The Rawang Lay

Peaceful putao

The eastern and the Himalayas come to an end in the northern part of Myanmar. There, 219 miles north of Myitkyina at an altitude of 1300 to 1800 feet above sea level, is a plain stretching 15 miles from north to south and 25 miles from east to west. The land has many streams, springs and a few rivers so it has sufficient water and abundant fish.

The town of Putao is there, a peaceful, pretty place protect by high, icy peaks. It was once a military outpost for the colonial British know as Fort Hertz and even that harsh-sounding name could not take away its beauty.

Mt Hkakabo razi, the highest peak in Southeast Aisa at 19,316 feet, is 180 miles away from Putao. It is in a remote region, with Tahawn Dam being the nearest village. This peak was only conquered for the first time in 1996 by Japanese mountaineer Takashi Ozaki, along with his Kachin guide Nyama Jonseng. Nearby Mt Phungan razi is only 9,900 feet hight and more accessible

These mountains are the only ice-capped peaks in Southeast Asia, and the fact symbolises the diversity of Myanmar which ranges from this icy region to dry plain, cool plateaus, thick forests, vest fertile fields and white sand beaches. From their northern most spot the mountains look upon the far south, a country of harmony within diversity.

This northern region is paradise for scientists, for rare orchids, herbs, butterflies and animals dwell in the 1,472 square mile Mount Hkakabu razi national Park, which was established in 1998 with the help of the Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo in the United States. The park area is one of the most biologically diverse regions in Southeast Asia, a transition zone where tropical lowland Indo Malayan species overlap with upland Sino-Himalayan species.

Mt Phungan razi is also known as the watershed of the wide Nam Lang stream, which flows into the Malikha River near Machanbaw, Kachin State. It lies about 6 day’s walk from Putao and many trainee mountaineers made their first attempts here. It has often been ascended by individuals and members of theMyanmar Hiking and Mountaineering Federation. Orchid researchers and collectors are especially keen to go up Mt Phungan razi up to where the ice begin to from, for the country to discovery new orchid species or find rare ones.

The people of Myanmar who live near jungle areas have long used medicinal roots and plants that are highly effective, yet undiscovered by western pharmaceutical companies. One of them, called ma shaw (Euonymus kachinensis prain) is considered a cure-all. It is not rare but its properties are powerful and it is frequently used by traditional Rawang (Kachin) medicine practitioners living in the area. Another plant is the bitter root Kha tauk ( ring kar ) Coptis teeta wall, which is used for hypertension. One fungus that is known only as ye gai tauk (ice mushroom ) is good for digestive problems or as an antidote for poison. Artemesia annua is known by various local names and is taken by people suffering from malaria.

During summer the valleys burst out in a rainbow of colours from the wildflowers that carpet the ground. In this fertile land with crisp and pure air, fruits and vegetables flourish bountifully, including juicy and sweetly tart grapefruits. The clear streams and rivers are home to black-skinned fish that are simply called ice fish because they thrive in frigid waters. The flesh is succulent and tender, an exquisite taste for the locals that city restaurants cannot offer.

The region is populated by several subgroups of the Kachin (Jiang Hpaw ) including Rawang and Lisu They have separate villages with different customs and languages but live with good will between them. In Putao the clean, wide roads are lined with cosy houses, with garden walls built using stacked river stones. Wild creepers grow from the cracks and flowering bushes cluster at the gates. Mothers sit on open verandas, singing to babies, swirling rice in bamboo trays to remove the chaff, or knitting woolen hats for their families.

The Mulashidi Stream that flows near Putao is crystal clear and icy cold, the waters rippling gently over round stones. The rope bridge over the stream is the pride of Putao., And from there one can see far into the distance of the blue hills. Women and children wash clothes and bathe under the warm afternoon sun, splashing drops of water into the air that sparkle like diamonds. Morning and evening , villagers in their traditional costumes pass across the rope bridge carrying baskets of goods or firewood. The morning market is busy every day as people gather to shop for fresh vegetables, fruits and meat as well as honey, mushrooms, herbal leaves and roots collected from the forests.

There are many villages around Putao and one of the biggest is Upper Shvn Gong, about 14 miles away, where some families use hydroelectric power to run their generators, the same as in a few other area villages such as Wasan Dam and Ziya Dam. The people walk on swaying rope or bamboo bridges, trek for miles over hills to their farms, spend hours picking mushroom in the jungles and brave the cold weather but they remain contented and proud, happy to welcome stranger and friend alike to the land they love.

Scientists and mountaineers as well as trekker and nature lovers find Putao and the surrounding areas a fascinating place for fun, for making new friends, for research and for the sheer joy of being on this beautiful piece of land.