Bhamo Myanmar
Myanmar
Frequently Asked Questions
In the heart of Kachin State, in the north of the country, with hills as a backdrop. Bhamo is the northern terminus of Irrawaddy cruises, and China's Yunnan province begins a few dozen kilometres away.
Through the Irrawaddy defiles upstream of the town, where forested walls some three hundred metres high drop straight into the brown water. After days of flat banks, the verticality is striking.
No, and that is precisely its appeal. It is a trading post, active for centuries on the route between the Irrawaddy and Yunnan; its dirt streets line up warehouses, repair shops and stores.
The morning market first, then the Theindawgyi and Shwe Kyina pagodas, and a walk along the bank. The surroundings lend themselves to short strolls out to riverside hamlets.
Its crossroads position. Pyramids of vegetables, river fish, bales of cloth, tea from the hills: the stalls mix the Burmese world, Kachin communities and Chinese traders, and visitors remain a rarity here.
Its gilded stupas rise above the town's roofs, and tradition holds that it enshrines a tooth relic of the Buddha. The surrounding area is thought to match the site of an ancient Shan city mentioned in the early centuries of our era.
Yes, and it is surprising for a town this size: old Catholic churches inherited from the missions and Chinese temples with upturned roofs round out the religious landscape.
Yes, the town is small and the welcome is one of quiet curiosity. Streets are often unpaved, so closed shoes are the better choice.
The kyat, in small notes. There is no reliable banking infrastructure for visitors: bring your cash before the call.
Barges loaded to the waterline, dugouts from neighbouring villages and fishermen hauling in their nets. Sitting a while to watch that peaceful traffic is one of the real pleasures of the call.
