I was tired and just wanted to get there, so I chose the mountain pass.
The drive was long, it was treacherous, with long-winding roads for 4 out of the 5 hours. All that was seen was many trucks, a few towns, and an unbelievable amount of crops. Checkpoints filled the roads, some occurring every couple of miles and others being spaced out every 45 minutes or so. Multiple times, we stopped off to grab beer, food, and many other items for our journey. Each time, we met locals who showed me the true mentality of Burmese hospitality.
That was until we reached the larger checkpoint, which is practically the exit of Shan State and the entrance to Mandalay. The large checkpoint is where our problems started to occur, as traveling by car across Shan State as a foreigner usually requires permission from the military to move around. In addition, the US passport might be the worst passport to use to travel to Myanmar at the moment (but this is a story for another post).
Following negotiations and having all of my stuff gone through, we were eventually allowed entrance towards Mandalay. However, this wasn't the end of the road, as many more checkpoints filled the next few km, including a special checkpoint dedicated to opium. As we were informed that this was the last checkpoint, we stopped at a coffee shop to celebrate that we had made it through, only to have the military approach us at the coffee shop...
Look, I kind of understand why it is so strict in some regards, and I probably should have obtained the proper paperwork before making the drive through the mountain pass (no time). If we think about the situation objectively, there is a lot of ongoing conflict in Shan State, and thus, the regulations and checkpoints are more strict. At the end of the day, it worked out okay, for which I am very grateful.
I would like to add that Shan State might be one of the most beautiful "states" on the planet. We passed by the mountain of the lady, an unknown hidden gem. In addition, the views over the top of the mountain might be some of the most incredible views I have ever seen in my life.
Final Thoughts
With ongoing issues with my ticket out of Heho, I decided to make one of the most treacherous drives in the world through Shan State to Mandalay. Security-wise, it all turned out okay, but hefty negotiations were made, and one interrogation with my taxi driver and me. The views were something I will never forget, truly surreal. All in all, I am grateful I have made it to Mandalay, and now it is off to Bagan!
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