Faces of Tikon

This is what the village of Tikon looks like the first time you arrive and the rain has just stopped and the sun comes out and you are very happy to have finally made it. You are up at over 4000 feet and things have started to get a little chilly.

And this is what the village looks like in the late afternoon when you've walked out to find the path to tomorrow's transect and you turn back to check out the landscape. Magical. [NOTE: It was clear and sunny every day that we worked in the field and only started raining the last day when we walked out to Mile 25 camp. Magical].

Tikon

 

N 25.50226°
E 95.02700° 

Back in Yangon with internet. Image above shows the start of Transect 1 (note red transect rope) in the forest outside of Tikon in the Naga Hills Autonomous Region of Sagaing Division. Some of the most beautiful tropical montane forest I've ever seen. Tikon is a lovely Chin/Naga village of 13 households that has been in the same place for 96 years. You walk for ten miles to get there. More on this incredible place later.

Naga Hills

26º10.257'N
95º19.372'E
1067 m (more or less) 

Hope I'm not getting ahead of myself here as my visa won't be ready until Thursday. Fingers crossed. Google Earth image (above) shows the region in Sagaing Division, Myanmar where I will be heading in two weeks. Flying into Hkamti airport along the Upper Chindwin and then hiking for several days to get into the Naga Self-Administered Zone to start a community forestry project. Naga people represent 17 tribes inhabiting northeastern India (yellow line in satellite image is Indian border) and northwestern (Kachin State, Sagaing Division), Myanmar.