Hupin Khaung Daing Hotel Inle Lake

... 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 ...

It's time to move on, otherwise I may get stuck in this intriguing city for a long time and not see anything else of this country. I book my ticket for Kalaw which is 15hrs away and I am told that I must leave now (10am) if I want to make the bus. I jump on the public bus and, after nearly falling over several times due to ****** driving and an hours drive, I get to the bus stop on time. Next comes 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 ...

... pads on the floor, a couple pillows, and some warm blankets to sleep with. At 5am, the junior monks are up and saying prayers. I was able to go back to sleep until our wake up call at 7am. It was chilly in the morning, but luckily the sun was rising and warming everything up. For breakfast, we had fried puff things with a delicious pumpkin curry and avocados. Everything was delicious and was the best meal we had all week long! By 8am we were on our way for the rest of our trek ...

... had just graduated college, lived 6 months in Australia to improve his English and was now traveling around the world before going home to start a career in business. Luckily, there was great chemistry among us and we ended up spending the next 4 days together. The first day we walked through beautiful patchwork scenery. Bright green and yellow fields mixed in with red dirt. Lots of local peasants tending the fields ...

... such bright spirits. The "wave factor" here is off the charts with kids, teen agers, adults all willing to not only reciprocate with greetings, but often even the adults initiate enthusiastic waving based on ya western face just driving or walking by. No doubt, the somewhat isolated nature of this country who has been boycotted by much of the world, and only gets a hundred thousand tourists a year, contributes to this friendliness and also to the sensation that you have ...

... kemmottiin ensimmaisena vastaan tulevaan hostelliin. Suureksi hammastykseksi totesimme muutaman paivan jalkeen etta guest housemme (Aquarius Inn) osoittautui ehka tasokkaimmaksi majoitukseksi jolla olemme koko matkan aikana olleet. Siistin ja edullisen huoneen lisaksi palveluun kuului mm. aamiainen, iltapaiva tee, iltapala, snackseja ja hedelmia niita halutessa ynm. kaikki tama lysti siis naurettavan alhaiseen hintaan ja kaiken lisaksi ...

... that date from a similar period of Bagan cluster a the top of a pathway at Shwe In Thein. Though some have been unlovingly restored in a bid by some of the richer Burmese (read: Military) in a bid for favour in the afterlife, others appear untouched for centuries and their weather-beaten exterior makes for a magnificent afternoon exploration, despite my exhaustion from the three-day hike. Eventually we make it to a pre-arranged boat ...

... on my itinerary was the famous Jumping Cat Monastery. Here the monks in their wisdom have decided to specialise in the odd sport of training cats to jump through joops. Unfortunately the only monk present was busy meditating, there were numerous cats lying around but no hoops could be seen in obvious positions. Luckily a Burmese lady had watched the monks training their moggies, and it involved a quick stroke of their chin, after which the cat performed the required ...

... 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 ...