Pwin Oo Lwin to Lashio 7 Oct to 8 Oct

We rode for 4 ½ hours in an old rickety train with open windows, hard seats, but with many colourful locals. Local woman and kids sold prepared food, snacks and dubious water to the passengers at the stations we stopped at. I bought 2 guavas for the equivalent of 5 cents. We crossed the famous (to bridge enthusiasts) Gokteik Bridge built in 1900 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. The train crept over the bridge and we could all look down into the spectacular gorge.

We then spent another 3 hours on the bus. We did stop at a very typical roadside stall for tea and sat on the very typical plastic chairs quite close to the ground.

Lashio was, for us, just an overnight stop. It seemed a typical frontier sort of town. The hotel reflected this, though the sheets were clean. It was our least salubrious accommodation