I had been told by another traveler to take a boat from Bagan to Mandalay. Supposedly, the views as you arrive in Mandalay are fantastic. I started asking around trying to book a boat but one of the downfalls of traveling at the low season is the boats reduce their schedules and the river is too low. So, I was going to have to take the bus. I was bummed but I knew that would be a possibility. As I talked with the owners of Mya Thirda Guesthouse, they suggested I take the bus to Inle Lake first and then go up to Mandalay. As we talked I decided they probably knew best and I took their recommendation. I was on the morning bus the next day. As with most of SE Asia, the guesthouses make arrangements to have you picked up and taken to the bus station. It is really easy. A pick-up arrived to at 8:00 AM with monks. Uh-oh! I know I was not allowed to touch them or their robes. I wondered if that meant I was riding on top or hanging on the back of the pick-up. Yikes! The monks rearranged themselves and moved a layman to sit next to me. As the driver left my hotel he went full throttle. I was ecstatic I was not hanging on the back! I don't know why he was in such a hurry or if he just liked to drive like a bat out of hell! We flew through town and around corners. Everyone screamed as we were almost hit by another pick-up. As soon as he parked at the bus station, I was on solid ground. Yeah! I survived the 20 minute trip!
The bus ride to Inle Lake was a full day. At least the bus was comfortable and the scenery was gorgeous. I watched the farmers preparing their land with oxen, pick-ups flew by with people sitting on the top and the land changed from plains to mountains. One of the monks greeted me on the bus and provided me with 3 books to learn about the temples of Bagan and Myanmar travel. All of them were in English and he thought I would enjoy reading them during the journey. He explained that he had bought the books to take back to his temple and educate the younger monks about Myanmar and teach them English. Once again, I was touched by the kindness of a stranger in this beautiful land.
I arrived at Inle Lake at 4:30 PM and had to find a hotel. I stopped at the first place the tuk-tuk dropped me off, Teakwood Inn. I asked if they had any rooms for $20 USD. She said no $35 and I turned to leave. She finally agreed to give me a room with no air-conditioning for $20 and I jumped on it. I was ready for a shower, dinner and a walk around town. I grabbed my camera and headed to the canal. I met On Oo who offered me a fantastic deal on a boat tour of Inle Lake. As we talked I knew I wanted to go to the 5 day market which moves from village to village. If I wanted a day, I could go to a village with more Shan people, Indein Village and the typical stops for 18,000 kyat. My guesthouse wanted 30,000 kyat for the same tour. I was excited to see Inle Lake and the fisherman. I thought about this as I continued to walk along the canal watching the farmers unload vegetables from the floating garden. I wandered the canals and watched people bathing at night. Children saw me with a camera and ran up to me saying "hello money" with their hands held out. I put my camera away and did not take any photos. I really dislike that tourists have made this negative impact on the children already. Ugh!
The next morning, it was raining so I relaxed and waited for the rain to stop. All of the tourists sat around the breakfast area using the internet and sharing travel information. When the rain stopped, I was the only person that wanted to visit Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung.
I know, you are thinking she is off stalking the cute little monks again. Yep! I rented a bike and was off to explore the monastery and the surrounding villages. The monastery is north of Inle Lake and only took 10 minutes from the hotel. It was a nice ride past a few rice paddies. The Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung monastery is probably the most famous monestary in all of Myanmar. It is made of teakwood and has oval windows which make a perfect frame for the young novices.
I got a picture of one novice! I was so excited when I rolled into the grounds and a novice was looking out the window. Other travelers had told me they had to wait for hours to get these photos. But I was lucky. I wandered around the grounds and the beautiful white stupa. It is not mentioned in Lonely Planet but it was a beautiful building also. Hundreds of buddhas in little nitches as you walk around the inside on hand painted tiles. As I walked back into the daylight, I heard the chanting of the young monks. I walked to the temple, removed my shoes and entered. I sat down in the back to watch the hour long meditation before lunch. (It started at 10:30AM the day I was there).
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The older novices were in the front two rows meditating. The interesting site was the back row. All of the young novices were lined up along the windows. Some were reading books while others where sitting talking to one another. Cats walked through the room and the novices each tried to entice the cat to sit next to them. I smiled as I watched these novices being boys. I talked to a few of them and found out they were between the ages of 8-10 years old. I was not surprised that meditating was difficult for them..it is hard for me and I am 44 years old!
.JPG)
As I walked around the building I saw the cutest kittens looking out the windows. I could not help myself....they new how to pose in the beautiful windows also!
Afterwards, I continued north on the road until I saw a dirt path to the right. I turned and biked towards the hills. I went through small farming villages.
Children ran out to greet me and pose for pictures. The farmers were working the lands and people were going about their lives.
As I returned to town, I saw a sign for an art gallery, Gallery 19, photo exhibit. I stopped and pondered over the beautiful photos of Inle Lake and the Shan people. I enjoyed it and told several tourists to stop by and look at the pictures.
The bus ride to Inle Lake was a full day. At least the bus was comfortable and the scenery was gorgeous. I watched the farmers preparing their land with oxen, pick-ups flew by with people sitting on the top and the land changed from plains to mountains. One of the monks greeted me on the bus and provided me with 3 books to learn about the temples of Bagan and Myanmar travel. All of them were in English and he thought I would enjoy reading them during the journey. He explained that he had bought the books to take back to his temple and educate the younger monks about Myanmar and teach them English. Once again, I was touched by the kindness of a stranger in this beautiful land.
I arrived at Inle Lake at 4:30 PM and had to find a hotel. I stopped at the first place the tuk-tuk dropped me off, Teakwood Inn. I asked if they had any rooms for $20 USD. She said no $35 and I turned to leave. She finally agreed to give me a room with no air-conditioning for $20 and I jumped on it. I was ready for a shower, dinner and a walk around town. I grabbed my camera and headed to the canal. I met On Oo who offered me a fantastic deal on a boat tour of Inle Lake. As we talked I knew I wanted to go to the 5 day market which moves from village to village. If I wanted a day, I could go to a village with more Shan people, Indein Village and the typical stops for 18,000 kyat. My guesthouse wanted 30,000 kyat for the same tour. I was excited to see Inle Lake and the fisherman. I thought about this as I continued to walk along the canal watching the farmers unload vegetables from the floating garden. I wandered the canals and watched people bathing at night. Children saw me with a camera and ran up to me saying "hello money" with their hands held out. I put my camera away and did not take any photos. I really dislike that tourists have made this negative impact on the children already. Ugh!
The next morning, it was raining so I relaxed and waited for the rain to stop. All of the tourists sat around the breakfast area using the internet and sharing travel information. When the rain stopped, I was the only person that wanted to visit Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung.
I know, you are thinking she is off stalking the cute little monks again. Yep! I rented a bike and was off to explore the monastery and the surrounding villages. The monastery is north of Inle Lake and only took 10 minutes from the hotel. It was a nice ride past a few rice paddies. The Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung monastery is probably the most famous monestary in all of Myanmar. It is made of teakwood and has oval windows which make a perfect frame for the young novices.
.JPG)
.JPG)
I got a picture of one novice! I was so excited when I rolled into the grounds and a novice was looking out the window. Other travelers had told me they had to wait for hours to get these photos. But I was lucky. I wandered around the grounds and the beautiful white stupa. It is not mentioned in Lonely Planet but it was a beautiful building also. Hundreds of buddhas in little nitches as you walk around the inside on hand painted tiles. As I walked back into the daylight, I heard the chanting of the young monks. I walked to the temple, removed my shoes and entered. I sat down in the back to watch the hour long meditation before lunch. (It started at 10:30AM the day I was there).
.JPG)
The older novices were in the front two rows meditating. The interesting site was the back row. All of the young novices were lined up along the windows. Some were reading books while others where sitting talking to one another. Cats walked through the room and the novices each tried to entice the cat to sit next to them. I smiled as I watched these novices being boys. I talked to a few of them and found out they were between the ages of 8-10 years old. I was not surprised that meditating was difficult for them..it is hard for me and I am 44 years old!
I loved the novice checking out the antics of the boys in the back while the cat slept soundly. I was happy the light was good in the temple. I am intrigued with the lives of the monks and love the lighting with their beautiful robes. I sat and listened to the meditation as a bus load of tourists came into the temple and snapped photos of the monks and then left. After the meditation, several of the boys came up to talk to me and ask where I was from. They had a map and I showed them both California and Iowa. They loved the photos I had of family and were intrigued by my iPhone.
.JPG)
As I walked around the building I saw the cutest kittens looking out the windows. I could not help myself....they new how to pose in the beautiful windows also! Afterwards, I continued north on the road until I saw a dirt path to the right. I turned and biked towards the hills. I went through small farming villages.
Children ran out to greet me and pose for pictures. The farmers were working the lands and people were going about their lives.
As I returned to town, I saw a sign for an art gallery, Gallery 19, photo exhibit. I stopped and pondered over the beautiful photos of Inle Lake and the Shan people. I enjoyed it and told several tourists to stop by and look at the pictures.
My bike ride was a nice beginning to my stay at Inle Lake. I loved getting out and exploring the area independently and decided I will also do the day trip around the lake before I leave.
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