It was nearly a year ago. Now, as I write this in Rangoon (Yangon), my mind is carried back to that distant region in the far north of Burma. In the past 15 years, I am told, no more than 14 foreigners have been able to visit this remote hinterland. Here, at one of the world's "final frontiers", vanishing races coexist with people who have all the blessings of the digital age. This is a report from a barely known region at the very edge of Burma.

I walked from Tahawndam back to Kuraun village, roughly four miles to the south, on the 31st of January. In Kuraun, I learned that Dawey (55) had returned from Putao. I didn't think we would have a chance to meet again, but thanks to this stroke of good luck, I was able to take some photos of him. This seemed an excellent way to end my journey to Burma's northernmost village.