Natnwe - Seven times the seven-fold

Look back west from the right window.

Then, the Sagaing Mountains, with their bright yellow, blue, and green lights, were seen with delight, near and far, at low and high altitudes. At a high point between Suan U Ponya Shin and Pattamyar Pagoda, there was a round, yellow moon.

It is the day after the full moon of Tabaung.

The train was getting faster. It was getting noisier. As it passed through the vast plains at night, the sound of the wind hitting the carriages, the sound of the wind blowing

When I looked out the window to the left and saw a large white object in the middle of the vast field, it suddenly trembled. It was white in the moonlight. It was a huge mass, rising like an iceberg.

The pagoda of goodness.

It has the ability to literally capture the minds of those who see it, whether through its material, appearance, or location.

I admired the Kaungminda Pagoda, which stood peacefully in the middle of the plain, for a long time.

"When will we reach the temple?"

I was startled by the voice of my fellow traveler Than Htun Oo (Pagan). When I turned around, I saw that Than Htun Oo was already yawning. When I looked at my watch, it was almost ten o'clock. Normally, the Myitkyina train leaves Mandalay at half past eight. But tonight it was late. I was waiting for the express train from Yangon, and it left after nine o'clock. .

"We'll arrive around dawn. What... Do you want to sleep? Sleep.. Okay. I'll sleep tonight too. Even if we go past Indao, we'll get off at the station we're at. We won't lose anything."

"sounds good"

"Wait, let's ask our guard to make sure."

Soon, the attendant arrived, bringing pillows, blankets, and bed sheets.

"Sir, sleep peacefully. We will arrive at the temple at 5:30 or 6 in the morning, no earlier than that."

The attendant was in charge. So Than Htun Oo went to sleep. I also went to bed after the meal. But I suddenly couldn't sleep.

The first time I woke up from bed was at half past twelve. I kept my eyes open for about half an hour and then fell back asleep. The next time I woke up was at four. The train was stopped. Ko Than Htun Oo was moving. He opened the window and looked outside.

"What the hell?"

"Collin"

We didn't dare to sleep again. I looked at the guidebook. It was fifty miles from Kaw Lin to In Taw. There were seven stations between them. Won Tho, Kin, Byung Taung, Nam Kham.

Yes... Nam Kham. My favorite part of the Mandalay-Myitkyina train journey is between Nam Kham and Inn Taw. There is only one part of the route where you have to drive through the mountains. The rest of the journey is through plains and teak trees.

In this section, we cross the Minwan Mountain Range. We see Bonchaung and Mae Zachaung. We can see high mountain cliffs and deep gorges. When it rains, we can hear the sound of water. Wherever you look, there are mountain springs.

During the Japanese era, when our family moved from Myitkyina to Sagaing, the Bonchaung Bridge was broken, so we had to carry our belongings for two furlongs to change trains. When we went to Myitkyina last year, the railway was broken, and we were stranded in Nam Kham for about four hours.

Outside, the moonlight was still shining. Under the moonlight, the sunflower fields and banana groves were refreshing. Seeing the flowers and leaves moving gently, I could feel the atmosphere in a good mood. A day or two ago, the rain and wind were quite strong. Even now, I could see broken branches and stagnant water.

After passing Nam Kham, Bon Chaung, Mae Za, and ten villages, we arrived at In Daw. It was exactly six in the morning. The city was still awake.

Tin Pu met me at the station. About halfway there, I saw Ko Myint Thein following me. Both the couple were friends with me.

The man is a health officer in Manthon. The woman is a high school teacher in Inntaw. Manthon and Inntaw are about fifty miles apart. The journey is rough, and one day it gets very hot. Ko Myint Thein is temporarily staying in Inntaw because we are coming.

The house is not far from the station. The city is not very big.

There are two Ingyi In in northern Burma. One is in the jade mining area of ​​Kachin State. The other is In Daw Lay. It is in Katha District. However, they do not call it In Daw Lay. They call it In Daw. The history of In Daw Lay and In Daw Lay is part of the history of Upper Burma. These In Daw Lay are also connected to the Khamtilong area of ​​Putao District.

Shan women were seen on the streets, carrying their children on their backs, going to the market. Some of the buyers were carrying canes in their hands. Some of the sellers were carrying two baskets on their backs. The market was about to close at seven o'clock, so they were hurrying along. "Burmese and Shan people in the countryside" is what they call "Burmese and Shan people in the countryside".

When we got home, we drank tea, ate bread, and talked about our travel plans with the old man. We talked about the old man for a while and then discussed our trip. That day was Revolution Day. There was a Manaw festival in Katha. People from Innaw were planning to go back to Katha in groups and cars overnight. I also wanted to watch the Manaw festival. I also wanted to go back with the crowd overnight.

However, the car is ready to go to Bam Mauk today. Ko Myint Thein and his brother-in-law’s car will leave for Bam Mauk today and return to Inn Taw tomorrow morning. So I have to decide whether to go to Bam Mauk first or to Katha first. Katha is easy to get to. It is easy to get there. Bam Mauk is not easy to get there. The road is rough. If the conditions are not right, it is not easy to get there. In addition, I want to know more about the political, economic, and social conditions of the Kadu Kanan people. So we agreed to go to Bam Mauk first.

After breakfast, we went around the city, as the car would leave. A literary man, Ko Aung Min, accompanied me. He reads a lot. He knows a lot about writers and literature. He is very interested. As a reader, he gives his opinions and criticisms. Not only him, but many young people in this area also read. I can see that their reading level is high. I encourage them to write based on their own area and profession.

Innaw town is located east-west between Innaw Creek and the railway. We are located on the east side of town.

We walked to Lokamarazin Pagoda. The pagoda hill is quite high. When you look from the top of the hill, you can see the entire town of Innaw and the surrounding villages. You can see people bathing along the stream. You can see the entire blue lake. It is about three miles long and one mile wide. The village of Si is located near the lake. Not far from Si is Manyan village, the birthplace of the great monk Manyan. The Manyan Pitaka is a favorite among researchers. Recently, a manuscript from the Manyan Pitaka has been published in Yangon. It is said that there are many unpublished manuscripts in Manyan.

In the western Yunyun, I saw a beautiful mountain peak. It was higher than the others. It had a different shape than the others. It looked like Fujiyama in Japan.

"What the hell is that?"

"Mine"

"It's quite high"

"It's about five thousand five hundred feet high."

We drank some water on the pagoda hill and then returned to the city. When we reached the hotel, it was already ten o'clock and we had a quick bath. It was still cold at that time. It was snowing at eight in the morning and it was quite cold. We had put on warm clothes. I wondered how hot it would be in Mandalay and Yangon at this time of year.

Before I could even finish my bath, he called me to say that he was leaving. So we ate rice with a spoon. The rice was delicious. I didn't want to kill it. The wild boar meat that Ko Myint Thein brought from Mang Htong was very good. The wild boar skin was thin and crispy. It was delicious. In addition, the vegetable salad was very tender. I have also lived in Kachin State, which has a lot of vegetables. In central Burma,