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Oct 15, 2014, 1:08 pm

#29

Moomba

Join Date: Jun 2005

Location: London, UK

Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 6,221

Day 9 - Kalaw to Inle Lake

This morning saw our last breakfast at the Pine Hills Resort in Kalaw. We started the day with a visit to the local market where we were able to get some provisions to eat for lunch on the train. We pottered around the market and ended up at Everest restaurant using their wifi and having a cup of Nepalese spiced tea.

We then headed down to the station and checked on the train status. There was a 30 minute delay so we all pottered around the platform watching the goings on around the place.

Kalaw Station - waiting

Kalaw Station - waiting

A train came along but it was going in the other direction. We got to see the hustle and bustle of passengers loading and unloading and the many baskets of cabbages being carted on to the train for the onward journey.

Kalaw Station – not our train

Kalaw Station – Virgin eat your heart out

Kalaw Station – a free ride

The delay then extended again and finally we had the news that it wouldn’t be here until at around 14:00. This was putting severe pressure on the rest of the day so the group decided we would bus the trip instead.

However the stationmaster then informed us they would re-jig the trains so that our one would come through first at 13:15. Sure enough it arrived within a few minutes of the expected time and we were able to get our first experience of an upper class carriage on Myanmar Railways.

Kalaw Station – our train finally arrives

Upper Class Myanmar Railways

Upper Class Myanmar Railways

I’ll let the pictures do the talking here. It was a slow sometimes jerky ride with the wonderful clickity-clack sound and swaying from side to side motion. We were able to watch the lush green hills and valleys pass us by. There were a lot of farmers working the land growing cabbages, corn, chokos and rice.

Our train journey

Our train journey

We stopped at a small town as the train loaded and unloaded passengers and goods.

Station en route

Our train journey

Our train journey

We also stopped at a wee village along the way before getting off the train at Heho.

Disembarking at Heho

Here we jumped back on our bus and motored along to the Shwe Yan Pyay monastery that has oval windows a Buddha made from bamboo and a glass mosaic roof.

Shwe Yan Pyay monastery

Shwe Yan Pyay monastery

The heavens opened up on us just as we arrived and it continued to rain as we then made our way down to the docks at Nyaungshwe. From here our luggage went with one boat and we split into groups to take the long tail boats out to the Inle Lake Resort that would be home for the next three nights.

The heavens really opened up on us as we took off in our boats but luckily they had umbrellas supplied to help keep us dry. It didn’t last long and we were able to enjoy the last ten minutes or so of the ride to the resort just as the light faded.

Longtail boat ride to our resort

Longtail boat ride to our resort

At check in we were greeted with a cold towel and a glass of lemongrass iced tea. We then made for our rooms before eating dinner in the ‘we have you trapped at our resort priced’ restaurant. The beer here was over 2 times the price of all other places we stayed on the trip.

Tomorrow sightseeing on the lake

More photos

Last edited by Moomba; Oct 27, 2014 at 5:08 pm

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