Paradise Inle Lake

... doesn't join all the groups equally, there are some that have to walk under heavy rain for a couple of hours and maneuver among the mud. After three days trek I feel quite exhausted and I think that I deserve a day of rest at Inle Lake. I nevertheless start to think if I am in good enough physical shape for the Anapurna trek in Nepal that is supposed to last between 14 to 16 days. To me the third day was already quite tough although we were going down almost all the time.<br><br>

... chick pea), chick pea crisps (chips) that were not deep fried, and some apples and avocado for later. I also bought a fake silver bracelet that was pretty, but I paid too much (9000 Kyat). Phaung Daw OO Paya is near the market. It is one of the holiest religious sites in the Shan State. It contains five images (4 are original, 1 is a replica; there was an accident once, the boat sank, and all five went into the lake, only 4 were recovered). Across the channel there ...

Inle lake is magical and unforgettable. Reflections of clear blue skies, fluffy white clouds, distant rolling hills in the peaceful lake. And in a distant, fishermen cast their nets, or row their boats with their famous leg-rowing skills - they are the well-known Inle leg-rowers. Add a display of cats jumping through a hoop in a monastery along the river, makes the whole journey somewhat surreal.

... leave in an hour to do a 2 day, 1 night trek. Danielle and Warren were going to spend the night and leave in the morning, but decided they would join us on our trek. We all got our overnight bags together, went to get some lunch, and headed out around 2pm. We had to take an hour truck ride to the main start of the trek. We drove down a partially paved road with dirt on the sides. We drove past wild sunflowers, which look like oversized yellow daisies. We also drove by fields ...

... a smoke, etc. It is a whole community of houses, schools, monasteries, gardens and stores on stilts. It really is a unique and beautiful place. I think it was a lot more rewarding to arrive to the lake via a trek instead of a bus. It was an exciting entrance to a beautiful place. Our bags had been forwarded to our guest houses. Ours hotel was last en route so we were able to see some others for comparison. At Richard's ...

... yellow blossoms) and the villages and people that inhabited them. Soft spoken, he had an aura of sadness about him (doesn't need much delving into, suffice it to say, what other state would you expect a man who's only prospect of a 'relationship', so to speak was a pre-ordained Sikh girl many villages away, to be in?), but professed to be utterly content with his life and job. Granted, being a tour guide for foreigners is supposedly a very enviable position. Our trek led us ...

... harvesting tomatoes and many other crops. The men do a lot of the heavy work but it is the women and children that work hardest out here. We took many photographs here and they really tell the story better than any words that can be put down. Mishal can speak a number of the different hilltribe dialects and we got to meet a great many people and drink tea with them. Also he brought along a cook who always set off ahead of us and had food prepared for us. The food was ...

... So note, if you do go to Kalaw, you have been asked. But even if you don't he'd love to see you; his house which is very close to the only petrol station in town, at its edge...just ask around there and someone will take you to it. Percy married a Burmese woman some time ago, and chose to make his home here where the climate is more moderate for his "retired bones" than Yangon . He's the first to testify that the Burmese Junta almost ...

... State, there and in neighbouring Kayin State there there has been fighting for many years between tribal insurgents and the Burmese army, and many of the Padaung have migrated to neighbouring Thailand and more peaceful areas of Burma such as Inle. They support themselves by weaving their traditional costumes and selling them to tourists and of course exhibiting themselves to tourists. Its not as bad as across the border in Thailand where there are well known long ...

... wrapped in a tobacco leaf. Supposedly a smooth, mild smoke. I was tempted, but unlike beetle nuts, didn't sample them. Life on this lake is fascinating. The lake itself is over 20 km long, half as wide and from what we saw, often quite shallow. The bottom and shorelines are a mass of vegetation, and the surrounding hills present interesting backdrops from every angle. Several communities exist on the lake in village complexes built ...