The bus we booked in Bagan turned out to be a van that we shared with an elderly lady and another woman with a small child. One of the seats was on a wooden super uncomfortable … So the thing went like this: if we were ready, we took the seats and left the old lady or the woman with a baby travel 11 hours on a wood .. That was not going to happen … So I did what nobody does for those lands: complain energetically !! …
We required the seat we had paid, and not a piece of wood that was going to leave my ass cracked. The driver solved it by saying that the old lady would sit there … with all her pachorra …
In the end, I had to give the solution, they practiced immobility, literally, they stood still with a face of astonishment … in the end it seemed they wanted to camouflage themselves with the landscape, like a statue. I asked them to order the trunk of the van and there I traveled, stretched out between suitcases … It was not bad, without being the best trip nor has it been the worst.
The advantage was that without asking, as compensation, the driver took us to the town of Inle Lake, Nyaungshwe, by a route that avoided the ticket that had to be paid to enter the area, 12 dollars per person, and that no one was going to ask the rest of the days there.
We stayed in a guest house that we saw recommended in a blog, the Gypsi Inn. The rooms were correct for the price, $ 10 a night with breakfast. And the owner let us in at 6 in the morning without charging us anything extra … yuhu !!! To sleep a little!
Super breakfast at the Gypsi Inn !!!
The next day we went for a walk. When we passed by the jetty, they already made us an offer to go around the lake rigorously. The price was not bad, 12,000 kyats (about 9 dollars), but it would be better if we found a couple with whom to share a boat and costs.
A few meters away we met Pedro, a calm and friendly Portuguese. We proposed to share the boat and accepted, although we all agreed to go to eat something before. In the end we boarded on the 13 h, a bit just to make the complete return.
The landscape on the lake is magnificent, the fish birds, the tomato plantings suspended in the lake, the fishermen paddling with their peculiar technique, standing at the point of their canoe and removing their paddle with the leg … a whole show !!!
Tomato plantations on the lake, Inle is famous for its tomatoes !!! Mmmm …. they have an exquisite taste !!!
The villages are really picturesque, the streets are the lake itself, on one side there is a house, on the other the grocery store, beyond offices, all delimited by water. It looked like a western town, all made of wood, but with water instead of sand and dust … A beautiful landscape …
During the tour, they take you from one store to another to buy, craft stores of silk, tobacco and others .. we told the boatman that we were not interested in buying anything, and that we preferred to navigate the villages … However curiosity we stopped to see the tobacco shop.
When we return, we find a typical fisherman, with his net in the shape of a basket making his positions as a tightrope walker for the tourist’s photo, we suppose paid by the guild of boatmen … although obviously prepared, a gift for the sight and as a souvenir for the camera.
Once on the mainland we took a tour of the interiors of the town, and found a street full of local food stalls: good, beautiful and cheap!
The next day we rented bikes for $ 2 each, and we did a tour that we had read was recommended: Mr. Tofu. A man who does a tour with explanation by the artisans of the area. We could see in action from tofu producers to freidurías, producers of peanuts, all very very picturesque and interesting.
On the way back he served us a delicious tofu dish and we paid him 1 dollar each. He also organized us to cross the lake in a boat with bikes and all for $ 4 … great!
The walk was spectacular, the calm of the lake, its fishermen, the birds fishing, and on the other side of the lake we went by the De Maing Thauk bridge, made of wood, surrounded by local people, in their boats, bringing the children of the school. .. super picturesque !!!!
With the bikes we toured the area near the lake on the way to Nyaungshwe. The landscape was quiet and very local, villages, and local businesses.
Once we arrived at the town, we looked for a place to have dinner. We found a small street full of local restaurants, the night market food stoll. The perfect place to end the day !!
We dined very well, some vegetable curries, san noodles and a little fried chicken, perfect after a long day of hiking! and all cheap …
Finally we returned to Mandalay; The Inle Lake is one of the most touristic places in Myanmar, but still keeps magic and a lot of beauty … not to mention that getting away from the town a little you can get lost among local people. Highly recommended !!!!