Pindaya.

Car 2 was very proud of itself today.  It rolled out of the Ford factory in 1930, expecting a life of hard work bouncing around on the prarie; it could not have known how much cars would evolve in its lifetime. How fast, how sleek, how sophisticated.  But, today, it felt like King of the Hill.  I have to tell you that the little humble Model A overtook two Rolls Royces and an Aston Martin! It loves a bumpy road and just feels right at home. It tackled the dips and bumps with ease - no matter how rough it became, making light work of them

Our route from the lake to Pindaya took us well off any main road and along rough dirt roads - many of which haven't even been mapped. It is an extremely fertile area and the agriculture is well organised.  The extra prosperity this brings is evidenced by the smart stone houses - all very well looked after. We were in rolling hills, quite high at 4,000 feet, and the soil is a rich deep red.  

The people of Shan State consider themselves to be apart from the rest of Burma.  Ethnically, they have more in common with Thailand, with whom they share a border.  Indeed, if they are going to Mandalay, for instance, they say they are "going to Myanmar".  

We went to a very holy cave with 8,000 golden Buddhas in it. 8,000!   I am not a fan of caves but one with a tiled floor and very high roof I can cope with.  It was worth it.  The warren of tunnels is jam packed with Buddhas of everything size and decoration imaginable. Yet another amazing thing in this fabulous country.

Pindaya, our home for the night, is a neat and orderly town in neat and orderly Shan State.  Richard's Lagonda needed a radiator repair and Heidi's Cortina has a clutch problem that is tricky to fix and will probably mean the mechanics working into the night.

It's Julian's birthday and a jolly time was had by all.  The lovely Zani, having all our passport details, knew of this and had a quite beautiful lacquer box made with his name on it in Burmese on the top and " Julian" inside.  What a lovely memory of not just a great rally but of the generosity of the Burmese people.

Mandalay beckons tomorrow.  

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