21 July
IT would be unbelievable for others to take a six-day trip in which the first day is by car and the remaining five days was hiking over some 10 mountains in the rain.
I woke up at 8 am on the 7th June in Putao, Kachin State, and was ready to set off on the trip. I knew that there were also some young female teachers in our group to hike to Khaunglanphu, which is located 4680 ft above sea level.
Before I left Yangon for Putao, I was excited to see snow-capped mountains in Putako and the natural beauty of this region. Also, in the mountains in this region the Maykha and Malikha rivers originate, before they join to form the mighty Ayeyawady River.
“I don’t exactly know the distance by car. But, it takes about eight hours by car for the first leg of the trip. The trip is very harsh. There are many ups and downs, twists and turns,” said the driver.
I hiked with five media persons, one officer from the Putao Township Education Office, three junior assistant teachers, drivers and a mechanic, totalling 12.
While the car was crossing the Putao plane, we enjoyed the green environment and ethnic houses, before we arrived in Machanbaw.
In the evening, we arrived at a camp named Ngalon-dan. We spent one night there and started hiking the next morning to Khaunglanphu.
The road we drove was completed two years ago, said Ko Sar Hu Di, the driver.
The first mountain we climbed was the Sunlutchat Mountain, which is nearly 8000 ft high.
“Oh! The mountains are so high,” I heard a teacher whisper.
Walking in the mud and under the rain is not an easy job, even in the plain. But, we did it while climbing a mountain. I sympathized with the young teacher who re-ceived two months training after graduation and decided to teach children in a far-flung area.
While I was wondering about the young teachers’ determination to educate children, I heard the sound of collapse.
“Landslide,” said one. Yes. It happened about 200 yards from us. It means we narrowly escaped the land-slide, which killed two people last year.
We needed to walk three more days with ascending and descending mountains to reach Khaunglanphu.
Some teachers cried in forests of spines. But, they have determined to teach children and they consoled themselves thinking about the future of the children.
We later passed through villages of Lisu and Rawan ethnic people and we stopped there.
“How far the area is that we must walk, and how tired we are, but we must do our duty,” was the pledge we all made.
By Myint Maung Soe
Translated by Nat Ye Hla
