It was a balmy 90 degrees at Inle Lake, a large lake at 3,000 ft elevation surrounded by mountains, so it felt fantastic compared to the 100+ temps I’ve enjoyed in the rest of Myanmar. You can stay on the lake in luxury stilted houses but I read that it was real quiet & few options given no motors are allowed on the lake after 6pm. So I instead opted to stay in Nyaung Shwe, the biggest (yet still pretty small) city in the area. My lovely hotel was located right on the river leading to the lake so boats hired for the day to tour the lake pick up right at the hotel’s dock for only a 15-minute picturesque ride to the lake. Even after seeing the beautiful lake, I was very pleased w the decision bc I had several great options at night in town.
I did a full day lake tour & it was lovely but a whole lot of sun. I saw several little villages on winding inlets, stilted houses, floating gardens growing tomatoes & eggplant, a market, silversmith shop, lotus & silk weaving, a couple pagodas, etc. I took a long boat jetty which was noisy but somehow relaxing at the same time… the relaxing part was probably due more to the stunning, massive & sprawling Inle Lake bordered on both sides by mountain ranges. You could easily spend 3 days on the lake exploring it. I spent one.
At stop 2, it became obvious I was on a similar route as 2 girls in another boat. They were just a bit ahead of me so we’d always chat at the stops. At a combo cigarette rolling & lunch stop, they were seated already & hollered out to me to join them. So I had great company for lunch. The girls, from Spain & Poland, had recently completed a 10-day meditation retreat in Yangon, met there & became “fast friends”. I commented how funny it was they grew so close yet didn’t speak until the 1.5 weeks were up. I’m not sure that had previously occurred to them but they got a good chuckle. They were real sweet & both ending extended trips shortly. So we had a long lunch & then made plans to meet up later that night. I was thrilled at the idea of cool dinner companions & more convo! While I have really enjoyed traveling alone & constantly meeting new people, I obviously find myself alone quite a bit. Even when you meet new people, many interactions tend to be fleeting & surface level – you can get to know someone only so well in a couple days . I’ve found that more recently I’m especially enjoying companionship, even if temporary. While I can certainly be a loner & enjoy solo time, I find I’m missing meaningful social interactions with those I love. It’s a long drawn out way of saying that I’m missing you all very much (well, most of you anyways).
My 2nd full day there, I took a hotel trek mountain bike for a tour of the Inle lake area. I biked through Nyaung Shwe & then 1/4 around the largest portion of the lake, through villages, a forest reserve in the hills (good for the legs), coffee/snack stop, then flagged down a jetty driver & he loaded my bike & took me to the other side of the lake where I biked the last 1/4 through other villages & stopping briefly at a hot spring (it was still 90 degrees), before back to the hotel & town for a late lunch. It was about a 6-hour trip, so much fun & a nice perspective of the lake.
I then caught a tuk-tuk up to a vineyard in the mountains overlooking the lake. Supposedly one of the best spots in the area to watch the sun setting over the mountains beyond Inle lake. Had some wine & read my book while waiting for it & it did not disappoint. The sunset. The wine (sauv blanc) was decent but I was there for the sunset. I somehow ended up sitting next to a bunch of French wine snobs. At least that’s what I thought at first as one dude was dominating their conversation. I soon realized it was definitely one French wine snob accompanied by a random mix of others including one super posh guaranteed-American guy who proclaimed his best experience w foie gras was paired w Doritos. My eavesdropping was a dead giveaway after my audible shudder in response to this comment…oh well. I was rescued by an adorable couple, or at least a guy & girl who recently only met yet seemed like they’d be an adorable couple, as they joined my table to watch yet another gorgeous Myanmar sunset & engage in a really nice conversation. It was a wonderful evening & a great last night in Myanmar.

Route from river to lake

https://youtu.be/v10RasIvWEs


Interesting fisherman rowing technique

https://youtu.be/LjwouAwgZ18


Floating gardens

https://youtu.be/Mz1GtvOHQig


Swimming kids hamming it up

https://youtu.be/PE5AaQZU_5E