The overnight bus from Yangon to Inle took about 12h with pit stops along the way. The bus was quite comfortable, with snacks and water served and the seats were spacious. We arrived in shywen yang, the town closest to Inle around 530am and a local person solicited 10 usd from us for the tourist entrance fee to Inle. We then took a tuktuk to our hotel and luckily, they allowed us to check in early. We were so relieved to be able to wash up and had a bit of sleep on a proper bed before going out to explore the town. Stepping out on the street of our hotel, we were immediately swarmed with boatmen asking us to join their boat tours of Inle lake. We did not want to do because the weather was not good and it sounded too touristy.
So we wandered off the beaten path to walk around houses that were along the lake. I noticed that they are very beautiful, with most houses being built of wood or bamboo weaving. Then it started to rain when we were wandering around the locals’ houses. A kind elderly couple invited us to their house, serving tea and some snacks which was so nice of them. The grandfather could speak some English and we spoke basic Burmese to the grandfather.
For lunch we ate at Pancake Kingdom which serves sweet and savoury crepes. After that we took a hike to the nearby mountains to find the caves but could not really find them. We were even scolded by a monk cos we didn’t wear had to take off our shoes before stepping on the outdoor pagoda. It was so dirty anyway.
Our last stop was the red mountain winery where we paid only 2 usd to sample four different kinds of wine. The wines were not that great but for the price and the surrounding mountain view it was great. We wanted to catch the sunset but it was too cloudy and on our way down, we managed to hitch a ride back to town.
So we wandered off the beaten path to walk around houses that were along the lake. I noticed that they are very beautiful, with most houses being built of wood or bamboo weaving. Then it started to rain when we were wandering around the locals’ houses. A kind elderly couple invited us to their house, serving tea and some snacks which was so nice of them. The grandfather could speak some English and we spoke basic Burmese to the grandfather.
For lunch we ate at Pancake Kingdom which serves sweet and savoury crepes. After that we took a hike to the nearby mountains to find the caves but could not really find them. We were even scolded by a monk cos we didn’t wear had to take off our shoes before stepping on the outdoor pagoda. It was so dirty anyway.
Our last stop was the red mountain winery where we paid only 2 usd to sample four different kinds of wine. The wines were not that great but for the price and the surrounding mountain view it was great. We wanted to catch the sunset but it was too cloudy and on our way down, we managed to hitch a ride back to town.
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| delicious crepes at Pancake Kingdom |
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| boats docked at the jetty at the mouth of Inle lake |
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| sipping wine with a view at Red Mountain wine estate |
Practical information:
All buses stop at Shwenyaung Junction, where you will be dropped off. From there it is a 20 minute taxi ride to Nyaung Shwe, costing 2000k for a pick-up or 7000k for a taxi.
Inle lake -> Bagan bus ride 13000k
