Hsipaw, Shan State, Myanmar

The real charm of the northern village of Hsipaw lies outside the formal city limits and in the countryside surrounding the town. In the morning, the villagers congregate in the market to offload their day's harvest and collect their earnings, then return to their land to continue their craft. This all transpires between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.. By 9:00 the town is less active and encourages visitors to rent bicycles to explore the nearby areas; I did just that. For $1.50 I rented a mountain bike for the day and got lost on back roads that weaved in and out of small villages and farms. I found myself at a huge waterfall overlooking a valley in the morning, and around riverside communities in the afternoon. In the evening I decided to plan out a three day trek around north Shan state to interact with some of the more isolated ethnic minorities that have populated the area over the last several centuries.Read more