Buying snow online in Inle Lake

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Buying snow online in Inle Lake

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support. Trekking Kalaw to Inle Lake is one of the best treks I have ever done — pretty big call huh? I can be prone to exaggeration but I promise you: this statement is not an exaggeration. The three days spent trekking in Myanmar between the small mountain town of Kalaw to Inle Lake was one of the best treks I have ever done. Walking through the quiet mountains, past small indigenous villages, and surrounded by stunning scenery, I knew that I had made the right decision to do some Myanmar trekking. Unlike neighboring Thailand, where I had heard stories of treks between overly commercialized villages along with hundreds of other tourists, Myanmar offered a more authentic trekking experience, and I had heard a lot of great things about trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake. But I could never have imagined how amazing this experience would actually turn out to be. It even included the boat trip from where the trek ended on Inle Lake , over to the main tourist village of Nyaung Shwe. Trekking Kalaw to Inle Lake was a bargain! After an afternoon and evening spent exploring sleepy Kalaw, I met my guide, Sonny, at the Golden Lily Guesthouse bright and early. Sonny is 23 years old and of Nepalese descent but grew up in one of the small villages nestled in the mountains that surround Kalaw. Also in my trekking group were a young Israeli couple and a Catalan couple from Barcelona. On the way out of town, we picked up three more people from the Jungle King Trekking office — three guys: two Germans and a Colombian. And with that, our little group was complete. As we headed out of the village and further into the mountains, everyone got to know each other better. Manu is German and was living in California for over twenty years, but had recently left everything behind to pursue a life on the road. Sebastian, also German and living in Berlin, was traveling in Myanmar and Thailand on a holiday from work. Naama and Matan, the young Israeli couple, were traveling through Asia after finishing their military duty back home. The Catalan couple, Ivan and Adriana, spoke little English but were friendly and always smiling. This group of people would become my family for the next three days on our trek to Inle Lake. The sun beat down on us as we followed a ridgeline, surrounded by pine trees on the slopes above us and in the valley below. Sonny stopped to point out things of interest along the way. We tried gooseberries off a bush beside the path. They were very tart and firm but after drinking water, tasted sweeter. The path turned and we were walking past rickety fences containing bright fields of canola flowers. Long grass grew unkempt against the weathered fence posts, reaching for the sky. Clouds of dust arose from the sun-baked trail. Wildflowers dotted the landscape. We reached the first village, a small settlement with sturdy cement and woven bamboo houses along a dusty road. I was surprised to see that a lot of the houses had satellite dishes. Just out of town, we stopped for lunch at a small shack. Lunch was served to us at a large wooden table in the shade of a giant tree; a salad of avocado, tomato, and cucumber in a chili sauce, a vegetable and noodle dish, and refreshing ginger soup. It was the first of many nutritious and wildly delicious meals we would be served over the next few days. Our private chef Don followed us by motorbike from place to place, serving us incredible meals, a lot of the time cooked simply over an open fire. Every meal was different and involved at least two or three dishes, mostly vegetarian. We had fresh salads, noodle dishes, curries, homemade chapatis, fried rice, and pancakes — and it was all so good. I began to look forward to mealtimes most of all. After lunch and a nap on the hillside, the trek continued further uphill to the village where we would be spending our first night. We passed fields of luminous sunflowers and delicate red chili plants. A muddy lake sat amongst patchwork fields, a jigsaw puzzle of browns and greens. We stopped to catch our breath at a beautiful viewpoint over the countryside. Sonny showed us how to blow bubbles by breaking the middle stalk of a native plant, creating a gap which the gooey sap could be blown through. He always had something cool to show us. Entering the village, life became busy again. Local villagers were everywhere. A group of kids played a ball game over a net that looked like a cross between hacky sack and volleyball and played with a light bamboo ball. Local farmers plowed their fields with water buffalo. Groups of villagers stopped to talk and laugh on the street. We had hiked 19km, much further than I had hiked in a long time. It felt good to be exhausted; my head ached from the heat and my joints were stiff and sore. But I felt great. After a delicious meal by candlelight in the kitchen house of our homestay, we retired to bed early. Thin mattresses with scratchy woolen blankets that smelt of lanolin were lined up next to each other against the wall, upstairs in our homestay. I slept like the dead. The next morning we arose early to begin another full day of hiking. Following the dirt road, we traveled through undulating countryside and quiet villages, some only comprising a handful of houses. In one of the villages where the locals dress head to toe in black, red chilies dried in the sun, laid out on large sheets of plastic. A local woman swept dust out of her house, pausing to look up at us as we passed. Our guide made us keep walking, trying in vain to hold the puppies back who were eagerly trying to follow us. Stopping for a break at a small store and restaurant, we drank local tea and ate a type of Burmese donut, one that I found all over the country and ate more of than I can remember. The shopkeeper demonstrated how she made the sweet version of the very popular Kwun-ya, betel leaf spread with a wood paste, then wrapped around betel nut, coconut, and jube sweets. Chewing betel leaf is a long tradition in Myanmar, and it is used as a stimulant. I was the first to try it, chewing it into a pulp and then spitting out the red liquid as I chewed. It was unusual, with so many textures and flavors, both sweet and minty at the same time: I rather liked it. It was at this point, after one and a half days of trekking, that we finally encountered the first other Western tourists: a family group from the UK. We saw them again a couple of hours later after hiking through the quiet countryside to a large village where we stopped for lunch. Eating in a local house where Don had laid out another appealing spread for lunch, they were sitting at a table next to us. The time of having the Myanmar countryside and its people to ourselves was over. Sonny had a surprise for us before we continued on. One of his friends was getting married and he asked us all if we would like to attend the wedding, which was happening just down the road from where we were. A traditional wedding of a minority ethnic group in a remote village that is not on the tourist trail — obviously we said yes. Attending the wedding was an absolute highlight of our three days of hiking in Myanmar. Arriving at the two-story house, we took off our shoes and made our way upstairs where we were told to sit down on the colorful mats covering the floor. The room was decorated with paper streamers and balloons. Nearly all of the guests were wearing brightly colored beach towels or tea towel turbans on their heads, arranged in different styles. Yes — beach towels. They made them look quite stylish. The bride and groom were wearing suits of dark denim. In front of us were small bowls containing chips, cake, biscuits, and nuts along with pots of tea. Speeches had just begun when we arrived and one sassy lady, perhaps the MC or a family member, was speaking animatedly, punctuating each sentence with loud laughter. I wish I knew what she was saying because she had everyone in stitches. Guests then went up one by one to give gifts of cash to the newly married couple; we pooled some money to give them a wedding gift also. Leaving the wedding, we had the option of getting to the monastery we would be staying at via a swimming hole or by a slightly shorter route. Dark clouds had begun to gather and the temperature had dropped markedly so we went with the second option. Thirty minutes later, the skies opened in a deluge that had us running for shelter. A bunch of local ladies who were walking back to their village joined us on the muddy path. They deftly negotiated the steep and slippery rock stairs as we headed down into the valley, while we were taking it slow and still constantly slipping. The valley was beautiful. We passed fields being worked by local farmers with the help of buffalo and wooden carts, before continuing on to the monastery at the top of a long winding road that led back into the mountains. A procession of carts pulled by buffalo caused a traffic jam as they slowly worked their way up the road, fully laden with what looked like wheat. This is what constitutes traffic in the mountains of Myanmar. Finally, after 20km of walking, we arrived at the monastery. The monastery was dilapidated, run-down, and rusted with crumbling pathways and peeling paint. A group of young novice monks, their red and sienna robes tucked up between their legs like diapers, enthusiastically played football in the courtyard out the front. We were shown where we would be sleeping, a line of thin mattresses against the wall. The sleeping arrangements were much like the night before, only this time it was in the ordination hall of a monastery rather than the upstairs of a family home. There was a family of tabby cats that lived at the monastery and they came to investigate who had arrived on their turf. A playful kitten danced around the hall and let me pick her up for a cuddle. Needless to say, the second day of trekking in Myanmar was a good one. Manu and I were keen to wash up and we were told there were showers. Not that I was expecting much. A couple of other groups were also staying there. We ate dinner in the dining room. Even now, with the military still in charge before the elected democratic government take over, you have to be careful about what you say and to whom. This was mostly because I had the teeniest tiniest kitten I have ever seen curled up beside me and I was afraid I might roll over and crush her in my sleep. She was so small that her whole body could curl up on my forearm, and I have small arms. I was already awake when monks quietly filed past us in the dark at 4 am for their prayers. We were roused early, before the sun had risen, to begin our last day of trekking Myanmar. We hoped to beat the other groups and have the trail to ourselves. The trail left the monastery and rose up above the village along a wide dirt road of red earth, affording excellent views of the valley below. Entering the forest the trail narrowed and we began to encounter other groups of trekkers. It felt so busy compared to the first day and a half of trekking. At times we were walking in a procession, slowed down by the groups in front of us. We passed a lot of the groups and were alone again. Gnarled trees fringed the path as it opened up into a vast plain, we followed a river for a couple of kilometers, edging closer to the lake. Then suddenly we were at the swampy beginning of Inle Lake. The path turned and we followed another river past simple houses. The countryside was lush and green. Arriving in a picturesque stilt village built on one of the tributaries of the lake, we had finally arrived at the end of our trek. We had walked 17km from where we had started at the monastery that morning. We laughed and joked as we ate but it was bittersweet. It was time to farewell Sonny and Don who were heading back by motorbike to Kalaw; a boat was waiting to take us across to Nyaung Shwe. I have experienced many incredible things during my nearly 20 years of living abroad and traveling, but my three days of hiking in Myanmar stand out as one of the highlights of all of my travels. Have you been trekking in Myanmar? Would you do the Kalaw to Inle Lake trek? I traveled to Kalaw from Bagan by bus. There are a couple of different bus and van trips per day, and you can book in advance through 12Go. The journey takes between six and eight hours. You can also travel to Kalaw from Mandalay by bus which takes around seven hours, and from Yangon to Mandalay by night bus which takes around nine hours. I stayed at Honey Pine Hotel but it appears to no longer be open. There are a lot more accommodation options Inle Lake from budget-friendly to blow-your-budget luxurious. If you want a friendly budget option, stay at Song of Travel Hostel which has dormitories and private rooms with air-conditioning, as well as free breakfast, snacks, and bikes to borrow. I just turned up and went to Golden Lily Guesthouse in Kalaw to enquire about trekking through them but I actually trekked with Jungle King so I would go directly to them. Treks are run year-round but the best time of year to trek is from October to January. I did the trek in December and had near-perfect weather. From the research I have done, the price is still about the same. Please let me know if this is not the case. I highly recommend the Osprey Fairview or Farpoint 40L packs — they are the perfect size for a multi-day hiking trip, are comfortable and durable, and have lots of pockets to organize your gear. Use packing cubes for further organization. Consider taking some trekking poles to help with the downhill — your knees will thank you! Pack the GRAYL Geopress Water Purifier to filter water from streams and taps at your accommodation, this saves you having to carry lots of water and is better for the environment. Also, pack a CamelBak to make it easier to hydrate while you are hiking and to store more water if needed. It can get cold at night so make sure to pack a thermal base layer top , as well as a rain jacket in case it rains. Make sure to pack mosquito repellent and sunscreen, a power bank if you want to keep your phone charged, some snacks, a head torch , toilet paper, and wet wipes, and some cash to buy snacks and for tips. If you enjoyed this post, check out my other multi-day hiking posts:. This trek looks awesome! Your post was such an amazing read and I loved all of the photos! You should do it Jasmine! Hiking is my absolute favourite thing to do when I travel and Myanmar has been on my list for so long. Your pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing this. Thank you! We were supposed to go to Myanmar earlier this year but had to postpone it. Oh, that looks wonderful! I bet you wanted to take that puppy home! Yes, I wish I could have kept the puppy, and the tiny kitten that slept with me in the Monastry. Hey, this looks awesome and cheap haha , thanks for sharing such an informative and useful post. This trek looks so amazing! Might just have to go back in the future to do it! Hi Marisa, I definitely think it is worth going back for — there are meant to be some great treks in Hpa-An too so I want to go back to trek there. What a unique trek! Love your photos too. Such good value for money. Just WOW — what an amazing blog from a very talented writer. I was on that trek all the way. Beautiful writing telling exactly how it is. Love all of the information. Did you book ahead of time, and how do I go about doing this? Good luck! I find myself unable to leave your blog! I must say you have a very unique voice in writing, which I personally appreciate. Thanks again Katie! Which company did you book this through, and how far in advance do you need to book it? Looks incredible! I think the actual name of the trekking company is Jungle King Trekking. I recommend doing the three day alternative route, so amazing! I know! Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Share Pin Email. I hope you make it there after we are all able to travel again, I would love to go back one day. Myanmar looks absolutely amazing! I would love to visit! Also how adorable is the puppy?!!! So cheap, and awesome! I hope you make it there in the future. Keep it up Katie. I know — I agree! This trek looks amazing! Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.

Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake: A Packing List – Gallop Around The Globe

Buying snow online in Inle Lake

After our day of temple viewing in Bagan, we caught a minibus from Bagan to Ngyuang Shwe, the village at the north end of Inle Lake. The ride itself was over eight hours with a few stops, but the climb up to Kalaw was especially interesting. The road is full of switchbacks and parts of it are quite steep. All along the road are little stands or restaurants and each of them has several garden hoses out front. We rapidly learned what these were for when halfway up our driver pulled over and everyone bailed out. The two helpers immdlediatley grabbed a pair of hoses and began shooting water through the grill onto the engine block and all over behind the tires — we assume aiming for the brakes — before going on to wash down the entire van. All told it took minutes. It seems the vehicles would overheat without this treatment. Our minibus at one of the water cooling stops. We arrived in the village late and got settled into our hotel — the Gold Star — before venturing out in search of food and bus tickets for two days later. The guy called to make sure there was space on the bus — it was a holiday after all — and even though there was he could not book the tickets that night for whatever reason. Before we headed off to get dinner we agreed to come back in the morning to rent pedal bikes for the day and do the paperwork for the tickets. Sadly, the following morning we had a problem with our door lock — it was broken and when we finally got in they had to give us a new room — and were not able to get to the ticket office as early as we hoped. So when we showed up at there was nohody there. We waited for 10 minutes and nobody appeared. We were planning on going to a traditional market at one of the villages down the lake and we had been told it packed up at , so eventually we rented bikes from the Red Star restaurant and set off. Once again we had slightly bad luck with bikes. Tamara was also treated to the shock of having her seat suddenly collapse while riding and, as an added bonus, suffered an air attack by some sort of falling nut. Nonetheless, the ride was a very pleasant one along canals and farming fields on a tree-shaded road. It took up only forty five minutes to reach the Inle hotsprings, but we passed by them to try and catch the Khaung Dine village market. Sadly, after riding quite a distance, asking several people, and locating empty market stalls, we determined that the market was not happening because of the holiday. Fortunately the hot springs were open. We paid 10 USD each to have one of the semi-private pools — compared to 7 USD for the separate mens and womens public baths — and settled in for a nice soak in the hot mineral water. We had been told that we could catch a boat from just past the hotsprings across the lake to Mine Thauk so that we could cycle a nice 25 km loop back to the village. Locating the boats turned out to be a bit challenging. This involved several tricky sections balancing on bamboo poles laid over mud, but eventually we reached a kiosk in sight of some boats. They quotes us 10,K each to take us across. We had been told it would be about 7, but enough people had told us no boats today that we jumped at any price that got us across the lake. We eventually broke out into the main lake and headed across. The north end is a bird sanctuary and we saw a ton of different species bit sadly got no good photos. There were also lots of fishing boats out moving slowly through the shallow water. The Mine Thauk pier is also a pretty cool event. We are not sure what they grow here but it seems like a pretty effective way to avoid having all the watering. We got back into town in the late afternoon and stopped for some cocktails at a place with a second story balcony overlooking the street. There are some really interesting vehicles in Myanmar and we wanted to try getting a few photos of them. Our final stop before returning the bikes was back at the travel agent to get our bus tickets … but they were completely shut and padlocked. Time to look for alternatives. We returned our bikes and walked from agent to agent trying to get tickets to Yangon for the following night — buses from Inle to Yangon are 12 hours and only leave at — but everything was completely sold out due to the holiday. Because of our early morning flight schedule two days away we could not delay the bus trip a day so it was looking like we would have to fly — USD each instead of 15 — when we found a travel agent who pointed out that we could take the train. Now Burmese trains are slow, how slow we found out later, but she explained that we could by upper class seats that reclined and that the trip would take hours and cost 15,K. She was able to arrange it all through her brother who worked at the local station — which was 11 km away in another village and she arranged a driver for another 12,K. Needless to say we were a little surprised at the reality on the ground. We decided to make the most of the fact that for the first couple hours the coach was nearly empty and we could snap photos through the fixed open windows. Then the conductor checked our tickets and informed us that we woukd arrived in Yangon at the next day. That train ride was its own experience in a lot of ways. It was also impssoble not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. We learned the the no smoking signs were purely decorative and the car capacity a mere suggestion. There was a plethora of food options, but given some slight toucjiness from our stomachs the day before we had brough packaged food and Blake only sampled a few of the fried breads and chips from the station vendors. Everything was good though and the curries looked delicious! Late in the evening there was a long stop while they switched the engine out. First they pulled into the station and people got off — including Tamara to brush her teeth — then the train headed out for a siding to reorganize before returning to the station. Of course none of this was communicated to us resulting in one frantic huaband first searching for a figure running along the platform and, not seeing that, contemplating the feasability of a flying leap from a moving train into the dark with two backpacks. Which did nothing to help Tamara when she emerged from the bathroom to discover the train gone. Fortunately, she spends enough of her time disoriented thag she just assumed she was looking at the wrong platform, asked a lady and was directed to the siding where she re-boarded before the train returned to the station. From then on we stayed on the train, although sleep proved elusive for Tamara and impossible for Blake — thanks in part to a seatmate that kept tipping over onto him as he dozed. So we rolled into Yangon in an exhausted haze and headed for a hotel picked out of Lonely Planet amd got checked in. Knowing that we would never get up if we went to bed we headed out to look around. Monks were everywhere in Myanmar. This group was out for a stroll on the waterfront. After locating coffee we visited Botataung Pagoda where a sacred hairpiece from Buddha forms the centre of worship, literally. It is in the middle of a building covered in massive amounts of gold leaf and you walk in a circle around it. There are alcoves that point towards the hairpiece where people can pray — or nap. We rounded things out with a visit to the waterfront and dinner before heading back to the hotel to bed. Sadly, the fan was no match for the heat and sleep was once again a challenge. Next up, India! At least not if they will take up a large portion of your time. It is pretty difficult to sight-see and get around during the holidays. It takes a long time to get anywhere in Myanmar by any form of transport. Be sure to allow lots of time for unexpected delays and the fact that travel agents may low-ball the estimated times. Bagan is definitely worth a trip and do try and catch the sunrise — for us at least it was better than the sunset. Leave several days for Inle Lake as there were lots of things that we wanted to see but did not have time for. A word about washrooms. Most of them outside your hotel will be squatters. Bring your own tissue and hand sanitizer. They are often pay toilets so have a few small bills with you on your way to the toilet. Accommodation is a little more expensive here than elsewhere in S. Rooms tend to be at least 20 USD often more. Budget accordingly. Most hotels and guesthouses are willing and able to book onward transport … for a commission. Shop around if you are really pinching kyat. Trains are really cheap, but really slow. Anytime you rent a bike be sure to check it over carefully. We were taken in twice and while it did not spoil our day, a breakdown far from home could be a problem. Online there is lots of discussion about the Bagan — Inle connection and how horrific the bus rides can be. We took a minivan for only a couple dollars more and it was a fast for Myanmar and relatively comfortable ride. Try to get the first row of seats behind the driver and confirm that they will only sell as many tickets as seats before booking. Bruised but unbeaten! The pretty little road we biked along from the village. It had great views to boot. We also learned that horse and buggy is still used for more than tourists here. The quieter private pools of the hotsprings. Soaking it up! Fishing boats working the north end of the lake. Changing positions. Mine Thauk Pier. We opted to push instead of ride this part. At work in the floating gardens. These are used to transport both people and construction materials. Look closely and you can see that the sides double as benches. Exposed engines were a big thing. And they usually had a can of some kind of fluid strapped to the top. Not sure what it is. We only really saw these old trucks with no hood in the Shan State. They make up for it in volume though! Not quite the trip we had envisioned! The sacred hairpiece is also surrounded by money that people leave as offerings. This point faces toward the centre where the hairpiece is located. Subscribe Subscribed. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. 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Buying snow online in Inle Lake