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Walking to Namsam (part 2)

The second part of our walk from Hsipaw to Namsam in the Shan highlands. These shots are from the second and third day and in particular feature a few shots from a makeshift distillery we passed along the way. Most of the other photos are from the village where we slept the second night as well as a few from Namsam.

June 17th, 2013

In a distillery we passed along the way, a proud owner (who was unfortunately standing in the shade) was showing me that the plum-liqueur they were producing was indeed 60 proof.

Different barrels with bubbling liquids smelling like sweet rotten plums in different stages of decomposition. It was raining, so we spent a while gesturing with the people working at the distillery to pass time.

The actual distillation took place in this device that led cold water over alcoholic fumes to condense them. I'm not sure exactly how it worked, but the guy gestured for me to stick my hand down to feel the bottles so I did, and uhm, there were indeed bubbles.

Inside a big tea mill. The tea leaves are piled up in the foreground, while the finished product is piled up behind.

Saddled cows are waiting by the temple in the morning.

The room where we were sleeping that night was full of tea like everywhere else in the house of the local tea-baron.

The wife of the local tea-baron is putting tea leaves out to dry. In the background is the house where we slept for the night.

The view from the tea-baron's house in the early morning.

Houses by the temple entrance in the morning.

A temple and graveyard not so far from where we spent the night.

A village in the mountains very close to Namsam.

The main street of Namsam, lined with beautiful wooden houses.

Design, code and photos by Jonas Arnfred