We’ve been on the Road to Mandalay.. it was uneventful.
We’ve been to Mandalay.. it’s not that nice
We saw THE bridge in Mandalay.. it was quite pleasant, surprisingly. But unless you’re really into bridges and sunset pictures I wouldn’t put Mandalay too high on your travel wishlist.
Mandalay had little charm to hold us and so after a short stay we ventured back south to the town of Kalaw, nestled in the hills surrounding Inle Lake. Arriving late in the afternoon following another long and slow bus trip, we set about booking ourselves a trek, finding some lunch and then sorting out a room for the night.
Early the next morning we set off on our trek with 4 other travellers and our guide, Kuku. Passing through villages along the way we were truly surprised at the variety of vegetables, grains and spices being grown in the fields beside us. So far on this trip we’ve been amazed at the quality & diversity of the meals we’ve seen and tasted – something we’ve not found too often in South-East Asia.
An overnight stay in a local village and we’re off again in the morning, making our way across the fields towards the lake. We pay our (tourist) entrance fee as we reach the shores and board a long and thin boat with deck chairs in single file. We pass a number of floating gardens where the crops are being grown on the lake itself, really cool to see a farmer harvesting his carrots while balancing in the edge of his tiny boat.
Tonight we’ll stay in Nyaung Shwe, the main town by the lake, and hopefully see a little bit more of the area tomorrow before boarding an overnight bus back to Yangon – on New Years Eve of all nights!
