dana123

I am using Santa Maria to plan my trip. It is just easier for me, with little time, to let them handle all the details.

I am going to be in Bagan for two full days. I know the first day will be spent amongst the famous temples and pagodas. They suggested going to Mt. Popa the second day. I read that from people on this site, that that was not the best use of time, so I said I did not want to do that. But I am not sure what to do the second day.

So how to spend the two days??

Same thing for the lake, we have two days, so I wonder what to tell the tour guide what to do.

We have Mandalay planned.

Thanks, this is so quick, I am researching but running out of time.

Craig

I think you can spend 2 days in Bagan just touring the pagodas, checking out the villages and perhaps exploring the morning market and spending time at a lacquerware shop. Do an early morning balloon ride if your budget permits. Bagan is pretty spread out and is worth savoring at a leisurely pace.

At Inle, it is definitely worth spending all of your time on the lake. The southern reservoir trip (to Samka) takes all day and is worth the time - it is a relaxed ride and you can hit places you missed the previous day on your way back.

ekscrunchy

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-itinerary.cfm

Kathie

First of all, decline a guide from the travel agency. Note that travel agencies want to give you a guide everywhere. That is entirely unnecessary and in both of these places it would be redundant.

If you have two full days at Bagan, do spend both days visiting temples. I highly recommend using a horsecart for transport. You will also have the option of stopping at an outdoor market (not a tourist market, but a local market, selling vegetables, dried fish, jaggery, etc) and laquer-making factory if you wish. If you take a horsecart, there will be a break at midday for you to have lunch and cool off, perhaps with a dip in your hotel pool. The break is also necessary for the horse to rest and cool off as well. If you read my trip report, you know that we had a horsecart driver we loved. We would highly recommend him as a driver and low-key guide for the temples. I expect after your two days at Bagan you'll wish you had more time.

BTW, you do NOT need a guide from your agency for Bagan.

At Inle, I also recommend you spend all of your time on the lake. Decide what places you want to visit rather than giving free rein to the boatman. If possible opt to spend one whole day to going to the southern part of the Lake.

Here also, you do NOT need a guide from the travel agency.

dana123

I have a little bit of an embarrassing question...on the lake for all day...where does one go?? I think we would like to go to the south based on your descriptions, but not sure about that one issue.

I was just reading in Lonely planet that Mt. Popa was a rare sight that few people visit and appreciate. I am still not sure what we will do. I could be amongst the temples for two days no problem.

We are pretty adventurous so I am sure that we could make it on our own, but I do kind of want someone else to just take car of everything on this trip, for reasons I won't bore you with.

Kathie

You will make a number of stops on the lake, and there are restroom facilities. Do spend two days on the lake. There are interesting places both on the main part of the lake and the much-less visited southern part of the lake.

Visit Mt Popa if it appeals to you. You might wait to decide until you get to Bagan. The temples are such a treat, you couldn't have torn me away for a trip to Mt. Popa.

When I say you don't need a guide, I don't mean you can't have the travel agency plan anything you want them to. Having them make hotel, air and perhaps ground arrangements for you and having a guide are entirely different things. So, you might have them take care of airport to hotel transfers for you at Inle, as it's a long drive. But no need to do so at Bagan where taxis are plentiful and cheap. You mentioned Mandalay, and it certainly makes sense to have them arrange a car and driver and perhaps a guide for those day trips. If you don't specify exactly what you do and don't want the agency will set you up with guides and transport everywhere, which is unnecessary.

BTW, you can leave some decisions for later. SO if, after a day at the temples at Bagan, you decide to go to Mt. Popa, you can call the agency and have them set up a car and driver for the next day.

Craig

We went to Mt. Popa - it is a long day with lots of driving over bumpy roads that on the usual tour is combined with a visit to a monastery in a town called Salay. It was a waste of time - we went for the same reason you are thinking of going - the Lonely Planet recommendation. Do yourself a favor and skip it. There is plenty in Bagan to keep you busy for two days.

Nywoman

You absolutely do not need a guide in either Bagan or Inle.
Bagan has so much to offer that you will wish you had more time there. Enjoy your trip.

ArtsyJudi

I agree with the others. If you hire Kathie's horsecart driver, Min Thu, you will not be sorry. The days we spent seeing Bagan with him were peak travel experiences with me.We left the plans to him, and wouldn't have changed a thing.
Two days at Inle is easy to spend on the lake. The water levels are quite low, sadly, and not all parts of the lake can be reached - we were not able to get to Sagar, for instance. Perhaps there is more water from Monsoon rains now, but the local people were quite concerned a month ago. There is still a lot to see.
Santa Maria made our arrangements, but we declined guide services. Their prices are reasonable and they know what they are doing. I hadn't realized it, but our trip price included dinner. Although the choices were more limited, the food was great, far more than we needed, and was prepaid. We went out for lunch to experiment a bit more. The only problem we had was a rather annoying driver Santa Maria arranged in Bagan. We didn't need him, but he was determined to bring us to various vendors before going to ur hotel. We were followed by motorbike by a friend of the driver trying to sell us paintings - it was annoying and I had to be very assertive to have him leave us alone. Most likely an isolated case...
Have fun! I'm envious!

Kathie

Artsy, I'm so glad you enjoyed Min Thu. He's a gem.

Dana, if want to hire Min Thu, you can email him at [email protected]

Artsy's warning about the driver in Bagan is useful info. SInce you really don't need a driver there, decline the driver and just get a taxi (fixed rate) from the airport to your hotel and return.

BTW, the guys on motorbikes with the sand paintings are everywhere, and yes, they will follow you. We bought some paintings early on, then were able to tell all subsequent vendors that we'd already bought, so they then left us alone.

Robbietravels

I agree with Craig and others, skip Mt Popa. We climbed up part way and decided we were not inspired to continue. Instead we spent time in a village watching a husband and wife create plum wine.

jules39

Artsy glad to hear your arrangements with Santa Maria went well because we are using them to arrange some things for us! We are using them in a similar way to the way you used them I think. Interesting about dinner!! Somehow I don't think that is anything we have arranged! Dana have a great trip!!

dana123

Hey guys, this is very exciting for me. Usually, I would have planned every detail. So in this case, I am really taking your advice. I have one week left for departure.

I have canceled the guide in Bagan, for the second day. I only kept the first because I want to step off plan an go. Kathie I have sent e-mail to your guy. will see how he responds.

You guys are great and so interesting.

Kathie

dana, you don't need the assistance of a guide to get you off the plane and going. You just need a transfer from the airport to your hotel. Really, you can just take a taxi but if you are more comfortable with the travel agency driver, fine.

Arrange for Min Thu to meet you at your hotel, and you are on your way to the temples!

Where are you staying in Bagan?

dana123

Hello,

We are staying at Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary in Bagan.
Resort. I did send you contact an e-mail, so hopefully I will hear back.

I heard from travel agent that if we go to southern part of lake, we will not have time to go to Pindaya. So I would like to know if that is an issue. I know I have short time.

Craig

Pindaya is usually visited immediately after arriving at the airport as it is in the opposite direction from Inle Lake. If your two full days includes the day you arrive, I would skip Pindaya and head straight to the lake. If however you have two days in addition to your arrival day, you can visit Pindaya and arrive at Inle Lake in the late afternoon.

Kathie

We opted for lake time rather than Pindaya.

Do you have two full days in Bagan and Inle, or do you arrive in the morning for each? At Inle, arriving in the morning means it will be close to noon by the time you get to your hotel, as it's a good hour's drive. So you could spend half a day on the lake, then the next day go to the southern part of the lake. Personally, I'd rank going to the southern part of the lake the #1 attraction... and you'll see very few if any other tourists.

Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary is supposed to be very nice. I only saw the outside but it looked lovely. Where will you stay at Inle?

I'm sure Min Thu will get back to you.

dana123

Hey,

Thanks for your help guys, I normally would research, but I am so snowed right now, and do not know anything about the area. Plus we do not have much time.

Looks like for Bagan, we arrive at 8:00 a.m. So I think we have two good days.

In Inle:

I just copied and pasted what she sent me for Inle: This is her revised version. The first day just sounds like visiting shops, I do not think that is so interesting. I actually liked her first version better.

Day 1 in Inle:

fly to Heho by Yangon
Airways YH:918, 08:45‐09:15. Then proceed to Nyaung
Shwe which is a Gateway City to Inle Lake and take a
boat to your hotel which is built in Inle Lake. After
check in hotel visit to famous Silk Weaving Factory in
Inpaw Khone, Black Smith, most famous Pagoda in
Inle Lake called Paung Daw Oo Pagoda, Local Gold
Smith & Silver Smith, Indein, Ngape Chaung
Monastery formally known as Jumping Cat Monastery
and floating garden on the way back to your hotel.

day 2

After breakfast, visit to the Local Market Day which
will be in Nam Pan Village. Then visit to Sagar which is
located at the Southern Part of the lake. Return to
hotel and overnight in Inle Lake

This is her old version of day 1

fly to Heho by Yangon
Airways YH:918, 08:45‐09:15. Arrival Heho and
proceed to Pindaya and visit to the famous Cave of
Pindaya with more than 8000 Buddha Images inside
there and visit to the famous Handicraft Workshop of
making parasol & Shan Paper make up from Mulberry
Bulk. Then proceed to Nyaung Shwe which is a
Gateway City to Inle Lake and take a boat to your
hotel which is built in Inle Lake.

Kathie

I loved the time on the lake. I'd just ask her to revise day one a bit, but I would spend the time on the lake. Actually, if you aren't using a guide from the agency, you'll just negotiate where to go with your boatman. We had a little map supplied by our hotel, and they circled and numbered the places we wanted to visit and gave it to our boatman.

You might want to read back over the section of my report on our Inle time www.fodors.com/community/asia/burma-at-last.cfm and look at our photos to see what appeals to you on the lake: www.marlandc.com/Burma/Inle-Lake-Index.html

The final decisions on where to go can wait until you are at Inle.

dogster

If I may say, she's just serving you up the bog-standard tourist shlep she serves up to everyone. Nothing new here. Tour A or Tour B.

As you don't really know what's there you're in her hands.

I can't really determine from your posts just what YOU are interested in or how much of S.E. Asia you've seen. Without that info it's impossible to advise. Unless you specify exactly what you want, you'll be shlepped around from floating tourist shop to tourist shop with a few temples in between. I'm amazed she hasn't added in the 'famous' cheroots shop, where you can see cigars made by child-labor.

This is the way of Santa Maria. Their tours are designed for wide-eyed first-timers. Well, we were all wide-eyed first-timers once - so if that's you, just do it all and relax.

If this description doesn't fit, then get pro-active, otherwise you'll be zoomed thru the good stuff so you can rush to another retail opportunity.