Bahmo’s elevation is only about 364 feet above main sea-level and a boast of many historical pagodas. The name Bahmo is derived from Shan word Mamaw meaning place to make pots. We left this memorable town at about 9 a.m. the next morning towards second defile.

The notable feature down stream after Bahmo was the presence of more boats into the government owned in-land waterways. Bahmo is actually the highest terminal of the Ayeyarwaddy for bigger boats. The catchment basin above Bahmo has according to modern maps and area of about 18 thousand square miles. After about two hours downstream from Bahmo, we passed Sinkhan village where it was believed the Lord Buddha existed as a King during his many reincarnations. The Second defile was still about an hour trip downstream from Sinkhan. So we looked at the second picture before we entered it.

We found that it had been quite a few miles wide at the junction of the Ayeyarwaddy and Tarpein rivers but it was narrow down to only about 100 yards at the beginning of the second defile. It extends to about 40 miles compared to the 36 miles of the first defile. NaungMon village is situated at the other end. The peculiar feature of the second defile is that the river here passes through the continuous rang of the mountains. On the mountain side, a mixture of deciduous and ever-green trees grows in abundant but the important aspect was the presence of the famous Myanmar Teak trees. High cliffs of over 1,200 feet also boarded the river. This special mountain called Nat Myathnar Taungdaw is also believed to have been the abode of Lord Buddha when he was reincarnicated as the King of Monkeys. A landmark within the second defile is the rock-projection resembling the head of the parrot painted for prominent by seamen. It is also a natural warning sign for river crowds big and small to be careful when the water level rises up to the beak. After about an hour, we emerged at Naung Mo Village then on to the next big town Shwegu.

Another interesting fact is the research undertaken by whirl broadness. This Bahmo- Ayeyarwaddy catchment basin is found to be very fertile to the extent that rice has evolved into the present cultivated varieties in this rarely area. So, now ends our presentation of the two defiles of the Ayeyarwaddy in Kachin State which by itself has captivating features from the snow clapped majestic Kharkavorazi mountain, Jade rich area, the inhabitants and the rich culture.