NYAUNG SHWE, INLE LAKE & IN DEIN
It
was time to check out Inle Lake though, the main reason for stopping here
in Nyaung Shwe, and what draws so many tourists to the area. We opted for only a half day tour as we have
obviously both seen enough markets and handicraft workshops, which are usually
little more than a hard sell to buy some trinkets.
We
also took the longer voyage which takes you out to In Dein, a small village
made slightly famous for it’s ruined pagodas and stupas, located at the end of
a small, winding, extremely picturesque creek.
The boat ride being more of a highlight than the actual temples or massive
line of markets trying to sell you all manner of art, craft and jewellery in
the entranceway.
The
entire lake area was beautiful - a vast wetland interspersed with little
islands, crops, stilt house villages with canal streets, floating gardens, local
fishermen, more than a few market and handicraft shops, all surrounded by misty
mountains. The whole trip was a definite highlight and should be on any travellers
list, I’m only regretting we didn’t do the full day trip.
Our
half day trip was $16, but that is the cost of the whole boat which can take
around 5-6 people, though we went just the 2 of us.
Standout
restaurants around Nyaung Shwe were the Sunflower (try the pork and pumpkin curry) and
Beyond Taste, though the latter is much more upmarket and meals there were
rather expensive at $4-$5 each! We tried
quite a few restaurants during our stay, but there were no others I feel worth
recommending.
Another
11 hour bus journey took us south to Yangon again to organize my Thai visa,
though this bus ride was easily the best we had endured on our Myanmar
travels. With small personal tv’s in the
seats allowing us to simply kick back in rather spacious seating and watch
movies the whole way, plus fairly smooth roads, the 11 hours went by quickly.
The canals in town are that dirty brown but the lake is nice
Great spot for lunch and a beer
The village houses right on the lake
Cruising the 'streets'
