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Kalaw to Inle Lake (Trek)
The bus journey that took us from Bagan to Kalaw was pretty emotional. Not only was I incredibly hungover after the party at the pogoda, I'd had minimal sleep and the route the bus took consisted of small winding roads, up into the mountains. I was genuinely looking around to see if we had equal weight on each side of the bus because I really don't think it would have taken much to tip it over the edge. The driver was clearly a former Rally driver too the way he was smashing it around the corners. Either that or he too had been on the rum the night before... But we arrived in one piece and found our hostel for the night with relative ease.
Kalaw is where people head to in order to commence the trek to Inle Lake. It's about 1300m above sea level so a lot cooler up there which was welcomed after the scorching heat of Bagan. The hostel was chosen specifically because of the great reviews it has received for their trekking packages. After checking in we arranged to meet our potential trekking guide. William, as he called himself (named himself after Prince William and he also stated the name meant "handsome") came across as a good man with fair English. So we agreed to commence the trek the next morning with him. It cost us about 37 dollars each which on the grand scale of things, was pretty cheap. That included all our meals and digs for the next 2 nights and 3 days while en route to the lake. We would average about 20km a day for the first few days with the final leg being half day trekking, hitting about 10km. It is predominately down hill with the lake being about 900m above sea level so I didn't envisage it being too difficult but was pleased we had quite a young group so we'd nail it in good time. That night in Kalaw we watched the sunset from the roof of the hotel and then popped out for a curry. We found a small Indian and the most popular choice of the group was the mutton curry. It came with all the works and was only a couple of dollars each and was actually really tasty. We then got supplies ready for the next few days, including plenty of water and had an early night in preparation for the early kick off the next morning.
We were up for 0730 for breakfast, all packed and good to go for 0800. Our big rucksacks were being transported by motorbike to the lake so we only carried small packs with the basics we'd need for the next 3 days. For some bizarre reason Craig, the other British lad had a huge suitcase with him so we all took a lot of pleasure winding him up for the next few days about the potential location of his case and that there's no way it could possibly be transported safely on a motorbike. William reassured him but it was a genuine concern for Craig, as well as a few of the Danes as he had their laptops safely stowed in his case!
The views we immediately encountered on this trek were ridiculous. Lush green mountains all around us. Wild water buffalo prancing around and the locals we came across up there were all friendly and intriguing. Myanmar has been pretty much shut off to the rest of the world for quite some time. I think 2010 they started allowing more freely, people to enter. But even as recent as last year it wasn't easy to just swagger in. It would take weeks to apply for a visa and would have to be done weeks prior to leaving the UK. The new "evisa" really is a game changer in that respect. This is why for me the place is so fascinating. Although these villages have encountered westerners before, it's only been relatively recent. Having said that, they welcomed us into their villages. The first place we stopped for lunch on day 1 was Williams friends. The food was spot on and to be fair it was fantastic all the way through the trek. I finally realised that a cook followed us around and cooked in these different places for us. I thought I kept seeing the same chap popping up and finally clicked on the last day!! They served us Myanmar green tea with the meal which I have actually come to really enjoy. Once we'd had lunch we had about 45 minutes to kill before moving on so we all decided to have a lie down on the wooden deck in this hut. They had a pile of cushions and duvets in the corner but I could see from where I was sitting that they looked a bit honking, probably hadn't been washed for a few decades. So I immediately got my head on my bag and was quite content. The elder of the house then went out of his way offering around the cushions. He gave one to Craig who was hovering his head over it, clearly not wanting to use it because it was filthy. However, the elder insisted and wouldn't leave him until his head hit the pillow. I've never seen a head lower to a pillow as slow and reluctantly as Craig's! It wasn't long at all before he decided he didn't want to nap and therefore didn't need the pillow!! We continued along the route for the first day at a pretty good pace and was at our digs by about 1600.
The digs for the first night belonged to Williams mother in law. It was a small village with probably about 25 shacks/houses. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the tribes that we encountered or stayed with throughout the journey. William did tell us but not through ignorance, more that my memory isn't great.. I cannot remember. The room we stayed in on that first night consisted of a blanket for the bed, with 7 beds lined up next to each other. It was certainly a cosy night. The village had a shop that was someone's front room so we managed to get a few cheeky beers and relaxed for the evening playing cards and chatting. Dinner was great and I liked the way they do it out there. The elder in our group (me!) is served first and only when I start munching can the others join in. William affectionately referred to me as "Elder brother" from then on in. As I said he was a really nice family man, a year younger than me. He did bamboozle me a little one time when he came up to me with the word "steroids" written on his phone and asked if I took them!! Obviously when the meal did come out I let the group know that I wasn't feeling too hungry and might give it half hour... To which they were not pleased. One thing I've learnt is that when the Danish need to eat, they really need to eat!! They called it a "food crisis" if they're hanging out for food. I taught them the word "peckish" which they had never heard before so throughout our time together would often ask if they were peckish, just not to hit the food crisis stage! They had a very similar quick dry witted sense of humour as many Brits so we all got on very well... But I will chat more about the Danes later on.
The next morning we up early for breakfast and packed our bags for that days walking. William asked us if we wanted to have our faces painted with thanakha, which is what all the locals wear. It's ground up bark that looks yellow when applied to your face. It actually smelt fresh and like lemons. We all agreed and then set off. More breath taking views followed, as well as quite a bit of rain but we were all prepped well with waterproofs so it wasn't an issue. We stopped off at a village and were all invited into the elders house for green tea. One thing I did notice throughout all these villages and houses was the presence of calendars hanging up of Aung San Suu Kyi. I think she's portrayed as a ray of light for many of the country and the change the country has seen over recent years only goes to back up this admiration they show. Whether she and her party delivers and finally releases the country from the military shackles it appears to be stuck in, is yet to be seen. She certainly has her critics. As it stands, due to her sons having British passports she apparently hasn't got a leg to stand on and wouldn't be able to stand for president anyway. It's clearly all a complicated situation and one that I won't pretend to even begin to understand. However, I read recently that the vote in Myanmar's parliament has failed to remove the army's veto over constitutional change. Which appears to ensure the shackles stay on for a bit longer. Time will tell I guess, I'll certainly be keeping an eye on it.
That night we stayed in a bamboo hut about 10km from our final port of call. We had mattresses this time and the room was a lot bigger than the night before so sleeping conditions were good. We all hit a local bar that was in this village and sunk a few cheeky ones, again playing cards and just chatting the night away. Myanmar were playing a game on the box called "Sepak Takwar" so it was good to watch that. Quite a strange sport, like football volleyball with an almost hollow woven wooden ball. Bizarre. We couldn't watch it for long anyway because they had to save the power for later on. This was a reoccurrence throughout my time in Myanmar, the power forever going off.
Next morning it was Alex's birthday. Our cook had made him a sort of pancake cake, which I quite enjoyed. William gave him some blessings and we sang happy birthday. By the end of that day I'd pretty much leant to sing that in Danish. Actually throughout my time with the Danes I managed to pick up and understand quite a bit of what they say. It clearly has a relationship with the German language... As that's the only other language I know. That added in to the fact if you predict what someone will say, or what you would say/think if it was you, you manage to understand a bit.
The final walk to Inle lake was pleasant. Morale was very high. Showers had been limited on this trip and I think we were all absolutely sick of a hole in the ground as a toilet. In and around the lake there are a lot of new builds being erected. Flash hotels and such like. This place will be so different in just a matter of years I think, if tourism promotion is maintained as I think it will be. When we arrived and stopped off for lunch we were all very chirpy. We had a bottle of rum with us so "enjoyed" a few tots with our meal and then got into a boat which would take us across the lake, about an hours journey. I really enjoyed this boat trip. The views were spectacular, the sun was beating down and there was definitely a sense of achievement for the bimble we had just been on. It was an amazing few days, incredible to see and interact with the locals as well as my new Danish friends and definitely the best thing I had done since travelling out this way.
The hotel we had chosen to stop in, upon arriving at Inle Lake was great. Craig and I shared a room and it had a shower and "normal" toilet which was "relieving". We had patios out the front and were pretty much next door to the Danish group. We had 2 nights in total there and it was very relaxed. We just popped out to eat and drink in the evenings, got all our washing squared away and on our last night together got out to a French restaurant to watch Myanmar vs Thailand in the final of the SE Asia cup which was great. Although Myanmar lost, it was a good atmosphere and I think the locals appreciated our support for Myanmar. Needless to say we sunk a few that night. We took a load of rum (again) and beer back to the hotel and relaxed for the evening, listening to music. Unfortunately Alex and I had a bit of an accident that night. He ended up with a potential broken wrist and few cuts where as I had cuts on my arm, legs and feet... Not an ideal scenario but it didn't put too much of a downer on things. It was still a great final night.
Next afternoon we were all going separate ways. The Danish back to Mandalay for a flight out a few days later, Craig to Yangon for a few nights before leaving. And I still had 10 days to burn so decided to head to a place called "Bago" which was 12 hours on a "VIP" bus, SW of Inle Lake.
All in all the trek, as I mentioned was a great experience and one that I won't forget in a hurry. It was an absolute pleasure to travel with the Danish, Olivia, Alex, Jakob, David, Lucus and also Craig who is a similar minded chap to me, a great bloke from Brighton. Craig and I have already agreed to head to Copenhagen in the future and have a reunion which I genuinely can't wait for. The Danish were all considerably younger then me. Average age of about 21 or 22. But without being too sycophantic as that's certainly not me... They were all very well travelled, more so than me in fact and with that I think comes a natural degree of maturity. Add the fact they were all very switched on, very friendly yet all a lot different, all possessing a similar sense of humour however, meant we all had a great time. They do things a bit different out there. Once they finish studying their equivalent of our A levels, the majority of them it seems take at least a year out. Some two, three or even four years. Which makes absolute sense to me. I have never really known what I have wanted to be, career wise. Yet so much pressure is put on 18 or even 16 year olds as it was for me, to decide this and then dictate what they'll study, as a result of this decision. Why not work for a few years, see the world, develop ones maturity level by meeting different people and embracing different cultures. Then when you're ready and have more of an idea of what you want to do as a career, you go smash uni with a clearer and maturer head on your shoulders. It wouldn't be for everyone and I've nothing against those who go down the education route immediately, but if I had my time again and chose to go down that route as opposed to the route I chose, I think I'd have preferred the way they go!! Anyway, I've no doubt they will all do incredibly well in life and it really was a pleasure. Catch you all soon! As for you Craig, come on mate change that suitcase for a bloody rucksack will you!!
Apologies for the lack of photos linked to this part of my trip. My laptop is playing silly b*****s and I think I've lost a load of photos. Although I think I backed them up on my hard drive so I'll see!
- comments
Kerry Foreman :-) I agree completely with your final conclusion there. Fair play to the Danish for having it right. I may have settled with a clearer head by now if I'd have done it that way round. Sounds like an awesome part of your trip.