Myanmar- Day 6 (Inle)

Location: Saint Honore Bakery and cafe Xuan Dieu, Hanoi
Time: 1:25 pm
Mood: drinking cinnamon infused tea with Magnifique cake (very sweet) and listening to two friends chatting in korean beside my table. Hurray I can decipher around 30 percent of the conversation.

January 31, 2014

It's our last day in Inle so Mitch decided to give the pencils that she bought in Hanoi to a school near our hotel. She ventured out before breakfast to take pictures and she saw the school. After settling our bags we decided to go to the school. It turned out to be an Elementary school. We were directed by one parent to the teacher in charge and she was an energetic lady. Her English wasn't perfect but at least we were able to communicate to convey what we want. We went to her classroom which also doubled as the teachers room and it reminded us so much of our own class when we were young. It was shabby with a table cover just like the ones that are used for dining tables back home when we were young. The place is simple and most of the students and teachers came flocking to see us since we were speaking English although we don't look like foreigners. We were served with their traditional tea and asked about common English questions. Of course after a bit of a chit chat we gave the small gift. We were happy that they were happy to receive them. It might not be a big one but we hope as teachers that it will help the teachers and the children in learning. We bid them goodbye and we went back to the hostel to check out. After having lunch and  putting our bags at the  office where we booked bus seats back to Yangoon, we proceeded for lunch. After lunch we went to a museum. Of course we have to pay 5 kyats again for entrance. There was really nothing much inside and it is obviously not well taken cared of. The only interesting that I've seen so far was the big Bamboo Buddha, yes it was made of Bamboo but I was impressed. It doesn't look like any other Buddha, probably because it is made of bamboo or maybe because for me it looks more warm as compared to all the Buddhas I saw inside the stone temples. Whatever it is, it is so far an unforgettable Buddha for me.

The open jeep that we paid for 7 kyats that brought us and our luggage to the office where we booked our bus tickets.

The museum where the bamboo Buddha is staying. 

A traditional carriage in front of the museum.

After walking around we decided to go for a massage. We found this cute spa near a pond so we tried it out. It wasn't as good as the massage you get in Indonesia but at least it relieved us of some of the stress from the heat and the travel. The place was nice and the staff were very accommodating but the massage was not really in par to massage that I often had in Indonesia. Nevertheless, time passed by and we were already on the bus at 7 in the evening bound to Yangoon. We got sits at the back of the bus so it was bouncy but the temperature was good enough since it wasn't cold nor hot. We noticed everyone in the middle, covering up and fixing their aircon overhead. We slept for one or two hours in between getting awake but at least it was more comfortable than the bus we had when we were travelling from Luang Prabang to Vientianne a few years ago. Mitchell had the hardest time at that time since she had to sit with an old man who kept on farting for the duration of our 10 hour bus ride. At least for the trip from Inle to Yangoon, it was 8 hours and the sits were individual for us. It was tiring but it was cheap than taking a plane. I think we paid 21,000 kyats for the trip.

The little pond. The spa is on my left while the market is on my left side. It was a small town where the booking offices for the lake tours are located. 

Our bus, it is the preferred transportation for most tourists who are saving money. There are actually flights going back to Yangoon but it will cost you around 70 dollars or more while a bus only costs 20 dollars. 

Myanmar- Day 5 Continuation (Inle)

January 30, 2014

After going around the market, we proceeded for lunch. The guide/boatman brought us to a floating restaurant where you can view the incoming traffic. While waiting for the food, we realized that the place was strategically placed to see all the boats passing by. I can see that at that time at around 11 in the morning, almost all tourist passed to go to the silk village and the market. So we were ahead than most of the tourists. It's a good thing since we didn't need to be in a crowd and we were able to enjoy the places we visited without  a lot of people. Lunch was good and not cheap but not expensive too. It was also good that the boatmen were provided food. I guess its a part of the package that if they will bring people then they are also feed unlike in Bali where we had to buy food for our driver and guide.

The view from the restaurant where we had lunch. It was near the market that we previously visited.

Some tourist going back. They just probably book for a half day tour.

The village in front of the restaurant. They make silverware too. The boats are those that are bringing in the tourist for some shopping.

Boats coming at the same time.

After lunch, the guide took us to see a sapphire factory, the place where they make tobaccos and boats and a house with women who had neck rings weaving. Beside it was the place where they make umbrella made out of recycled paper. I was a bit interested with the sapphire since Myanmar is known to have good quality but I found it to be expensive and I am not very interested in jewelry. I did found the paper umbrellas interesting so I bought some for work purposes but then I found out later that it was much cheaper in town. Anyway, in some ways I just think of it as charity. We also took pictures with the women with neck rings. They are called Kayans.

She's making cigar

The skeleton of a boat that is being prepared to be build.

Ducks near a temple.

Kayan women...an old woman and a young girl. 

They were really pretty it was hard to choose.

I wanted to buy it so bad but I was thinking of how to drag it around since we were planning to take the train back to Yangoon and I was thinking it will be hard to bring it everywhere.

Our boat near the umbrella house.      

Since it was almost 5 in the afternoon and we only paid for eight hours we had to negotiate for more time to see the sunset. I think we paid five or ten more kyats for a 3 hour extension which I think was the best decision so far because we got to see a glimpse of everyday life. It was easy since the boatman can speak English well. We went on a smaller part of the river to a village with a different kind of temple ruins. We got to see children exactly when it was time for them to go home and a boy who accompanied us going up a hill near his house. There was a couple though and they were guided by a young monk who asked for money and the couple gave him. Its so sad that he is a monk yet he is learning devious ways of getting money. He even encouraged the boy who was with us to ask for money but I gave him a colorful pencil instead which I think he will find more useful. I hate to disappoint him but if they will get used to the money then it will not be good for them. I also saw this temple ruins which is totally different from what we've seen so far. And of course, I saw a painting of traditional woman who looks so alive. I fell in love with it but it's just so expensive. It was 700 USD..but until now I still remember it from memory. I wish I could have it and yeah there were a lot of painters and artists near the river. It was also nice to see everyone closing shops and getting on boats to go home at the end of the day. We went to a temple before finally going home and this girl approached our boatman to ask for a ride since they used bicycles and they want to go back by boat. It was okay with us but some people don't have any manners at all. They didn't even say hi or smiled when we got to the boat and when we got off not even a thank you or an acknowledgement. Huh! It is the rule that as a tourist, smile to others and say thank you. Western tourists are way more friendly than Asian tourists so far. Anyway, sunset was very pretty and it's an experience that is so amazing..

Children coming out from the school. They had those tin lunch boxes which is also the same as what we observed adults were carrying everywhere, like it's the national lunch box.

The unique ruins...

Our little guide

The painter of my much coveted painting, unfortunately the pic was inside. All the things at the background are copies and are the cheap stuff.

Two boys playing before going home.

The river traffic.

The river road.

Other tourists with their guide.

Sunset view from a temple.

Going back to town

We got back to the jetty by 7 evening very tired but happy with the tour. It's an experience I would like to do again in the future. We went for a cheap dinner that costs us only 3 kyats in a local restaurant. It was cheap but very satisfying with grilled chicken, salad and a beer.

At the end of the day, after appreciating the beauty of the place we got to learn a lot of things too. Number 1, it's easy to book the boat, you can even go to the river and bargain with the boatmen by yourself. Number 2 local restaurants are cheap and they can communicate in English so no problem at all.

Myanmar- Day 5 (Inle)

January 30, 2014

It's now our second day in Inle. Time to go to the lake. We had breakfast at the rooftop of our hostel. The view really reminds us so much of Loo, Buguias since the place where we stayed is a valley. We went before eight in the morning to the office where we booked our tour for a day. It was  exciting to see tourists walking and one guy who actually owns a boat said hi and asked if we want to hire a boat. We asked the price and it's the same as the 15, 000 kyats per person at the booking office. Unfortunately we already booked our boat and fortunately we saw him at the lake later on the day playing guide to a couple so its a relief.

So we met our boatman/guide at the office then proceeded for a five minute walk to the jetty. The way was full of people and our guide told us, there are more people if it's a market day. I took a picture of the canal before going to where our boat is anchored.

The morning view of the canal coming inland from the lake. It reminds me so much of a painting

Our boat is somewhere in these crowd.

At the jetty, our guide helped us get into the boat and we saw the blanket which was very useful because it was a bit chilly in the morning and in the evening when we came back. There were also umbrellas for us to use, it was useful during the midday to shade us from the sun. The weather is generally nice but we still need the umbrella to protect us from sunburn when you're out in the middle of the lake. And of course the life vest which the boatman said that we don't need to wear but to which we insisted in wearing for fear. Don't blame us though, we were just careful since we are children of the mountains who never consider swimming as a hobby. We are good in climbing and walking mountains but water uh uh...better be careful. It was funny because in the middle of the tour, we completely discarded the life jackets since it was constricting our view of the surroundings. We got brave I guess and distracted by the view.

Once out on  the lake, we we're amazed with the houses near or on the river. It was a bit dirty and crowded from the jetty but it soon became clean and enjoyable once the lake became wider. We saw young people on a boat feeding the birds, merchants with their products bringing them to the market and people bringing goods that they bought from the town. We passed by this protected area where birds stay so there were a lot of birds flying overhead. I guess the youngsters knew so they had bags of chips to feed them. We passed by some houses and towering grasses until we arrived at the widest part of the river. There were fishermen with their trademark rowing with one foot and a row of fishermen beating the water which I learned used to make the fish move to their nets underwater. We also saw people gathering weeds on their boats. The weeds underwater will be used as fertilizer for their crops. Totally eco-friendly. 

The birds flying and following boats. 

The life jacket in the morning which we totally ditched mid journey.

A fisherman with his traditional ware to use for fishing.

This is actually a row of five men beating the water which our guide explained to be some way of driving the fish to the nets that they cast underwater.

A village along the river.

After watching the fishermen, we were brought to a silk village. It wasn't interesting enough since Hanoi has also Lotus and silk for scarves but we learned the process of making so to discover that one scarf needs 2000 stalks  is a bit unsettling for me. I don't feel comfortable with the idea at all. Good thing that I'm not into
 scarves. We then proceeded to the floating market. Since it's the start of the dry season, the market is on land but people arrive by boat. It was amazing to see all the boats arriving and departing and people maneuvering their boats to get out or to go in. It wasn't as orderly as a cars parking lot but amazingly, everyone can go in and out in the middle of a chaotic scene. As for the market, people sell all kinds of stuff. Vegetables to fruits, traditional chips and snacks, silverware, jade, other jewelry, live chickens, fish and the pig is even roaming around the place. We even saw barbers and people selling clothes and textile.

It was an interesting atmosphere, very laid back and nice especially watching the boats coming and going.

The fireplace where they brew the dye's for the silk

All the boats coming and departing from the market

Women selling vegetables and just tossing out the bad stuff....

Interior of the market

Traditional snacks

Pine wood (Saleng)

The back of our boatman with a pig beside him. I guess they will just catch it once it's sold...

Myanmar-Day 4 (Bagan 2nd day)

January 29, 2014

Good Morning!

This is our 2nd day in Bagan and our last day as well. We woke up early to spend more time going to visit the temples. We rented the horse cart again to go back to the last temple we viewed the sunset yesterday to see the morning view of the temples. The weather is warmer but the shade provided by the cart cover is good and as usual the view is amazing. We passed by the same temples and the same road we had seen yesterday afternoon. There we're a few tourists inside the compound and the people selling stuff didn't bother us as much as the other tourists. They thought we are Myanmar nationals so we wouldn't bother buying souvenirs. It was a relief not to be bothered as you go around. We eventually climbed up the stairs and enjoyed the view since there are fewer people this time. As expected the view is still magnificent. I overheard a few tourists talking and one guy in his fifty's told two young Asian tourists that taking pictures is helpful to remember people he has meet on his travels. I do agree with him because with the number of people you meet every trip, it's difficult to remember everyone. After a few minutes of enjoying the view, we went down to visit another temple.

When we arrived at the next temple, it is  bigger and has rooms inside. There we're a lot of Buddha's along the hallways and there was one guy who went to pray. As usual, there are artists selling paintings and shops with souvenirs. The day is getting hotter and we are running out of time so we decided to proceed for lunch before going to the museum. Lunch was pleasant and of course we had to pay another 5 USD to enter the museum. Inside was a depiction of Bagan's history and artifacts from the temples. It's a pity that we didn't had much time to read everything though since we had to go back to the hotel to check out and go to the airport. It was a wonderful place to visit. The hotel where we stayed was nice although the mirror was really too high that I had to stand on the bath tub to even see my face, the horse cart and the nice guy who drives it, the view, the place  and the food was really perfect. I would love to go back again someday and I hope it stays the same.

The horse who worked hard that day to bring us around

A boy selling gas for the motorbikes as I was told

Farmers busy with their work

A girl doing her chores for the day

The tourist labouring her way up the temple

Playing  shadows and light

The museum

An old script

So now it's off to the airport for our 3 pm flight going to Inle. We had to wait for 2 hours and I think the passengers  on our flight are the only people at the airport. The place was literally deserted except for some airport employees.

On the plane, as we approached Inle, I was amazed with the view of the mountains and the plantations down below. The plane was flying just high enough for us to see them and the colors are amazing. Upon arrival in Inle, I noticed that the airport was much busier. I guess there are more tourists visiting the place. The airport though is far from the main town and we had to pay 20 USD for the taxi ride to our hotel and it took us almost an hour to reach the hotel. It was also due to the fact that the driver drove slow enough for us to take in the view. He even stopped along the rail road track for us to take pictures. We we're surprised though since the hotel was really far from the main road and the location reminded us so much of Loo, Buguias. It was really a small town with some hotels sprinkled all around. Upon arrival at the hotel, it was a simple house with some rooms and our room is small with two beds and a bathroom. It was a far cry from the nice hotel we had in Bagan. Well it's just for two days anyway.

Here are some of the first scenes that we have seen in Inle.

The train track in Inle

It looked like Loo Buguias 

Near the river

The first view of our hotel