Manaw Thu Kha Hotel Nyaungshwe

... century with all the handmade boats and tools and the lake being the centre of trade and transport.<br><br>I&#8217;m already feeling better (or is it only because I had 2 imodiums before the boat trip yesterday?) so I&#8217;m considering starting tomorrow the 3-day trek on the opposite direction that I originally planned but it depends on how I feel later today and if I&#8217;m able to find some other people to trek and share the expenses of the guide with.

... impressive creations with 50 foot paper balloons, beautiful designs, and timed racks of explosives carefully hitched up and lit as the balloons took off. When they work they go amazingly far - we drove past one of the charred frames about 30 miles beyond Taungyi on the way to the airport. <br><br>It was also amazing to see 250,000 Burmese from all over the country having a great night out in a huge carnival with fair ...

... and pagodas). I was expecting something else from this place. Everything I visit reminds me of what I have already seen the previous three days during the trek, but with the disadvantage that now I have to share it with hordes of tourists. It doesn't feel really authentic any longer as one doesn't know if these markets are really authentic or they just keep them as simple tourist distraction.<br><br>

... Inle Lake. We stayed at Paradise Hotel. It is nothing special, but is clean and has a nice balcony. We had lunch at Unique Suberb Restaurant nearby. I have been the one taking Imodium today, so I just had a banana pancake. It was VERY good. Bill had fried rice that was really good too. It had lots of chicken in it. We noticed a sign that says there is a Unique Superb travel agency too. The waiter said it is his sister's ...

... a while and take the usual photos. The view of the lake is good too. Back into the boat and a tour of a silversmiths, umbrella factory and other "workshops" with shops attached. They are nice enough, but the idea is to buy something from them. I politely decline. On to the Jumping Cat Monastery. This is exactly as it sounds. It's a Monastery where they have taught the cats to jump through hoops. It's sounds bizarre, and it is. Are the monks just bored? Meditation just not doing ...

... floating gardens and local fisherman. We stopped near a school for a quick hike around a local village. We were treated like the Beatles at the local school, notice the mob of kids in our pictures. They were so curious and fascinated with our digital cameras. it was a heart warming experience to be met with such genuine curiosity and kindness. We stopped by a little tea house on the lake and had some instant coffee ...

... a way to work around the rain. On the afternoon we had come to visit the famous ruins of Indein the skies opened up. Luckily the ancient Burmese people had decided to help us by building a three kilometer covered walkway built in the 1700's which shielded our walk up to the stupas. Where the rain mysteriously stopped allowing us to stroll among this overgrown field covered with hundreds of stupas in a rustic Indiana Jones like atmosphere. Adding much to the atmosphere ...

... 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 ...

... obviously on commission as he asked if had a guesthouse booking, and having said no he suggested the Bright Hotel which has a good writeup in the lp, so I ended up getting one of the best rooms in the house for $15 with aircon and a hot shower. It was too late to do anything by the time I got there with sundown already approaching, so it was a quick shower and then time to eat. Eating place was the Unique Superb Food restaurant and I had the truly excellent Filet Mignon steak and the ...

... tolerant values. There were a few hours to tour the town before leaving for the airport. Debbie was quite taken with the town market - a busy and colourful collection of stalls selling almost everything one might need in close-packed stalls. As in Hsipaw, fresh flowers and produce were prevalent. One shop had what might have been termed antiques. The swords tempted, but some items were just bizarre, like the violin with a tin horn ...