Day 5: Christmas on the Road to Mandalay

Today's ride was a 100km journey through more of the picturesque Shan countryside that we cycled though the previous day.    Again, we passed though many villages where the children gathered by the roadside to wave at us as we rode by.  We encountered several avenues of eucalyptus trees along the  route, which apparently had been planted by the government.

At this point I should say a word or two about the roads in Myanmar.  Many of these are still dirt tracks, made of packed mud, which are fine for cycling, if somewhat bumpy. Then we have roads where they have attempted to lay a more substantial stone and gravel surface.  These may be smoother than the dirt tracks, but the loose gravel means that there is virtually no traction if you need to stand on your pedals to get up a hill. On at least one occasion I suffered from wheelspin, and being cleated in to my pedals, this results in falling sideways in an undignified heap.  Then we have sealed roads where the surface was at one time smooth and in one piece, but is now full of ruts and potholes, which makes travelling at any reasonable speed a very bumpy experience. And finally, there are the roads that are actually undergoing construction.  We have to weave amongst the swarms of local labourers (mostly women) who are painstakingly placing individual stones onto the foundations of what will eventually become the road.

The final leg of the day was a 20km descent from the Shan hills down to the Mandalay plain.  This was a spectacular and exhilarating ride involving all of the road surfaces described above, requiring 100% concentration all the way down so as to avoid the numerous hazards. But a great feeling once we got to the bottom.

The day was rounded off by a sort of Christmas party hosted by the manager of  Grasshopper's Myanmar office, complete with turkey, cake, and party crackers.