London to Mumbai by Road 2016 – Revisited
Day 52 – 18 October 2016
Through the Mountains to Mandalay
After our challenging first day in Myanmar, we woke up with a better understanding of what lay ahead.
Just like China, Myanmar requires foreign vehicles to travel with an official guide. However, the arrangements here were quite different. Our Myanmar package cost approximately £680 per person, but unlike China, this fee included hotels, insurance, permits, vehicle taxation, and the services of our guide.
Another important difference was that we were not permitted to sleep in our motorhome while travelling through Myanmar. Hotels had to be used throughout the journey.
Our new guide was a friendly gentleman named Soe, who would accompany us across the country and help us navigate what promised to be some very challenging roads.
After the previous evening’s disappointing dinner options, the day began on a much happier note.
The hotel served a lovely breakfast, and for the first time in a while we enjoyed something very close to a traditional English breakfast. It was exactly what Team Kontiki needed before another long day on the road.
Today’s destination was Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, approximately 280 kilometres away.
The distance itself did not sound particularly demanding, but everyone kept warning us that today’s driving would be far more difficult than anything we had encountered so far in Myanmar.
Thankfully, the weather was on our side.
The rain had disappeared, and we were greeted by blue skies and sunshine. After yesterday’s muddy roads and poor visibility, it felt like a welcome gift.
A couple of hours into the journey, we stopped to refuel before continuing south.
The landscape was dramatically different from the flat highways of China. The route wound its way through hills and mountains, with narrow roads twisting around steep slopes and deep valleys.
As the day progressed, we reached a particularly dramatic section of road.
Ahead lay a huge escarpment, dropping away into a deep valley below. The road clung to the mountainside with sharp bends and steep descents. It was one of those stretches where you keep both hands firmly on the steering wheel and your eyes fixed on the road ahead.
The scenery was spectacular.
The driving was not.
Then, just as we were negotiating this difficult section, an unwelcome warning appeared.
The brake warning light illuminated on the dashboard.
Our hearts immediately sank.
Of all the places for a brake warning light to appear, a steep mountain road overlooking a deep escarpment was probably the worst imaginable.
Stopping on the roadside did not feel safe, and there were very few places where we could pull over.
We carefully assessed the situation.
Fortunately, the brakes still appeared to be working normally. The pedal felt firm, and the motorhome was stopping safely. Nevertheless, we proceeded with extreme caution, taking no chances and keeping our speed well under control.
For the remainder of the day, the warning light stayed firmly on our minds.
Every unusual noise seemed louder than normal.
Every descent seemed steeper.
Every bend seemed sharper.
Eventually, after a long and tiring drive through the mountains, we reached Mandalay in the evening.
Only then could we properly investigate the problem.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, Team Kontiki got to work in the car park. Wheels were removed, tools came out, and a full inspection began.
By now, after thousands of miles on the road, we had become quite adept at roadside diagnostics.
Thankfully, the initial findings were encouraging.
The brake pads appeared to be in good condition and showed no obvious signs of excessive wear. This was a considerable relief, although we still planned to keep a close eye on the system over the coming days.
At least we could sleep without worrying that the brakes were about to fail.
With the inspection complete, we headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner.
After a long day of concentration and a few anxious moments on the mountain roads, the meal was thoroughly enjoyed.
A little “fire water” followed to calm the nerves and celebrate another successful day.
As we retired for the night, we reflected on how quickly Myanmar had already proven to be very different from China.
The roads were rougher, the driving more demanding, and the challenges greater.
But that was exactly why we had embarked on this journey.
Every country brought something new.
And Myanmar was certainly doing that.
Distance travelled: Approximately 280 km (175 miles)
Route: Lashio to Mandalay, Myanmar
Weather: Sunny, warm, and dry
Highlights: Crossing dramatic mountain roads and reaching the historic city of Mandalay
Challenge of the day: Brake warning light appearing while driving through a steep mountain escarpment
Most memorable moment: Inspecting Kontiki’s brakes in the hotel car park after reaching Mandalay safely
Dinner: Hotel restaurant meal followed by a little fire water
Guide: Soe, our Myanmar guide
Mood of the day: Cautious, relieved, and increasingly aware that Myanmar would test both driver and vehicle
Join us tomorrow as Team Kontiki explores the historic city of Mandalay before continuing deeper into Myanmar on our epic road journey from London to Mumbai.
