Inle Lake, Myanmar

This was the best place I visited in Myanmar. It had the smallest feel, was easy to navigate, and had everything I needed. I stayed in a great little guest house, less than a 10-minute walk from the middle of town, Blissful Inn. It was quite clean, and the staff was accommodating. The price was right too!  They took care of all my needs, got me on a bus to Bagan, and arranged a boat. The price includes a free breakfast with eggs made to order—$ 20.00 for a single.

I decided last minute to take a train from Yangon to Inle Lake. Last minute was the theme for this trip. No planning, no research. I didn’t even get my visa until the day of my flight. The trains in Myanmar are horribly outdated and the tracks didn’t feel very level. You could look down the train and see the cars swaying back in forth in a chaotic dance and while I was in my sleeper bed, I caught air more than once. I might have caught a few minutes of sleep here and there. But I love trains and try to avoid busses, and there was a very good reason for taking the train.

A slow train winds through the backcountry and mountains from Thazi to Inle. It’s a great way to get a feel for the country and its people if you don’t have the time to do proper exploring. It was well worth losing a night’s sleep for the wonderful train ride through the countryside. I won’t say the scenery wasn’t close to northern Vietnam or rice terraces in the Philippines, but it was nice. 

There is one, must-do thing in Inle, a tour around the lake in a boat. I had the boat to myself, which was great. I’d highly recommend it. Normally, a trip like this takes all day when you have a full boat of 5-6 people. I was able to do it in a bit over a half day, which left me with time to get a great massage at the spa in town. Having my own boat, I went where I wanted and stayed for as long as I wanted. No waiting on anyone, and it was under $20 bucks!  

There were many villages on the lake, all on stilts, and some had built up little islands as yards. Most were free-standing huts with woven bamboo walls.  The first thing you see when you come out onto the lake are these fishermen guys who perform for tips. They have some serious balance! 

There’s a bunch of tourist traps, selling overpriced locally-made tourist stuff. But two of them are worth stopping at. There are places that make thread from lotus flowers, spin it, dye it, and weave it with old-school looms. They show you the whole process in the shop, it was pretty cool. I also stopped at the wood makers. The guy showed me how they make boats like the one I was in. Also cool. The rest, skip.  

One thing that surprised me is they build water gardens, and I saw an acre of tomatoes growing in them!  

Inle had the best feeling about it, and it was laid out conveniently. It felt like a beach town. I’d spend some more time there and do some tracking as well.

Yangon, Myanmar

The nicest people in South East Asia can be found in Myanmar. I’ve never come across a country with so many friendly people. After a 2 year break from writing and traveling, I find myself on the road again. I’m here in Yangon largely because it’s one of the only countries I’ve not been to in Asia and yes, I’m keeping score.

Yangon is the largest city in Myanmar and I didn’t do much here, mostly I planned the rest of my trip and acclimated to this new (to me), wonderful, strange, country. 

I did manage to find the only Indian Pizza I’ve ever had outside of San Francisco.  And checked out a temple or two. 

There is a lot of outdated information about Myanmar on the internet. Especially where currency and ATMs are concerned. You should bring some US dollars for emergency money, but there is no need to bring all the money you think you will need for your trip. There were ATMs in every city I was in, Yangon, Inle Lake, Bagan, and Mandalay.  There is a max of about $300 per withdrawal.  Ensure that you sell all your Kyat before leaving unless you plan to use it as Monopoly money.