Our first part of the journey lands us in a place called chauk. With no other way of getting to Saw, and no one willing to give us a free ride, we reside for the night. After checking numerous places, none of which take foreigners, we were offered to stay in the police station. After deliberating with the officers for a while they eventually granted us a permit to stay in one of the hostels. For $2 a night we could hardly complain.
The following morning we got on one of the local buses to Saw, where we would have to change for Kampalet, our final destination.
Now, there are a few things you need to remember when travelling around Myanmar.
1. Buses are hardly ever on time
2. Your 3 hour journey could very well turn into an 8 hour journey, unannounced.
And 3. You will be crammed in like a tin of sardines.
All three of these were to materialise on this particular trip. We met some lovely women on the bus. A woman in front of us sharing her tasty Myanmar treats and two teachers who lived in Saw sat behind us.
After about 8 hours (yep) on the bus we were nearing our second destination, Saw.
However, before that had the chance to happen we were discontinuing another bus and making the transition, grabbing our bags off the roof and making a run for our bus to Kampalet. When we reached Kampalet it was dark, fresh and at 4000ft there were a multitude of stars bright in the sky. We checked in to a family run place with a restaurant next door. At such short notice, with the Myanmar hospitality never failing to amaze, they cook us a fresh meal of rice, egg and vegetables. Sleepy from the bus journey, we settled in for the night to the smell of a crackling fire and the sounds of acoustic harmonies outside our cabin.

As the sun rose the next morning, we caught a glimpse of the crimson sky from our shutter windows. Breakfast was a treat, a delicious rice pancake filled with sweet yellow lentil Dahl. We went off exploring through the mountains. After a few hours trekking and some breath taking scenery, we hiked uphill back to our village for some well deserved lunch at our local/ the only restaurant. The place was a family affair with the mum, the aunty and the daughter Nay Leh, who spoke really good English, running the show. The food was simple but delicious, fresh stir fried vegetables, fried fish and obligatory rice.
Walking around the town later we met a guy who was informing us of the bus times for our departure to Mandalay the next morning. He showed us around a pagoda, and took us for a rooftop beer. Not so long after this his father in law (or so he hoped one day) and minister of all community projects in Kampalet joined us.

We were curious as to why the older generation of Chin woman have their faces covered in tattoos. The story is astounding. The king, who resided in Bagan some years ago, used to visit Chin people. He thought the woman were beautiful, so he took them and married them against their will. When he was finished with that wife he would go back and take another, this continued for many years. So, as an act of revolt, the men would tattoo their women's faces so that the king would no longer want them. In recent generations this is no longer necessary. However, their are still a few women from the older generation who have the tell tale signs that the king was very much a treat to them not so long ago.

With beers flowing, courtesy of the minister, we all had our turn in the spotlight to serenade the table and offer a little bit of what we were about to the group. The two Myanmar guys sang a traditional chin song, Alex singing an Italian Classic, April and Liam busting out a rap, Charlie reaching those high notes of the Aretha Franklins classic freedom, and me winding down with reggae vibes.

After dinner the mood is chilled. The electricity turns off around 9, so there isn't a chance of any parties, listening to natures lullaby whilst reading a book was enough for the 5 of us as our time in chin state comes to an end.
With thanks and goodbyes exchanged the next morning we made it on to a bus headed to Mandalay. The bus ride sent us through a labyrinth of dirt roads, weaving in and out of tiny villages, giving us further insight of what this once before foreigner free state has to offer.