Blogs from Kalaw, Eastern Burma, Burma, Asia

Suzanne here... I'm a bit ambivalent about night buses. It means you don't spend a whole day travelling, plus you save the cost of a nights accommodation. However they tend to be a bit more dangerous, you can't see the scenery as it's too dark, and you won't get any proper sleep as there will be toilet stops with full lights on, everyone trooping on and off and invariably there will be a pair of ass-clowns who don't want to sleep and, even though everyone else does, will think nothing of loudly chatting all night. However, it was the easiest way to get to Kalaw. The journey was actually ok. We were given water and cakes which was nice, (but then we had paid $19 each). The aforementioned assclowns were right behind us and not only ... read more

Day 23-Tuesday-February 2 After breakfast we met at the dock again at 8:30 and boarded the same boat with Rick and Jeanine. The yellow group headed out into the lake and came upon some morning fishermen. We got some nice photos. We then saw men filling their boats with more underwater vegetation. Our first stop today was the Nyaung Shwe 5-day market, only open here every 5th day. It rotates between different locations over a five day period. It was a very interesting spot for seeing many fabulous images. Women and men from various hill tribes who live in the Inlay region come to sell their home crafts, products, fruits, fish and vegetables in this market. Being here today was a great experience. Next, we walked over to the Hpaung Daw Oo Pagoda. Situated on Inle ... read more

Next stop on our Burmese adventure was Shan State, starting in the lovely little town of Kalaw. Trekking HQ for Myanmar, Kalaw was a hill station founded by the Brits to escape the heat of the plains and the jungle. It's the place to go for nice day treks and longer trips, with the big draw being the three day trek to Inle Lake, which is what we were there for. We intended to spend two nights in Kalaw, to give us one day to chill out before starting trekking. After getting everything ready to go, however, the night before starting trekking we happened upon the best bar we've been to in Burma. A tiny little place called Hi Bar, with just 12 seats around a little oval bar, it serves almost nothing but rum sours, ... read more

Kalaw. 2h du matin. A la porte d’une agence de treks guidés vers le lac Inlé. Nous frappons à la porte depuis une demi-heure mais personne n’ouvre… Un passant nous aide à réveiller le propriétaire qui nous laisse nous reposer dans sa chambre. 4 heures plus tard, nous organisons les sacs et démarrons une marche de trois jours à travers les montagnes birmanes. Bernard le belge, Ana l’espagnole, William le québécois, et nous-mêmes suivons Momo, notre guide de 28 ans. Lui, il porte des tongs, un vieux sac East pack, raconte des blagues toutes les 2 minutes et n’a jamais entendu parler du Mc Do (« c’est une chanteuse non ? »). Il nous apprend la négo, en birman, que nous pratiquons dès que l’occasion se présente ; les vendeurs et les rangers adorent ! La ... read more

13 January 2013 Falling asleep to the sound of monks chanting at the Buddhist monastery next door.. The air is cool and crisp and smoke from cooking fires is beginning to seep into our room. Kalaw was once a hill town where the British colonials came to escape the heat and it still has a faded but gently colonial ( is that an oxymoron?) atmosphere. The people here are much more guarded. They are not too keen to talk to tourists - they have seen and done this all before. We are only approached by two people during our afternoon walk-about. The first is a Christian nun from the old church up the hill. She is selling blessings for donations and she takes us for prime christian donation candidates. Little does she know that our light ... read more