Waking up to perfect blue skies (30degC and rising at 8am) I planned to get out and make the most of my last few hours in Hsipaw. However, due to the slow connection it took me ALL MORNING to book my flight to Malaysia. They say here that “www” stands for “wait…….wait…….wait” – which is fair enough, as Wi-Fi since Yangon has been reliably, dependably, awful. The people here use telephones, snail mail (usually passed hand-to-hand by bus), word of mouth and a funny network of questionably accurate timetables embedded in the memories of the local “bus gurus” to get information and people from A to B, and whilst it works great when you’re within the country, it makes it very hard to leave.

Following the flight-booking fiasco and with a couple of hours to kill before our buses (I’m outta here, Clara’s got more to do in Myanmar) we figured we’d hire a motorbike and get to a nearby waterfall for a cool-off dip in the now comically-intense sunshine. The hostel advised we leave the motorbike near a monastery and hike 45 minutes to the falls, but we really didn’t have time for that, so decided to take the motorbike along the hiking path. Technically allowed, but to cut it short – more near-death experiences to add to the list:

 As with most of the sprawling municipalities in Myanmar, there’s a big stinking rubbish heap just outside the town. The people here have spent their entire lives comfortably throwing all waste out of the back window and letting it degrade, but unfortunately that doesn’t work with plastic, metal and glass and the whole country is choking under the mix of old habits and new materials:

Some time around the 39th  near-death experience, a cloud of butterflies exploded in front of us, making the whole thing so much less stressful. In fact, in reflection, it was all great.

Besides, we did make it to the waterfall in great time, and what a fall it was:

By now we were pretty clued in on what to do – GET IN!

It was definitely the most intense of the waterfalls I’ve seen here. In the rainy season, the cascades take no prisoners, the volume of water is utterly staggering:

Still, some spots make for an awesome shoulder massage:

We also found a rainbow having a swim in the fall with us!

Reluctantly leaving the cool waters, we descended the muddy steps, jumped back onto the bike and took a deep breath in preparation for the return journey.

Despite a couple of issues with the bike’s brakes (apparently when the front brake jams on it makes riding a bike pretty tricky) we did get back to Hsipaw in time for Roti, pineapple, and our booked bus transfers:

In case you’re wondering, this is what an “official bus station” looks like in Myanmar:

I’d booked the bus back to Yangon to take my flight out of Myanmar – to Penang. Although she suggested that she’d be coming to Malaysia at some point, saying goodbye to Clara in Hsipaw was saddening – it’s the people you meet that make travelling experiences unique.

We’d had a great few days exploring Myanmar and trekking together. Asia is a melting pot of wide-eyed adventure seekers from all over the planet… so whilst you’re sure to genuinely get along with almost everyone you meet, you’re unlikely to see them again, for a long time, if ever…