w,

THEMOTOR ROADS

OF BURMA

Fifth Edition

1962

PUBLISHED BY

't'r| E BURMA OIL CO. (1954) LTD

AND

t'il t,t Blr RMAH orL coMpANy(8.T.)LIMITED

PRINTED AT

SARPAY BFTKMAN PRESS

,U', "*O*"

ROAD' RANGOON' BURMA'

: {* S T i*:€u !**af

:3?69 r rr53 $ rt '

Frorilispiece: The Gau'clatt'palin Pogoda, neqr the Circuit

House at Pagan, Burtttcls ancient capital on the le.ft banlc

o.f the Irratt'odc!1' ahottt 90 tniles belou' Mondalay'

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ForewordOver thirteen years have passed since the last edition of &is

booklet was publisherl. This may soem surprising since it was

describeil at the time as being of an interim nature' However'

shortly after this *ast edition appeareil, Burma suffered

rt p"iioO of widesprearl insurgency; many parts of the

country fell into insurgents' hands and surface travel became

unsafe-anal even impossible-in many areas'

It has only been in the last few years or so that security con-

ditions have improverl anr! to-ilayo happily' it is once

more possible to motor in safety over the greater part of the

country. At the same time, after the unavoidable neglect of

**y y""rr, work is once more in hanil for the improvement

of existing roails and the development of new ones' And

although this development work will mean that anything

publisheit now will, in certain respects, beeome out of tlate

fairly quicklyo we nevertheless feel that this is an opportune

ro."ot at which to publish a new edition af The fuIotor Roads

of Burma.This is not a general guide book on Burma' As its name

implies, its main purpose is to give a tlescription of the conditions

to be encountered on the various motorable roails in the country'

flowever, since the only guide books available on Burma are

those relating to Rangoon and Mandalay, we have endeavoured

in a small way to mitigate this deficiency by incluiling a brief

account of the counfty anil a number of items of general

interest which may be useful to the traveller. In particular' we

have tried to give as much information as we can about

accommodation. Apart from Rangoon, Mantlalay anil one or

two oths places where there are hotels or boarding housest

the only forms of accommoilatiQn are the Government circuit

houses or PIYD inspection bungalows. As their names suggest'

these are intended primarily for Government and other sfficials

on tour anil these officials have priority for acconmotlation'

Subject to this priority, any traveller can stay at these places"

'fhe charges are very moderate. Food is available at sone of the

t

bigger circuit houses and, wherever possible, we have indicatedthis fact. Bedding and linen are available only at very few placesand travellers are strongly ailvised to take their own.

We have also indicated where petrol-ex-pump at a fillingstation and ex-drum or jerrican at a packed agency-is avail-able from BOC agents. These agents also stock a full range ofBOC anil Shell automotive lubricants and specialities. Themajority of them do not undcrtake repair or maintenanceworkl nevertheless, they will always be reaily to direct themotorist to the nearest workshops in case ofneed.

As far as road surfaces arc conccrned, we have useil theterm 'surfaced' to denote an asphalted or bitumenised roarl;'metalled' or 'laterite' to denote a roail which has been builtup and consoliilated with metal or laterite; such roads aregenerally motorable in all weathers.

Generally speaking, a 'fair weather' roarl is merely anearth roail and, as such, becomes an impassable morass of mudduring the monsoon. Even on the main roadr the surfacedportion is not generally wide enough to permit two vehicles topass without one or both of them going into the shoulder orunsurfaced edges; although, in general, these are kept inreasonable conilition, they can be badty pothoted and corruga-teil anrl one shoulil drive onto them with care.

Foreign motorists wishing to ilrive into Burma shoukl notembark on their journey until they have received full clearanceeither from the Burmese Foreign Office in Rangoon or fromtheir nearest Burmese Embassy or Consulate.

Apart from providing information for those who have totravel on business, we sincerely hope that this booklet willintluce more people to venture forth in their cars for pleasureor on holirlay to see more of Burma, its peoples and its scenery.

No doubt, there are omissions-and possibly inaccura-cies-in the pages that follow. We shall always be gratefulfor additions and corrections from any source for inclusion inour next edition.

Finally, we wish to express our thanks to all those who havehelped in compiling this booklet.

4

Getting to know BurmaBefore driving along the many roails of this pleasant landofpagodas it wlll help to know about the physical features'climate, people and the historical backgrounil of the country.

Burma has an area of 250,000 square miles and a popula-

tion of about twenty million.

Physically, Burma falls into three well marked divisions:l. the easternhills; 2. thecentralbeltconsistingofthe valleysof the Irrawaddy, Chindwin and Sittang Rivers, and 3. the Shan

Plateau in the east, which continues to the southward, and

is known as the Tenasserim Yomas. A feature of both the

ranges and rivers is that they run from north to south.

MINERAL AND ROCK FORMATIONS

The Arakan Yomas on the west and the Pegu Yomas, northof Rangoon, are two foltl ranges of young rocks. Between

the trvo lies an area of young soft rocks forming the valley of the

Chindrvin and the Lower krawaddy. It is in that area thatthe present oilfietds of Burma are situated. The mountainous

eastern haif, i.e. the Shan Plateau and its southern continuation

into the T'enasserim, consists of old hard rocks.

In the north, rubies anrl other precious stones are mined atMogok. One of the largest deposits of silver and lead ore in the

world is at Barvdwin: the ,ore is smelted nearby at Namtu.

There are big deposits of silver and lead near Heho farther

south.

'I'enasserim has rich deposits of tin and wolfram, particu-arly near Marvchi and'I'avoy. fhere are many deposits of coal,

although these are of poor quality and have not yet been mined

economically.

CLIMATE

Ihe greater part of Burma lies within the tropics. There arethree seasons, the rainy or wet (between mid-May and midOctober)o the cool (Novernber to February) and the hot season(March to mirl-May).

The climate is ideal for rice prorluction anil tropical fruitsand vegetables. As the climate dominates the country, so agri-culture dominates the economic life of the people of Burma.

VEGETAI'ION

In the areas where the rainfall is more than eighty inchesothere are the evergreen forests. The valuable forests aresitua-ted where the rainfall is between 40 and 80 inches" trt is in theseareasthatthe monsoon forests of teak, pyinkado, in, ingyinand other valuable timber grow. The world farnous teak are onthe Pegu Yomas, the eastern slopes of the Arakan and the hillsnorth of the dry belt. The drier parts of Burma are coveredwith scrub, while the hills anil plateaux are covered with oakforests anil grassland. The most important grain is rice, whichtakes up about two-thirds of all the cultivated lanil and providesseventy per cent of the country's export earnings, rvhile in thedry belt sessamum, rnillet, beans, grounilnuts and cotton aregmwn.

PEOPLE

The inhabitants of Burma are descendants of the migrantsfrom Tibet and Centratr Asia and are of Mongoloid stock. Themsin races in Burma besides the Burmese are the Mons,Shans, Karens, Kachins, Chins and Kayahs. The Burmesethemselves settled in the lowlands of Central Burma from aboutthe ninth century, and it is this area which remains the tradi-tional home of the Burmese. This settting of the Burmese inLower Burma during the last 1{X) years is the result of theincrease of rice cultivation in that area. The Mons live in theIrrawaddy Delta and in the Thaton and .A.mherst districts inthe Tenasserim.

6

The Karens are itistributeil largely in the area east ofToungoo, occupying a region iust south of the Shan States'

although there are groups ofKaren along the Tenasserim and

the Irrawadrly Delta also. The Shans inhabit the eastern part

of the country knonn as the Shan Plateau, which covers some

56,000 square miles. The Kachins live in northern Burma, inthe Bhamo anil Myitkyina districts, anil also in the Hukawng

Valley. The Chins inhabit the hilty areas between the Chindwin

River and the Indian border. The Kayahs occupy the area ofsome 4,520 square miles arounil Loikaw, south of the Shan

States.

INDUSTRY

Although Burma's indushial activities are concentrated inrice mills and saw mills there are other enterprises which have

sprung up since 1948. There are the jute mill at Thamaing, the

pharmaceutical industry at Gyogon, the brick and tile factoryat Ywama, the steel mill and the spinning and weaving factoryat Tharnaing-all situateil near Rangoon. There is also the

bleaching anil dyeing plant at Thannaing, and tbe cement

factory at Thayetmyo. Mulberry plantations have been estab-

Iisheil for rearing silk worms at Maymyo, Myitkyina' Loikawanil Paukkhaung anil there is a silk reeling factory at l\{aymyoand two cocoon drying factories at Myitkyina. Other industrialprojects, which have been started up since the war with Japan'are the valuable petroleum inilnstry with centres at Chauk inCentral Burma and Spiam near Raugoon, auil the sugar mills

at Fyinnrana, Namti anil Zeyawaddy.

POLITIC.AL tsACKGROUND

The political history of Burma. dates back to the eleventh cen-

tury (before thatn the history of Burma is the history of the

rnigrations of the Burmese and other races) when grouln ofinrlependent Burmese states were joineil into one kingdom.However, the Burmese kings became involved in three wars

with the British in Inilia-in t8u, 1852 anil l88$leailingin X886 ultimately to the annexetion of Burma into British

Route

Route YI

RANTC T/II

Route YIII

KAYAH STATE AND SOUTHERNSHAN STATES

I TouNcoo-Mawcsr 62

2 TouNcoo-TTTANDAUNG 62

3 TouNcoo-Lorxew 62

4 Lorr,rw-LAwPrrA 64

5 Loxew-MAwcHr 64

6 Lomnw-SourHERN SHaN Srarrs 64

STILWELL ROAD TO INDIAMvrrxvrNe-LEoo (runn) 67

NORTH WESTERN ROUTE TO INDTAMANoAT,AY, Su#:no, Yn-u, KALEwe,Teuu eNn Ilrrprr.tr (INole) 69

Bnc,NcH Roeps:I S,c.cetNc-MoNYwa '15

2 Sgwmo-KYAUKMYAUNc 76

3 SrrwEno-KAwLIN 76

4 ZrcoN-K,lno 76

5 SHwaso-MoNYY/A 76

6 Kalruyo-TrnpIrt-Ferau 77

SOUTHERN TRTINK ROADRANc@N, Mour,urn*, Tevov,c.nD MEncut 79

BneNcn Ronos:I Btrtt.r BnIocr-PapuN 86

2 BUN-TluNczuN 86

3 Trrlrolq-Pe-.a.N-HrltNcswr 86

4 Mour.ltrrx-K,,\wKARElK-hdvew.q,onv 86

5 MourvuN-KvxKt*merv 86

5 T,qvoy-MAUNGMAGAN 87

? Tavov-KYAUKMEDAUIqc-Mvtrra 87

8 Tevov-Zarur 87

IO

Route IMAIN TRUNK ROAD

Rangoon -Toungoo-Meiktila- Mandalay

The following information applies to the whoie of theexisting R.angoon to Mandalay trunk road. In the course ofthe next few years it is planned to replace this with a newhighway which will probably follow a cornpletely newalignment in certain places along its route.

The table gives the approximate distances between themore important places en route:

Rangoon50* Pegu98 48 Nyaunglebin142 92 44 Pyu115 125 77 33 Toungoo244 194 146 102 69 Pyinmana299 249 201 157 124 55 Yamethin312 262 214 fiA 131 68 13 Pyawbwc338 288 24A D6 163 94 39 26 Meiktila4A2 352 304 260 227 158 103 90 64 Kyaukse430 380 332 288 255 186 131 118 92 28 Mandalay

* This is the milestone reading based on the pre-war road:the actual distance by the present road is 55 miles

The surface is poor in flaces largely because, for longperiods, the activities of insurgents made adequate mainten-anceimpossible. However, with increased security mainten-ance has improved. Between Rangoon and Pegu the road iswide enough for two vehicles to pass comfortably. FromPegu to Mandalay the surfaced portion of the road isgenerally only wide enough to take one vehicle. It is passable

throughout the year except during exceptionall! heavyrainfall when flooding sometimes occurs, principally in the

neigbbourhood of Pegu (MS 50) and Nyaunglebin (MS 98).

is situated on the left hand side of the main road near thecentre of the village.

ZAYATKWIN-At this point 36 miles from Rangoon and19 rniles from Pegu there is a metal and laterite road toRangoon via'Thingangyun. This was the Rangoon to Man-dalay trunk road before the war and the distance was only30 miles from this point to Rangoon. A major bridge on thisroad was destroyed during the war but work is now in handto rebuild the bridge, and a new road for traffic from Thin-gang)run is under construction " r At Zayatkwin the rnilestoneschange and read from Rangoon via Thingangyun.

PEGU-MS 50 from Rangoon. At the entry to the towna road leads off from the left side of the main road to thefamous reclining Buddha, Shwethalyaung-considered thelargest complete image of the human figure in the world andmeasuring 180 feet in length and about 50 feet in height atthe shoulder" The railway station is approachedby anotherroad 100 yards after crossing the bridge over the railway,also to the left of the main road.

The post office is on l0th Street to the right of Peguriver bridge.

Telegraph office, civil hospital and court house are onrhe main road" near thebazaar.

'fhere is a BOC fllling station on the main road north ofthe telegraph office.

There is a second BOC filling station on the rnain roadabout I mile to the south of the town centre.

There is a circuit house in the new 'civil lines' and mealsare available.

A hundred yards north of rhe Pegu river bridge a naetalledroad leads off from the main road to the right, and sevenmiles along this road is Thanatpin near the Pegu-sittangcanal, where a PWD inspection bungalow is situated.

PAYAGYI-IOI miles north of Pcgu on the main road. Agood surfaced road leads from here to Waw on the Pcgu-Sittang canal l0 miles distant. The canal is crossed by a

t4

bridge and thence a temporary fair weather road leads to thewest bank of the Sittang River, a distance of 16 miles fromWaw. A ferry serrrice for passengers and vehicles operatesacross the Sittang to Mokpalin*. At the time of writingsecurity beyond Waw is doubtful.

DAIK-U-35 miles north of Pegu to the east of the rnainroad, is approached by a badly surfaced track. Here there isa hospital, telephone with connection to the Nyaunglebinexchange, post office and PWD inspection bungalow.

PYTINTAZA is 42 miles north of Pegu and 6 miles southof Nyaunglebin. There is a BOC filling station on the mainroad.

I{YAUNGLEBIN-48 miles from Pegu. It may be diffi-cult to find the way. The motorist travelling northwards mustwatch for a sharp turn left at the north end of the town. Postoffice with telephone is on Station Road near the 'policelines'. Hospital is 200 yards to the east of the sharp turn.There is a filling station on the main road.

KYAUKTAGA-65 miles from Pegu. PWD bungalow andhospital200 yards north of the Bazaar. The PWD bungalowis at present occupied by the Army.

PYU-28 rniles from Kyauktaga. An inspection bungalow,post office and telephone near police station and a hospital.There is a BOC filling station at the northern approach to thetown.

TOUNGOO-on the Sittang River. In addition to a circuithouse there is an inspection bungalow on Lloyd Road;no mebls are supplied. Meals are available at the railwaystation refreshment room, and restaurants in town.

Sights to see in Toungoo are the old fort and moat andShwesandaw pagoda.

Telephone is available at the post office 350 yards northof the maidan.

* *e Soutlcrn Trunk Road on page 8l

l5

There is a BOC filling station at the junction of the mairroad and Karen Road leading to the east over a BaileSbrldge to Thandaung*.

A new road westwards from Toungoo across thrPegu Yomas to Prome is under construction. (see furthelunder route II).

Leaving Toungoo to the north, bea.r right. The roadstraight ahead leads to Htilaing.

YEDASHE-I8 miles from Toungoo. IIas a pWD bunga-low near the police station on the east side of the main roadbut, at the time of writing, this is occupied by the Army. FromYedashe to Myolha. is l? ririles, and thence to pyinmana afurther 34 miles.

There are sevei.al stretches on this,section rvhere roadsurface is poor.

PYINMANA - For those travelling from Rangoon eitherto Mandalay or to the Shan States, pyinmana is aconvenient place at which to put up for the night. This faris a reasonable day's journey from Rangoon. The townitself is situated offthe trunk road and there is a BOC fillingstation at the point whcre the road to the town forks to thiright. There is a PWD inspection bungalow in the townbut no food is provided. Therc is a very reasonable restaurantat the railway station.

From the east gate of the town a metalled road leads tothe State sugar factory (Smiles).

TATKON - is reached at MS 277 where there is aninspection bungalow but no food is available. petrol isavailable from the BOC agent on the main road at the northend of the town, from a hand-operated pump.

YAMETHIN - 55 miles from pyinmana, has a circuithouse. There is a BOC filling station on the main road.

* sce page 62

l6

Fe Xl!{- U

&++ $ ru mayr*yo

N DA LAY,1lA

KYAUKSE

To NA?OGYI &I'tYINGYA,N

Yewun

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To IIYINGYAN

Dl{undwin

TEI KTI L A

To{ | ,*or,, KATAS'SIATESXYAUKPADAUNG

{+++To IIAGWE

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+++++ YAMET}IIN

Tat kon

Rnilwo yto

SATTHWA

PYINiIAIIA

Alil"r2'

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fILLIIIG STAIIOT

Proposed Road

YAMETHIN TO MEIKTILA is 39 mites. From yamerhinthrough Pyawbwe to Meiktila the road surface is goodand a reasonable speed can be maintained.SHWEDAH - MS 306 from yamethin. This village isnoted for its betel leaves. A metalled road branche, *urt frorrtShwedah to Thitson (9| miles) where there is a new irrigationdam.

PYAWBWE - MS 312 and thirteen miles from yamethin.There is a Government stud farm here for breeding ponies.There is an inspection bungalow near the civil hospitai whichis approached by a road to the left at the south end. of thetown. There is a BOC filling station on the main road._ There is a proposal to build a road from pyawbwe toPayangasu (15 miles). The latter vinage is on the mainMeiktila-Taunggyi road*. This new road will cut 3g milesoffthe present distance from Rangoon to Taunggyi.

There is also a proposal to extend the existing branchroad, rvhich leads westwards from pyawbwe to yanaung,to Narmauk (the tiltrntagg of Bogyoke Aung San) a#thence to Magwe. This wilr provide a rink between theMandalay trunk road and the western trunk road. (route II).

MEIKTILA - 94 miles from pyinmana, is the hub ofmany important road routes. One road runs eastwards to theSouthern Shan States (route IV), one road. runs north_west toMyingyan (route ll_branch roads), and one road runswestwards to Kyaukpadaung, Chauk, Magwe and prome(route II). There are three BOC filling stati-ons rn Meiktila,one at the southern entrance to the town, one on theRangoon to Mandalay road and one on the Myingyan road.

There is a pleasant circuit house overlooking the lakebut no food is available. It is possible to reach Meiktilafrom Rangoon in one day, but il means a fairly hard drivefor twelve hours or so.

. aec Route IV page 57

It

IyIEIKTILA TO MANDALAY is 92 miles. This stretch is

in good condition and the distance can be covered

comfortably in tfuee hours.WLJI\IDWIN - 20 miles fronn Meiktila, is a cotton-weavingcentre. Packed petrol is available from the BOC agent on the

main road.At KUME ROAD - 44miles from lr{eiktila,thereisaBOCfilling station. 6 rniles beyond Kume road the branch road tothe left goes to Natogyi and Myingyan (see route II page 27).

KYAUKSE - 64 milcs from Meiktila, is thc cerrtre of a

district which has been well known from earliest tirnes forits fine system of irrigation and in consequence the land is

very fertile in contrast to the general aricl nature of much ofthe

"dry zone'. Kyaukse rice (of wtrich there are two crops

a year ) is well known throughout Burma.There is a BOC fi.lling station at Kyaukse; also a circult

house.There is a proposal to build a link road joining this road

with the Mandalay to Maymyo to Lashio road (route IIT)

which will enable direct traffic to the Northern Shan States

from the south to by-pass Mandalay. This link road willleave the Mandalay hiehway at Chaungbat village, some 12

miles or so beyond Kyaukse, and will join the Maymyo road

at about MS 15 out of Mandalay. It is proposed to build ancw road from Mandalay north to Kin-U.MANDALAY - At present. there are three hotels infvlandalay. European style food is available at the railway

hotel.There is much of interest in Mandalay. The Fort with its

battlemsnts and its wide moat contains the sites of the old

Palace of the Burmese kings; this is now occupied by the

Army. There are many shrines and pagodas in and around

the town - one of most famous being the Mahanryatmuni-and the pagodas on Mandalay llill are very pictur€squely

situated. Mandalay however suffered much during the war,

and the Palace was completely destroyed before the townfell to the 14th Army in 1945.

Route IIWESTERN TRUNK ROADRangoon - Prome - Myingyan - Mandalay

Rangoon30 Hmawbi?8 48 Tharrarvaddv

I4t tl3+ d5 paunjde179 149 l0l 36 prorne

??t 193 t4S 80 44 Ar:nglanmyo f280 250 202 i37 I0l 57 Taunedwingvi ]i3! 3or i;; ;;; ;;; roe 5r Magwe I363 333 2gS 220 t84 t4O 83 32 yenangyaung ]391 367 3I9 254 218 171 ttl d $'-Xyaurpadaung* I441 4lt 363 2s8 262 2tg t6l IIO 78 41 Taungtha I

'frf; #i'# ii! ?x ii'x ;i f:,r' *","p*"0.,." I"H***ffi;*t,#1followed by a six_mile stretch of surfaced .,r"rt-""y. Il#,:l' *1ifl1"i,*iHtH"i"T'",#,.l::ix :1ffinx I

im'}:l1.f,.fji#'frT# iti #:s"y. :*Ln x I

ffi[#ir:::t ::;#il15i til1-;:ih1::ffff* |

;:;lir:[",il#ffi'*'idtff*f#ri#1iffi |

bordered by jungle; and the section betvreen Paungde and

Prome, where the road follows the contour of the low hills

which converge on the Irrawaddy river at Frome'

This route follows route I as far as Htaukkyan (MS 2l)where there is a BOC filling stat"ion' Here the road to Prome

forks left. Flalf a mile further on, a brailch road bears left to

Hlawga. There is a lake here, in pleasant surroundings, which

,"ru"t at one of Rangoon's water reservoirs' For Prome go

straight ahead until nearing MS 28 from Rangoon where the

Prome road takes a sharp turn to the left-straight ahead

goes to Warretchaung 5* miles distant'

HMAWBI is reached at MS 30, after passing an airstrip on the

right hand side of the road at MS 28' Therc is an inspection

bungalow here and a BOC filling station' There is also a

government agricultural faim at Hmawbi'From Hmawbi the route is straight forward as far as

TharrawaddY.

THARRAWADDY - There is a circuit house, but obtaining

accommodation here is uncertain as it is much in demand by

Army personnel. A BOC lilling station is situated on tiie

main road.,A,t MS 88/2 turn-sharp left over a srnall bridge and then

sharp right at MS 88/5. The direct road leads io Letpadan

(l'} miles distant). A new BOC filling station is due for

co-nstruction on the right just before MS 88/2' At Gyobingauk

(MS 122) take the road which bears to the left of the railway

line, avoiding the bazaar. At Nattalin (MS 137) there is a BOC

tilling station on the main road; also at Paungde (MS 142)'

et tuts 168' beer right for Prome, and at the BOC filling

station in Frome bear right for Aunglanmyo and Magwe;

the road over the railway level crossing leads into the town'

PROME - Accommodation is generally available at the

inspection bungalow and iood can be supplied' Prome has a

lamous pagoda named Shwesandaw built about 2,000 vears

ago.

I'ROME TO AUNGLANMYO is 44 miles' The condition

2l

l8 nites Pi0ttgtr Truxeup)

Miter9eo40Ltr

AUilGLAIIITYO

-t t" iouNcoo

t

TAUXGOWITIGYI

Salthwe

PAU}IGDEllalln

Z igon

GYOEITGAUK

lelpadan

THARRAWADOY

PROTE

Shreoaung

OANGOON

fltultc sTAil0ll

Road under comtruction

HLEGU

ofthe road is good. lt is undulating in parts and there are one

or two sharP bends.

At MS 182 a metalled road branches off to the right to

Paungdaie (8 miles) and Paukkhaung (20 miles)' There is an

exteniion to this road under construction beyond Paukkhaung

across the Pegu Yomas to Toungoo, thus linking Prome with

the Rangoon to MandalaY trunk road'

Between Prome and Aunglanmyo there are PWD

bungalows at Dayindabo (MS 200) and Pyalo (MS 207)'

AUNGLANMYO (MS 223)-There is a BOC fllling station

on the main road in the centre of town' There is also

a PWD bungalow, sparsely furnished; no food is available'

After Aunglanmyo' t-he road leaves the Irrawaddy and

passes inland to Taungdwingyi. There at9-PyD bungalows at'Co""gyo

(MS 24310) and Nyaung-bintha (MS 253/0)'

TAUNGDWINGYI (MS 280/0)-Turn left for Magwe at

the cross roads in the centre of the bazaar' There is a BOC

filting station on the left about 100 yards beyond this crossing'

m"tl it an inspection bungalow in the town but meals are

not available.22 miles out of Taungdwingyi the road to lvlagwe

bears right. The straight road goes on to Meegyaungy€ on the

east bank of the Irrawaddy, 11 miles distant' where there is

u b.rogalow. Packed petrol is available here from the BOC

agent.The Yin chaung, about 14* miles from Magwe' is crossed

by a ferry during hilh water between August and October'

At other iimes the chaung is fordable and duringDecember a

temporary causeway is built to facilitate crossing' There are

o"c"siooi when the chaung is in spate, when even the ferry

service has to be suspended fora period of two or three days

at a time. This occurs only between August and October and

motorists are advised, during this time, to get advance

information about the state of the chaung at Taungdwingyi'

There are two more chaungs to be crossed at MS 320

and 321 but these are fordable ihroughout the year'

23

About two miles i.rorn lvlagrve on the Taungdwingy,iroad there is a gravel road whichby,_p"rro lt"g*" and joins,^1:.Mury"r:-t'ena,ngyaung roact twc miles north of the town.Although this by-pass saves about thrc,e miles, one shourdp.gg""d carefully as there is a sharp approach bend onto abridge which requires carefr.rl driving.

y[AGtF (MS 331/0) is situared on rhe cast bank of theIrrawaddl' and is a distr-ict neaaqua.teil rn"r" is a p\4rDbungalow here g_nd food is uu"ii;'bi" ;" application to thecaretaker. There i; also a BOC filling station at Magwe.The Myat.thalun pagoda, on tf,e bank of the Irr4*addy:o-rlh of the town, is worrh a visit. a big pagoda fsstival ishelci hcre evel.y Ncvember. e i

From lVfagwe there is a ferry which crosses to Minbuon thc,. west bank of the lrrawaddy".\t &iS 337 a road. branches otr to tn" right to Natmauk,th.e birrh olace cf Eogvoke Aung san,and ih. nour" in whichhe spent his cirild.hooi can still;.,;;;;;"Jhe first l6 milesof tfiis road are surfaced and itrere i";;;;*l io extend theroad beyond Natmauk io link ,rp with

-tlre Rangoon toMandatzy trunk road at Fyau,bwe**. There is a pWI)

brngalow at NatniauirTh; roaci i!'om ldagwe to yenangyaung nrns throughhroken hili country ancl is passable iirrn*gfrout the year

exce.,Ft when the Kho,laung chaung, which is known l"""litls tle 'Daung The' chaung lnAS f +;Z f.o_ tut*gore), is inflood efter- heavy rain. F{oivever, the fiooJ water generallysubsides after a fevs hours.

YEi\ANGYAU:'.r{G (N!S 363). This was Bunna,s mainpre-war oilfield. To-day, srnall scale production and refieiagis carried on by a nlmber of small luconcerns. The BOC1"* ltr: resurned operations on a small scaie here and havedriUed der.'elopment wells.

:. 3:: $:k. wde-t Braneh Roads

21

There is a BOC filling station at Thittabwe before oneenters Yenangyaung and another at Twingone at the northernond of the town. There is also a circuit house near the river.

Frgm Yenangyaung to Kyaukpadaung the road has anexcellent surface which allows a high average speed to be

rnaintained, except where the road crosses the Pin chaungshortly after it ha.s left Yenangyaung at Twingone. The Pinchaung is impassable while in flood, add this occurs at in-frequent intervals during the rains. At Gwcgyo (28 miles fromYenangyaung) bear east for Kyaukpadaung, 8 miles distant.The fork to the west leads to Chauk (17 miles), where theBurma Oil Company O954) Limited's main oilfield is situatcd.

There is a BOC filling station in the centre of the town.From Chauk there is a very dusty road, hardly more thana sand track, which leads to Pagan, 23 miles to the north on

the east bank of the Irrawaddy. This is the famous site of the

ancient capital of Burma where many ancient pagodas, some

dating back to the eleventh century AD, are still standing

to t[is day. There is also a Shwesartdaw Pagoda in Pagan.

(as in Prome and Toungoo). The name implies that the hairof Lord Buddha has been enshrined in the Pagoda. Pagan

is also noted for its lacquerware.

There is a large circuit house at Pagan and the Govern-ment is also building a n€w rest house for pilgrims.

A. surfaced road leads to Nyaungoo, 4 miles north-eastof Pagan where there is a good rest house. Packed petrol isavailable from the BOC agent here. An earth road leads fromNyaungoo to Kyaukpadaung (see below ) 29 miles away, butthis route is not recommended as the going is very tough.

KYAUKPN)AUNG (MS 39710). Kyaukpadaung has ^PWD inspection bungalow near to the bazaar. At this point

turn sharp left for Popa-Taungtha-Myingyan. Straight on isthe direct road to Meiktila (54 miles).* There is a BOC

* rpc furihcr und,cr Branch Roods

25

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KYAUK

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HITIAB r***3++{t- t ro RANGooN

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filling stationinthe centre of the town and a new filling station

has been built on the main road at the western entrance to

thetown.KYALJKPADALING TO TAUNGTHA (44 miles)-Afterleaving Kyaukpadaung the first eight miles are flat. There"

after the road climbs steeply round Mount Popa (4,981 feet)

until l0 miles after Kyaukpadaung where the village of Popa

is reached.

POPA (MS 40710) - This is a particularly pleasant place at

which to put up for the night, being cooler than the plains

below. There is a well situated PWD bungalow outside the

village. There is also a guest house maintained by the

Agricultural and Rural Development Corporation and

accomnodation can be obtained on application to the

officsr-in-charge of the Popa Hill rehabilitation scheme.

From Popa to Taungtha the distance is 341 miles. There are

several unbridged chaungs on this section of the road butthese are almost ahrays passable except perhaps for a few

hours after heavy rain. Those proceeding to Mandalay via

Myingyan should turn sharp left at Taungtha. The road

sharp right goes to Meiktila.

TATiNGITIA (MS 441i0) - There is a PWD bungalow.

The BOC filling station is situated on the north side of the

Myingyan to Meiktila road and near the junction of this and

the Popa to Kyaukpadaung roads.

TAUNGTHA to MYINGYAN (15 miles) AND MANDALAY(lll miles) - From Taungtha to Myingyan the road is

surfaced and in good condition.

MYINGYAN - There is a circuit house in the town. There

is also a BOC filling station on the rnain road in the

centre of the town. Myingyan is a big cotton centre.

From Myingyan the road mns east to Natogyi-Myitthaand Yewun where it joins the Rangoon-Meiktila-Mandalaytrunk road at MS 390 at 12 miles from Kyaukse*. This road

r Scc pago 19

?:l

is now much improved and, with the exception of one or twoshort stretches, is surfaced throughout.

At Natogyi, 20 miles from Myingyan, there is a pWDbungalow and packed petrol is available from the BOCagent.

Od the coast at Ngapali, 5 miles from Sandoway, is amost delighfful beach with excellent bathing. There areregular UBA flights to Ngapaliand visitors can hire vehiclesto explore thc bcauties of this part of the coast. There is arrinspectionbungalow on the beach at Ngapali.

A surfaced road connects Ngapali with Sandoway. Thereis also a surfaced road from Ngapali to Andrcw Bay whieliiswell worth a visit. A metalled road flom Sandoway leadssouth down the coast to Kyeintali (40 miles). A further40 miles beyond Kyeintali is Gwa but the road between thesetwo places has fallen into ilisrepair on account of insurgencyin the area and is not fit for vehicular traffic. It is expectedthat this road will be re-opened as security improve s.

2 PROME TO TOUNGOO ( 93 Miles ) - This ncw branchroad will be completed by about thc micldlc of l96l and willbe about 93 miles long. It will savc travclleis betweenToungoo and Prorqg3 31l-mile detour via Htaukkyant (nearRangoon). The road from Prome will traversc the footof Pyu-taung and later Myllung-taung at Letpangon. Let-pangon is only 15 miles away from Toungoo.

3 MINBU DISTRICT-MINBU is a district headquarterstown for Minbu district, on the west bank of the Irrawaddyopposite Magwe.

There are three roads from Minbu, None of these roadsis recommended for saloon cars as their condition is notgood. Security in the district is still doubtful.'

(a) MINBU TO SINBYUGYUN (5413 miles)-Minbu to Sagu

is l0 miles and has a surfaced road.Sagu to Laikaing is 16 miles and is partly metalled and

partly surfaced road.At Sagu one has to take a ferry across the Mun chaung.Iaikaing to Pwinbyu (7 milcs) has a partly metalled

and partly surfaced road.Pwinbyu td Shauktaw (2 milcs) is a partly metalled and

partly surfaced road. Just befcre reaching Shauktaw, anotherchaung called Monechaung must be crossed by ferry.

29

Route II BRANCH ROADSI Prome-Taungup-sandoway2 Prome-Toungoo3 Minbu District4 Kyaukpadalrng- Meiktila5 Myingyan - Meiktila

I PROME (Shrvebontha) - Padaung - Taungup (l 1l miles)-This road begins on the west bank of the lrrawaddyopposite Prome. Originally a cart track, which at one timcused to carry thc Arakan mail over the Arakan yomas, thisroad was widened and in"rprovcd during the last war.

At the tirne of writing, work is in pro_eress to make thisan all-weathcr metalled road but until such time as this iscompleted it is not fcasible to attempt this route exceptin a. four-wheel-drive vehiclc. So far, the metalling of theroad has bcen completed as far as Nyaungchedauk, l6 milesbeyond Padaung, where there is an unfurnished inspectionbungalorv. Thereafter. the road climbs and twists its way overthe Arakan Yomas wherc thc scenery is wondcrful and thcarea is famous for its tigers. One should allow nine to tenhours for the whole journey.

It is possible-under very favourable circumstances-totake a four-whccl-drivc vehicle from Taungup to Sandoway,some 40 miles south of Taungup. It is, however, a roughand tedious journey and there are a number of creeks on theway which can be crossed only at low tide.

28

Shauktaw to Thangaing (10/3 miles). At Shauttaw, theroad to Thangaing turns left. Thangaing is a river villageon the Irrawaddy opposite Yenanglraung.

Shauktaw to Salin (13i3 miles). Salin is a townshipheadquarters. Salin to Sinbyugyun (6 noiles) - the busieststretch of the whole road.(b) MINBU TO SHWE-SET-TAW (33 rniles! TrafEc on thisroad is heavy during the Shwe-set-taw pagoda fcstivals inFebruary and March (Taboung). Thispagoda is noted forthe footprints of Buddha which can bg seen there. It is agravelled road with many steep gradients and a four-whoel-drive vehicle will take about two hours for this 3lmilejourney.(c) MINBU TO NGAPE (zt4 miles)- Thisis a gravelled road.4 KYAUKPADALING TO MEII(TILA (53 miles! This roadhas now been largely improved and surfaced but the fintand last l0 miles are still bad with many pot-holes and cor-rugations. f{owever, work is in progress onthesestretches.

There are nine chaungs between Meiktila and Kyauk-padaung which are passable throughout the year except afterheavy rain when the chaungs may be in floodfor a few hours.Particular care should be taken in crossing the followingchaungs:MS 24-Yeway chaungMS 27-Kyetpin chaungMS 29-Taung-oo chaungMS 43-Nyaung-garng chaungMS 45-Pyin cbaung.5 MYINGYAN TO TALJNGTHA TO MEIKTILA(56 nilGs)

This road is as described on page 2T as llar as Taungtha.Thereafter it continues as a surfaced road in good condition.

At Mahlaing, 34 miles from Myingyan, packed petrolis available from the BOC agent. I I nihs beyond lvlrhlaingthere is a big chaung known as yegyo cbaung which is somstimes imFassable for a few hours after heavy rains.

30

Route III

NORTHERN SHAN STATES ANDNORTH.EASTERN BURMA

Mandalai' - Lash io - Bhamo - Myitkyina - Putao

Mandalay12 Maymyo84 42 Goteik Gorge18 87 45 Hsipawl"l5 133 91 46 Lashio207 165 123 78 32 Hsenwi?23 lEl 139 94 48 16 Kutkai277 235 193 148 lO2 7O 54 MongYuzES ?A3 201 156 ll0 7t 62 t Muse3M 262 22O 175 129 97 81 27 19 Namkhan371 3D 287 242 196 164 148 94 86' 67 Bhamo

421 379 337 292 246 214 198 144 135 ll7 50 Nalone

487 445 4O3 358 312 280 264 210 2OZ 183 116 66 Mvitkvina?0S 566 624 579 533 501 485 431 423 4U 337 287 221 hfiao

From Mandalay to Namkhan the road is asphalted

throughout and its general condition is good. From Namkbanto Bhamo the road surface is poor and can be treacherous inwet weather. There is a further fourteen-mile stretch of asphal-

ted road north of Bhamo; thereafter the road is metalled and

is in very reasonable condition.

MANDALAY TO MAYMYO (42 miles). From'Mandalaythere is an excellent road to Maymyo (3,519 feet).

3| miles out of Mandalay turn right. The hilt section

starts 16| miles after leaving Mandalay and there are twenty-

two hairpin bends. Care is needed on this section of journey,

uptraffic having the right of way. View Point (2,453 feet) is

reached 25* miles after leaving Mandaiay, where it is well

worth halting for an ercellent panoramic view of the plains

surrounding MandalaY.

MAYMYO is a popular hill station especially for theresidents of Mandalay. There are a number of small hotels.There are two BOC filling stations here, one of which is onthe left of the main road as one enters the town.

From Maymyo the road continues to Wetwun 13 milesdistant. At this point the Burrna and Northern Shan Statesbounday is crossed. There is a PWD bungalow at Bambwe19 miles from Maymyo and 68 miles from Hsipaw. 17 mileson at Nawnghkio there is a BOC petrol pump.

THE GOKTEIK GORGE (MS 80 to MS 93) should benegotiated with care as the bends are very sharp and it may benecessary for lorries to reverse on some of the worstcorners.

At MS 108 there is a BOC filling station at the pointwhere a road branches from the main route and leads toKYAUKME (2 miles distant), where there is a PWDbungalow. There is a BOC filling station at Kyaukme close tothe bazaar.

KYAUKME TO HSIPAW Qlt miles). At Bawgyo, l?miles from Kyaukme and 5 mlles from Hsipaw, the biggestfestival of the year in the Northern Shan States is held duringMarch (Tabaung Pwedaw). The architecture of the pagoda ispeculiar as both Indian and Thai influence is seen; the formerln the domed building and the latter in the spired trzaungs.

HSIPAW-There is a PWD bungalow not far from therailway station. The filling station is situated in the centre ofthe town on the main road.

HSIPAW TO LASIilO (46 miles). Just after passing MS8 from Hsipaw, keep straight ahead for Lashie-the roadwhich bears right leads to Mongyai, Namlan and theSouthern Shan Statesr.At MS 21, the Se-en River is crossed by a Bailey brldge.From Se+n to Lashio the distance is 25 miles. At MS 168

* BGc furthqr under Routo lY - Bmnch Roads

32

(from lvlanelalay) or 7 miles before Lashio the road fromKehsimansam anrl Mongyai joins the main road*.

LASFIIO is the capital of the Northern Shan States. Itboasts a PWD bungalow and a well furnished circuit house

situatcd 100 yards ahead ofthe lirst turn left as one enters the

town {iorn Hsipal. Meals are obtainable frorn the butler at

the latter. There is a BOC filling station here .

LASI{IO TO BHAMO (196 miles). The next section

of the roa,J frorn Lashio to Morrgyu (10 rniles) passes through

Flsenwi (32 miles fnom Lashio). At lvIS 23 are the l{senrvi.hot

springs, wheie a bathing pool was built by the Japanese'

One rnile out of l{senwi there is a PWD brrngalow on top ofthe hill. At this point there is a gravclled road leading offto tire right to Kunlong, a big opium ccntre, 52 rniles distant'

This is reached by a ferry across the Salween river. One rnile

out of Hsenwi the climb starts to Kutkai v;hich is nearly 5,000

feet above sea levc!,

KUT"KAI (lvIS 48) - There is a BOC filling statlon here.

From Kutkai to Mongyu (MS 102 ) the road passes over

beautiful open roliing steppeJand.

MONCYU (MS I02) - At Mongyu the road straight on

leads to Kyuhkok, 1l| milcs ar'vay, and the last station on

the Burma side of- the Chinese liontier.The main roacl bears left from Mongyu and leads to

Muse, 8 miles distant, where petrol is available ex-drum from

the BOC agent. The PWD bungalow here is magnilicently

situated, overlooking the Shweli River and valley with a line

view of the distant hills of China' .

This is part of the Ledo road built: by Genenal Stilwoll to

Kunming in China via Kyuhkok. 19 r'niles from Muse is

Narnkhan.

NAMKI{AN is rtoted for its weaving industry and has an

cxmllent hospital mn by f,)r" Seagrave of the Arncrican

Eaptist Mission. There is a guest house within the hospital

r eco furthcr undor R.oute lY - Branch Roads

33

conopound and a PWD bungalow is on the left as one enters

the town. Petrol ex-drum is available frorn the BOC agent'

5 miles out of Namkhan the Shweli River is crossed by

a Batliy suspension bridge. The Northern Shan States and

Burma border is crossed at Mawswikha, 136 miles frorn

Lashio. The l*do road continues from Mawswikha to

Manwing, 2 miles away, where a branch road leads to

Pangkharn, 4 miles to the north" Manwing is almost on the

Shweli F*iver. The river marks the Burma and China border'

There is a PWD bungalow here.

From Manwing the road starts to clinrb. The first l8-mile

ilretch is easily negotiated buf the next 20 rniles is very

treacherous and is impassable during heavy rains,

XITEHTEIK, a Kachin viilage of sorne size, is at the

highest point in this section. There is a tea-house at the footof the village. After Kitehteik the road descends down to

Namyu, MS 34/2 from Bhamo. The last 20 miles cover a flat

stretch on the Bhamo Plains.BHALO (371 miles from Mandalay)-There are an inspection

bungalow and a circuit house (permission must be obtained

to stay in them). The latter is fully furnished and the butler

can supply meals. Bhamo is the terminus of the IWTB river

scrvice by steamer from Katha" IWTB boats leave Bharno

for Katha andlor Mandalay every alternate day. Cars

can be shipped from here to Thabeikyin, whence the road

is motorsble to Mogok, Kyaukme, Narhhsan, etc.r Freight

on cars from Bhamo to Thabeitkyin is Kyats 100. There

ie a BOC filling station here.

BHAMO TO VIY,ITKYINA (116 miles)-This road was

modified by the A:norican Army during the war. For the mostpart it is a broad river shingle, mechanically soled and graded

higfiway. Between Bhamo atrd Momauk, a distance of 9 miles,

it is asphalted, and the remainder is in fair condition. At MS

47 , stthe top of a short hilt section, it is inclined to be muddy

inthe monsoon,

r sec furthcr lundcr Branch Roads

v

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+++ Proposed Road

Just before Nalone (lvIS 50 and approximatcly half-way)

there is a right hand <livcrsion of a total distancc of 6 miles

before the rnain roao is re-joined at Nalone itsclf' This has

llcen neccssary as secrions of two bridges which originally

crosied the Nalone R'ivcr havc becn washed away; tlre

,Jiversion has thLerefore bcen n-laclc io cross the Nalone

Rrvcr by cne hridge .l rnilcs furrher 'lown'Tlie road lalts into ihc followirrg scctions:

BHAMO'[O MOMAUK (9 milcs) - At iltomauk theie is a

br;rnchroar'i.(all-weatlrcrbutsuitairlcioiirrrrr-whccl-elrivevehicles rtnly) leaclinil right. to thc hill staiion at ijinlun-

I{aba.(5"760 t-eet) rvhicii is 2l rniles away ancl well ra'orth a

visit on account cf the fi.ne view it afFor"ds of the lJharno plain'

There is onc lvay trallic on tlr'is rtlad (up from 6 am to noon;

dawtr fr<tmlloon to 6 pnl)' The road conlinucs to thc l3trrnra

andChinabtlr<Jcriorr,nofl-wejc26lnilos|rcyori'il.'I'hcrgisa t\.ryo-roorncd t'W[) bungaloi'v at Sinlum-Kaba and crockery'

but no lirod is ProvitJctt'

MOMAUK 'fO MYO'[}IIT (i5 mrles)-'[']rere is a FWD

bungalow rt MYothit'

tdYoTI-|[.tToDAWHI"UMYANG(l6miles)-Thercisa PWD bungalorv at DawhpLttnyairg'

DAwt{PUh{Y-Ar..l{;.I.()NAL(]NB(originaiiyl0rn'ilesbutnow l6 rrriics tlecau:;e <lf' the 6^nrile diversion ex'plained

a.bove)- There is a PWD bungalow at l'{alorle and severa}

teashoPs.

NALONE'fOKANTAOYANG(2lrtriles)-l'her:eisawellsituated PWD bungalr:w at Karrleoyang 'sited on a bluff

overlooking titc roatl

KANTA.OYANG 1'O KAZTJ (14 miles)-'fhcreis a PWD

bungalow at Flazu tlvctlooking the l"larrilairet chaung which is

"onu*frridgeci (previously it was crclssed by ferry)'

KAZLI T0 KATCHO triEllRY (20 nriics)-19 rrrilcs from

X,or*, tt'r" rrrain roarl branches sharp lcft f or Katcho' Straight

on leaeis to Saclon and Lankiraung in thc interior of tttc

Kachirr Statcs'

3{t

The Katcho fcrry (at MS 480/ Inile fron Mandalay)which crosses thc Irrawaddy is u'orkcd by the Co-operative

Ferry Society of lvfyitkyina and th.c charges are:

15 cu,tandaboveWeapon carriers and other light trucksJeeps and cars

Jeeps and cars with trailer

K25K20Kl0K15

MYITKYINA is tirree miles distant from the ferry on the

west bank of the lrrarvaddy. There is a PWD inspection

bungalow anrr also a fuily iirrnisheC circuit house here rvhere

meals carr be obtained froni thc butler' Therc is a BOC fillingstation in thc town.

From Myitk.vina there is a road leading to Sumpt'abum,

131 miles, and to ltrort Hcrtz (Putao) 221 miles north ofMyitkyina. It is a dry weath.er road oniy at prescirt and is only

suitablc for four-wheel-drive vehicles.As the road is very narrow, one way trallc to the

fbllowing time table is enforced:

Up trafficperrnitted time

6 am to 12 noon Myitkyina to 12 noon to 5 pm

TiangzuP (53rd mile)

6 am to 12 noot-t Kawapang toMaithong (103rd mile)

6 am to 12 noon

12 noon to 6 pm

12 noon to 6 pm Maithong to Sumpra- 6 am to 12 noonbum (l3lst r"niie)

Th.c road up to Tanghphro (27th rnile and site of the

confluence of river:s which form thc trrrarvaddy) is good and

the journcy can be covcred within one hour. It is essentiatr

for traffi.c going up to Sumprabum to reach. Ta.nghphre before

i0 am. The irill sectiotr starts fron the 30th mile and the

nafrow road rneanders through the rnountain-sicle on its way

n

flown trafficpermitted tirne

12 noon tc 6 Pm Ttangzup toKawaPang (B2nd mile)

up to Sumprabum which is i1,600 feet above sea level' The

riad run* paraltel to lv{alikha river between 3lst and 54th

milestones and the scenery at the 35th and 40th milestones

is very beautiful.fhe road from Tanghphre to Kawapang (82nd rnile) is

fairly good and an average speed of about twelve miles per

tro.tt "un

be rnaintained. The road deteriorates after Kawap-

ang. The hill section between IIlth and ll8th mile is really

bal. During the rainy seasoil vehicles sornetimes take three

or f,our dayi to negotiate this seven-mile journey' The PWD

isconstructinganewroadatalowerlevelbetrveerrtlrell0thand llgth rniies and it will be usable in all weathers. The l3-

mile stretch between l l8th mile and Sumprabum is metalled'

The Kachin State Government is trying to improve the

condition of the road to Sumpraburn' So far sevcral new

bridges have been constructed' Laying of stone metals bctwcen

S2nJand ll8th miles is beirrg undertaken at present' It will

takeatleasttwo yearstomake the entire road really service'

able during the rainY season.

The ro-ad beyond Sumpraburn to Fort Hertz is one which

can only be used by four-whcel-clrive vehicles and only then

durjng it t dty season which is much shorter here than in the

rest of Burma.There is an inspection bungaiow at Fort Hertz (Putao)'

3E

Route III tsRANCH ROADSKyauknre - Nanrhsan - FanglongKyaukme - Mogok - Momeik - ThabeitkyinKyaukme - fuIogok - Sr-U - BhamoF{sipaw-NamtuMansam- Lashio

I KYAI-IKME - NAMHSAN - PANGLONG (109 miles)

Kyaukme3l Supploi44 1l Haikham78 45 34 Namhsan

109 76 65 3l Panglong

KYAUKME TO NAMHSAN (78 miles) - Originally agood rnetalled road, but certain sections, particularly thelast 30 miles, arc badly worn and potholed.

Frorn about 3 miles after leaving Kyaukme the roadclimbs tlren later descends to the Namong river at MS l3/1.From here the road follows the Namshim river till about MS54, where the real climb starts and the road reaches an eleva-tion of slightly over 6,500 feet at MS 66/3. The road thendescends about 900 feet to Namhsan, l2 miles distant.

As the road from Kyaukme to Namhsan follows thecontour ofthe hills, there are very few straight sections of anylength, and this necessitates careful driving, and this journeyfrom Kyaukme to Namhsan takes about five hours. Theroad, especially near the approaches to Namhsan, is subjectto landslides.

Narnhsan is the centre of the local tea growing industry.This route is probably the highest and most picturesque motorroad in Burma or the Shan States, and the view from thesummit is magnificent. The roadpasses Supploi (MS 33) andHaikhanr (MS 44) which has a PWD bungalow, At Namhsanthere is a furnished PWD bungalow on top of the hill where

I2

3

45

3 KYAUKME-MOGOK. MOMEIK . BHAMO UNIONHIGHWAY (226 miles)

There is a new road beyond Momeik which crosses theShweli River at Molo and thence via Si-U to Bhamo. AtMolo there is a pleasantly sited PWD bungalow overlookingthe Shweli. This highway will be surfaced throughout.4 HSIPAW TO NAMTU (42 miles)

The surface of the road is metalled but slightly potholed.lt is passable throughout the year. About 8 miles from Hsipawthe Namtu River is crossed by flying feny (K 2f-per carincluding passengers and K t0/- per three-ton truck eachway). TheNamhsan road rneets it at Panglong which is 18

rniles from Hsipaw. At MS 28 Mansam is reached. FromMansam a road connects to Lashio. The last 14 miles toNamtu are in good condition.

AtNamtu (MS4l/2) there is a PWD bungalow. Namtuand Bawdwin(the mine-head) are the seat of operations of thesilver and lead mines of the Burma Corporation (1951)Limited.5 MANSAM TO LASHIO (30 miles)

Surface mainly gravel with stretches of metalling.Short hill sections have dangerous curyes and have to bedriwn with care.

or.*&).l'agodas and sltrines at Pagan, Burma's ancient capital

'-t

... ir 'r:11:'1"::;,.

Rtngoon-Bantloolo Squure, shotving Ihe while pylon oJ the

Inde pen de nce mon tt me nt

Motor roatl at the lowesf point of the Cokreik gorge, on the

route from MaYmYo to Lashio

Guardiatts of Ma.ndalay HitlKachin girls in tlteir decoraled tribal tostume

Route IV

SOUTHERN SHAN STATES

Union Highway

Nleiktila14 Thazt'72 58 Kalaw

I 16 l0l 44 TaunggYi

128 I 14 56 12 HoPongI 7-1 I 59 I 0l 57 45 Loilem256 242 18.1 l4b 128 8l Kunhing23-1 270 212 168 156 lll 28 Takaw

397 iS3 325 28 I 269 224 l4l I I I Kctrglutrg

499 485 427 38-1 371 326 243 215 102 Tachileik

NIEIKTILA TO TIIAI BORDER - This highway com-

nlenaes at Meiktila, where there is a BOC filling station.

arld L'nds at Tachileik, the Brtnnese horder towll silualed at

MS 499 6. Meiktila district jurisdiction covels as far as

Nampar,clet village (t\4S 53/4) on the N{eiktila to Kalarv road'

From Natrrpanclet upwards. Shan Gover-l)nlellt lerritory

begins.Mileages of the routes fronr Meiktila through the

Southel'rr Shan States 1o Loilem andthelrc'e to Kengtung and

Tachilcik are given in the above chart.From Meiktila Io Nan'rsang (MS 188/6) the wholc

stletch of road is sttrfaced and in reasonable condition but

the portion between MS 46 and N{S 48 (between Yinmabin

village and Nampandet) demands slolv driving on account

of constant repairs to the road due to landslides end erosion

oftlre enrbanknrent.From Nanrsang ourvards the road is mostly ntetalled and

is motorable throughout the year' There are a few sections

rvlreie repeated landslides 6ave covered ove' tle nretalled

surface; these sectior.rs can be treacherous in wet weather'

THAZI (MS- 14) - A raihvay junction town to Myingyan

47

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49

and Shwenyaung (Southern Shan Statesl' Thttz'i lias a

railway restaurant and an inspection bungalow btrt this is

now occupied by 'the sub-divisionai officer 'as temporary

ollice. A BOC fiUing station is situated on the main road at

the western end of the toun.

NAMPANDET (MS 5314) - The reai clinrb staltE I'rom

here to Kalaw, a distance of 181 miles.

WETPHUYIX' (MS 63:['/) ' A water fountain cxists here

and is in great clemand fbr topping up raciiators'

KALAW (l$S 121 - There is a Ei-rropaan-style hotel l-rere'

It is recoirrmended that advancc bookirrgs be nradc to stay

hcre particularly <luring thc holiday scason' Therc is a PWD

inspection bungalow on a hillock above thc BOC petrol

filiing station which is on the main road at the rvestern

entrance to the towtt.Fron Kalaw, through Aungban, Heho, 'Shwenyaung'

1o Taunggyi the road riins over fi.ne rolling open country'

F-irst the Fletro plain is crossed and then thc road drops again

to Shwenyaung. Thereafter it clirnbs steeply up to Taunggyi

which is 4,675leet above sea level. 5 miles bcyond Kalaw

a road. branches off to the right which leacis to Loikavr*'

AUNGBAN id 6 ririles fron Kalaw and at tltis point,

before reaching the BOC filling station, a surfaced road

branches north to Pirdaya (24 miles). The'rcttrrn journev to

Ilindaya from Kalaw can casily be made in one day, and is

of intlrest to tourists. pindaya is notcd for irs wohderf'ul

caves which are heavily carved. At the entrance there is a

heavily gilded pagoda known as the Shwe-Ohn-Flrnin

pagoda" The annual pagoda festival which is hcld here each

ivforcfr attracts pilgrims and visitors from all over the Shan

Stat€s. There is an inspection bungalow between th€ town

and the caves comrnan'ding a pleasant view of Pindaya lake'

Facked petrol is available fromthe tsOC agenl'

Just before antering Findayao a fair wcath6r brarrch road

leads offto the right to Bawsaing (18 miles)r.The road continues beyond Pindaya to Lawksawk, a

further 32 rnil,es, where there is a military training academy.

The first 10 mites are surfaced; thereaftcr the road is metalled.

Packed petrot is available from the BOC agent at I:wksawk.Frorn Lawksawk a metalled road leads to Shwenyaung,

a distance of 35,6 miles.

HBHO (MS 94) - The road which turns sharp north atthe BOC filling station goes to tire Bawsaing lead nines, 19

miles away. This is an interesting diversion over a fairly good

roacl and through fine country; the road extends beyond

Bawsaing to join the Aungban to Pindaya road. Packed

petrol is availatfe from the BOC agent at Bawsaing.

SHWENYAUT,IG (MS 104) - There is a BOC filling sta-

tion here. From Shwenyaung a surfaced road branches

south to Yawnghwe (7 miles) where there is another tsOC

filling station.

YAWNGHI{/E - Boatscan be hired at an approximate cost

of K- 65 for visiting the famous lnle lake which is noted

for its Intha oarsrnen who row their boats with their lcgs.

The lake is over ten miles long and threre are a number offloating villages on it which are famous for their silk weaving.

An inspection bungalow has been built in the middle of thelake where visitors can stay, but no food is available"

Currently numerous motor boats plying for hire have theirrefuelling in the lake, alongside a floating filling station, run

by the BOC sub agent.

TAUNGGYI (MS 116) is the capital of the ShauStstcs.

Its altitude is 4,675 feet. The bazaar which is hcld here every

five days is well worth a visit. There is a BOC filling station at

the entrance to the town and another in the centre of the

town near the bazaar.Taunggyi possesses a circuit house and a governncnt

rest house at both of which meals are available. The latter is

* see Heho below

50

not normally available for visitors unless they have obtained

prior pernoission from the comrnissioner for the Shan States'

Permission to stay at the former may be obtained from the

headquarters assistant.There are also one or two reasonable boarding' houses

in Taunggyi.

TAUNGGYI TO LOILEM (57 miles) - F'rorn Taunggyi

to Loilem the road. cut out of the hill side, twists and turns

continuously. This section of the route is one of the rnosl

magnificent in the Southern Shan States"

IIOPONG is 12 miles {ionr Taunggyi' Just before en-

tering Hopong the road forks. The lef't fork is a by-pass

wtrich avoids the town, the right fork leads to the town

centrc.Facked petrol is available from the BOC agent; opposite

the agent's shop a road branches on off on the right toLoikaw*.

'dt HtarnsanC (MS l4l*) there are some fine stalactite

caves rvhich are worth a visit. A small path at MS 26 on the

left ofthe road leads down to the caves' Shortly after passing

the caves the road climbs u.p, then down again to a green

fertile vatley in which, and across a srnall bridge, lies the

village of Mongpawn (MS 153*). There is r'ixcellent mahseer

fishing. There are hot springs in thc area and three morrntain

peaks8,000feethigh, Facked petrol is available here from

thcBOC agent.The road runs in the valley till MS 42 from which point it

rises steeply for 5tr nniles to Kawknoi (tv{S 163})' Shortly after

passing Kawknoi the highest point (4,800 f'eet) on this section

ofthe road is reached, and a rnagnificent view can be obtained

ofthe surrounding country' Frorn here the road descends to

Loilern (4,200 feet)"

LOII.['.M (MS 173) - Keep straight on for Kengtung.andTbailand. the road left goes to Hispaw andLashio'* There

is a BOC filling station atthis jrencti,on" I-oilern is thehead-

i sce under Branch Roads and Route V

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quarters of the Resident, I-oilem district. There is a circuit

house at MS 173/6.

LOILEM TO TAKAW (l1l miles) - The road from Loilem

as far as Takaw (on the Salween river) is metalled'

Though'rough in places, it is passable throughout the year'

except during the monsoon when landslides may block

the road for a few hours.

LOILEM 'TO KUNHING (82 miles) - 151 miles from

Loilem or at Namsang, a metalled or gravelled road leads

south to Mongnai, Mawkmai and Langkho*'The Kengtung road bears left at Namsang' The road

from Namsang to Kunhing is not very interesting and is

mainly level, except for two scctions of fairly gradual descent'

KYUSAWK (115 miles fronr Taunggyi) has a PWI)

bungalow.The Hsipaw-Kehsimansam-Thailand route* joins the

the road at Hsaimong, l4 miles short of Kunhing'or 69 miles

from Loilent.

KUNHING (1,415 feet) is situatedonthe Nampang.river'Packed petrol is available from the BOC agent. There

is a PWD bungalow on the west bank of the river but this

is generally fully occupied by the Army- There is a wooden

bridge over the Nampang river for light vehicles only; and

a ferry for trucks.KUNHING TO TAKAW (29 miles) - After crossing the

Narnpang river the road climbs 900 feet to Namawngun and

then descends 1,?00 feet to Takaw, which is 800 feet abovc

sea level. There are a number of bad co{llers on this section

ofthe road,

TAKAW - There are two PWD bungalows in Takaw,

one on either side of the Salween: the bungalow on the west

bank is the more cornfortable. But for those who are unfami-liar with the road and who wish to try to reach Kengtung

from Takaw during daylight, it is advisable to avoid possible

ilelay in the morning ty "rossing

the river on the previous

"u"rring and sleeping in the bungalow on the east bank' If time

p€rmits, rather than staying at;ith€r of these bungalows'it is

L*tr"r ro go on to Mongping, 48 miles beyond the Salween

crossing *,brr" there is a newiy built inspection bungalow'

fne ferry charge is K5 for a private car and this price

inclucies the passengers in the car' The charge is K l0 for

a truck.* - packed petrol is available from the BOC dealer in

Takaw on the west bank of the Salween'

iAr"w To KEI\GTIING (ll3 miles)- Between Takaw

and Kengtung the roarJ is mctalled and passable throughout

il" y*'"*""pt *tt* slips may block the road for a few

hours. There are two nigtr ridges to be crossed' the second

;;ht"h t. slightly highei and rather more difrcult than the

flrst.'*"-Thefirstmainclimbstartsgraduallysoonafterleaving

Takaw, and after passing langkt'em at 4'000 feet (30 miles

from Takaw) it continuJs forl rniies andthendescends to

f,ii,O i"", af Mongping, a distance^of 20.miles frorn Pang-

n ".. Facked petrol is available from the BOC agent at

t""tna"t. Theie is a newly buitt inspection bungalow here '^'----iL#"" the fust and second main ciimbs' between

Mongping toO fu"gping, there is a rise of l'200 feet followed

i'" "'irr"ttiaescent

oioi*t 200 feetto Tongta' 29 miles from

ii".*oT"t' where thereis an inspection bungalow'"-""frJ""ond main climb begins at Tongta' The road rises

o"ry ,i""pry to Kiulong (15 miGs fron'rTongta) at 5'650 feet'

After this the road'"uJni' as high as 6'000 feet' theri descends

very sharply to Pangsang (15 miles beyond Kiulong) at 3'600

feet. Thence ttre road Jo"tittu"s to elescend gradually into

ilt"gr"is (2,?00 feet) and the last few miles are elnost

level.Considerabie care is required when driviqg over

-thisroad as there are several sharp descents in the middle of long

;iirbr. stray buffaloes and bullocks as well as bullock carts,

54

buses and motor lorries are liable to be met' Uphill traflic has

the right of rvay throughout' For quitc long stretches it is

impossiUte for two vehicles to pass one another except at the

occasional bays made for that purpose.

KENGTUNG is the headquarters of the assistant re-

sident, East Kengtung. Thereare an inspection bungalow and

a BOC filling station opposite the bazaar.

KENGTUNG TO LOIMWE (20 miles) - The road ispass-

able throughout theyear. This road meetsthe Kengtung to

Thailand road at MS 2l/4. lvlost through traffic to the

border follows the direct road (see below)' However, if time

perrnits, this detour is worth making on account cf tiie fir'e

scenery.KENGTUNG TO THAI BORDER (lj2l2 miles)- With-

out passing through Loimwe the total distance frorn Keng-

tung to Tachileik is shortened by about 5 miles'

The flrst l0 miles out of Kengtung are surfaceci but, after

that, the road is in poor condition. lt is very narrow and there

are many sharp bends. lt is necessary to drive with tiregreatest caution. At least 3* hours should be allowed to cover

the 5l miles to Mong HPaYak.

There is an inspection bungalow in Mong Hpayak anci

food is available from shoP-*.

MONG HPAYAK TO TACHILEIK (51 miles) - This

road runs through plains with occasional hill sectiorls" The

entire stretch can be covered in about 21 hours'

2 miles out of Mong Hpayak, a fai-'' weather road

branches off to Mongyang (46 miles) on the Chinese border

where is a Burrna Army outpost. Beyond Mongyang theie are

only mule paths and cart tracks into China.About 12 miles from Tachileik on the Mong Hpayat-

Tachileik road. a metalled road branches out east at Nam

lvlanyang to Wan Pasak on the Mekong River which separates

Burma from Laos. From Wan Pasak there is a motor boat

service io e town on the other side of the Mekong about 22

miles south , in Laos.TACHILEIK (TAHKILEK) (MS 49916\ - This is the

55

Burrna border towrl on thc Mehsai River with its Thai

counterpart (Mehsai) on the other side'

There is an inspection bungalow at Tachileik and packed

petrol is available through the BOC dealer' .

MEHSAI - The pr.-*u' bridge spanning the Mehsai

River no longer exisls and small country boats ferry passen-

gers and u.hi"l", across the river' The Burmese and Thai

Governments are planning to build a new bridge as a joint

venture.

Route IY BRANCH ROADS

t Loilem - NamPhai - HsiPaw - Lashio2 Loilem- Kehsimansam - Lashio3 Hsipaw - Kehsimansam - Thailand4 Namsang - Mongnai- Langkho-Mongpan

I LOILEM-HSIPAW-LASHIO ROAD (Via Namphai)

Loilem33 Laikha62 29 Mongkung79|. 46, r7, Pangkitu96 63 34 16] Tonglao

ll8 85 56 38, 22 Namlan

142 lO9 80 62t 46 24 Nangkho

148 ll5 86 68* 52 30 6 Namphai: Turn left for Hsipaw

185 152 123 105+ 89 6'1 43 37 l-ashio 9 milcs

The route from Meiktila to Loilem (173 miles) is

described on Pages 47 to 53.

From Loilem there is a good road to Hsipaw' This is

partly surfaced and partly metalled, and it is passable

throughout the Year.TAIKHA - 33 miles from Loilem' There is a PWD

bungalow hcre. Packed petrol is available from the BOC

"g"ot. Fto- I-aikha a road runs north-east to Mongnawng

(i'S mit"O on the Lashio'Kehsimansanr road (see page 58')

iaONCfUxG (62miles from Loilem) - There is a FWD

bungalow onthe south side of the village'plficxrtu - At MS 79i4 keep straight on for Manli

and Hsipaw' The road bearing to the right goes on to

Kehsima-nsam and Lashio (see page 59)' The bungalow at

Pangkitu is situated at MS 79/6'

ioicr,.Lo (MS 96) - There is a bungalow by the rivcr

at MS96/2.MANLI is situated on the border between the Northern

snd Southern Shan States'

s7

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NAMLAN (MS ll8)-There is a FWD bungalow here.

At this point keep straight on for Hsipaw or Lashio. The road

turning sharp right goes to Manpan and Mongyai.NANGKHO (NAKANG) (MS 142) - The road turningsharp right at this point also goes lo Mongyai via Hsongkye.

There is no bungalovr at Nangkho.NAMPHAI (MS 148) - This is the junction of the Nor-thern and Southern Shan States tlr.rirk roads. The roadto the left goes to Hsipaw (9 miles) artd the road to the rightgoes to Lashio (37 rniles).

At MS 178-seven miles before Lashio-keep straighton; the road to tl-re right goes to Mongyai - Kehsimansanr-Loilem (see below).

At Lashio there is a PWD bungalow and a circuit house.

Mcals are provided at the circuit house only.

2 LOILEM-KEHSIMANSAM.LASHIOLoilem33 Laikha62 29 Mongkung102 69 40 Kehsimansam147 ll4 85 45 Mongyai202 169 140 100 55 Lashio

This road is metalled and passable throughout the year.

The alternative route via Namphai (see I above) is the maintrunk road, and better. The distance by route 2 to Lashio is

l7 miles longer and if time is available and a change of scene

is required, it is worth the journey.Proceeding northwards from Loilerl one takes the same

road described in the Loilem-Hsipaw-Lashio route, untilbefore entering Fangkitu at MS 1914. Turn right hele forKehsimansam which is the State headquarters.KEHSIMANSAM (MS 102 from Loilem) - There is a PWD

bungalow here. The Hsongkye to Mongnawng road crosses

the route here.MONGYAI (MS 147) - possesses a PWD Bungalow.

From Mongyai roads lead direct to Namlan, Hsipawand Lashio.

MONGYAI TO LASIilO-Between Mougyaiand Nampang

the roa<l is g'uu"llJi"*ili-"ttr"tctres of metaliing' 5

miles out of Vfongyai keep straight.ott'lot Nampang to

Lashio. The road ot"ti"* iitt" tigrtt leads-to Tangyau' 33

miles away. A permaneit brldge now spans the Namsang

river. This ,ootte ioini ;;; ffip"* to' i'ashio road at MS

7 from Lashio, Frorn -il;il;Lashio the road is metalled"

I.ASHIO - There are a FWD brmgalow- anrl a circuit house'

both of w'hich are tu'ii't'"* M"ali'un be-arranged with tltc

boy in charge .t th" 1";;;;;luf'-' rn"t" is a BoC filling station

at Lashio.

3 I{SiFAW-KEHSI MANSAM-'ft{AILAND

l.lsiPrw2'7+ HsorrgkYe54 76+ Kehstmairsam

86 -s84 32 lv{ongnawng

1{i8 80! 54 22 Wanstng

125 97! 7" i' 17 Hsaimong, '

i3, llli 85 s3 31 14 5:-nhtnc280 252+ zzs lg4 1'72 it ill^ Kenstune

382 354t lz* iga zjd zsl 243 101 'rhai Border

T'his road is metalle<l only as far as Kehsimansarn' 'A'fter

that it becontes "" ";;;; t;"j and is shorter but not as good

as the road ulu I-oililt' in" touO trom Manqlalav to Hsipaw

is described on purt'':f "na:Z and lrom Hsipaw to Loilem

on Page'5'/to 59' , .!-^ r -From Hsipaw this route takes tirc Lashio road as far as

mile 8/3 where one;;;;itht' At mile l4l4rakethb road on

the teti for Hrongk].l"d fo"rgvai; straight ahead gocs to

Loiiern (see Pagc 5il'After pu"ing ''H'ongkye

.a1. MS 28 bear right for

Mongtung o' f"il'i*u'-""a"t; l"ft is a metalled road to

Mongyai 35 miles itttt fft"rrttye' 'It is wise to keep a watch

for ,trrains oug u"ttJ' it'" tui Ln tnis section to Kehsirnan-

Sam. ., t/This route crossos thc Loilem-Kehsitnausam-Lashio

60

road (metalled) and leads across an undulating plain toMongnawng. It continues to Wansing and Hsaimong on the

rnain Loilem-Kengtung-Thailand R'oad 14 miles fromKuntring or 69 miles from Loilem. (see pages 55 and 56; forthe remainder of this route.

There are PWD bungalows at Kehsimansam and

Mongnawng

4 NAMSANG - MONGNAI-LANGKHO-MONGPAN-This

road branches from route lV (see page41) at Namsang.

For the fust 30 miles to Mongnai the road is good and

partly surfaced.

At Mongnai a road forks to the right to Maukma(25 miles) which was at one time surfaced but which has

now tleteriorated. Packed petrol is available from the BOC

agent at Maukmai.

Taking the left fork at Mongnai the road to Langkho (22

miles) is in poor condition and is very steep and narrow in

places. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is strongly recommended"

LANGKHO TO MONGPAN (53 miles)-Bevond l-ang-

klio, the road runs for about 8 miles through the plain and

thereafter it climbs for 7 miles and descends for about the

same distance with numerous sharp bends' This section is the

most dangerous hilly road in the Eastern Shan States area

as most of the bends are filled with earth which can easily

involve slips off the roatl and therefore careful and slow

driving is essential.

Beyond Mongpan, a road built by the Army runs for

26 miles up to Watr-hsa-la/Ta-Sang where rafts powered

by outboard motors ferry vehicles across the Salween river'

Thereafter there is a fair weather road to Mongton' Frorn

here a road goes south to the Thai border whence one can

proceed to Chiang Mai (a town to the soutir-west of Chiang-

iai) in Thailand. At present, however, the whole area east

orine salween is under military control and civilian traffic

is prohibited.

6l

Route V

KAYAH STATE AND-_SOUTHENU SE{AN STATES

I Toungoo to2 Toungoo to3 Toungoo to4 Loikaw to5 Loikaw to6 Loikaw to

MawchiThandaungLoikawLawpitaMawchiSouthern Shan States

I TOUNGOO TO MAWCHI (98 miles)-This road remains

unsafe for travel beyond Pathichaung (13 miles)'

2 TOLTNGOO TO THANDAUNG (28 miles)-The first 13

miles to Pathichaung is along the }dawchi road and is

,oifu".A. There is an Army check point at Pathichauug

and travellers will not be allowed beyond this point unless

they can produce authority to do so from the deputy com-

rnissioner, Toungoo, ancl from the local brigade commarl-

der.Thereis.notusuallyanydifficultyinobtainingper.mission.

At Pathichaung the road to Thandaung forks to the

left. The road passes through very fine scenery and those who

have time to spare should 't'uk"

u trip to Thandaungg-yi

(4,832 feet) whcre a very fine view of the-surrounding country

can Ue obiained. The inspection bungalow at Thandaung is

occupi.d by the Army ani accommodation is not' therefore'

available.

3 TOUNGOO TO LOIKAW (103 miles)-This road has bccu

constructed by the electricity supply board to provideaccess

by maintenance crews to the grid line running from the

gd;th"ung hydno-electric project to Toungoo' At pre-

62

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seDt it is a fair weather road only. The steepness of some

of the gradients makes it inadvisable to travel over it inany vehicle not possessing four-wheel drive. The first 8 milesare along the old road to Mawchi and are surfaced; atthe8th mile the road to Loikaw forks left and is a lateriteroad as far as Leikho (3? miles from Toungoo). Thereafterit is an earth road only, and this passes through wild and

desoliate areas.

LOIKAW is the capital of the Kayah' State. There ls aBOC filliag station in the centre of the town.

There is a good guest house near the airstrip at whichaccornrnodation can be arranged on application to the

resident, Loikaw.

4 LOIKAW TO LAWPITA (12 miles)-This is a laterite

all-weather road which is due to be surfaced in the near

future. Lawpita is the site of the Baluchaung hydro-electricproject wtrich meets an increasingly large proportion ofBurma's power requirernents, The power station itself is

situated 6 miles beyond Lawpita at the bottom of the valley

to which the road descends rapidly in a series of hairpinbends. There is a fine waterfall nearby. There is an ESB

bungalow at Lawpita but visitors wishing to stay there-orindeed to visit the project-are advised to obtain prior per-

mission from the chief project officer at Lawpita.

5 LOIKAW TO IVIAWCI{I (92 rniles)-The first 50 rniles are

througlr lonely country with thick forest borde,ring the rooc,l.

26 miles beyond Bawlake the Htuchaung is crossed by flyingf'erry. From Kemapyu the last 15 miles to Mawchi are a

stiff climb. There is a PWD bungalow at Mawchi.

6 LOIKAW TO SOLJTHERN SHAN STATES-There are

two alternative routes:1a) Loikaw to Hopong (85 miles) or(b) I"oikaw to Kalaw (105 miles). The latter is a better road.

(a) LOIKAIT TO HOPONG (85 milesFThis road is metalled

and parts show signs of having been surfaced at one time;

6

A IINGSAl{TAU I{ GGV I

r0tKiw

ltw0lle

Bawlaka

II

llgu Hltt Ko -?*(r ! 93') |

l( rrna pyu

O fitturc sTATro]l

However, the condition of the road has deteriorated andat least three hours should be allowed to complete the 85

miles. Hopong is on the main Taunggyi to Loilem Road(see route tV page 5l).(b) LOIKAW TO KALAW (105 miles)-This is a laterite, allweather road. This road forks left from a route 6 miles

out of Loikaw and thereafter passes through wild and

beautiful country which is the homc of the Padaungs,

whose women folk have achieved fame as the 'giraffe

necked' women. There are inspection bungalows at Pekon(25 miles), Piniaung (59 miles) and T'igyit (Bl miles) but no

foob is available. Packed petroi is available from the BOC

agent at Pinlaung.This road joins the main Merktiia io Taunggyi road

between Kalaw and Aungban (see route lVpage49).

66

{ PWD inspection bungalows

67

Route VI

STILWELI, R.OAD TO INDIA

Myitkyina to Ledo ( India )

The road is motorable during all weathers up to Tanai(120 milcs from Myitkyina). Beyond this point, the road has

not been kcpt up and among other hazards there are severalunbridgcd rivers to contend with. A l'ew four-whcel-drivevehicles have got through in reccnt ycars but it is a journeywhich calls for preparation, patience, perseverance and luck.

Mileascs of this road are as follows:0 milcs

32 ,,51

77 ,,86

100 ,,t20 ,,143 ,,163 ,,188 ,,193

212 ,,228 ,, (Burma frontier)26_1

From Ledo, in Assam, there are motorablc roads toDibrugarh, Jorhat, Gologhat, Dirnapur, Gauhati, Shillong,Imphal, Palal and Tarnu.

* Myitkyinai Namti* Lawa

Warazup* Shadazup* Tinkok* Tanai

Yuponga* Shinbwiyang

TagapNarnyungNaunglu

r Fangsan Pass

Ledo

ILsdo \ tPutao

, ;r".'-j-l-i-i-!SUrlAA

SunnPlabum

Mal ngkwa n

S!YITKYINAMogaung

HAM O KyukokKatha a tt

M usetrlo n g Yu

Ku nlo ng

ila mkhaTt!It'oi

::

Kulka

H ssnw I

HSIPAW

A*

LASHIO

& HtLtt{G $TATltll{

69

Route VII

NORTFI WESTERN RO{-ITETO II{DIA

Mandalay - Shwebo - Ye-U - Kalewa - Tamu -Imphal (India )

Mandalay8 Amarapura

13 5 Sagaing7 63 58 Shwebo99 91 86 28 Ye-U

212 2O4 199 141 ll3 Kalewa306 298 293 235 207 94 Tamu (Indo-Burma border)382 374 369 3ll 283 170 76 Irnphal (India)

Those travelling from the south and wishing to a'roid

Mandalay should take the link road to Amarapura whichleaves the main trunk road at MS 3/6 before Mandalay andjoins the Mandalay to Amarapura road at MS 417 ftomMandalay.

The Amarapura to Shwebo road starting from the clocktower in lvfandalay runs south past the Segyo bazaar andArakan pagoda.

AMARAPURA is the centre of the silk weaving industry,

There is a BOC fllling station on the main road.4 miles south of Arnarapura the Ava bridge is reached"

This bridge, which was damaged during the war, has since

been recommissioned and opened to traffic in October 1954

at the following charges:Motor cYcle

lvlotor cycle with side carMotor car or jeeP

Motor car or jeeP with trailerMotor bus or tractor (4-wheeler)

K 1.00K 1.25

K 2.00K 4.00K 5.00

@ nurnc slATlolt

* seo further undet Branch Roads

7l

Motor bus or tractor (6-wheeler)

Trailer attached to bus/tractorK 7.00K 5.00

SAGAII{G - This town lies on the west bank of theIrrawaddy which at this point is bounded by a long scries of,

steep bluffs studded with pagodas. Accomnrotlatiou maybe obtained at the inspection bungalow.

SA,GAING TO SHWEBO (58 rniles) - This road lcavcs

Sagaing through the bazaar where there arc two BOCfilling stations, ard thereafter falls into three sections:

SAGAING TO OHNDAW (15 nriles) - Thc asphaltecl

road surfacc is excellerrt. On reaching Ohndaw keep

straight on for Shwebo. The turning lefl is the direct road toMONYWAVIA, MYINMU, a distance of 57 miles*. A fewrniles out of Sagaing one will see the famous domc-shaped Kaung Hrnu Daw Pagoda on the right.

OHNDAW THROUGH SADAUNG (14 rniles) TOSHWEBO (29 miles) - The entire asphalted road surfaceto Shwebo is in good condition.

SHWEBO contains an inspection bungalow and a circuithouse. Accommodation at the latter is under the controlof the deputy commissioncr. A BOC fllling station issituated on the main road. In the Yadana Theinga AungMye pagoda there is the famous 'Victory Sand'. Therc is

a belief that anyone wishing for success or victory can

have his wishes fulfilled by treading on this sand.

SHWEBO TO Yf,-U (28 miles) via KIN-U. This sectionfollows the old Mu canal bank as far as Kin-U. It isgravelled but very narrow with occasional passing places.On reaching Kin-U, 14 miles from Shwebo, turn sharp leftfor Ye-U.

A bamboo bridge crosses the Mu river at Ye-U duringthe dry weather arrd there is a ferry during the rains.

YE-U TO KALEWA (ll3 miles) - The road is fair weatheronly, passing through thickjungle and a sparsely populated

region. It is advisable to exercis€ care in driving &s even

a small shower in the'hills brings water into the chaungs

and impedes progress.The road falls into the following sections:

YtrrU T'O SHWEKADAW (14 miles) ' Earth surface-

Corrugated and very dusty. A speed of not more than 10 mphcan be maintained. At the cross road of Shwekadaw bear

left for Kaduma. The track road to the right leads toKabo irrigation works,4 miles away.

SFIWEKADAW TO KADUMA (10 miles) - Comrgatedsurface as above, also very dusty. Maximum speed is l0 mph.

KN)UMA TO PYINGAING (38 miles) - A rigbt hand

diversion off the main road starting from 3 miles out ofKaduma has now to be taken following repairs to small

bridges on tho main road. The diversion (earth road) passes

through the villages of Paga, Eine-ma, Yamontaung

and Waingyo on the way to Pyingaing. On this section

unbridged chaungs are crossed and recrossed no less than

thirty times. The descent to these chaungs is steep and there

are causeways consisting of small round logs interlocked to

form a trackway over the sandybeds.

PINGAING TO TIIETKAIGYIN (23 miles) - The roadsur-

face improves to the extent where a rnaximum speed of20 mph can be maintained. A small hili section starts a few

miles out of Pyingaing.

IIIETX.AIGYIN TO SHWEGYIN (?2 miles) - Three hillgections and twenty-two chaung crossings have to be ne-

. gotiated on this sector. The road surface has been improved

to the extent where 20 mph can still be maintained.

SIIWEGYIN TO KALEWA (6 miles) ' The last part oftho journey is by private motor boat ferry which has to be

arranged from MorYwa well atread.

After disemberking at Kalewa the ascent from the

shore is very steep and has to be negotiated with care'

XAI"EWA bas a two-roomed inspection bungalow' The

BOC agent's shop where petrol is available ax-drum is

72

li*

;o,,l:l

:t(lttllirrtl

O+++

RtUtG $tmthoprcd lod

less than * mile distant from the bungalow'

KALEWA TO TAMU $4 miles)' Metalled road in

disrepair. [t follows the Myittha river till .the junction to

i"." f Z miles from Kalewa is reached' At the junction turn

,igii ft. Tamu. Straight on leads to Kalemyo 7 miles awayr'

Tamu, which is on the lndo-Burma frontier' has an inspection

bungalow. There are other inspection bungalows at 36 rniles

unaio miles out of Kalewa on the Tamu road'

iir*,ru To PALEL (47 miles) - This road is in India and

asphalted all the way' Imphal is 29 miles beyond Palel'

r 33s fult[er lunder Branch Roads

7a

Route YII BRANCH ROADS

I Sagaing to MonYwa2 Shwebo to KYaukmyalrng3 Shwebo to Kawlin (via Zigon and Kin-U)4 Zigon to Kabo5 Shwebo to MonYwa6 KalemyotoTiddirn and Falam

I SAGAING TO MONYWA (72 miles) - This route

follows route VII as far as Ohndaw. Turn left at Ohndaw'

This is a metalled all-weather road but it is planned to

surface its entire length in due course.

3* miles beyond Ohndaw the road forks; the right fork

going to Monylva, the left fork going to a small village called

Ywathitgyi. There is a combined rail and road bridge over

the Mrl river at Nyaungbinwin, 12 miles from Ohndaw'

Packed petrol is available from the BOC agent at

Myinmu,2l miles from Ohndaw'Some 12 miles before Monywa an earth road leads off

to the right for about I mile to the Mo Hmyin pagoda which

is worth a visit. Built since the last war, it is chiefly noted for

the hundreds of thousands of images of Buddha which

decorate the interior.MONYWA is the largest town in north Burma after

Mandalay. It is a big cotton-milling centre and is also the

entrepot for traffic to and from the upper Chindwin area'

Arrangem.nts can be made with the IWT to ship vehicles

from here to Kalewa*(the freight of a car being approximately

K-70 ) but it is a slow journey (two days). Between June and

Decernber there are weekly sailings but for the remainder of

of the year sailings may be irregular owing to the low'water

level in the Chindwin.

r see above under Route VIl75

There is an inspection bungalow at Monywa and also

a tsOC fllling station.

2 SHWEBO T0 KYAIXMYAUNG (17 miles) - From

Shrvebo a good road leads to Kyaukmyaung on the west

bank ofthe IrrawaddY.There is a regular Inland Water Transport Board l'erry

service between Kyaukmyaung and Thabeitkyin on which

cars (not trucks) can be shipped on prior application to the

IWTB head of0ce at Mandalay' From Thabeitkyin there is a

.ouanoMogok*andKyaukme.FreightfromKyaukmyaungto Thabeitk-yin is K-25 for jceps and K-50 for cars of l0 hp

and above.

3 SFIWEBO TCI KAWLTN (98 miles) via Kin-IJ and

Zigon.SIIWEBO TO ZIGON (28 miles) via Kin-U'

follows the old Mu canal bank. It is gravelled but very narrow

with only occasional passing places'

At itn-U (half-way point-l4 miles out from Shwebo)

keep straight on for Zigon' The turning left leads to Ye-U

whiie the turning right is a fair weather track to Thinbaungga

6;;tii" ttrateittyin; on the west- bank of the lrrawaddv''-" Th" {brry crtssing from Thinbaungga to Thabeitkyin

is no ionger slaintained'

ZIGON TO KANBALIJ (22 miles) - An old cart track

"od ,urfu"" is bad.The bridges are continually under repair.

KANBALIT TO KAWLIN (48 miles) - A bad track"

It is used only by police and forest officers'

The sections between Zigon and Kawlin are not recom-

mended for general use"

4 ZIGON TO KABO (6 miles) - Frorn Zigon a good

,nJ t.ua, west to Kabo which is the head of the irrigation

works in Shwebo district'

5 SHWEBO TO MONYWA (via Ye'U)-The section

if,*"U" to Ye-U is covered above under the Shwebo to

This section

* 339 fu11|rer undcr route lli' Branch Roads

76

Kalewa section. At Ye'U turn left for Monywa(54 miles)'

The first l0miles are surfaced, the next 24 milesare metalled

and the remaining 20 miles to Monywa are surfaced' It isexpected that the whole road will be surfaced in due course'

O ffLnUyO TO TIDDIM AND FALAM - There is a

metalled road (in disrepaii) from Kalewa to Kalemyo (24

nriles). Fork left at MS 1?; the right fork goes to Tarnu and

Imphal. Packedpetrol isavailable from the BOC agent at

Kalemyo. There is an inspection bungalow here'

This is a fair weather earth road subjected to landslides

in the rains. 9 miles after leaving Kaiemyo the foot of the

Chin Hills is reached at a place whose name derives from the

last war, the Second Stockade. The First Stockade starls

trom Pyinthazeik on the Myittha river some 18 miles up-

river from Kalewa.From the Second Stockade the road climbs

steeply to the Third Stockade (3,000 feet), a distance of5* miles. After 8 miles of further steep climbing the Junction

Point (6,0@ feet) is reached. The road to the right leads to

Tiddim (24 miles) and the road to the left goes to Falam(42 miles) and to Haka (an additonal46 miles).tsRANCH ROAD TO TIDDIM - This road goes windingalong the mountainside via Fort White (7,758 l-eet) and

Kennedy Peak (8,871 feet) to Tiddim which is 24* miles fromthe Junction Point and 47 miles from Kalemyo. The mountainscenery is magnificent. There is a P!ilD bungalow at FortWhite and at Tiddim which is a large trading centre for the

Chin Hills.'From Tiddim the earth road continues to Tonzang

the terminal point 261 miles further on. There are petrolpoints at Kalemyo and Tiddim'BRANCTI ROAD TO FAII\M-This is equally nnaCni-

ficent for its alpine s@nery, the road passing throughbeautiful pine forests. I I miles from the Junction Point thefust PWD bungalow is reached, called Bamboo camp.

fuiother 11 miles further is Pine Tree canp, where the PWD$ungalow.ovedooks a picturesque stretchof pine forests

along the steep mountain sides. 8 miles further is the bigvillage of Lumbang and, thereafter, the road descends

sharply to Var camp at the foot of the Manipur River' The

rivei is now bridged, the road ascending steeply thereafter

to Falam (12 miles distant)which is the Divisional headquar-

ters of the Chin tlills special division and the residence both

of the commissioner and the deputy commisioner for the

Northern Chin Hills district. There is a PWD bungalow at

Falam and packed petrol is available from the BOC dealer'

Beyond Falam a newly constructed earth road leads to

Haka, the terminal point, 46 miles away' The alternative

route by the old British mule track which diverts from the

newly constructed road just B miles out of Falam is shorter

(34miles)butthis route is treacherously steep and narrcw

in parts. There is a PWD bungalow at Haka'

7E79

Route YIII

THE SOUTHERN TRUNK ROAD

Rangoon - Moulnein -Tavoy-Mergui

At the time of writing security conditions, although steadilyirnproving, are still uncertain over considerable sectionsof this route.

Rangoon50 Pegu (via Zayatkwin)72 22 Waw88 38 16 SittanglO4 54 32 16 Kyaikto145 95 73 57 4l Thaton184 134 ll2 96 80 39 Martaban187 137 ll5 99 83 42 3 Moulmein (bv ferrv)227 177 155 139 123 82 43 40 (Thanbvuzavat)

284 234 212 196 180 139 100 97 57 Ye

384 334 312 296 28A n9 200 r97 tJ? lC.rl Tavoy

459 409 357 3,11 355 3i4 275 272 232 175 75 Palauk

484 434 412 396 380 339 3OO 297 25'1 200 100 25 Palaw

539 489 467 451 435 394 355 352 ll2 255 155 80 55 Mergui

The road from Rangoon to Pegu has already been

described on Pag€s ll to 14.

For those travelling to Waw, the Mandalay trunk road

should be taken to Payagyi (about l0 miles north of Pegu)

whence a surfaced road runs east to Waw' ll miles distant.

There is a PWD bungalow at Waw but no food. Althoughthere is a fair weather track across the paddy fields from Wawto the westbankofthe Sittang river-a distance of l6 miles,

motorists proceeding further east than Waw are advised toput their cars on the train at Pegu.

Advice should be given to the station master at Pegu

or Sittang at least two days beforehand so that a car wagon

can be placed in readiness at the loading ramp in the goods

yerd. The c:lr can then be loaded immediately and arrange-

(

ments rnade for hitching the wagon to the Sittang train'

pf"""" see the railway timetable for train timings and

charges. (A railway ferry service operates across the river' details

of which are available at Pegu railway station'-- *o* is progressing to replace the road and rail bridge

acr6ss the Sit-tang at thi; point which was destroyed in 1942'

From Sittang east oa-nk a surfaced road passes througb

Mokpatin to KYaillo (16 miles)'

KYAlrTo.HerethereisaPWDbungalowbutthisisoccupied at present by the Army'

^At about I nile from

iattil" on ih" Thaton road a surfaced road leads north

*rl ro Kinmumsakhan (9 miles) and from there a footpath

,o tl" famous Kyaik+i-yo pagoda' 8 miles distant' This

pngoa" is about 15 feet high and built on a huge round

foirU"r, which is perched on the edge of a precipitous

cliff.From Kyaikto to Bilin bridge (19 miles) there is a good

surfaced roai which runs straight to lvlartaban, but care

Jould be taken while crossing narrow plank bridges'

BILINBBIDGE-About 19 miles from Kyaikto a surfaced

road lcads north to Bilin, 2 miles distant' At Bilin there is

a PWD bnngalow,but this at present occupied by the Army'

BILIN BRTDGE TO'MARTABAN (61 miles) - From

Bilin bridge there is a good surfaced road passing through

Thcinzeik, Thaton, Zingyuk and Paung' The waterfalls at

Zingyaikxre worth a visit duringthe rains'

MARTABAN - A ferry service is maintained between

Martaban and Mouhrein by the I\MTB' Motorists are advised

to give at least one day's notice to the ferry agent'

The timings are as below.

llflartaban - DePart

6.30 arn8,00 am1.00 pm

9.30 am

t1.15 am3,30 pm

frLLrt{G 5TATl0}t

Roads under conltruction@

pc ctt

8l

Moulmein - DePartYe over an all-weather metalled road. The section betweenThanbyuzaya-t and Lamaing is being repaired and is expected

to be molorable soon.l'he PWD bungalow at Ye is occupied by the Army.There is a ferry service over the Ye chaung' the charge

being K-30 pcr ve hicle.

YE TO TAVOY (100 milcs) - Some of'thelinest scenery

in Burma lics between Ye and Tavoy. The country is moun-

tainous in parts and the road runs for many miles through

dense fores{s. Thc surface of the road from Ye to Tavoy isfairly good and passable throughout the year' After the first

l3 miles, which are practically level, the road climbs toMahlweta,ung (MS l616). At this place, on the border ofAmherst and Tavoy districts, thcre is a pleasantly situated

PWD bungalow. At this point thc milestones count fiom the

Tavoy cnd. From Mahlwetaung the road dbscends to the

Tavoy River over which there is a bridge at Kaleinaung

chaung, 46 miles north of TavoY.

TAVOY - Therc is a circuit house but it is difficult toobtain accommodation as it is generally occupied byGovernment officials. Accommodation is easier to get at the

municipal rest house which is newly built and clean. Packed

petrol is available from the BOC agent. There are regular

flights by Union of Burma Airways between Tavoy andRangoon.

l0 miles out of Tavoy there is a very pleasant beach atMaungmagan*.

There are a number of tin and wolfram mines in theTavoy area but, at the time of writing. only small scale

cxtraction is taking Place.

TAVOY TO MERGUI (155 miles) - This road ismeralledand is passable throughout the year. The last 91 milesfrom Kwegu ferry to Mergui are surfaced. For the first 60

miles of this road there is particularly fine scenery'

5.24 anr1.34 am8.30 am

10.15 am

12.00 ltoolt2.3O pm5.00 pm

Salooncarsarecarricdacrossforachargeo|K20eachway.

NIOULMEIN is the third largest town tn Burtna and

ir rituut.a on the east bank ofthe Salween river' [t is the ccntre

of a big rice-growing clistrict and its main industry ls saw

*iriingl rhcre is also a Govcrnment pottery factory at

Mup.irr, outside the iown, which is worth.a visit '

There ale four fine pagodas on a ridgc overlooking the

town. From the ridge ttrcre is a ve ry good vicw of thc torvn

and its harbour'Accomn.rodation and food are availablc at the circuit

house on application to the deputy commissioner' Board

and lodging is also available at the Victory Hotel on Pagoda

Road.There are two BOC filling stations in the lown'

MOULMEIN TO fgl'r'U-YUZAYAT (40 mrlcs) - A

,""J rtrf".ccl road runs between Moulmein and Than-

"Uy"r"t"t t ih.r" i' a PWD br'rngalow herc but this is occupied

at present by the Army' Jusioutside the town there is an

lmperial War Graves Ctmmission cemctery where iie buried

*"'"V "itft"te who died during the construct ion of the Burma

to Thailand rarlway' At Thanbyuzayat turn left for Ye as the

road straigirt on runs west to AMHERS'I (Kyaikamt)'

a pleasant seaside '*tt'''' l5 miles distant'-1 here is a PWD

;,il;* here and sancly beacl.rcs sttitable fol sea |rathtng at

certain limes oi' tne year' Visitors to Amherst arc also re-

comnrencled to vrslt ihe Ye-iai-t'aya shrine which rs otl a

PrornontorY' -.:r^-,ilrflr...gvuzAYAT TO YE (.57 nriles) - This road rs

not at present motorable ancl the only wa-v to gct a :"1:"",::

is to put it orr the trairr from ThanbyLrzayat to Lamalng

whence it is possible to nlotor the remaming 23 miles to

82

t see further under Branch RoadsE3

Ye

M ahl wal a ung

o

Its

finiilcn.ongmyingYi

yitta

azunchaungav0l

s

%{"r(+" s$

$)

q)alav

)t

\9

Kanb

KA

Maungmagan

Zalu

8AYOF

8EilGAL

U"sx 85

The milestone system numbers from Tavoy to Et-Et(MS 67) where the Tavoy to Mergui boundary is crossed" ./Thence MS B? backwards to MS 0 at Mergui. f

There are four major ferry crossings on this route at:

Palauk chaung (MS 84/4) charge for small cars K l0l-Pyicha chaung (MS ?0) charge for small cars K l0/-Falaw chaung (MS 56) charge for small cars K l0/-Tamok to Kwegu (MS 1614 to MS 10/3) ,' ,, K 35/-

This last ciossing cuts out 5 miles of the road journey.

All these crossings have to be negotiated with great car€

durmg the monsoon and delays must be expected at thistimeof jrear as crossings can only be made at certain states of the

tide. Advance notice must be given to the Tamok to Kwegu

ferry.Ttre only inspection bungalow dn this road is at Palaw

(MS 55 from lvfergui) and this is at present occupied by the

Army.MERGUI - Accomrnodation can be obtained at the

circuit house on application to the deputy Cornmissioner

and food is available.Packed petrolisavailable from the BOC agent.

There are regulat flights by UBA between Mergui and

Rangoon.th*t* ute a number of rubber plant&tions in the vicinity

of Mergui.There are no motorable roads south and east of

Mergui, and tlere is therefore no means of entry into

Thailand by road from this direction.

Route VIII BRANCH ROADS

There are various motorable roads leading oll thc Southerntrunk road. These are as follows and brief descriptions aregiven ofeach:

I Bilin Bridge to Papun2 Bilin to Taungzun3 Thaton to Pa-an to Hlaingbwe4 Moulmein to Kawkereik to Myawaddy5 Moulmein to Kyaikmarayy5 Tavoy to Maungmagan7 Tavoy to Kyaukmedaung to Myitta8 Tavoy to Zalut

75 miles8 miles

48 miles124 milesl6 milesl0 miles

34! miles38 miles

I BILIN BRIDGE TO PAPUN ( 76 miles ) - Because ofinsurgency in the area this road has not been in use fbr manyyears and no indication can be given of when it will again beopen for traffic.2 BILIN TO TAUNGZUN (8 miles) - A laterite all-weather road with bridges in a poor state of repair. It is notyet considered safe for civilian traffic.3 THATON TO PA-AN AND IILNNGBWE (48 rniles)-A partly metalled and partly surfaced road lvhich is againnot yet considered safe for civilian traffic. Before reachingPa-an, the capital of the Karen State, the Salween River hasto be crossed by a ferry.4 MOULMf,IN TO KAWKAREIK AND ]VTYAWADDY(Thai border) - (124 miles). This road is not at present openright through to civilian traffic and none of the car ferriesbeyond Kawkareik is operating. There is a possibility thatthis road will bc rcopcncd in due course.5 MOULMEIN TO KYAIKMARAW (16 miles) - Thissurfaced road branches left off the Moulmein to Thanbyu-zayat road 2| miles out of Moulmein. f,yaikmaraw is on thebanks of the Ataran river.

86

6 TAVOY TO MAUNGMAGAN ( l0 miles) - About 2*

miles from the town there is a ferry across the Tavoy river(fare K 5 each way) to Kamayagin. A metalled road runs for

1

?l miles to the beach at Maungmagan which has a beautiful I

sandy stretch 5 miles in length where there is cxcellentbathing. There are two FWD bungalows but these are liable

to be occupied by officers who have a prior right to their use.

The executive engineer, Tavoy, can give information re-

garding these burrgalows, and his pcrmission for their use

must be obtainecl.

? TAVOY TO KYAUKMEDAUNG TO MYITTA(34i miles) AND WAZUNCHAUNG (421 miles) This is a

hilly road with many bends and travels througlt a tin ntiningarea. The road surface is surlaccd at MS 31/6' l0 milcs frotnTavoy a road branches north Lo Hermyirrgyi, a large wolframrnining area. From Tavoy to Kyaukrnddaung is 28 miles, and

there is an inspection bungalow here. At MS 3l/6 there is afork, the road to the east leading to Myitta otr the Tertasscrim

river at the confluence of thc Ban and Karnaungtl'twe

chaungs. The road turning south at thc fork lcads toWazunchaung (MS 45/5) whcre therc is pleasantly located

inspection bungalow. 200 yards from this bungalow is a hotmineral spring.

After the Myitta to Wazunchaung fork at MS 36/6

on the Wazunchaung road a road leads west to Heinda,a large tin rnining centre with a hydro-electric plant.

8 TAVOY TO ZALUf (38 miles) - From Kamyawginon the west bank of the Tavoy River a metalled roadruns down a peninsula to Zalut throughLaunglon(MS l4),Lower Yegyu (MS 20) and Thayettaw (MS 32) which are

centres of the salt trade. After passing Launglon at MS 15

a road connects with Sanhlan on the coast.

E?