Hupin Khaung Daing Inle Lake

... most any one can wear) – their tribe live in the mountains around the lake so no doubt they were there only as tourist attractions. After that we went up north a bit, to Phaung Daw Oo Paya, the holiest religious site in the southern Shan State, where 5 Buddha images, covered by thick (15 cm) cold leaves, were enshrined. After lunch we went to a weaving workshop where a tour that detailed each step of weaving (they use silk and fibers ...

... i sempre aconseguim evitar els moments mes tempestuosos arrecerant-nos ja sigui en un cafe, en un monestir o a casa d'algu. La sort no acompanya als demes grups que han de caminar un parell d'hores sota la pluja i maniobrar entre el fang que dificulta el caminar.

Despres de tres dies de trek estic bastant destrossat i crec que m'he guanyat un merescut parell dies de descans al llac d'Inle. De totes maneres, comenco a pensar si estic en bona condicio fisica per afrontar el ...

... the government (that is a very good job to have). We already met her brother and 2 1/2 year old son at the restaurant yesterday. Chan Chan's husband works for another tour company and he is a boat driver. She also has a 4 1/2 year old daughter. A monk had died recently and we can see the funeral procession making it's way across the field. It is going to come down to the water (people are waiting in boats), cross the lake and go to the cemetery on the other side ...

... yellow was a very new and intriguing experience. We were presented with their snacks of rice, nuts and even betal nuts and also tobacco wrapped with leaves and the more common cigarettes. Out of curiousity, I took a puff of the home-made tobacco wrapped with leaves. It's my first puff and many coughs followed. Tobacco didn't smell exactly great. I found it slightly amusing listening to the religious men speaking animatedly in a ...

... massage. I basically paid for someone to kick, punch, and walk all over me. It felt really good actually. The next morning I felt much better and helped relieve all the tension from the trek. After our massage we met up with Pavla who found Danielle and had dinner. Tuesday morning Pavla and I went for a horseback ride up in the mountains. The horses were a little on the small side, especially for Pavla who is 6 feet tall. It was a nice ride in the hills ...

... They had a guide and a cook just for the two of them so the tour company was eager to add Ana and I to their group. Our new friends were an interesting pair, one young guy from Chile, Ben, and an older gentleman from England, Richard. Richard was a journalist who worked for Thomson Reuters, though they bought out his contract recently so he had some time to travel and had been doing some freelance work in Bangkok ...

... on stage and they wanted us to sing a song with them. Angie was red and I can't sing a note. A guitar was put in my hands and suddenly everybody had gathered to hear us. It was pretty nerve racking but I mananged a simple blues progression and some hotel california and it was a good laugh actually. We really enjoyed the boat trip and it was amazing to see all the activity on the lake. I really recommend it!

... rotates among five towns around the lake five days of the week and we were lucky enough that one of the days we were there the market was at the neighboring village. We had quite a nice walk along a path bordered by very tidy farm houses and friendly villagers. As we neared town we had to watch out for shoppers and vendors carrying giant loads of all kinds of goods in oxcarts, on their heads, and strapped to motorbikes. At one point we saw two guys carrying a stack of ...

... the main canal of Nyaungshwe, the very heart of the town. It's quite bizarre to eat in such a decadent place amidst a small town in Myanmar. It's even more bizarre to have been 1 of only 3 people eating there. My second day in Inle Lake I hired a boat to take me on a tour of the lake and surrounding villages. We first stopped by the Inn Thein Pagoda complex. On my walk up to the complex I was again the only tourist. I had to ...

... twenties shared the young guide. We didn't have proper backpacks, but made do travelling light with shoulder bags. Debbie wasn't feeling 100% that morning, but was not about to cancel. The first two hours were not strenuous and we passed through local villages and some caverns with Buddhist trappings and, in one case, a resident monk who served tea. The temperature rose and the incline steepened. Another two hours and Debbie was in ...