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Published: October 28th 2009
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Our Hotel
Amazing Hotel Nyaungshwe ..…..Inle Lake ….Myanmar 21/10/2009
Wednesday we flew from Yangon to
HeHo by Yangon Air. First time we have been in an 80 seater but everything went smoothly.... we even had cakes and coffee on board! Took a taxi for the 45min journey to
Nyaungshwe, which is the main town on Inle Lake. If you don't stay here, you can stay at a hotel resort on the lake (and be stranded there for your stay) but we wanted to be amongst the action and see a bit of life in this part of the country. There do seem to be a few more tourists here, met an English couple from
Hong Kong spending half-term week visiting 2 places, other than that it is is Germans, Scandinavians Italians and French.
The scenery as we left Heho was verdant and lush and it is noticeably cooler and fresher than the oppressive heat and humidity of Yangon. This is much more to our liking, scenery much more like we imagined Myanmar to be. In the evening we did have a couple of torrential downpours after dinner.
Hotel Amazing is very nice indeed it's just a shame that the place is totally
Way to travel
Cyclo bike ride geared up for large scale tourism which doesn't exist at the moment.
Nyaungshwe itself is quite an amusing place, looking for all the world like a wild west town. The shops and bars etc are wooden, two story with a balcony like something you would see on a cowboy film set!!! Complete with horse and carts!!
You can't actually see the lake from here, you have to get a long-tailed boat and spend the day. For now we will explore the town and decide on a boat and a driver.
Just now Ann is going for a foot reflexology at the hotel spa!! while David is in his element watching replays of last weekend's football. Why didn't Reina burst the stupid balloon!!!!!
Friday Managed to pick a really nice young lad to take us out on the lake for the day. 21 year old
Miu Miu. Married with a 4 month old son. Drives the boat for the owner, hopes one day to earn $15000 dollars to buy his own! English 'improving',
very helpful and considerate.
Had a fabulous if somewhat exhausting day out on the lake.......they actually grow tons of tomatoes, fruit and flowers on
Canal at Nyuang Shwe
Main gateway to Inle Lake floating beds in the middle of the lake. The lake resorts look dark and grim from the lake but we are told that they are
very luxurious and attractive once you are there.
Miu Mui took us up a river to a village called
Ywama. Lonely Planet describes the approach to the village though ever thickening jungle as having the
Apocalypse Now ambience and it certainly lived up to that except the village is full of art and craft stalls and cafes selling 'lattes'. From here we trekked to a high point where you can see the whole panorama of the lake. After taking in the view we were invited to take tea with the resident monk. Quite amusing to watch David try to sit on his knees with his feet pointing away from the Buddha and the monk lol!!!Even funnier watching us both try to get up again gracefully!!!!
To get to the
high point we had to trek through the jungle, a village and a monastry complete with a volleyball court for the young monks to play after a hard days prayer, then climb to the peak. No mean feat in Crocs believe me!!! Coming back
Nuns
Young nuns collecting alms down we went to a site called
Inthein where there are hundreds of ruined stupas, some of which are being repaired; a lifetime's work you would say. The way back to the village from the
Shwe Inn Thein Paya was through a long covered walk way lined with hundreds of stalls selling crafts and souveniers to the almost non existent tourists.......what a shame. Anywhere else in the world this place would be heaving with people.
Back to the lake and the
jumping cats monastry........ well they do sleep a lot and jump through hoops for titbits every so often. Back through more bamboo stilt houses and waving children and on the the lake for the finale......
watching sunset on the lake. Miu. Miu found the perfect spot complete with coconut palms and even a local bringing in his nets from his log canoe and a fiery sunset. Get the picture....... hope David did!
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Jane
non-member comment
Wonderful photos
I'm thoroughly enjoying reading your travelogue and the photos are stupendous! You remain the two most adventurous people I know!