Standing on a hotel rooftop commenting for local ISTV news with the Provincial Chinese border town of Swelli (Rulli) barely few hundred feet in the background one could only feel disappointed at the prospect of not being allowed to step onto the soil of Yunan, thought by many here as holding the secret or at least a link of where "we (Meiteis) came from."

But there was also feeling of accomplishment among the 27 members of the tour team for having reached Muse, the Myanmar border town, the access to which was till now never been officially allowed to any foreigner.

Our guide Sen Wan, told us we were the first foreign tourist group to be allowed into the border town which is predominantly inhabited by Shans and Chinese. Prior to 1992, different ethnic groups in this north eastern State of Shan bordering Laos and China have been waging war against the Rangoon (Yangon) administration for separate nations. The economically poorer region also has been haven for drug lords and poppy cultivation was rampant. It was region of much violence.

But after 1992 when the Rangoon military rulers struck a peace deal with the insurgent groups and locals have been given alternative crops to poppy, peace has return in the region, our guide told us. Miles and miles of orange orchards along the highway was testimony to the changes. But foreigners were still not allowed beyond Lashio, a highway township half way to Muse from Mandalay. "You are the first group to be allowed this far in," emphasized our guide.

That we were allowed into Muse was rare became apparent right from Moreh and Tamu, where people familiar with Myanmar politics raised their eyebrows when told we were headed Muse and possibly to Yunan.

Yunan was our target and till Mandaly, which many groups from Manipur including a trade delegates have made it to, we slept in comfort believing our torturous journey would be well rewarded. But once we reached the border, Chinese immigration authorities, when told the team was from India refused anything to do with us.

"They must be thinking we are from mainland India. If only they see our faces they would allow us," some members commented, distraught at the though of returning without visiting Yunan.

The next best thing the team did, which cut down to a day’s stay in Muse instead of two initially planned, was to approach the huge Chinese immigration gate and take back a snapshot with Chinese armed force, PLA, guards in the background.

Muse is a trading town much like our own Moreh- only more refined and neat. It is a days drive from Mandaly. The highway, built and maintain by two private companies which collect tolls from every vehicle that pass on it, are heavy with traffic of multi-wheeled Japanese and Korean trucks ferrying goods. One could see the Chinese importing high end electronic items of well known brands manufactured by different south east Asian countries through the highway to Mandalay. On the other hand cheap electronic goods and garments manufactured in China were coming in reverse traffic into Myanmar heading for markets that includes our own Paona Bazaar. These products find its way into Bangladesh and India on the west and Thailand on the east of Myanmar.

A round trip in Muse Township revealed a surprise - an all women market much like our own Nupi Market. Though the market had little similarity in terms of structures mostly women operated it. There was lot of items on display, which were familiar to us. Dr. Dhanabir, exited at the discovery picked up some "nung sang" and Thoiba, another team member, let loose on a clicking spree.

But a little bit of advise for those who would like to go marketing to Muse, the price on this side of the border is not cheap and is comparable to Nampha-long. You may go in for items that do not surface in Namphalong though. Across the border in Chinese province of Yunan, the price, we are told is cheap, but only when you buy in bulk.

Traders from Namphalong, we were told, buy in bulk from China and ferry them to through another shorter route in upper Myanmar, which as tourist, were out of bounds for us. A shirt I picked up in Muse market cost same in Namphalong. Standard consumer electronic items like mobiles and computer peripherals were more costly than Indian market.

On the way to Mandalay after an overnight stay at Muse it was turn of the likes of Mutua Bahadur to get excited. The Shans, like the Meiteis have a form of ancestor worship and along the long route to Mandalay Shan dominated areas had temples much like our own "Umang Lai" complete with woods surrounding it. We stopped by one and closely observed the temple. Horses and tiger figure prominently in their worship. Is it the horses referred to our own mythologies - wondered Dr. Dhanabir of Manipur University.

A brief stop at Hsipaw, a site of power for former Shan power, now reduced much like our own royalty, we met the nephew of former ruler of Shan nation - Sao Oo Kya. His is a story of past glory. At 3 dollar a person he takes you around his dilapidated royal palace built by his western educated Uncle who exiled to USA and died there having taken a western wife. The palace itself had strong western influence complete with tennis ground and swimming pool - no longer used though. He himself spoke very good English being educated in Darjeeling.

With himself as the only legacy left to uphold the family line, Sao Oo Kya proudly narrates the history of the Shans, which, according to him, the Meiteis and Assamese were a part off. The Shans, he narrated, migrated from Mongolia and having skirted the Chinese Great Wall came to Yunan (Yunam in Shan) in southern part of China. From here they dispersed in three direction - west, south and east.

The eastern Shans went on to become the present day Laos and Vietnamese while the southern Shans became the Thais (Siam) and Cambodians. In the west it is the Assam and Manipur. Shans, he said were very adaptive and adapted to where ever they had migrated. Indian influence on you have you wearing "dhotis", he said. Though much of what he said was Shan centric and subject to authentication, it gave food for though for the team and we came back satisfied at having seen one more aspect of our eastern flank. Interest in the Shan dynasty is also not limited only to us. There were signs of foreign tourist making his palace a destination in their tour plans.

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