Paradise Inle Resort Inle Lake

... monk will be cremated there. After lunch we went across the water and were able to get a closer look when they put him in the boat to cross. It was pretty neat and is obviously a big deal for the local people. We went to a cigar shop. They make the filters for the cigars out of corn husks. They paste the leaves closed with a paste from a tree. Bill bought one to try later. The next stop is a cotton shop run by Padaung women (they are from the long-neck tribe and have ...

... boring 15hrs bus journey which is interrupted twice. Once for dinner and once more to go through a security check point. I must show my passport and declare my next destination. Fine. Back on the bus and I arrive at 4:30am to a freezing cold town high up in the mountains. I am tired and cold and a young women kindly opens her door and lets me stay in her guesthouse. As soon as I warm up, I fall asleep.

... went for a bike ride to the hot springs, but she said they weren't really that hot. She still enjoyed herself. We all got back from our adventures with enough time to get lunch and head to the airport so we could go to Bagan. When we got to the airport, we found out our flight had been cancelled. They didn't contact us in any way and that was frustrating. They said they could put us on a different flight, but wouldn't get into Bagan until about 7 pm instead ...

... We had another 14 km to go for a total of 30 km. We traveled through the mountains and valleys of Myanmar. It was not quite as beautiful as the day before, but was still quite wonderful. We did go past a school and completely disrupted class! It was a one room school with five differenct chalk boards. Each grade level had its own section and there were two teachers for all five grades. We noticed that some of the students in first grade looked really old and some in the older ...

... riding water buffaloes and others carting off their wares to the market. I felt like a time traveler observing a long forgotten way of life. This idyllic mood was in someways heightened by the greeting from the local children. They greeted us with friendly and numerous, "Bye, Bye! They were engrossed with our viewfinders and instant photos from our digital cameras. They have also become accustomed to the tourists handing ...

... back in time as you weave through the traffic consisting of trucks powered by tractor engines, 1972 Mazda pickups, garage built jeep replicas, a lot of 1950 looking bikes, and even a few oxcarts (even in the sections of road that are clearly labeled no oxcarts). This is one, if not the, favorite countries we have been to in our lives. Wow - Inle Lake. What a place. Inle is like a water-born Atlantis. Or a rural Asian Venice. 22km miles long and 11km wide it hosts ...

... perhe) osoittautui todella mukavaksi. Hotellin omistaja maksoi jopa viimeisena paivana kyytimme bussipysakille omasta kukkarostaan!! Saapumispaivanamme asutettiin tata ykkosluokan perheyritysta kolmistaan mutta jo seuraavana paivana saimme seuraa. Herran nimeksi paljastui Jacques ja kotimaaksi Uusi-Caledonia. Jacques osoittautui kykenevaksi kauppamieheksi joten seuraavana paivana matkasimmekin sitten kokopaivan Inle Lakea oppaan kanssa ...

... take a ride across the lake. The long dinghy winds me and Paye quickly through a river and into the marshes at the lake's edge, before bursting out onto open-surfaced water. We are now on a spectacular shallow lake lined all around the edges by jagged mountains. As we quickly race along, I can see scores of fishermen working together on the lake by slapping the water with long poles, herding the catch into their nets to take home to ...

... The cats though seemed not to be in the mood for gymnastics, and it took quite a bit of coaxing before one jumped amidst the ready cameras of myself and several Chinese tourist. After Jumping Cat monastery it was time to see the sunset and I spend an hour on the lake lazing around on the boat taking photos. Then back to base and a bite to eat the Unique Superb Food Restaurant again, this time I partook of the Potato Curry, not as good as the Fillet Mignon but still passable.

... The trails were narrow stream beds comprised of nasty rocks jutting out of fine, powdered earth. There was no shade or relief from the incline, so we took more frequent one-minute breaks for air and water. My wife was determined to keep up despite her suffering. I was most impressed, and to be honest, extremely thankful that this trek had not been my idea. About 2 pm we reached a village where a local hot lunch was prepared for us in ...