Page 354 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

352 NortherN MyaNMar Myitkyina and the far north
The only accommodation nearby is in the village of LONTON (pronounced and
sometimes spelled “Lone Ton”), which sits on the southwestern shore of the lake.
Shwe Myitzu Pagoda
• 10km north of Lonton • Daily during daylight hours • Free • Shwe Myitzu can be reached from the village of Namde,
halfway up Indawgyi’s western shore and 8km north of Lonton, from where the pagoda is 2km down an access road, with the turning
signed in English
Dating from the mid-nineteenth century, the picturesque Shwe Myitzu Pagoda is built
on a low island off the western shore. From a distance, it seems to float above the lake’s
surface, and around the time of the annual festival (a week before the Tabaung full
moon, usually in March) the waters recede to reveal two sandy causeways – one for
humans and one for nats. At other times, the pagoda is reached by a boat service, or
you can make your own way by kayak from Lonton.
Lwemon and Nammilaung
Two interesting places to stop on the western side of Indawgyi Lake are the villages of
LWEMON and NAMMILAUNG. Both are filled with weathered teak houses and have basic
snacks on sale. According to legend, Indawgyi was once the site of a thriving city that
was flooded by two nagas. Only a solitary widow escaped, and she settled in Lwemon
– there’s a shrine telling the full story in the village, 11km north of Lonton. On
full-moon nights, locals claim to hear the sounds of the drowned city coming from
below the water. Around 4km further north, Nammilaung is home to a cane Buddha
8 image and a family of working elephants.
arrIVaL aND DePartUre INDaWGyI LaKe
By train and pick-up To reach Indawgyi Lake, take a train your truck is empty or near empty, it’ll probably spend an
to Hopin on the Mandalay–Myitkyina line (16hr from hour or two driving slowly around Hopin picking up
Mandalay, 4hr from Myitkyina). From Hopin, you’ll need to passengers before it departs. Pick-ups in the opposite
clamber on a pick-up to Lonton, 40km away (1hr; K5000), direction leave from Lonton’s main street between 7am
or find a motorcycle taxi (K15,000). The trucks leave when and 2pm – book through your accommodation and the
full from a street corner outside the station. Beware – if truck will pick you up first.
aCtIVItIeS
Inn Chit Thu A few metres north of Indaw Mahar this small local organization works with Fauna &
Guesthouse T09 451 511 823. Established in 2013, Flora International (Wfauna-flora.org) to develop

HPAKANT: MYANMAR’S WILD NORTHWEST
More than seventy percent of the world’s jadeite is mined in Myanmar, most of it around
Hpakant in kachin State, 70km north of indawgyi Lake. this semi-precious stone has been
exported to China since the thirteenth century, after its presence was supposedly discovered
by a Chinese merchant picking a stone from the roadside to balance his donkey’s load, but
after a 1994 ceasefire between the kia and the Myanmar government (see p.348) paved the
way for both sides to extract hpakant’s jade, mining practices have become increasingly
destructive.
today, the countryside around hpakant has been reduced to a hellish moonscape that’s best
seen on satellite pictures, and in the town itself it’s said heroin is as easy to buy as soap. While
Chinese- and military-backed mining conglomerates evade taxes and export duties on a trade
whose true value is estimated at nearly half Myanmar’s legitimate GdP, desperate junkies
spend their lives searching through unstable slag heaps for overlooked rocks to sell.
Landslides are common, as are fatalities. the new government has promised to reform the
industry, and has refused to renew licences for some mines. Success would mean a boost for
the national economy, as well as the environment and local livelihoods – but given the
powerful interests involved, it remains to be seen how this will play out.

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