The final two parts of my Burma story are all about hiking. Where we left off, I traveled ahead of my Chilean friend, to scout for a hostel and hiking opportunities.
The bus arrived in Kalaw in the middle of the night – maybe at 3 or 4 am. Upon arrival, I immediately started looking for a hostel. Most places were either unstaffed at this hour or too expensive, but I eventually found a kind hostel-owner who gave me a free bed, in return for my assurance that I would book the hike with her.
The next morning, I booked my first full night at the hostel, reserved a spot for my Chilean friend who was now on his way and investigated the hiking options. They had a wide range of hikes on offer, ranging from single-day to almost week-long ones. I had just settled on a three-day hike when it dawned on me that I did not have any hiking shoes with me.
Next, I realized that I didn’t have any way to carry my stuff during the hike. The only bag I had was my big backpack, but that was delivered directly to our destination by car. I solved that problem by buying a small sports bag that I could sling over my shoulders, and a Tupper box to keep my essentials safe from bumps and moisture. Since it was the rainy season, I got a cheap raincoat as well.
After sharing my problem with the lady from the hostel, she told me that the local market was selling hiking gear for tourists and that I could probably just get a pair there. As it turned out, though, they didn’t have any shoes in my size (I think mine is 14 in US measurements?). Since I still wanted to hike, I decided to just brave it in my Adidas slippers. Blisters were my biggest concern, so I bought a couple of bandage-rolls from a local drug store to pre-emptively wrap my feet and considered it a problem solved.
Once my Chilean friend arrived, we returned to the market together. He had no problem finding shoes and got a raincoat as well. He liked the hike I had picked, so we booked it and he checked into the hostel. By that time it was late, so we just went for an early night – the hike would begin in the early morning on the next day.
We were picked up by a friendly local, who greeted us by suspiciously eyeing my slippers and bandage-wrapped feet. I assured him it was OK, and he probably didn’t want to argue, so we headed off. The weather was great – no rain, but cooler temperatures due to the season – but the ground was still moist, which immediately presented a challenge for me in my Adidas slippers.
I quickly learned that wet mud turned the insides of my slippers incredibly slick and the ground incredibly sticky. As a result, I very nearly face-planted right into the ankle-deep mud/cow droppings we were wading through, and almost lost one slipper to the mud entirely. I soon found a suitable hiking stick, which made things a lot easier. Before long we had passed beyond the muddy paths and got close to our first stop: It was time for lunch.
Lunch was at a local farmhouse. We had noodles, egg and the obligatory tea in a large thermos can. It rained a bit while we were eating but stopped again once we were done. So far, everything had worked out really well.
Post-lunch, we spent the rest of the day conquering the Burmese countryside. The views were spectacular, and I was particularly impressed by the diversity of the landscapes. Needle forests, clay earth, all manner of agriculture, they truly had it all. I was even more impressed by the fact that there, in the middle of nowhere, my phone showed a solid 4G satellite internet connection. Germany is doing well with a lot of things, but we are a long way behind Burma when it comes to the internet.
With dusk settling in, we arrived at our first homestay: a farming village without electricity or running water. Everything that required water, such as washing, cleaning, and brushing teeth, was done around a giant well in the center of the village (I avoided taking photos). It was certainly a relief to finally get the thick crust of mud off my feet. Then, it was quickly time for dinner.
And what a dinner it was. Rice, freshly baked bread, fish, several types of curries – maybe it was us having hiked through the wilderness all day, but everything was utterly delicious, and we devoured it all greedily. Then we fell asleep on some incredibly comfy mattresses in one of the farmhouses, knowing that the next day would begin just as early as the first one had.
Markus + Micah 
I am a bit surprised you didn’t have tennis shoes for your trip, Markus. We call your type of shoes, slops, and I would be quite nervous about hiking in them because of blisters but also bugs especially bees. It sounds like you were fine though.
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And you would be perfectly right to be nervous about hiking in these things! I probably got lucky and benefitted from having walked in them for months up until that point. Probably wouldn’t do it again though.
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I walked 10 kilometres in my bare feet once when I was about 11 years old. I had such bad blisters I couldn’t walk for days. I don’t know what I was thinking, it never even occurred to me that I shouldn’t.
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Wow! That sounds… intense, for lack of a better word. But now I’m curious, what made you walk 10 kilometers at 11 years old?
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It was a walk for charity challenge and I entered with some older people. At the time, we were living in George, a small coastal town, and I ran a little wild, collecting clay from the ditches and going for walks in the forest [on the paths of course, we knew the rules]. I never wore shoes and it never occurred to me to do so for that walk. My mom had my two sisters, Laura aged 2 months and Hayley, aged 16 months at the time. I don’t think she even knew about this until after. I’ve always been a determined and independence ‘spirit’.
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Determined, independent, and adventurous it seems! I’m sure it was fun for 11-year-old you until the blisters kicked in. It also sounds amazing to live in a place that allows you to walk barefoot so much.
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This was a long time ago, Markus. A different time and place to my life in the suburbs. I can no longer go barefooted as I have developed a reaction to the bacteria in bee venom. If I get stung by a bee, I develop blood poisoning within a few hours.
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Mhn yes, good thing our shoe game is generally pretty strong, no?
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Absolutely.
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Amazing! Thanks for taking us through this hike – seemed fantastic 😊
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Enjoyed it a lot, stay tuned for the last part!
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Beautiful countryside!
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Very!
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So enjoyed reading about your time in Burma. What a great hike–did you avoid blisters?
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Amazingly yes! The plan worked but easily could not have. Some rocks we climbed over were rather jagged and steep, and tackling them with slippers really isn’t a smart thing to do.
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Hahaha who goes hiking in slippers?! 😂😂😂
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Need creates innovation, I suppose? Truth be told, though, I wouldn’t recommend it.
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Great trip Markus. Nice to get off the beaten track.
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Certainly felt that way!
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Looks like a successful first day, the food looked excellent too. Very kind hostel owner to take you in so early in the morning, and she helped your trek get on it’s way. Nice work.
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Yes, her kindness was a relief that early in the morning. Since the area is a bit more mountainous, it was quite chilly!
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This I a delightful account of your hike.
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Thank you, Anne!
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so fascinating! what kind of shoes do the locals wear? I guess it is too hot for trainers but as I can see sandals dont seem to work well either
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When they don’t hike anywhere, locals just wear slippers as well – they are cheap and last long. Our guide was wearing sturdy hiking boots, though.
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glorious! Someday maybe!! great pics guys!
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Thank you! With three vaccines on their way, maybe even soon!
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I like the sound of that!!!
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Keeping my fingers crossed!
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and toes!!! 🙅♀️
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