There is one aspect of the road on which one does not need to be an expert to speak, and that is the beauty of the country through which it goes, About twenty miles from Mandalay the road begins to climb, and from there right through to Kunming, which is itself over 6,000 feet up, one is never out of the moun-reins, Sometimes you can see range after range of hills as you wind along a road almost along the summit of the hill; sometimes you descend deep into valleys, where you can see little but the hills on either side of you; sometimes you journey for a short time over a wide plain surrounded by hills; sometimes the mountains are wooded, sometimes they are bare, but always you ere aware of the heights above you or beyond you. One of the most spectacular descents is that to the bridge which crosses the Salween River. The range over which you approach the river is about 7,750 feet, the level of the river is 2,800 feet, so the valley is deep and impressive. The other big suspension bridge crossed is over the Meekong River, along which you motor for some time before reaching the bridge; it is not such an impressive valley in depth as the Salween River, but it is a very beautiful mountain stream at that point, and lends colour and variety to the scene. The only place where we saw any snow was on the mountains above Hsakuan, and there were only a few streaks, but the landscape does not need snow to give it variety and beauty. How useful the road will be for the transport of goods is still to be seen, but no one who has been over it can doubt that it is now and will remain one of the great scenic highways of the world,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.