How can so many people live on a mountain? The road up to what had been a British colonial Hill Station seemed to go on and on and be full of habitation. It is also in development and I hope that's good overall. We saw many young teak trees, and Ko Shei said in the timne of the original trees there would hav been elephants up here, wild and working. As a group we are constantly feeding each other's thirst for knowledge for example Amanda, from China/Christchurch didn't know the name 'hill station' but when I mentioned it was like the British outstations in Malaysia like the Cameron and Genting Highlands, she got the picture. Later in the day, she was unepexctedly in her element sharing informatiojn with the group.
Our 'resort' was plush and luxuriant and beautifully cool of atmosphere.
Those of us who were able to resist beds and bathrooms, went to a lake-side restaurant for lunch.
I was already regretting not having taken sealegs for the hillclimb and the smell of the kai set me off. I could only manage a drink. The smell made me nauseous like being pregnant, but the others enjoyed it.
I explained to Pipi that its like having a toddler with a tantrum - my tummy is having a tantrum today but I'm not letting it spoil my day, its only the tum not the whole person. Usually I would have enjoyed trying the new foods.
Our next stop was the Kandawgyi botanic gardens - it had an orchid section so I left the group. I was feeling much better with the fresh cool air.
They had a big section of Myanmar native orchids - lots of dendrobes, mountain paphs ( a big P parishii with six flowers and lovely long drooping petals) , cymbids, phaius, coelogyne. Being the dry season everything was parched and hungry. So although very little in flower I could see why they say not to give dendrobes water when they are resting, cos these get none. Many of the plants labelled.
The hybrid section was a motley selection of same genera plus some random catts, phals and oncidiniae. A gorgeous deep vanda coreula (spelling) in flower but the star had been the parishii.
I then thought we were heading back to the hotel but we went back down the ruddy mountain.
This was starting to be a mission. I was not so healthy.
Then up a track and into a sort of tool dump and implement sheds for construction it seemed. I just wanted to stay in the bus, wherever we were. Just get me to the hotel, quick as.
Ko Shei and the driver inveigled me out of the bus, and we were suffiently down in altitude that it was rather hot again. I'm so pleased they insisted.
I can't imagine Nana and Grandad would ever had made their was to this outstanding place, you've never seen anything like it on earth. And its not on the earth. . I'm about to have to time out and start another story.
