This stop on the Irrawaddy River is a quintessential Myanmar village, populated by peanut farmers, palm climbers, and candy makers. An excursion into Shwe Pyi Thar reveals a long-established way of life, where chickens roam freely, oxen pull carts of hay, and cooking is done on open fires.
Frozen-in-Time Feel: Oxen drinking from troughs, farmers scaling palm trees with earthenware pots, stacks of peanut plants and hay — there are no signs of a fast urban pace here (nor are there any on the horizon).
Sugar Palm Candy: The chalky, smoky confections made from the sap of toddy palms are sold all over Myanmar, but here you can taste the hand-shaped treats straight from the source. Find a spot in the shade and watch villagers thicken the sugary mixture in iron pots and mold the sweets piece by piece.
Fans of Artisanal Products: This village is a paradise for those nostalgic for the ways things were in a more innocent era. The residents carry out a day-to-day life of simplicity, practicing the same trades and traditions as their ancestors did generations ago.
Watch Your Step: Where there’s livestock, there’s bound to be some evidence (more precisely, mounds of it). It’s a good idea to scan the ground as you walk.