Bright and early at 7.20am we took a bike-tuk-tuk to the station in Pyin Oo Lwin. Like many buildings in the town, it’s of colonial build, and it seems it hasn’t really been updated since:

With only two trains a day and costing <$3 for an upper-class ticket along the popular stretch to Hsipaw, the posh carriage of this train is practically entirely filled with tourists. In fact, there were more tourists in this carriage than I’d seen in the whole of Burma, and I was slightly concerned it was all a big trap to pile us off a bridge and get rid of us all in one go. They even had to add an extra carriage to contain us all:

The train leaves daily at 8am (having departed Mandalay at 4am!) and moves at less than 20km/h, taking the best part of a day to get from Pyin Oo Lwin to Hsipaw. Be prepared for a slightly bumpy ride, as you deal with the combination of ancient, rock-riddled track and worn-out suspension that seems most effective when maxed out to the left. One person we spoke to reported totally derailing, which must have been fun. The views from the window (left side is best in that direction) keep you entertained the whole way, and the frequent village stops are great for a quick stretch of the legs and some impulse buying of cold noodles, chicken feet and my personal favourite roadside snack; a whole pineapple. Impractical, but incredibly juicy and tasty.

There was one stop which we believe was made entirely to enable people to observe this view:

Undoubtedly the highlight, the train crosses the Goteik bridge – the tallest viaduct in Myanmar. At the time of completion, it was also the longest railway bridge in the world! First the wooden one, now this! Nice one Myanmar.

Trundling over this huge steel framework in a carriage which felt unstable at 20km/h on solid earth really brings a terrifying and inspiring perspective to the already incredible valley:

I set up my action cam and took a little timelapse to show you too!:

Aside from being a really chilled out and relaxing experience with surprisingly comfortable seats, the bridge is one of the main reasons tourists take the train on this stretch. Here’s proof:

Following the bridge, there are a few entertaining moments where the train brushes past fast-growing, unkempt hedgerows at “speed”, landing a free mixed salad on your lap. Don’t eat it.

Finally, after nearly six hours of rattling, sightseeing and snoozing, the carriage rolled into Hsipaw, and the heavens opened above us. There are plenty of guides at the train station advertising the various guesthouses in town, though easily the best are the ones in the Mr Charles chain and the Red Dragon Hotel. Thijs, Clara and I jumped into a free shuttle, checked into Red Dragon, grabbed some food at the corner cafe, signed up to a 2-day trek starting the next morning and ploughed through a bottle of Myanmar whisky.

Er. I mean, sleep. We got some sleep. Best be feeling good in the morning!