INLE LAKE – August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 
Transport
From Kalaw to Inle (Nyaung Shwe) I opt for the train. Lonely Planet considers the way as a “scenic route”: the views left me lukewarm, with the exception of a narrow gorge whose rocks almost touch the windows
What it is really interesting, instead, is to watch the world running next to my window during the stops at the stations, waiting passengers, deeply absorbed in their thoughts, hawkers, farmers, many of them are young people, who work in the fields
Tickets can only be purchased one hour before the train departs, 1100 MMK in tourist class. My aim was the second class, not for the saving, but rather for the contact with the local population, but my request was ignored. The procedure is quite complex, the data of all foreigners, including passport number, are carefully noted down on a register. The interior of the wagon is decent, very few travelers accommodated
Oddly enough, we leave on time. I was told that the day before, because of the heavy rains, the delay was 5 hours.
Outside the Shwe Nyaung Station, a huge crowd, and many greedy taxi drivers. 1000 MMK one shared pick up to Nyaung Shwe, the town on the banks of the lake. Tourists are left to their own hotel, just invent a random one, if you did not book anything, as I did, to prevent the driver taking you to places where he get commissions.
Sleep
Having, as I said, no reservation in my pocket, I ask to be left at the Four Sisters GH. I read on Wikitravels a new guesthouse around the corner, very much recommended, has opened, the Pan Kha Laar Inthan. As described on the web, in fact, the property is lovely, with a beautiful terrace in bamboo overlooking the fields, with ethnic crafts on the walls, surrounded by private homes, and very close to the river, one of the lake tributaries. They have a nice room, with comfortable mattresses placed directly on the ground, 15 USD, which is a good price considering that we are perhaps in the most expensive city in Myanmar.
The only trouble is that I am apparently alone, out of everything. The girl who welcomes me does not speak a word of English. We communicate with gestures. There is no breakfast, which seemed instead included according to the info I found on the web, and she does not know anything about the tours on the lake. Since my primary intention here is to join other groups, otherwise I will be broke, I feel a bit lost. I’ll find out the next morning, at the time of paying the bill because I decided to leave, that the lady a bit sluggish with whom I had to do the day before is not the owner, a nice lady who is now speaking to me in a great English, but only a neighbor called for an emergency situation. Instead, the previous evening, still unaware of this, I reach the center, which is a 10-minute walk. Here I question various agencies, but they do not join singles to groups. On the other hand, I can understand them, why should they put me in a group, while they can extort the full amount? I deviate then to the pier, directly questioning the boatmen. These are more optimistic, and propose me to pop up on the next day very early, around 7.00, to see if some other singles with the same need will arrive.
A bit worried about my finances, I decide that maybe I should move. While I eat something at the Red Star, I notice a nice hotel on the other side of the road, with a discreet bustle of backpackers. To my eye it looks expensive, but this time I am lucky. They have spare rooms, 20 USD, and for the excursion I don’t need to worry, they think about everything. Too nice to be true 🙂
I will spend the rest of my stay at Nawng Kham (NK Villa). At first in room 05, a large triple all to myself, and finally in 02, a double. Great breakfast, even if not abundant. A very kind manager, generous in giving advice. Friendly staff. Here I met a lot of people to share taxis and boats for excursions (see here under)
Eat
The Red Star is the cheapest restaurant I could find, the food is good, and for this reason I was faithful to them for the most of times. I then tried the Nepalese restaurant “Everest”, same owner of the Kalaw’s one, but with less choice. Last lunch at One Owl Grill, on the main road. wooden furnished, and very clean. It also serves Western food. A little bit expensive
There are several stalls all around, some of which sell exclusively cakes (delicious)
Impressions
I have no words, of course in a positive sense. My favorite places are Kakku, Inthein, and Maing Thauk. The classic boat trips which include the Phaung Daw Oo pagoda and five days market are pretty touristy, but no as crowded as the Vietnamese or Thai ones. In the markets the locals mainly sells food, and then there are a few stalls selling souvenirs. Many photographic opportunities. Maing Thauk is a village which is reached by boat but also with an hour by bicycle from Nyaungshwe. Here you can take a canoe ride that reaches the narrow channels, and creeps among the houses. It is a quiet, simple, environmentally friendly way to observe the daily life of the lake
EXCURSIONS
LAKE INLE CLASSIC, PHAUNG DAW OO PAGODA – SHARED MOTORBOAT
Just arrived at Nawng Kham Villa, at 8.00, I can join a Scottish couple on the classic tour which includes the rotating market in a small town on the banks, the so-called “5 days market”, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, and several visits to laboratories (15 USD in total, 5 my share, lunch not included) We are on Tuesday and I cannot remember the name of the place where the market is held. It looks pretty authentic, the goods offered belong to the local economy, there are no souvenirs. Some tourists around. Let’s say that reminds me of Muang Sing market in Laos, ten years ago.
Through the placid waters of the lake, we make our way through stilt houses and water hyacinths; we spot the first fishermen who row with the characteristic rotation of the hips
We visit a cigars and cloth workshop, in Kaylar and Nam Pan villages. It’s anyway possible to ask to skip them. We accept the proposal of the boatman willingly, first because the artisans explain the manufacturing processes, which is always something interesting we did not know before, second because we are not obliged to buy (prices are high), third because we can visit a typical wooden house on the lake, lean out the windows or balconies, to see the village from another angle, fourth because we can use their toilet :).
We eat in a tourist restaurant on the lake, Shwe Kyet Pwint, quite expensive, obviously, 3500 MMK a fried rice (the cheapest dish on the menu). Large portions
The Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda from my point of view is nothing special from the aesthetic side, but becomes fascinating for the observation of the devotees’ prayer rites. Five statues are kept here – three Buddha and two of his disciples – dating back to the twelfth century and covered with gold leaves, which over the years have been applied by the believers in such amounts to make them unrecognizable; if I did not read this before I would have thought they were stones. All around the pagoda there are many souvenir stalls, very interesting, in my opinion. Buy here your trinkets of ethnic jewelery in fake silver, because in Yangon you won’t find any trace of these nice little things. A storm of biblical proportions outbreaks while I am contemplating, under a covered walkway, one of the golden bird-shaped real boats used for the transport of buddhas during the processions. The storm calms down early but a slight oozing lingers. The day had been grey, however, since the early morning..
We continue to the Jumping Cats Monastery, Nga Phe Kyaung. After so much marble and brick, not always clean, it is a pleasure to walk barefoot over a shiny and creaky teak floor, admiring a remarkable collection of beautiful wooden statues of Buddha. I heard that cats do not jump anymore, and in fact is true. In the 30 minutes where I have been present there has been no show, all cats were intent on lounging, and take caresses from the tourists
KHAUNG DAING and MAING THAUK, the villages on the lake – BICYCLE AND CANOE
Rental of a normal bicycle costs about 1500 MMK, I rented them at Red Star Restaurant, but everywhere is the same price. These bikes have gears, but they are heavy and not all in perfect condition, even if the maintenance is done by elder father of one of the girls in the restaurant (I see him often at work tinkering with various tools on the gearbox) . Other shops hire mountain bikes at the price of about 7-8000 MMK. The villages which are reachable by bike are Khaung Doing, shortly after a hot springs site, and Maing Thauk. The excursione to the first location does not really impress me, the hot springs are a kind of luxury complex, and along the way there are not great attractions, except a monastery on a low hill, reached by a short flight of steps , and from where you can enjoy a decent view.
The village offers some nice glimpse, but nothing more. Of course, it can also be reached by boat, for those unwilling to sweat..
Maing Thauk is on the opposite way, and I enjoyed it so much that I went there twice. On the road, well signposted, a winery offers tastings of local produce and beautiful sunset views over the lake.
The center of Maing Thauk consists of stilts, and a long pier, which was built thanks to a donation by Lonely Planet’s Peter Wheeler. This will be destroyed by heavy rains in the following days, but, at the time of the first visit, it connects the main road to the stilts.
My discovery of this enchanted place occurs in a grey and almost rainy afternoon. It’s about 15.00, the time of exit from school and bevy of kids gallop on the pier, while adults wait for them on small boats. I will just take some pictures, declining all offers of tours by canoe that are being proposed to me
The second nostalgic visit takes place in an almost sunny morning of the last day of permanence in Nyaungshwe, a few days after. The jetty has collapsed because of heavy rain, but I find at the same place the old boatman waiting for customers, and willingly accept to be accompanied on a tour among the silence of the canals, among the houses. The canoe glides between scenes of everyday life, the workshop island with men at work, school, women washing clothes, geese wallow following our wake, cats curled up in the sun, children playing, rowing , bathing. In good weather the scenery seems to revive and relive. 3000 MMK for 40 minutes, really deserved
INTHEIN – SHARED TAXI
Inthein is in the usual 5 days markets circuit, and it’s very touristy. It can be normally reached from the lake, but it is on the same road to Khaung Doing, just a little bit further in south direction, so it’s not true that it is a remote outpost in the jungle, accessible only by boat, as I read in some articles of online travel section of well-known newspapers. I saw people who even got there by bicycle!!!.
Due to heavy rains, boat is not recommended to us by the manager of NK Villa, because it is dangerous. I speak in plural because here I was able to convince others to follow me. And this is why I say that it is necessary that singles choose very popular accommodation, so they will always be able to find someone to share the expenses. It is not a big struggle to convince Steve, one of the three Vietnamese guys who already took part at the Kakku expedition, he returned enthusiastic and so probably he trusts me. The other two members of the crew are two Austrian women, “picked up” during breakfast time, Andrea and Suzanne. While talking to them, one of them looked at me with curiosity, as if she thought “what the hell does she want from me”, after that she said “yes” and followed me without even asking for prices. I never expected to be so convincing 🙂
Having to move by land, we confirm the same driver we used for Kakku, total cost 30000 MMK, my share 8000. It is not market day, so the atmosphere is very quiet. A beautiful sunny day makes the colours even more vivid. Stupas, here 1600, belong to various architectural styles, some have been restored, and covered with white lime, or gold paint, others still have the original bricks, a bit ruined and partially suffocated by vegetation. Their appeal, however, in my opinion, consists precisely in this demonstration of the millennial flow of time, and the revenge of nature, which is taking back what it was its originally. Usually, foreign tourists prefer exactly this original virginity. Buddhists, in order to acquire merits, with their donations make claims on the style in which the various stupas must be restored. There is no effort to do the best to maintain the original model, and often, unfortunately, rather than repair the old building, they prefer to cover it with some ugly concrete cover. It’s as if, to restore the Botticelli’s Venus, rather than recuperating the original one, they painted Teomondo Scrofalo over it!
Herds of stray dogs have colonized the territory, but they are not dangerous. They avoid humans and are too busy in their hierarchical scuffles. The driver takes us to eat at a nice restaurant on the river, on whose banks the women are doing laundry
KYAUK TAING – SHARED MOTORBOAT
For the last full day that I spend on Inle Lake the intention would be to go to Sankar, on the south shore and further away. The town has been described as very attractive from an experienced traveler friend of mine. Given the distance from Nyaungshwe, about 3 hours one-way, it is less crowded, and is opening up to tourism only now. The price is high, given the distance, 60 USD, but Suzanne and Andrea would accompany me. The weather is, however, very uncertain. Sankar in the previous days was isolated due to heavy rains, and it was dangerous to get there, because of the strong currents. Leaving aside for once the NK Villa manager, we turn to an agency in the same street. The owner tells us that, although at the moment it seems Sankar is again reachable, only the most experienced boatmen will be able to lead us to the destination. She tries to trace some of them on the phone, but only one agrees, and soon reaches us to make arrangements. We also establish a plan B, in case it rains again at night.
The next morning, at breakfast, Andrea seriously tells me that overnight unfortunately it rained a lot (I did not realize it), and tells me that, even if the boatman was still willing to go, the Sankar option does not seem safe . I agree with her. At 7.00 we have an appointment at the agency. Exposing our doubts, the owner suggests as an alternative to explore the southern shores of the lake, but without going up to Sankar. The first stop will be the pagoda Phaung Daw Oo, which we all have already seen, but today it’s market day, then we will go to Kyauk Taing, well known for its pottery, where another market takes place, and then to Thaung Tut Pagodas. 30000 MMK to be divided into three.
I realize it rained a lot when we get to the big market on the back of the Pagoda, the clearing is a unique quagmire, large cartons has been placed among the stalls to facilitate the transit of pedestrians. Many sellers of sweets try to attract the public by showing them the various stages of preparation
Perhaps it is the most tourist market that I saw: there are beautiful souvenirs, ethnic jewelery, shirts, fisherman pants, a lot of stuff. I advise to purchase here, in these markets, rather than in Yangon, which offers a worse choice. Beside the tourists, different groups of Paos, dressed in traditional clothes, are shopping around
I buy a lot of stuff.
Beautiful views of the lake. Kyauk Taing is a half disappointment. I say only “half” because the village is quite authentic. A very skilled craftswoman shows us how quickly she can create with little clay beautiful pots, but unfortunately the market is not here
We have lunch desolately alone, under the great deserted shed where the market should have been held, on the proper days of course, and then leave again. The site of Thaung Tut is cute. We are the only human beings to pay visit
This is the first positive note, the second is that the notches on the phone, completely dead in Nyaungshwe in the midst of civilization, here are all five pretty sprightly, so I take this opportunity to call home, where my parents already thought I got dispersed, given the silence of the previous days.
Returned to Nyaungshwe, I ask Andrea if she wants to go to protest at the agency for the missing market. The answer is “I’m too tired to argue.” I agree with her that it’s not worth it, in any case we came in contact with another glimpse of this wonderful and unknown land, and this is enough for us