The old "Hill Station" at Kalaw

Leaving Inle Lake and the town of Nyaungshwe we again took a pre-arranged taxi to the old British colonial “hill station” of Kalaw at an elevation of a little more than 4000 ft. We’d splurged and booked a boutique hotel (The Amara Resort) @ $90 per night and thoroughly enjoyed the hot baths in a tile tub and the fire in the fireplace every night. (Even here in Southeast Asia there was frost on the ground when we got up in the morning. What a change from KL!) Since we were there three nights we spent our first full day “trekking” with a guide—a venture that turned out to be an 11 mile hike with many ups-and-downs. On our second day we were met by a fascinating Burmese man in his 60’s (right) who heads-up a remarkable organization that provides latrines, piped drinking water, schools and hydroelectric power to remote rural villages—all with the full cooperation of villagers. (The girls pictured below live in an orphanage in Kalaw that RDS sponsors.)- rw