Exciting Progress on the Guesthouse
An aerial view of the lush guesthouse property which is located on the original hill where Lon Ton Village was founded.
The cornerstone of Face of Indawgyi has always been the pursuit of the social impact guesthouse; It will serve as the anchor for all of our community and tourism projects. However, as the first foreign company in the township (and the third in Kachin State!), this has been a learning journey for us.
Since July 2017, we have lived full-time at Indawgyi to get a better understanding of the lake, its many cultures, its issues and the many opportunities here. Social enterprises are a fairly new concept in general, let alone in a place like Indawgyi Lake where we are trying to redefine what a business can mean to a community. In any place, this would be a challenge to do. But when it is a place where we are the first foreigners to ever live, it adds a whole new level of challenges.
We have traveled up and down this country more times than we can count. A lot of the necessary paperwork can only be done either in Yangon which is more than 800 miles away or more often than not created for the first time ever here in the township.
Formal land ownership documents, contracts, and permits are new to a place that saw only 17 foreign visitors just a few years ago. But, by digging into the community and working together, we have been able to build the relationships and partnerships needed to turn this project into a success in the long-term.
Ultimately, its tenacity and the support of the local community of Indawgyi Lake that will make this project succeed. We have been tested over and over again with challenges we could have never predicted, but each of these obstacles has only further strengthened our commitment to seeing this project through no matter how long it takes.
Measurements in white tape mark the location of the future community center and hotel reception structure.
A computer rendering of the hotel reception (red) and 4 standard room (gray) design. The 6 private bungalows (not pictured) will be located on the right side of the property.
The design is really starting to come together thanks to Blue Temple. And we’ve found not only a construction firm with an excellent reputation but a great new friend in Lin Pyae Son. There’s still a long way to go but we now have all the pieces we need for the social impact guesthouse to take off. The goal is to break ground next month. So come visit Indawgyi and enjoy one of our unique tourist experiences and watch as the journey progresses.
**We’ve also been featured in some great publications recently. Be sure to give them a read!
“Introducing Indawgyi Lake: Community Tourism With a Social Impact” by Marie Starr withThe Irrawaddy, March 2019
“Meet Me at Indawgyi” by The Myanmar Times, March 2019
“22 Things to Know Before You Go to Yangon” by Roads and Kingdoms, March 2019