Magnificent, l beautiful, tranquil, this is Inle Lake an adequate description for this beautiful piece of paradise (at least for us and for now). To get there you will have to fly from Yangon. We flew from Bagan via Mandalay to Heho airport, approximately one and half hours flight including the stopover in Mandalay. No direct flight from Bagan to Heho. Once arriving in Heho we found it very easy to hire a taxi to take us to Nyaungshwe, the main town near Inle Lake, about an hours drive from Heho. The drive to Inle Lake was pleasant and picturesque especially the last third of the leg when we passed through a mountainous region down into the town of Nyaungshwe.
The small town of Nyaungshwe is a very laid back little town. On entering into the town I got the impression that there probably wasn't much to see or do here, but to the contrary there are heaps of interesting places to visit both on the lake and surrounding areas. some compare it with Siem Reap or Cheng Mai, but I really didn't see it personally, much quieter, maybe it was the time of year (September) and very few tourists. There are numerous small boutique hotels and western style restaurants catering to the tourist, once again everyone was very friendly and helpful.
Our taxi driver took us to the tour office of the Golden Island Cottages Resort which was located just a short walking distance from the jetty. We were then guided to a large canoe equipped with a motor, two chairs, life rafts, wet weather raincoats and umbrellas. So with our two large suitcases and lacquer ware that we purchased in Bagan we climbed aboard. Every aspect of this transfer was effortless and very well organized by our hotel, very impressive.
The boat trip took 30 tranquil minutes to reach the hotel, initially we went down a river with houses on either side for about 10 minutes then into padi field territory which lead into the lake. Some of the areas along the river and in the lake are bird life conservation areas, and there are designated bird watching areas for the bird lover.
There are a few resorts dotted around the lake, ours was the second last one. On our arrival we were greeted by a four man band on the hotel jetty playing traditional instruments, I think they were fairly happy to see us as we were the only guests to occupy this resort for nearly three days before another group trickled in. We were greeted with a drink whilst our bags were whisked away. After checking in we ambled down a wooden platform to our little cottage. The room was fairly basic but nice, with a little veranda looking out over the lake. The bathroom was spotless as was the room, just perfect.
On reaching our hotel, I was at first a little apprehensive about having to travel 30 minutes on a boat to reach the hotel and my first thoughts were what we will do on a lake 30 minutes from the nearest town. As it was there was plenty to do and see around the lake and at the end of the four days I felt we could have stayed longer. I do believe one can reach the hotel by road but it takes longer as the roads aren't very good, at least not in the rainy season.
On our first day we had time to take a walk into the hills behind the hotel, very peaceful and easy walking; we passed through some small villages dotted along the way. We were informed that it is a great hiking area for hikers, very safe in this region. The people along the way were shy but friendly and at no time did we experience any hassles so often experienced in many other Asian tourist spots.
My feeling were if this is the start of our first day please give me more. The hotel was great, the staff wonderful and service brilliant.
Day two next...................
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