Images: Myanmar Pics #3 (Click on image to enlarge)

Fast food cafe markets Innlay Lake

Hello, Its been just under two weeks since we departed Australia, our first part of this trip was to stage through KL and obtain a visa for Myanmar.

I had allowed a couple of days extra in KL to obtain a visa, knowing that things ain't what they seem and it's just as well I had as they were celebrating a public holiday the day after our arrival in Kl and all the public type services were closed. We obtained our quick visa (in two days) and flew out to Yangon on the day we had planned.

KL was the usual hussle and when Teresa got her eye on a new i phone there was no stopping her, with questions being asked at booth after booth of phone sellers.

We stayed in China Town at a hotel we had stayed at before. The same friendly and helpful staff were there, but now they had two or more girls working outside the front door and using short time rooms on the lower floor, well away from us, but the whole place had turned seedy if you know what I mean. When we stay in KL we are now changing hotels.

With a new government in Myanmar and a visit by Hillary Clinton to the county since our last visit. Myanmar is going through a major tourist boom. The current government has made things a lot easier and Hillary Clinton advertised the country, by showing herself here to the world.

Hotel Prices have gone up three fold, our last visit we could get a two or three star hotel for around USD25 now the same places are USD 85-90 a night plus.

What used to be USD 10 per night is now USD 30 per night.

The country is now teeming with tourists from all over the world, all this is good for Myanmar, but, not us. The hotels now see us as a mobile bank coming through there front door. Transport around towns and the country is still very reasonable, but for how long?

If you have any interest in seeing this wonderful Country I would make a plan sooner that later. A visit to Innlay Lake is worth a trip here on its own let alone other major places of interest around a beautiful country.

In Yangon we were the first through the red tape and after changing money USD50 we were out to the main road outside the airport to by pass the USD 20 taxi fares to the city to be offered a USD 6 fare to our hotel in the city, I tipped him USD1 for a clean taxi and a fair price.

The MGM hotel, was a story in itself, we had got a room for USD 30 on the net, but were shown a room with no window, and after Teresa let them know we had booked one with a window we were taken to the eighth floor and given a room with two windows one to the rear and one too the side both with views of the buildings around the hotel. The room furniture was a bit dated, but with a new hot water system and a new aircon and a fridge that worked along with a lift to the eighth floor we were quite happy there.

The staff were very helpful and asked us what time we would like to check out after the 12 noon check out time, allowing us to stay in our room for a few more hours to match our transport departure time.

Breakfast was included in the room price, all was good, but as we sat in a converted bed room ,now one of the dinning rooms, a very and I mean very fat mouse waddled from under our table heading to the next table. Teresa spotted this and let out a large scream, which got the staffs attention, all chaos broke out with them chasing this fat mouse back under our table then behind the open door before they all made a exit still chasing this huge mouse down the passage towards the rear of the building, we are not sure if it got away, but as we left they were all back to dishing up food etc. Believe me that was one big mouse.

As we had been to Yangon before we took a look around the markets, changed more money, then in the evening we headed down to the Yangon River, which runs right on the cities edge to watch the sunset and all the activities of the locals coming and going on a array of boats.

we also found a near new shopping mall about two blocks away from our hotel that we had not seen before.

Deciding to travel to our next location Innlay Lake on a overnight bus, we purchased the tickets direct from a bus booking station opposite the main rail station, were given instructions to be there at 230PM to travel to the bus station on a tuk tuk ute for a bus departure of 5PM.

Innlay Lake

At the bus station we waited to board, then were told we could board, the bus was stinking hot, because of the late afternoon sun and even after we got under way the driver did not turn the aircon on, but , decided after 7pm to turn it on to freezing. All passengers were now pulling out overcoats and blankets. Teresa and I got out our light shower jackets and a sheet that Teresa was carrying and cuddled up to keep warm.

At 130am the bus stopped for a driver brake at one of these food and pee pee stops, then as we got on the way again, this Western woman in front of us turn around and asked if she should talk to the driver about the aircon to which we said now that's a good idea. She had him adjust it back to near normal and we all started to thaw out and try and get some sleep.

some one up the rear of the non smoking bus decided he would brake the rule, but the drivers assistant was quickly on to him much to our relief.

Innlay Lake

At 6am we were woken by the assistant telling us we were at the Innlay lake junction our point to get off. On departing the bus we could not believe the outside temp it must have been well below zero and the locals were all discussing how cold it was.

Innlay Lake


Vendors outside the Lake market waiting for the next victim

Innlay Lake Market boat park

Innlay Lake boat park

waiting while the owners sell items in the market

Dust collectors

Innlay Lake markets


Teresa Shopping as normal


Cancer Sticks are sold every where

Innlay Lake markets

Innlay Lake markets boat park

Innlay Lake

It was pitch black and freezing cold at 6am when the bus arrived at the innlay lake juction, having been there before we knew that the small tourist town of Nyaung Shwe was only 11 k's away and the fare for the 11 k;s would be about 1000 Kyats. as we crossed the road towards a local cafe shop from the bus, about a dozen drivers from motorbikes and other taxis jumped on us all with fares of about 8000 kyats.for the 11 k trip. one even said that we could warm up in his office when we got there. We sort shelter from this mob in a eatery where I ordered a coffee, not the local brew which is black and very strong, but a 3 in 1 mix that they serve in a glass half full of hot water.

The mob diapeared and after 20 minutes we headed out the door to be asked if we wanted a tuk tuk ride leaving now for the price of 1000 kyats a person.

Sitting in the back of this little open vehicle was freezing and our light weight rain jackets did nothing to protect that wind cutting right through us. we found out later that morning was the coldest they had had for years In Nyaung Shwe we went straight to the Teak wood guest house for a room. we had stayed here two years earlier for USD 25 per night, but now we were told the cheapest room they had was USD 50.

I tried to bargin with them and mentioned that we stayed ther two years earlier, but, no its USD 50 take it or leave it.

After checking another hotel from a list we made on accommodation called the Joy hotel they had a room price of USD 28, but no rooms till after 10 AM. they did make a phone call to Inle Inn who told us they had a USD28 room and come now to see it. Knowing it was hard to get a reasonable price room with the country being over run with tourists we headed the 1 K to the Inn to view the room. The room was very good but he wanted us to view a UsD30 room before taking the $28 room. The $30 room was much more spacious and of cause we took it straght away.

Our pan at Inlay lake was not to hang out in the town but get out on the lake, so we planned a full day on the lake for the next day. it really is a great way to spend a day in one of these high speed narrow boats that carry up to six passangers and be taken to several points of interest, like markets, pogodas, housing villages, view fishermen, crops being grown on the water etc.

They will also try and get you into different work shops to see products being made before applying high pressure selling talk starts.

Teresa layed down the law to our boat man No silver workshops, No material workshops etc etc.

We did a deal a boat for the day for 18000 kyats, you can get a boat for 13000 Kyats, but we were going to a few places that were further away, meaning more cost places we did not get to last time we visited.

The Boat man was execlent as soon as I lifted the camera to my eye he would slow the boat and motor. we enjoyed our day of boating and planned another trip out they day after at sunset to capture the sunset. the sunset trip was 7000 kyats and proved well woththe investment.

During our stay we also hired a motor bike tuk tuk for about 4 hours he took us to view several points of interest that ended up at a mountain monestry, where we met several monks, they all speak english very well and one monk who was now a teacher had spent his 28 years as a monk there since the age of 14. he was very well educated and explaiined howthe young monks enter at the age of 6.

As we walked around the town looking for the post office we asked a well dressed woman for directioons, she told us where to go and she also mentioned that we would be passing the Marygold restruant that was clean and had very good food.

After we left the Post Office we decided to get a soft drink at the Marygold, two female friends were running the place and chatted with us the best they could with limited English.

It was a little early to have dinner,but, I decided why not, so I ordered off the menu with one item being tomato soup. after a lenghy wait the soup arrived, it looked like a large bowl of dirty dish water with the a few bits of tomato skin floating in it. I tried a spoon full then peppered it, but, it was taste less, and was unlike any tomto soup I had ever had. leaving the soup to one side I carried on wih the fried vegies I had ordered.

The girls spotted the soup and wanted to know What was wrong and thats when they told us they had never made soup in their lives, it was one of the girls mothers, who, was away, did all the cooking and both of them just could not cook to save their lives.

While all this was going on a man with a young girl came in he was a brother of one of the girls.

He spoke english well and told us he had a taxi should we need one please ask.

We were thinking of hiring a taxi for a one way trip to our next desternation Mandalay

When asked what the cost would be he said USD 200 for the 328 K trip. we just said wow and told him we would have to catch th overnight bus for 11000 kyat each.

After checking out a few tour operators come ticket sellers one lady gave us a price of usd 85 and the inle inn also had another couple going the same day and they wanted usd 30 each person. one operator even offered to take us via the senic route if we pay a aditional usd 10 more. but, we already knew that their is only one road and it was just yet another way to take our money. We decided not to share as it would be a long trip stuck in a small car, so opted to be picked up at 730 am with a car to ourselves, so we could stop and take photos if and when we wanted.

Heading towrds the jumping Cat Temple

Our taxi was waiting for us spot on time and as we pulled out of the Inle Inn the driver said to us do we remember him, he was he taxi driver from the Merrygold the 200 was now 85 and his sister was the tomato soup lady.We had a laugh about it all as we headed north to Mandalay.