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#Khine's message of June 14
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Broadway
Khine's message
of June 14th
Dear Friends,
The French School where I am teaching will close on Friday, June 20th
as it is the end of school term for a period of two months before the
next term begins on September 1st.
I wanted to keep myself occupied during the Summer holidays and had
sent out my resume to a few UN organizations, offering to help in the
Delta region where Nargis did most of the damage.
Well, I have been recruited by UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees) as »Field Assistant« starting Monday, June 23rd until
August 30th. It is a short-term assignment that it could be extended
however, I would have to return to the French school for another term.
I have numerous things to do over the next weekend before I leave. I
will have to be in the head office here in Rangoon on Monday to be
briefed and I will be immediately sent to BOGALAY office, most
probably the next day, on Tuesday, June 24th.
I have not done this kind of work before
however, I have worked abroad
since I was 21 and have done a variety of things that mainly involve
managing people and training them so I am confident that it wouldn't
be too big of a problem. Challenging perhaps but not a problem.
The job may be challenging and realistically, Bogalay may not be an
easy place to live, plus, I will probably have to go to Laputta as
well.
Bogalay (5 hours from Rangoon) and Laputta (8 hours from Rangoon) are
the two of the hardest hit small towns in the Delta and they have now
become the 'hub' or 'starting point' for many UN and NGO organizations
from where they go further out in the region to help the many cyclone
victims. They have established many 'camps' in those vicinities.
Since I left Burma in 1986 until now, I always had jobs that required
'traveling' to other places and this continues to be true even after I
have returned to my own country. Some people have asked recently if I
would be now staying here forever, and the answer is no. I am here for
the time-being and since my fate seems to take me to many other
places, I still expect to 'travel' and Burma will always be part of my
travels.
It is most possible that we will not have
any internet connection out
there in the field but I shall keep you informed hopefully, over a
weekend back in Rangoon. Meanwhile, I can be reached at this email
until the evening of June 23rd.
Finally, I'd like to inform you about a couple of trips that I've
scheduled during school holidays. I shall be accompanying a WWII
veteran from Australia at the end of October going up to Myitkyina and
cruising down the Irrawaddy river from Bhamo to Mandalay.
Then, I shall be off for another Ledo Road Expedition with two or
three adventurers in February 2009. This time, we intend to reach
Pangsau pass, the border between Burma and India!
Kind Regards,
Khine @ Khaing Tun
www.cbiexpeditions.com
Remembering is a time-honored pastime.
| Khine's letter of May 23 2008
Hello Everyone, |
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Dear
All, Governors
House rebuilt in Pyin OoLwin
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Khine's New Year message 1/1/08 Happy
New Year Everyone! ***************************************** Dear
All, |
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Khine's Diary of her trip in February, a very informative and well told story of the world of Burma today LEDO ROAD DIARY - FEBRUARY 2007 February 1: Yangon I decided at the last minute to join the tour as the school will close for two weeks. I couldn’t do really much in planning this trip due to my crazy schedule between giving English classes and teaching at the French school. Teaching is not easy…. February 3: Yangon I continued to receive emails from all three participants. Tony from Baron Travels should have the permits squared away by now. I’ve told Tony to update the participants about the arrangements. Arun (from Bangalore) has many questions and continued to be so enthusiastic about the trip. I emailed everyone to bring sleeping bags, some food items they would like to have as we will only be eating “rice”! February 10: Yangon Met up with Baron Travels and went through the tour program. My mind is in a thousand directions. Time just isn’t on my side. February 13: Yangon Visited Baron Travels office again to go through the program. Peter (from Australia) and Arun arrive a day early due to flight connections. Hotel accommodation is okay and transportation has been arranged. Ron, who came last year from the States, should be arriving in Bangkok on the 16th. February 16: February 17: Yangon, Ron arrived I went to meet Ron at
the airport. Ron looked tired but he hugged me with a big smile. The
arrival hall at the Yangon
International Airport has gone quite modern within a year! I don’t
know how accurate the information
is but the Myanmar Times (English newspaper) said that tourists
arrivals are up this year. February 18: To Myitkyina - On the Road! Unlike last year, we didn’t have to get up so early to get to the airport to fly up to Myitkyina. Our flight this time left Yangon at 11am and we landed in Myitkyina just after lunch time. It was smooth sailing on the flight and it was almost full. This flight goes via Mandalay and all the way up to “Putao” known as Ft. Hertz in the former days. After formalities at the
airport and after we checked in at this small hotel where we also
stayed last year, we set out to
visit some of the sights in the town.We also went to see Major Khun
Jar Naw, the only living February 19:Myikyina. Woke up at 6am. Didn’t sleep too well due to the noise outside of the room. Other participants slept okay, it seemed, except Peter who wasn’t a happy camper due to the noise. He requested to change hotel on our way back from Pangsau. No problems, I said, we’ll try and get some rooms at the sister hotel down the road. I went to a local teashop close by the hotel to have fresh brewed tea and “E Kyar Kway”, a deep fried bread dough which is almost as good as the western equivalent of “doughnut”. Tony and his son (the ever accommodating “Steven”, who came with me to “Broadway”) also woke up early and had some noodles, they said. All three participants, on the other hand, had breakfast at the hotel. 9am – The 4-wheel truck was fully loaded with our luggage, water bottles and food items. Since it was a double-cab, Ron sat next to the driver, Peter, Arun and Tony sat at the back directly behind Ron and the driver. The driver brought along an assistant (who will become our river navigator) so there were 4 sitting at the back open space, next to the luggage. Space, was very limited and our bottoms were barely sitting on the spare tire. The wind was quite cool as well. First stop: Namti. We visited the old railway station still being used and also visited an old Chinese soldier from the Chinese Expeditionary Army who immigrated in Burma just before the war ended. An aggressive old guy of almost 90 years of age, talking to us half in Chinese and in Burmese. Tony being Chinese translated what the old guy was saying into Burmese and I translated into English for all the participants. The old Chinese soldier kept on repeating that he was the “supervisor” of one of the Chinese units and that he was not the “ordinary” foot soldier! His son who was half embarrassed about his father’s behavior kept apologizing at us while his father shouted him to shut up. Tony finally told me in Burmese that the old soldier wanted to have some money from us and that we should compensate him if we wished to listen to his war-time stories. Tony was not too happy about it but since he is also Chinese and it was Chinese New Year after all, he left some money for the old soldier. From Namti onwards, we traveled on the road into the “Hukawang Valley”.We came across several signs that said “You are now crossing the wildlife corridor”, a program under the Wildlife Conservation Society, WCS.WCS’s head office is located in Bronx, NY and I had the privilege to meet with Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, known as the Leopard Man, last year and again just prior to the my departure on the Ledo road. Dr. Rabinowitz has been coming into Burma for the past 10 years, in order to save the “Tigers”. The road through Hukawang Valley until we reached Tanai (Walawbum) was graveled most of the way but very dusty in some areas. Both Ron and I noticed the clearings on both side of the road with visible tire tracks going into the forest. There weren’t any clearings like this last year and according to the Burmese signboard, it says 200, 0000 acres of clearing for a big sugar cane plantation. This means there will be more traffic from next year onwards at least between Myitkyina and Tanai. I wonder if China has something to do with it. After a few stops here and there along the road taking photos of local people in small villages and elephants, we stopped atWaruzup for a break where we crossed over a good size Bailey bridge. As we continued our way, we waved at kids; some waved us back crying “Hello…” As we had brought some candies with us we distributed them among the kids during our brief stops and the goodies disappeared rapidly. Kids were so shy at first that they didn’t want to take the candies but it was all smiles later on. We slowly continued our way to Shadazup where we stopped for lunch and repair the busted tires. Lunch was a simple affair, rice with curry or Chinese stir-fried noodles. Shadazup seemed to be a bit busier than Waruzup and the village seemed to be bigger in size.We saw a big cross on top of the mountain that suggested that there are a lot more Christians living here. Finally, we entered Tanai (Walawbum) about 6.30 pm where we ended the day. Tanai is a small town with several small shops and restaurants along the main road.We lodged at a Government guesthouse this time under the Ministry of Forestry. (We were at a local guesthouse last year). Rooms were okay but we all had to share a common bathroom and toilette. I was traveling with 8 men, including the driver and his assistant so I became the Mother Goose, fussing and asking everyone to hurry up while Tony, the tour manager hands out paper after paper to the local authorities. There were 4 different local authorities who visited Tony through out the evening. All wanted the same papers and none of them wanted to ask the other for our information. It was frustrating. We ended up having Chinese for dinner which was quite good! After dinner,we slowly walked back to the guesthouse and called it a day. It was getting quite cool outside. Back at the guesthouse: The bed was hard but at least there were blankets and a mosquito net! Interesting enough, I didn’t notice any mossies buzzing around (I learnt this expression from the Heppell family last year, the English word for mosquitoes). But the temperature dropped and it was COLD!!!!!! February 20: Tanai to Shinbwiyang All participants were up by 6.30am. Boy, I didn’t realize it would be this COLD! We all went to have breakfast at a local teashop just around the corner from the guesthouse that served (in my opinion), excellent “chapattis” (Chapatti is the Indian version of the Mexican Tortilla made from whole wheat flour). It was served with a small portion of potato dish called “bar-gee”. The rest of the participants had some noodles with tea or coffee. Ron had the fried dough, “E Kyar Kway”. 7.30am –Where is the sun when you need it? Just before we took off, Steven went to get me a pair of gloves in Tanai market. Might as well because it was so cold at the back of the truck with the wind blowing! As the truck took off, I put on my wool cap and my gloves. I had a long sleeve T-shirt and a sweater on top but obviously, that wasn’t enough. It always happen to me. When you need warm clothing, you don’t have them and when you have them, you don’t need them! The road was relatively flat with occasional bumps and very dusty again. I hope Tony will be able to make some conversation with Ron, Peter and Arun as we sat quietly at the back of the open truck with the luggage. I don’t know about the others but my bottom air-borned a few times from the bumps of the road and it was not pleasant when it landed on the tire. In spite of the bumps and the cold wind we kept our conservation going. Steven said he was told by one of the local authorities last night that the Chinese are thinking to make good use of the former “Tengchong cutoff” to get the Burma Road closer to the Ledo. The Indians on the other hand, I said, have agreed to build a highway from Imphal to Mandalay. We crossed a number of terrible looking ditches on the way. The truck driver drove quite fast but he was experienced enough to maneuver the ditches. There were a few trucks loaded beyond the limit of “maximum” with people sitting on top. We took photos of course. Tarung River crossing: We crossed several small rivers en route without any problems but then when we reached the Tarung River, the driver stopped the car. It was here at this river where the U.S. army built a the longest Pontoon bridge duringWWII but there was nothing left there now. No bridge. This is where the driver’s assistant became the walking-GPS. As we did not know how deep the river would be, the driver asked his assistant to walk in the middle of the river where there were big pebbles. As the young assistant slowly crossed the river, he shouted back at us where it was okay for the truck to cross. (The truck fortunately had high clearance).When the walking-GPS almost reached the other side, I asked all the participants to climb up to the back of the truck where they could stand while the truck crossed the river. Tony and I rode inside of the truck seated next to the driver. The engine roared as we
started to cross.Water came in slowly into the floor of the truck
and I felt it under my shoes.
Please do not let us be stuck in the middle of the river! The truck
crept slowly and steadily as the walking-GPS
hand signaled the directions to the driver, standing in the middle
of the river, shivering. We spent about half an
hour on the other side of Tarung to dry off the floor of the truck
and the seats. Meanwhile,
the young assistant changed into some dry clothes that he had
carried in a bag as we took some photos
of the Tarung River. I personally enjoyed feeling the warmth of the
sun for a few minutes. By the time we stopped at the entrance of Shinbwiyang village in front of the old airfield, it was already close to 2pm. I personally wanted to move onwhen there is still day light and spend more time here on our way back. Besides, we’re going to be in the middle of the JUNGLE soon and I really don’t want to get stuck! However, Peter and Arun wanted to walk along the old airfield for a while. Fair enough, this was their first visit. The motorcycle that Tony hired in Tanai in addition to the truck, proved to be useful. The driver was quite knowledgeable and because Steven rode on the bike, we finally had a bit more space at the back of the truck! Unfortunately, those seated on the spare tire at the back of the truck kept shifting their sitting positions more frequently now whenever there was even a slight bump! 3pm: After a quick bite to eat at a small restaurant operated by a mother and daughter, we made our way towards Nanyun. As soon as we reached the end of the village driving on the Ledo Road itself, we noticed high mountain ranges ahead of us. As our truck slowly moved its way towards the mountains, the road condition suddenly changed. There were more deep ditches, the road was not visible anymore and it was muddier.We started to climb uphill on the “Angpawng Bum” (Angpawng Range) which will become parallel to the “Patkai Range”. As the road took us into the heart of the Angpawng Range, the air became cooler, the jungle dense, and the road became narrower. There were no traffic at all for a while until we saw a military beat up old truck in front of us trying to get up on a hill.We couldn’t pass by it either as the road was really narrow. So, we stopped. The situation didn’t look too good as the old truck seemed to be having engine problems. The guys went over and tried to help but in vain. But, if it wasn’t for Peter’s genieous idea (who asked the drivers if they had brought with them any shuffle but found an iron rod instead) to use something sharp to dig the sides of the road to create some room for our truck to maneuver, we’d be stuck there for a long time! So we all joined in using some rocks from the side of the road to join in Peter who started digging. We made our way slowly up the range, crossing a number of Bailey bridges. I must give credit to the driver who really maneuvered the road very well avoiding getting stuck in the mud! I have never seen such deep muddy ditches like that before! We stopped at 18th mile (post) to see the working elephants. There were people collecting long thin bamboos. It must be about 5pm when we saw two military trucks ahead of us slowly moving up the hill. There were people on them too. Suddenly, the first truck stopped. No, no, I thought. You cannot break down now or stop here, not now. It is getting dark, we must move on.We really must reach Nanyun tonight! I stood up from the back of the truck with alarm bells ringing in my head of the truck. Then I saw someone approaching us from the first truck. He was in a military uniform. His face seemed familiar yet I couldn’t remember where I had seen him. Suddenly, Ron got our of the car holding a photo he had taken last year with a Burmese Major when he was in Ledo. That was the Major! What a strange coincidence to meet him in the middle of the jungle and what a stroke of luck for us! The Major shook hands with Ron and after a few minutes of conversation, he told us to stay at his camp tonight at Nanyun. Of course, it was an offer too good to refuse! He then ordered one of his soldiers to accompany us to Nanyun and told us to go past their convoy. He said they had left Tanai at 6am this morning and it would take about 3 more hours for them to get to Nanyun as their trucks had to move slowly on the road. Conversation with the soldier: The soldier was a friendly guy. He has been living in Nanyun for the past 5 years.Do you like it there? Not particularly but it’s quiet, he said. How big is Nanyun and what is the population, I asked. Not big, about 3000 people, he answered. Not bad, I thought. Do you have enough provisions for the whole village, I asked him. No, not really – was the answer. Why, I continued. We live with what we have until a provision truck comes up from Tanai or Shinbwiyang. But don’t worry, he said, you’ll be okay. (Little did I know then that it would not be the case for us!) As night began to fall, I became more and more concerned due to the condition of the road, especially crossing some old bridges. The soldier said rain had fallen just a week ago. Aha, that explains why the road was very muddy in some places! As the truck moved its way slowly, there were two sharp pins that we had to turn with very little room to maneuver. The road was very muddy and there were only two planks on the road. Oh dear, I thought, please don’t let us be stuck here now… Miraculously, the driver managed to get us through.
Everyone wondered how those two military trucks would pass these pins given the limited turning
space. By the time we finally entered Nanyun, it was
7.30pm. There were only a few lights here and there and most of the village was in the
dark! We were all very
tired but had to wait about 20 minutes to get to our lodging place. The good soldier brought with him the
local authorities who were all accommodating. Nanyun Guesthouse: A one-storey, two-room cement
building. Like everywhere in Burma, the electricity in Nanyun was very limited and we were informed that it was going to be cut-off at 10pm. So, I had to rush and make arrangements for dinner. Ron brought some provisions with him but it was not enough to make it into a meal. One of the local authorities (there were several chatting with us) introduced me to a teacher from the Home Economics School and said I should talk to her to help me prepare the dinner. After a few words with the kind lady, I found out, just like the good humored soldier said that food was very limited in Nanyun. No one could spare much so I asked the kind teacher to take me to a store where I could buy some instant-noodles and some eggs. Everything was closed at that hour and the entire town (which looked more like a big spread out village to me) was pitchdark except at a few places.We were lucky to have met that Major; otherwise we would have had to sleep on the road! As we walked to the store in the dark using our flash lights, I noticed how COLD the air had become. It was definitely colder than Tanai. The teacher was wearing a hat and a thick jacket and her hands were tucked in the pockets. I left all the guys in the VIP building who were chatting away. The store did not have a lot of things. To cook rice would take long and there isn’t anything to go with the rice so I decided to purchase some instant noodle packets and eggs for dinner, as well as for breakfast tomorrow. The items, obviously, cost a lot more than I had imagined. An egg that would generally cost about 80 kyat cost 150 kyat in Nanyun, the instant noodle packet was 250 kyat a packet vs. 120 kyat, and the individual coffee packs were 200 kyat vs. 90 kyat. The unofficial exchange rate was 1200 kyat to 1USD in the country at that time. These prices considered to be expensive for the locals would not be too much for most Westerners to spend but if you only make 12,000 kyat a month as a Home Economics teacher, with no provisions provided, I wondered how the teachers and the locals manage to survive? (The official exchange rate is still 6.46 kyat to 1USD but no one applies it. Not even the government officials). With noodle packets, eggs and coffee in hand, the
teacher led me to her living quarters where she lives with other student teachers. She suggested that the
ladies would prepare the noodles for us there, and they would bring it over to the VIP building. I asked for
some hot water as well to make some coffee. The ladies immediately poured some piping hot water
(apparently, their wooden stoves continue to burn until very late at night) into two thermos
containers which I carried them back to the guesthouse with some cups in hand. There were 10 people to be fed. The ladies arrived within half an hour carrying a big pot and some bowls. The guys chowed down their soup fast!While they ate, I spoke with the ladies and made arrangements for breakfast, which would be the same deal – Noodle soup! They’d come over and serve breakfast at 7am the next morning and would bring some hot water as well. They were so nice. After dinner, we quickly assembled to make our sleeping arrangements on the floor. The truck driver and his assistant would sleep in the truck, which leaves 6 people to share one room and I’m the only female. Peter, Ron and Arun had brought their sleeping bags which helped a lot, but the rest of us had nothing much to cover ourselves. So, Steven quickly went out again to buy 2 blankets from the same store where I bought the food and rented 3 other blankets from two different houses. We had purchased some mats in Myitkyina that we brought along that became very useful to sleep on the floor. Lights had gone out by then and we were using candles that I had brought along. It was a very, very, COLD night. February 21: Nanyun-Shinbwiyang. The morning came for me very early between listening
and counting the guys who snored in turn. Besides, I had to get up twice in the middle of the night to
use the facility outside. It is not a good idea to drink coffee at night especially when it is cold. Forget
about using Ron’s VIP private toilette, it was blocked anyway. As Tony and Ron spent time in the VIP room trying to use the SAT phone (SAT phones are not allowed to bring into the country), the others stood outside in the sun. It felt good. However, a group of what it seems to be ‘officials’ gathered near us. They wouldn’t go into the building either but instead two of them came to me in turn, to say that we should leave soon for Tanai. They were so accommodating last night but now, all of them were eager to kick us out. They weren’t rude or anything, but acted as if they were afraid of something. So I asked them what the matter was. Someone had radioed in from Tanai to Nanyun and gave specific instructions that we should leave Nanyun immediately without proceeding to Pangsau. The real main reason, I was told then, was that our travel permit was only valid until Tanai. It was not the reason that the road towards Pangsau was unsafe for foreigners.We tried to talk to the authorities but everyone seemed to be scared to even talk to us. I tried to locate the friendly Major who offered us to stay in Nanyun but he too, was nowhere to be found. 1pm: We finally gave up and left Nanyun to return to Shinbwiyang. Tony, however, sent up his son Steven on a bike with the bike-driver to take photos of the road and to find out the condition in Pangsau. Burmese, on the other hand, were allowed to travel on the road. It was only 32 miles to Pangsau but according to the people in Nanyun, the road condition is much worse up there and they guessed that it would take a good 4 hours by truck anyway. With a big disappointment, we slowly returned to Shinbwiyang. En route, we stopped to take some photos and to chat with the people who were assembling and collecting fuel pipes. They were definitely from WWII as some of them were bringing them down from the hills, passing thick trees. When asked what they were going to do with it, we were told that the local authorities will be using it as water pipes in certain areas perhaps in villages. 6pm: Shinbwiyang. We checked into Lynn Guesthouse, the only decent one in town. Conveniently enough, it was next to the Immigration check point.Why immigration check point in the middle of nowhere was beyond my comprehension. I guess we needed to make government workers happy by providing them with jobs even if it as not necessarily needed! After making sure everyone had rooms (we had no trouble as we were the only guests there!), Tony asked me to follow him to the Immigration office. The young receptionist had already warned upon checking in that Immigration officers wished to talk with us (Tony and I) for an urgent matter. Oh, boy, I thought, what more could it be? As soon as we sat down, the two officers told us that we MUST leave immediately for Tanai. It was already getting dark outside so we asked them that we would like to stay the night. They weren’t too kind with us at all treating us like we had done something wrong. Burmese men prefer to do the talking and do not particular like a female cutting into the conversation. Especially a Burmese female. But I did. The two guys, in my opinion, were using their little muscles to show who the boss around here was. Well, think again, I thought. I’m not the typical Burmese female who would be easily intimidated! Tony looked at me in a way to say, don’t argue with them. Our truck driver also offered to help by calling his sister in Myitkyina as she knew a high-ranking person there. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be reached I refuse to give in because these guys were being such idiots! I toned down my voice and commented how could we continue our way out to Shinbwiyang when there was the Tarung River to cross? There is no bridge! We cannot cross the river in the dark, it is impossible! That is not their problem, they replied. Oh, that made me mad. But instead of arguing with them and losing my temper, I had to think of a strategy. Ron had already turned himself into his room, sleeping and no way, am I prepared to leave Shinbwiyang that night! So I went to get Peter and asked for his help. I told him the story of the nit-wits trying to kick us out and told him about my strategy to retaliate. It was simple: Peter just has to stand in front of those two idiots and ask me to translate that he wants know what’s going on and to tell them that if we cannot stay here for the night, he would make a formal complaint at the Australian Embassy when he gets back to Yangon. Burmese officials, most of them anyway, dislike having any kind of confrontation with Westerners. This is mainly due to the language barrier but more so because they can get into big trouble arguing with Westerner and they hate to ‘lose their face’. My plan was to use their weakness against them with Peter’s help. I hate to be nasty to someone but these guys weren’t being helpful at all. I requested them again that we’d leave immediately the next morning and that this is only for the night. No, was the answer – we have orders from Tanai that you must leave now. So I translated that to Peter who stood next to me. He asked them what the problem was and why we could not stay the night. They told me to tell him the same thing that they told me. I did. Peter said he refused to leave Shinbwiyang. Not their problem. So I argued with the idiots that if they’d sign off a paper saying that if something happens to the “guests” while crossing Tarung, they’d be responsible. Of course, they didn’t like that idea either. Suddenly, someone entered the office. He was their boss, a Lieutenant, who asked what was going on. I explained the situation. He was more receptive than his staff. While his staff explained to him in a bias way what the situation was, Peter told them that there were three different nationalities involved (India, America and Australia) and they were guests in Burma. If they kick us out tonight, he said that he would personally write to the Australian Embassy and make a formal complaint. Suddenly, the attitude of the two idiots changed and became apologetic. Finally, an agreement was made: we can stay the night in Shinbwiyang and leave the next day. February 22: Shinbwiyang – Tanai – Myitkyina Everyone woke up early. As agreed, we said we’d have a quick breakfast at the same little restaurant we stopped on our way and we would leave Shinbwiyang by 7.30am. The plan for today was to reach Tanai and depending on the arrival time, we may or may not stay overnight there. Tony sat at the back of the truck this time and explained to me the whole situation then. He said he knew the travel permit was allowed only until Tanai but when he was applying for it in Rangoon, he had met up with a director-general from the tourism bureau who “verbally” assured him that the permit will only allow foreigners to Tanai but that Tony will have to work his way (which means pay as you go) through Pangsau. It was the same deal last year when we first went up to Tanai accompanying Ron. The permit was only allowed passage until Tanai but we made it to Shinbwiyang with the approval of the officials in Tanai. Tea-money, as we say in Burmese, does wonders. Most of the time, anyway. So I told Tony that he should have told that to the guests before they flew over to Burma that their passage was assured only until Tanai but that we would have to negotiate our way through to Pangsau. But he told me not to tell the guests about it yet for some unknown reason. When we reached Tanai, it was about 12 noon.We had stopped en route to take more photos. We drove directly to the guesthouse to pick up some of the things we had left there. Tony was summoned immediately by the authorities. His acquaintance, the immigration officer, was the first to appear with a semi hostile attitude. When we were in Tanai, he was one of the people who came to meet with Tony. Tony had already contacted him from Rangoon prior to our travel and was given a good amount of Teamoney who ‘verbally’ assured him that he would take care of validity of the permit but that we would have to give some additional tea-money when we get there. Tony had agreed. Tony told us not to worry and that we should go for lunch and that he’d follow us. Tanai Main Street was not New York’s 5th Avenue and anyone could easily identify where we were as Peter, Arun and Ron were the only 3 foreigners in town anyway. Tony did not show up for lunch so we returned to the guesthouse and waited again. 2 hours later, no sign of Tony so Peter suggested that we should go and rescue Tony from being interrogated. When we finally found Tony, he was leaving the Immigration office with his acquaintance. He, obviously had to give him more tea-money. But the reason why he absented for 2 hours was because he had to go and see this new military commander who apparently lectured him that he should have come to his office to report the arrival of his guests. The permit had reached his office and sure enough, he didn’t want us to go through to Pangsau. Last year, we managed to go to Shinbwiyang although the permit was valid only until Tanai because the local authorities in Tanai allowed us to go through. It was obvious that Tony’s acquaintance, the immigration officer, was unable to persuade the new commander this time, to let us go through. No one really wanted to stay in Tanai anymore so we all decided to drive to Myitkyina. It would be late when we get there but at least we’d be in a more comfortable environment. Tony, still refuse to explain the situation to the guests and told me not to. He did not want to lose his face in front of the guests but I told him that it was better that he explained. The ride to Myitkyina was solemn except Arun who was taking photos. He was cheerful and was still in good spirits. I was cold and frustrated trying to think what I should tell the guests while not making Tony embarrassed. It was hard. We stopped in Warazup as we wanted to look for this old airfield there. Sure enough, we found it but it was not well-maintained. When we reached Myitkyina, (after a dinner stop) it was about 9pm.We checked into a different hotel. The rooms were good but I made sure Peter got a quiet room. We agreed to meet up the next morning to make plans to travel to Mogaung. February 23: Mogaung As we returned to Myitkyina earlier than planned we decided to visit Mogaung and have a full day tour of Myitkyina on February 24. In Mogaung, the guests saw a few oldWWII related things including a U.S. pontoon turned upside down, sitting in someone’s backyard.We returned to Myitkyina early afternoon. Bleecker turned into General Pick: Ron brought with him some DVD tapes that he made last year and one of them was the interview he did with a Shik family in Myitkyina. He wanted to bring a copy to the family. Arun and Peter, on the other hand, wanted to go and meet this guy who told them about a book written by General Pick. Really? How interesting I said, because I did not know that General Pick had written a book. So we decided that while they go and see this guy, I and Ron would go and deliver the DVD and we’d meet back at the hotel afterwards. We drove to the Shik’s family. They were surprised to see us again. Ron gave them a copy of the DVD and sat down to talk for a while. Moments later, Arun and Peter appeared. What are you doing here, we asked each other. We came to deliver the DVD, Ron said. We came to see the book, Peter replied. What book, I asked. The book the gentleman said he received last year, written by General Pick. The book, in turned out, was a copy of Ron’s father, F.A. Bleecker’s diary that Ron had left last year with the Shik’s family. How on earth the name had transformed into General Pick, was a wonder. Oh, well, it proved there is such a thing called Chinese whisper after all! Later that night we all went out to have dinner at a nearby restaurant. Tony was unable to join so I took the chance to tell everyone about the permit. Everyone was disappointed. Tony might be mad at me for doing this but I couldn’t hold back anymore. No sign of Steven yet. He should have arrived to Myitkyina today. February 24: Myitkyina After breakfast, we went for a tour of the city and managed to identity all 4 airfields, according to my old aerial aviation map.We visited a house entirely built with US Army supplies. We also crossed the bridge “Bala Min Din” to go to the other side. The road was not ready and it was a rough ride. We returned to the hotel early in the afternoon. Since it was our final day in Myitkyina, I told the guests that we should try some typical Kachin dishes beside the Irrawaddy River and to leave the hotel at 7. As we were leaving, Steven showed up. He looked so worn out but said he and the bike-guy managed to reach Pangsau. I asked what happened to him and why he was late. The motorbike broke down and they had to spend the night on the road at 18th mile post in a military truck. But he was still cheerful and said he took many photos and used a camcorder to show the condition of the road. I offered him if he wanted to join us for dinner. No thanks; he said, I’d like to clean up first. We took off to this next-to-the river Kachin restaurant about 10 minutes from the hotel. There were a lot of people but we managed to get a table. The waiter, a small Kachin man, extremely accommodating told us the dishes that were available. I have no idea how they were prepared so he explained. Kachin spices mainly are herbs; lots of green chilies and the method used to cook most dishes is without using any oil. Dishes are grilled, steamed or cooked with water. Can I come into the kitchen and see what you have? No, problems, he said. So I did, pointed what I wanted to have and came back out to join the guests. I thought of Ron. He decided to stay back at the hotel as he was tired and didn’t feel like eating. I left him some cheese sandwiches. The Kachin dishes turned out to be excellent. Myanmar beer, according to Peter, was an excellent beverage. We also sampled some Kachin liquor called “Kaun Yay”. It was quite pleasant. I think everyone had a good time. February 25: Myitkyina -Mandalay – Rangoon Myitkyina airport is a small one. After checking in,
making sure all bags are tagged, we proceeded ourselves into the departure lounge. I told Tony then that I
have informed the guests about the permit and that I would take the responsibility. I also told him that
we should refund some money back to the guests. He did not say anything. The plane took off Myitkyina on
time. Peter and Arun disembarked at Mandalay. They still
have along way to travel to Kunming crossing Pyin Oo Lwin (Maymyo), Lashio (the Burma Road railhead
station) and Mu’se. Rangoon: we took Ron back to the hotel and told him that I would put all the photos that Steven had taken from Nanyun to Pangsau on a disk that afternoon to take it with him to America when he leaves tomorrow. Tony also offered Ron the tape from Steven’s camcorder to bring it him to America. I don’t need it anymore, said Tony, I was unable to bring you to Pangsau, I am sorry Ron, he added. After checking in I asked Ronwhat he wanted for dinner. Pork-chops he replied. So I took him to a cozy restaurant in town called Monsoon that evening, managed by a French-Malaysian couple. When I dropped him back at the hotel, I felt so guilty that the trip up the “road” this time, was not successful. He came along way, as well as the other two participants, and they spent a lot of money for this trip. I told him as I had told Arun and Peter that he would get some of his money back. February 26: Rangoon Back to school. I called Tony en route to school that I had told Ron that we would refund some of his money. Tony agreed and said he’d bring the money to give it to Ron when he accompanies Ron to the airport that morning. I checked email from school. Peter and Arun crossed the Burma-China border without any problems. The Chinese guide from the Kunming travel agency was waiting for them at the border. I emailed again the manager from Kunming travel agency to make sure that all arrangements were well-taken care of and to pay extra attention to the guests. He replied in the afternoon: do not worry. February 27 to March 04. Arun and Peter visited most of the places in the program (TengchongWar Cemetery Museum, Songshan Mountain, Dali, Robert Mooney’s grave site, Yunnanyi Airfield (Flying Tigers), Burma Road terminus and the Hump Bar in Kunming) with, unfortunately, several hic ups to get there. I should have done the arrangements or, accompanied the guys. However, unlike last year, I was unable to get into the nitty-gritty details or accompany the guests to Kunming because I took up teaching English at the French school. Still, I couldn’t get rid of the guilt I felt. It was a lesson for me that as the organizer, no matter how busy I was, I should not have left anything to chance. Hopefully, there will be people still interested to visit the “Road”. Regardless of the inconveniences and limitation of the permit, I am still one of the few Burmese who have accompanied and traveled on the Stilwell Road, minus, the last 32 miles to reach Pangsau. To travel on the road is indeed, to travel back in time because of the terrain that seemed to have changed a little sinceWWII ended. END NOTE Many people are still unaware of the existence of the road and I am sure many will not be able to imagine the amount of work that many U.S. Army personnel had to go through in order to build this road – unless one travels on it. One has to see it to believe the rough terrain across the mountains and the heavy Monsoon rain that had caused so many delays and set backs. Yet, the road was built. It must be true then that the most challenging task for U.S. Army engineers and road builders back then has got to be the area from Ledo to Shinbwiyang because of the high mountain ranges crossing over and into the deep, thick forest. We saw how muddy the road was and could become during Monsoon. How tough and challenging it must had been for everyone involved in building this “Road”. I wonder what most veterans would say, if they see the road again today. While in Myitkyina, Arun and I managed to get some photos on a disk combining the ones he had taken and the ones Steven took from Nanyun to Pangsau. Among all the photos, I have posted 33 of them on my website: www.cbiexpeditions.com Arun, thanks for all the interesting conversations we had had on the road. Keep them coming. Peter, thanks for all the help and Ron (as well as Peter and Arun), my deepest regret and sincere apologies again for not being able to take you up to Pangsau, as agreed. I don’t know when I will be able to reach Pangsau but I have not given up hope yet. I am convinced that the Ledo Road will remain a “Mystery” as long as Burma remains isolated and for those who has only read about it and have not seen it yet. Despite of the limitation of the permit we had this year, it is a fact in my country that rules change constantly and that some people who dare to challenge will reach Pangsau eventually. It will not be an easy trip but it will be a memorable one. Besides, China and India are making way to improve
some part of the “road” to become accessible so that they could use the road for their own
benefit. Without the existence of this road neither country would
have had the opportunity to bring out or buy out
more of Burma’s ample natural resources that they need for their country. China, is mainly doing the upkeep
of the “Burma Road” and one could feel its presence in Northern of Burma. Unfortunately, the section
between Shinbwiyang and Pangsau will be untouched for a while longer until India begins to build a sea-port
at Sittwe (Akyab) in 2009 for an on-shore gas pipeline that will past the
Arakan Mountains into Chin State
and into NE India. The border trade between Moreh (India) and Tamu (Burma) has increased tremendously
last year so perhaps by 2009 the NE Indian authorities will push the main Government in New
Delhi more to open up the border of NE India into Burma via the Pangsau Pass. Khines
report of March which is self explanatory January 17 2007 Dear All, A Chindit’s Return to Broadway – March
2006
Suddenly,
without warning, we emerged from the jungle.
The cooling cover of the trees, and the bushes, the
undergrowth, were all behind us and we stood, in a line, looking
across an open expanse of land.
We were looking at Broadway.
There was silence. We had finally arrived at our destination and we were
overwhelmed. We had
seen it on the internet; we had seen it in fading photographs.
Now we were standing on the threshold Broadway
was the clearing where, on the night of 5 March 1944, the first
gliders of Operation Thursday landed.
My father was here that night, his 24th birthday.
Now 62 years and one day later, he was back; what thoughts,
what memories were in his mind?
We gathered round him; his son, his daughter and his
grand-daughter, a friend and supporter, our Burmese friend and our
guides. We were all so
proud to be there and share this moment with him.
His
first words were to confirm what we knew; yes, this was Broadway.
It was unmistakeable – though how he knew I have no idea!
His next comment took us all by surprise: he wanted to cross
to the other side of the clearing. He wanted once again to stand where he had stood in 1944.
Crossing the clearing was more than hard.
The sun was hot and the atmosphere humid.
We were all tired, and the ground was uneven, churned and
dried mud bearing the remains of burnt stubble of a kind of reed
grown to provide roof thatch. The
clearing was three quarters of a mile across and, within minutes, we
were soaked in perspiration and covered in ash.
As we crossed, we stopped – often – to take on water, to
rest, to hear my father telling us what he remembered: how the
gliders came in from the south, the buffalo wallow, enemy positions,
how the Dakotas had come in later with supplies skirting the trees
that encircled the clearing, how the Allies had eventually been
evacuated. It was
magical, almost unreal, as if a storybook had been brought to life
around us. Apart from
us, there was not a sound, only an intense and serene feeling that
we were somewhere significant. When
finally we reached the other side, we stepped into a small copse.
Here were foxholes, dugouts, hardly changed in all those years.
On a tall, proud, teak tree that might well have been there
in 1944, my brother nailed a brass plaque remembering the landings,
Orde Wingate and the Chindits and we stood, our small group
remembering so many. It
was a very emotional moment.
My father recited the words of the Kohima Epitaph and our
Burmese guides, instinctively knowing while not understanding a
word, bowed their heads too and, as we stepped away, circled the
plaque with a yellow ribbon of their own. My
father has wanted to return to Broadway since 2002 when he first
travelled back to Burma. My
brother and I started to search for the site and a way to get there
in 2004. We made
contact with people all over the world, some of whom may be reading
this. We thank everyone
who offered us assistance, suggestions and other support.
It was a long journey but we made it.
We travelled from the Irrawaddy up the Kaukkwe Chaung in a
small fishing boat. We
travelled to a part of the country that is “inaccessible” to
foreigners. We sat for two long days on narrow wooden planks, we ate
countless rice cakes, we were hot, uncomfortable, anxious.
Follow the meandering Chaung on a map and you will see, as
our very sore backsides discovered, that while the apparent distance
from its confluence with the Irrawaddy to Broadway is only 21 miles,
our boat chugged nearly 90 miles. About
half way up the Chaung is a most delightful village called Myoh La
(“beautiful place”). We
spent the night here in a newly built guest house.
We slept – rested might be a more accurate word! – on
solid teak, we washed in Chaung water in an earthenware urn on a
step outside the house and we were told we were the first
“white” faces in the area since the end of the war. The villagers treated us like royalty, telling us that taking
my father back to Taura Prang
(the Burmese name for the clearing) was like taking their own father
- or grandfather - there. We
will long remember our welcome and the generosity of these wonderful
people; compared to us they had so little and yet they shared it
willingly with complete strangers. Not
counting 1944, my father has now been three times to Burma.
He wants to go again, to Broadway once more and to spend
longer there. This
visit was too rushed, and we were too exhausted perhaps to
appreciate it fully. He
will be 87 soon, but his age has not stopped him yet.
Who knows what I will be writing this time next year! Return to top *****************************************************
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