I was pretty pagoda-d out by the time I left Bagan. I said goodbye to Ulrich, who when I left, was curled up in bed with suspected food poisoning. Rather him than me. Obviously I gave him a lot of sympathy, wished him well and promptly left the infected zone for my bus! It was roughly a five hour journey to Mandalay. I was half tempted to skip it all together, having heard stories from people who had been there, but it felt wrong skipping the former capital so decided to stopover for a night. In all fairness there wasn't a great deal to do but I liked it. Away from the temples, pagodas and tourists, it was interesting to see normal Burmese going about their daily business. The cooler temperatures I had been seeking weren't found in Mandalay. It was into the 40's again and bright sunshine for the duration of my stay. Hostels seemed hard to come by but I stayed at Yoe Yoe Lay's Homestay, a friendly place that had a very laid back atmosphere. From the hostel, they lent me a motorbike for me to explore the city in the cool of the evening. I managed to catch a great sunset on one of the old wooden bridges that crossed the Irrawaddy and then on my way back, stumbled across a locals' bar showing the rugby. Over a few beers and some good food, I sat with with the locals cheering on the Japanese every time they got close to the Scots' try line.

The next morning the guys from the Homestay helped to plan the next part of my trip. Starting with getting to my next stop, Pyin Oo Lwin. Apparently there's two ways of getting there; a local pick-up truck or an air conditioned taxi. The last thing I wanted was a 2 hour ride, crammed into the back of an already full pick-up, in 40 something degree heat. As it turns out my Burmese isn't that great and through a misunderstanding, the pick-up was what I got. I was dreading it at first but it turned out to be one of the best journeys I've had. The pick up was terrible and I've probably shortened my life by a few years from breathing in the thick black smoke that came from the exhaust every time the truck accelerated but the roads and the landscapes were staggering. Childish or not, it was the same boyhood excitement of riding in the trailer when Dad and I would go to find some logs. The locals, packed in like sardines, marvelled at the fact there was a westerner in their pick-up. I was treated as though I was someone important and was offered a selection of their drinks, cigarettes and vegetables in exchange for photographs. I was grateful for their hospitality. A pick up became one of my favourite ways to travel, coming second only to my motorbike which is still sadly missed. It's also one of the cheapest, costing just 1500Kyat (75p) to get from Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin.

At long last I had found an escape from the stifling heat or Mandalay. Even though I arrived at lunchtime, the difference in temperature was immediately noticeable. Pyin Oo Lwin is set within the foothills of the northern Shan province. It was originally used by the British colonials as a summer capital during the hottest months. Founded by British Captain May and subsequently also known as Maymyo (myo means town in Burmese). The British influence is still prevalent today- spread through the valley are British-era country mansions. Some have been turned into really quite nice hotels, the rest on the other hand, are looking a bit ramshackle and tired. Another indicator are the horse-drawn miniature wagons that serve as local transport. I met the owner of one of them, a man named Ugdoo, who was keen to tell me the history of his particular cart. It was made in 1885 in England, shipped to India where his father brought it, then in 1914 his father brought it into Burma- presumably drove it and it's still going today. He was serious when he told me it wasn't the original horse.

The hotel I checked into, kindly offers bike rental at a very low cost. Unfortunately the bike they set me up with was a bright purple ladies bike and had dropped frame (so as I maintain my dignity when getting on and off). It even had a little basket on the front. I spent most of my first day peddling around town looking particularly cool, as you can probably imagine. Wanting to ditch the bike pretty quickly, my first stop was the National Kandawgyi Gardens. Created in 1924, it's 176 acre site modelled on Kew Gardens. To compete the look, they even had the Latin names under each variety of plant which I'm sure are put there just to confuse people. I wouldn't say it's as good as Kew but the immaculate gardens were still pretty impressive.

The next morning over breakfast in the guesthouse, I met a Canadian and a Dane who were both travelling Burma alone. I'm not sure if it was the relief of an English-speaker or whether we were all lonely but quickly decided to team up for the day to explore the nearby waterfall. I didn't dare suggest hiring push bikes and luckily they approved of motorbike idea that I suggested. Not being as straight forward as we'd first imagined, we eventually found the waterfall which was in the middle of nowhere. It was a short hike down into the valley where we found some plunge pools and enjoyed the well needed bathing time. After such a strenuous afternoon's activity, we found a colonial style resort named 'The View', in search of a beer. As the name suggests the views were breathtaking- we sipped our beers admiring the waterfall, carving it's way down hundreds of metres of hillside, that we had just been swimming in and the surrounding mountains that dwarfed the resort.

Regrettably, I will be leaving tomorrow, on the 8 o'clock train to Hsipaw. I can't say I'm looking forward to leaving this place. Maybe it's the cooler climate, the amazing scenery, the great food or the good company but I've loved it here. I just hope my next destination follows suit.