ekscrunchy

I am moving along with a possible Burma trip to include a 14-night Pandaw cruise next March. Although I have been once before to Burma I did not visit Inle Lake. This area seems to be a favorite here, but I would like to learn more about what makes this different than other rural areas in SE Asia that are centered around a lake. I am a little concerned that tourism has infiltrated to such a degree that I will be ferried around in a motor boat in waters clogged with tourist boats a la Thai floating market areas. I've been to TonleSap outside Siem Reap and seen the villagers living in stilt houses. While I have no doubt that the area is beautiful, is it different enough to warrant 4 days out of a 3-4 week visit to SE Asia that will already include the PAndaw stops. Please tell me some pros and cons to help me decide...

If I leave Inle off this trip, we will have time for a few days in Hanoi, or even Shanghai, which my travel companions (in their 70s but in decent physical shape) may insist on visiting.

Thanks, yet again, to everyone who has been so helpful up til now.

Craig

First of all, you are right - Inle Lake is absolutely beautiful. You can see our photos at:

http://craigandjeane.smugmug.com/

We saw very few tourists while there except at Indein Market and the Jumping Cat Monastery, where we encountered a few. We were pretty specific about where we wanted to go but in retrospect, I don't think it really mattered. On many of our stops, even on the regular tourist circuit we were the only Westerners. While traveling by boat on the lake, there were long periods where we would see absolutely no one, except an occasional fisherman. It is nothing like the floating market in Thailand or Tonle Sap near Siem Reap. On our day trip to Taunggyi and Kakku, we did not see one other tourist. We spent an entire morning at Samka on its market day and also did not see one other tourist. What we did get the chance to do was to observe the local people go about their daily lives and to interact with them when it was appropriate. The two day trips (Taunggyi/Kakku and Samka) were definitely off the "normal" tourist track but all we had to do was ask to go there and Santa Maria set it up as part of our tour.

If you are considering extra days in Hanoi or Shanghai versus 4 days at Inle Lake, I suggest you and your travel companions decide what's more important - extra time in the city or a much more rural experience.

Craig

One more thing, Eks, Inle Lake is a different part of the country, known as the Shan state - different tribes, a relatively successful agrarian economy and a cooler mountain climate. I can't speak for how Inle Lake compares to the Pandaw cruise and the stops along the way because I haven't been, but my gut tells me that it could be an entirely unique experience for you and your travel companions.

thursdaysd

eks - all of Myanmar felt “special” to me. Because of its isolation, I thought I was seeing what the rest of SEA might have been like several decades ago. In my memory Inle Lake felt even more special, or set apart, if that makes sense, but while my notes say that the lake was beautiful and reminded me of Scotland, they also say “lot of tourist boats” - this was Jan. ’05. The floating market was overrun with tourists, but the floating villages were much prettier than those in Vietnam.

I still haven’t edited most of my photos from this trip, but if you don’t mind them unedited my Myanmar pictures are here: kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/287618, password “myanmar”. Inle Lake pix are numbers 96 to 170. I seem to be missing a complete card's worth, which is why there are no Mandalay pix....

Hanuman

Eks,

If the amount of time in Myanmar is an issue I suggest you reduce the number of days on the Pandaw and do visit Inle lake. As Craig and Thursdaysd have said Inle is very different and beautiful. Even the food is different from the rest of the country and I do recall very nice tofu dishes there.

Your hotel will arrange a boat with a captain to take you on an adventure around the lake and this usually start with the morning market or perhaps the floating market depending on the day of the week. After that there are a couple of tourist trap/shopping destinations that they will stop but you can easily tell them to bypass it. The "traps" were the silk weaving(mostly Thai looms and silk yarns being weaved for the tourists) and then the silver making village - just skip them both. The must visit places IMO are the Indein stupas and the Buddhist temples, cruise through the floating village, stop at a floating restaurant(there will be other tourists here), cruise through the floating vegetable farm, more temples(I didn't like the jumping cat temple) and observe the local fishermen with their unique paddling style.

thursdaysd

Wow, I found the missing photos - I had uploaded only one file off a two file CD! So the Inle Lake pix are now 96 to 236. Clearly I need to delete a lot of these!

ekscrunchy

Thursday the photos are excellent--there is one of two boys on the side of the lake..well, there are many, many wonderful shots!

Ok--I get the idea that I have to work Inle into the trip. I doubt if I will ever be back in Burma. If my friends want to skip it, I can go alone before they arrive. Their feeling may be that they will only make one Asian trip (this may change once they behold the whole new world that awaits them!) and that is why their ideas are all over the map (Shanghai, Hanoi, etc) I will speak with them later today and certainly return with more questions! I've already told them that they should consider adding 2 days in Bangkok to decompress from the plane ride before going on to Yangon.

thursdaysd

Thanks, eks. Maybe now I'll get around to editing them!

Can you explain to your friends that "Asia" isn't monolithic? That north, south, east and west Asia are all different? That the difference between Myanmar and China, or India and Cambodia, is vast? Would they do only one trip to Europe, which is a lot smaller?

ekscrunchy

YES!!! They are willing to forget about visiting Vietnam and will go to Inle Lake. They are now open to extending their trip to 4 weeks instead of 3!!!!

(I will try to work in a Shanghai stop on the way home).

Ok--Inle hotels? Princess vs. Lake View Resort?

What would I do without all of you??

thursdaysd

Can't help with the hotels - I stayed at a guesthouse called the Golden Star, much more down-market.

Craig

Both Princess and Lake View Resort get good reviews. We chose to stay at the Lake View primarily because it didn't require an extra boat ride coming from and going to the airport. Neither hotel is of 5-star caliber but they are comfortable just the same. The Princess is more traditional Burmese in character and faces west, if sunsets are important to you. Both have good food that is fairly expensive by Myanmar standards. Both are close to villages that you can easily visit on foot and both have good access to the lake for boat trips.

Hope this helps.

ekscrunchy

Reviews of both these properties are very good. I will investigate prices. The travel agent who I am using to book Pandaw (because he will accept Amex while Pandaw will not)

http://www.jensenworldtravel.com/scr...te/default.asp

seems to have an arrangement with the Lake View Resort.

Anyone else have comments? Femi??

ekscrunchy

I just read through most of this informative thread. It made me understand that I might be better off just using the US TA for the Pandaw cruise and letting a local agency handle the Inle portion of the trip. (I hope that they will be content to handle only Rangoon and Inle for us, since I am booking Pandaw with Jensen)

I am bringing it up because it answers many of my own, and others' questions:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...in-burma-1.cfm

moremiles

I just stayed at the Princess in Feb. and it was lovely, though not 5 star, and my room faced the lake and had an outdoor shower which was great, but it was quite chilly there in the a.m. that time of year. The food was good and the spa was fairly luxurious.

Femi

LOL! I thought lurkers were invisible!!!

I think I ended up staying at the Lake View Resort simply because it suited my personal taste, moreso than Princess. Looking at the pics on Tripadvisor, I would make the same choice were I going today.

Beware of the set menu though, way too much food, and pretty much the same throughout the country. No need to have meals included unless you will be somewhere off the beaten track.

ekscrunchy

Thanks, MM and Femi! Femi:

Now you can go back to lurking (!!) But don't think I can't see you!

Femi

LOL!

ekscrunchy

Back with more questions about Inle Lake.

How many days are ideal for Inle? I was planning on 3 nights, but have learned that we will have to spend the night following the cruise in Mandalay because the ship docks about 2pm and there are no later flights to Heho.

So 1 night in Mandalay has been added and we will have only 2 nights at Inle Lake. Is this a tragedy, or can we get a good glimpse with 2 nights, and probably one full day and a good part of the second day of arrival?

In Mandalay, this hotel looks nice:

http://www.emeraldlandinn.com/

It appears to be out of easy walking distance to the center, but this is just for overnight.

Any comments on Mandalay hotels?



Many thanks!

Craig

Eks - hopefully you are staying at the Inle Lake View Resort which should give you more time. If you go directly to Inle Lake from Heho airport, you should get there by late morning. I am not sure how much you will accomplish that afternoon but certainly you could arrange for a boat to take you around. The lake is at it's best in the early morning - the colors are outstanding and the weather is cooler because the sun is lower in the sky. Two nights is better than none but three nights would be far better as Inle Lake should be savored. It is quite different from the other areas you will be visiting. Note that you will have to leave early on your last day to catch your flight.

Have you considered doing Inle Lake during your 6 free days at the beginning of your trip and doing Yangon with your travel companions at the end?

ekscrunchy

Craig: I had initially planned on that, but I have to adhere to their time frame..I will give it more thought. They cannot leave NY before a certain date (bridge lesson, if you can believe that!!) while I can leave any time; doing Yangon at the end would mean cutting from Shanghai I think.

So I should book the Lake View Resort and not the Princess, correct (Princess is further away..?)

If I have not done so, I want to thank you so much for all of the help you have provided to me and to everyone here. I will be printing out your report, believe me!