Travel Tips

After 18(!) strenuous hours on a not very comfortable bus from Rangoon we arrived in Nyaungshwe, the main village of the Inle region, about 5km north of the lake.
On the first day we had to recover from the bus ride so we just spent a relaxed day in the village.
Nyaunshwe is in fact geared towards tourism, but there were not many tourists around. It is quite an attractive place with some picturesque pagodas and canals.
In the afternoon we spent two relaxed hours on a canoe (1000kyat) and the driver calmly rowed us through a maze of canals in a rural idyll. We visited a monastery on the way and observed the everyday life on the water.

On the second day we did the usual Inle Lake boat trip (7000 kyat for the boat).
The lake is surrounded by mountains whose slopes are dotted with pagodas.
Our first stop was the floating market of Ywama, pretty much a tourist trap, but nice to look at and the village is very attractive.
The second stop and highlight of the day was the visit to Indein, a village that can be reached from the lake via a canal in half an hour. It is the site of hundreds of ancient, unrestored stupas. A very atmospherical place; from a hilltop nearby there are wonderful views over the site and the surroundings.
After a tasty lunch (Grilled fish, 1200kyat) in a restaurant near Phaung Daw U Pagoda, we visited the floating gardens where the locals plant vegetables on the lake . Then we stopped at the 'Jumping Cat Monastery', where monks taught the cats to jump through rings, an event which ecstasised locals and tourists alike, which i really could not understand.
The excursion ended with a swim in the shallow but pleasantly cool lake.

On the day of our arrival we took a nice walk to a beautiful cave temple with its numerous Buddha statues, called Shwe U Min.
Opposite the cave we visited a monastery where we had a smoke with two friendly monks.
A very nice excursion!

On the next day we did a guided day trek to a Palaung village (6h, 5000kyat per person). The hilly surroundings of Kalaw are quite nice and we passed vegetable fields and tea plantations. In the hilltribe village we took a break and had some tea and bananas in a traditional longhouse. On our way back we had tasty Nepali pumpkin curry in a beautifully located viewpoint restaurant.

After a comfortable 7h night bus ride we arrived relaxed in Mandalay at 5am. At 9 we took the boat to Mingun (1000kyat).
Mingun is a relatively touristy place, a 45 min boat trip on the Irrawady River from Mandalay. The unfinished Mingun Paya is quite impressive and from the top of the pagoda there are great views over the river.
Back in Mandalay we took a rickshaw to Mandalay Hill to watch the sunset.
The day ended with a nice meal on the lively night market.

In the morning we visited the beautiful wooden Shwe In Be Monastery in one of Mandalay's quiet and quaint neighborhoods.
From there we took a trishaw to Mahamuni Pagoda where we were fortunate enough to be allowed to put gold leaves on Burma´s holiest Buddha statue.
Then we took a pick-up to Amanapura (100kyat) where we spent the afternoon. The highlight of this former royal city is U-Bein bridge, the longest teak construction in the world. On the other side of the 1.2km long bridge is a traditional Burmese village, a very friendly and quaint place with adorable locals. We took our time and explored the back streets, most tourists don't bother and turn around after reaching the village. A big mistake!
Crossing U-Bein bridge during sunset was the most magical moment of the entire trip (see picture).

The trip from Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwyn takes about 2,5 hours on a pick-up (1000kyat). 10 km outside of town, there is a beautiful and impressive waterfall in the jungle, complete with pools for a dip and an adventurous Indiana Jones-like wooden suspension bridge.
The falls are not easy to reach, however. First, we had to take a jeep (100kyat) to the village of Anisakan, from there it is about a 20min walk on a paved road to the starting point of the steep trail down into the gorge (about 1h), and we had to take the same way back uphill, of course.
But the falls are absolutely worth the effort!