Fah Thai Magazine May June 2018

BURMA BREWS
When British colonials established Maymyo (literally ‘May’s
Town’, after Colonel May) in the early 20th century, they
were desperate to escape the sweltering heat of Mandalay
in the hot season. At 3,538 feet (just over 1,000 metres)
of elevation, Maymyo offered a cool retreat, and soon the town had a
familiar feel to its new inhabitants, with its clock tower, governor’s house
and botanical gardens. These days Maymyo is known as Pyin Oo Lwin,
and though the Brits are long gone, their legacy lingers on and attracts
a steady stream of visitors from Mandalay, just 70km to the west.
Yet alongside these tourist
attractions, Pyin Oo Lwin is
also making a name for itself as
a producer of fine coffee. Several
small plantations in the region
are united under the umbrella
organisation of the Myanmar
Coffee Association, and some
of them, such as Ngu Shwe Lee
Coffee and Lone Star Coffee,
welcome visitors to look around
their estates to see all the
stages in the preparation of this
popular beverage.
I began my exploration of
Pyin Oo Lwin at the former
Governor’s House, which is now
on the grounds of the Aureum
Palace Hotel. Being a Brit myself,
I was curious to see how my
compatriots had lived during
the colonial era. As I entered
the grand building, which
was surrounded by manicured
gardens, I stopped in my tracks.
Top Right
Young coffee plants
at the ‘butterfly
stage’, with just two
leaves.
Bottom Right
Raspberry latte
coffee served at café
in Pyin Oo Lwin,
Myanmar.
Bottom Left
Old photograph of
residents and staff
at the Governor’s
House, Maymyo
(now Pyin Oo Lwin),
Myanmar.
Opposite
The Purcell Clock
Tower in the centre
of Pyin Oo Lwin,
erected.
Sitting and standing around the
entrance hall were models of
soldiers and other colonial types
that were so lifelike, I expected
them to step forward and shake
my hand. Once I had got over
this shock, I looked around the
mansion’s many rooms, one
of which included an indoor
swimming pool, and imagined
how my compatriots lived at
the time.
My next stop was the
Kandawgyi National Gardens,
which was based on England’s
famous Kew Gardens, and I
was instantly impressed by the
meticulous order that had been
established in the midst of a
tropical jungle. Walkways led
through colourful flowerbeds,
past a collection of petrified
wood, along a raised boardwalk
over a swamp, through massive
stands of bamboo, and around
an elevated timber walkway
bordered by massive, tropical
trees. After a couple of hours
meandering round the lakes
and pathways, I felt uplifted by
nature’s beauty and eager to see
more of this quirky town.
In the town centre, I smiled
to see the Purcell Tower, a clock
tower that would not have been
out of place in any English town.
Another throwback to the colonial
era were horse-drawn carriages
waiting patiently for passengers
on street corners; they might
have been lifted straight out of
Victorian London. Clearly the
intention of the colonials was one
of stamping their own culture
on the local scene rather than
adapting to Burmese ways. As
I wandered around, I realised
that this place didn’t feel like
Myanmar at all, as the faces
were predominantly of people
with Nepali or Indian descent.
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