Time to take the train???

We heard the train north to Hsipaw was a fantastic trip but it left Mandalay at 4 am and took 12 hours so we came up with a better plan. We headed up to Pyin U Lwin, a town up on a cooler plateau that the British used to escape to for holidays. Great town complete with horse and carriages. We found the gorgeous San Francisco guesthouse, with little stand alone bungalows in a garden. Quite a lot of English spoken here and more Nepali and Indian descendants, they were the main labourers on the railways. I chatted to some kids who were on holiday, one boy spoke English really well. They were interested in the flags on my bike so i explained where we had been. One of the girls looked at me,  wide eyed and said, You must be Sooo tired!! It was just priceless.
We took the train the next morning which left at a more respectable time of 8.20 and took 7.5 hrs
The train rocked, swayed and shook all the way, quite noisy and average speed about 20 km per hour. We were in the 'upper class' carriage! LOL.  All the wooden shutters were open so the view was great and a nice breeze coming in.  Seriously, I don't think much has changed on the train in 80 years. The carriage in front swayed so much you could not see through the door. The bags nearly fell out of the luggage racks. Beautiful scenery, through bush, across farmland, chugging along narrow cuttings and over this gigantic viaduct. The train managed a few switchbacks to reach the viaduct then crossed slowly. A lot of people got off at the next station and took the return train which was waiting but we went all the way to Hsipaw. Definitely one of those must do trips.
Nice town, cooler climate, we ate dinner at a restaurant overlooking the river, quite posh for Myanmar. Fantastic buffet breakfast with fried potatoes, eggs, grilled tomatoes, fruit and more, we were rapt and very full when we left the next morning on our bikes.
Hsipaw to Panghoke, 56km easy day down the highway to the next accommodation. Road was really busy with trucks as this is the main road down from China, at one spot we counted 10 petrol stations within 100 metres. Basic town, basic place to stay.
Panghoke to Pyin U Lwin. 115 km
Off early on a steady down. Then the  enormous canyon to cross by going all the way down, then 15 km back up. A truck driver on his way up stopped his truck,  jumped out and gave us a melon off the back. Others offered water. Awesome challenging ride but a good gradient and fun.
It wasn't so interesting after lunch just a long hot ride for the last 40 km. At the 95 km mark we had another 5 km climb then about 20 km up on the plateau and through town to arrive back at the San Francisco guesthouse about 6 pm. Totally shattered.
Pyin U Lwin to Mandalay, 60 km
Good thing this was mainly down as we were still quite tired from the day before. Arrived early afternoon after battling the heat and dust as we passed quarries plus terrible smog as we approached Mandalay.  Hard to see 200 metres ahead. Back to the Golden Dream hotel, run by a lovely couple who cannot do enough for their guests.
The wooden blocks in the photo are purpose built hand brakes for trucks and buses! Quite a demand.