Blogs from Inle Lake, Mandalay Region, Burma, Asia - page 5

The calming influence of water has been known throughout human history. Mankind appreciates the role of water in providing a fundamental necessity of human life ... indeed if we don't drink, we die. Perhaps this elementary law of nature is the catalyst for our deep yearning for water, as our collective spirit strives to be in the presence of the ultimate life giver. So if now's the time to get a little wet, there can be few better destinations than glorious Inle Lake in the Mandalay Region. There's more to visiting Myanmar than enjoying big cities, pagodas, monasteries and the famous historical architecture of Bagan, despite their clear and obvious charms. The country also provides visitors with an insight into village life on the water, as it's been lived by the people of Inle Lake for ... read more

Inle Lake, 17-21 January We landed at Heho Airport in Inle Lake from Yangon after my very first flight in a propeller plane. I had made the mistake of reading many nightmare stories about planes crashing in Burma as their internal aircraft is not approved by international safety standards due to sanctions. However, after C reassuring me ("you wouldn't not drive on the M25 because of a crash") it was all good again and soon after taking off from Yangon, I was completely transfixed by the views of the country below us as it transformed from sparse, flat, green expanse into rice and paddy fields dotted by pagodas into a towering mountain range (still dotted by pagodas). I have never seen a country with quite so many pagodas in my life. Heho airport was, without doubt, ... read more

Today was our day to trek in the surrounding villages of Nyaung Shwe. Our trek was only for 3 ½ hours so it wasn’t too strenuous. We took a horse and cart to the bottom of the hills just outside town. Our guide was a young Pa-O man who spoke reasonably good English. He turned out to be quite a character and we shared many a joke with him even with the language barrier. There weren’t really many big highlights of the trip. It was simply just great to be away from the hustle and bustle of the town. The guides seemed to have their own particular favourite track and even though we briefly came across other tourists undertaking a similar trek you only really crossed paths with them. It was very peaceful and a lot ... read more

Breakfast at the hotel was included with our room. It was a pretty basic breakfast of eggs (or rather an egg), white toast, tea or coffee, and fruit usually a banana or two. Today was a day to investigate the local markets and the sights within Nyuang Shwe. The markets are very much local markets selling all types of produce but no meat products, so there must have been a different market for these purchases. There were some stores along the main street that sold things such as longis at fixed prices but basically everywhere things were negotiable. We booked a trip on the lake for the following day. After much debate we decided to do a longer tour. We figured it would be hot on the lake and one day was probably enough. The day ... read more

What happens when you put ten thousand people on top of a mountain, add copious amount of alcohol and then launch hot air balloons with fireworks strapped to them? The Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival, that's what! Burma isn't a country I would normally associate with festivals. So I was surprised to learn of such a radical festival on a large scale. And nothing quite prepared me for what I saw. The town holding the festival was called Taunggyi, and it sits on top of a mountain. Getting there was quite an event in itself. To reach the town our truck had to climb up a series of switchbacks, and the road was packed with locals heading to the festival. Pickup trucks had a dozen or more people piled into the back. Minibuses had people crammed inside ... read more