118 Land Magnetic Observations, 1914-20 



Tengyueh is noted for jade, which comes from upper Burma, and is cut and polished here. 

 Besides the green-colored stone so popular with the Chinese, purple and blue shades can 

 be purchased. The Talif u caravan was discharged and another engaged for the 7^2 days' 

 journey southwest to Bhamo on the Irrawaddy River in upper Burma. Starting Feb- 

 ruary 22, we descended large rice-growing valleys inhabited by Shans to within a few 

 miles of the Burma frontier. Manhsien, the last village in China, was reached on the 

 night of February 25, and the next day we traveled over hilly country which was covered 

 with thick forest and jungle. The road followed down the left bank of the Taiping 

 River, which enters the Irrawaddy at Bhamo. A small iron bridge across a mountain 

 stream about 50 miles from Bhamo marks the frontier, and we entered upper Burma in 

 the afternoon on a good road. From here on, the bungalows of the Public Works are 

 found every 10 to 15 miles. They are furnished with beds, baths, chairs, tables, crockery, 

 etc., and are greatly appreciated by the traveler coming in from China. 



Observations were made at Kulonghka on February 27 and 28, and Bhamo was 

 reached about noon March 1. The Indian Survey station was located in the afternoon, 

 and observations made the next day. 



The road from Yiinnanfu to Bhamo, a journey of 33 days overland, is a main caravan 

 route and inns are found at the end of every stage. Faster travel is not practicable, 

 owing to the lack of places affording accommodations for caravans between stages, while 

 two stages a day are too much for loaded animals. There is very little coolie traffic on 

 this road, and the farther west one proceeds, the more expensive is coolie hire. Chickens, 

 eggs, and vegetables can be bought throughout. Fruits, chiefly oranges, were also ob- 

 tainable as far as Tengyueh, where pineapples and bananas could be procured. The road 

 is very rough, especially on the steep passes beyond Talifu. Fine weather prevailed 

 from Yiinnanfu to Talifu, after which spells of wet weather occurred to the Burma fron- 

 tier. This was most unusual, for in Yunnan fine bright weather ordinarily prevails from 

 November to the end of May. The wet season begins in the latter half of May and lasts 

 until the end of October. The heaviest rain falls in July and August, when traffic prac- 

 tically ceases on many routes on account of the deadly malarial fevers and plagues in the 

 low-lying valleys. 



From Bhamo to Szemao there is no direct route, and the roads to be followed are 

 often hardly discernible and are difficult to climb. There are no inns, and the country is 

 inhabited chiefly by Shans and various hill tribes, some of the latter being still very 

 primitive. Leaving Bhamo on the morning of March 12, the main road to Namhkam 

 was followed for 53 miles to the bungalow at Panghkam, where we arrived March 14. 

 Next morning a road was followed leading eastward into China, and Mengmow reached 

 the same evening. 



On March 17 the Shweli River was crossed, the horses swimming and the loads going 

 in a long canoe. The night was passed at Wan Ting, a hamlet of about five bamboo 

 houses. The route now lay through the Shan states of Chefang and Mangshih, after 

 which mountainous country was crossed to Pingka. No guide could be obtained at 

 Pingka, and travel during the next few days was difficult in the sparsely settled moun- 

 tainous country, where considerable time was lost in following the wrong tracks. The 

 Salwecn River was crossed by a bamboo raft at the Hankuai ferry, March 25, after which 

 a climb of about 4,000 feet followed, and more mountainous country was crossed, when 

 a fairly big track was found leading south. This was followed to Mengpeng, though a 

 more direct road leads eastward through Mengpun. These two names are pronounced 

 alike to the foreign ear, and thus it was that, though wishing to proceed to Mengpun, the 

 party was directed to Mengpeng, which was said to be on the main road to Kengma. We, 

 therefore, followed the road to Kengma, passing through Mengtui and Nahsang, the 

 latter of which is but a few miles from the Burma border. Arrangements were made 



