We are now in Hsipaw - which is as far north as tourists are allowed to go in Myanma at the moment. We came by train - which is the slowest form of transport in the country but oh so enjoyable.

Yesterday armed with our passports we reported to the train station to buy our first class ticket- to be told they were sold out and we would have to go ordinary class. We paid our 1700 kyatts (80p) and hoped for the best - which was good because that is what we got.

The train arrived on time - a miserable American said it can be 2 hours late. Three more carriages were added and in we climbed to see wooden seats and no glass in the window. Great - seats were cooler than the plastic ones and no glass meant easier photos.

Our travelling companions fell asleep - until a mouse ran over his foot and made him jump a mile which woke his wife as well. The mouse was a constant entertainment for the whole journey. Can I just say that the train - including loo - was clean and litter free.

The reason tourists go on this train is the viaduct - built by the British ages ago it is an engineering masterpiece. We first saw it three loops before we actually crossed it - the train had to curve round getting lower and closer with each turn.

Speaking as a person who doesn’t care for rail journeys, this was great.

Day ended with a thunderstorm- good as it is very dusty.