ekscrunchy

Just about 12 days before I leave. I received the final program from the Myanmar Travel Agent, Sonny, and would love to hear comments on how I should refine this standard itinerary for the day and a half/two nights we will have at Inle Lake in order to maximize seeing relatively untouched scenery and local villages. Not too interested in temples.

Many thanks!


16.3.2010, Tuesday Mandalay- Heho by flight – Inle
Air Bagan W9-009 ETD 0845, ETA 0915
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flight to Heho. Journey will continue to INLE LAKE (18 km). After check-in at the hotel, sightseeing on the beautiful lake will start. Observe the famous local way of fishing, typical floating gardens and the busy village life on the lake. Further you will visit PHAUNG DAW OO Pagoda, famous for their 5 Buddha images which are completely covered with gold leaves. Continue to the weaving village of Inpawkhon and “Jumping Cat monastery”, also known as Nga Phe Kyaung. The monks of Nga Phe Kyaung monastery have trained cats very well to jump through small hoops. Beside this very special attraction the monastery also has a nice collection of different Buddha images. And overnight at Inle lake View Resort on the lake.
**** At Inle Lake many visitors forget to use sun protection and after a day on local boats on the lake, visitors may suffer from sunburns! ****
17.3.2010, Wednesday Inle- Indein
Early morning after breakfast, visit INDEIN VILLAGE, located at the western side of the lake. Passing NYAUNG OHAK MONASTERY and follow a stair path lined up with many hundreds o wooden columns, you finally will reach the impressive SHWE INDEIN PA-O COMPLEX. From the hillside you have great view over the lake area. On the way back to the boat, walk through a romantic bamboo forest at the riverside, where you may observe local people having a bath. Lunch in local restaurant. Afternoon continue sightseeing on the lake and overnight at Inle lake View Resort on the lake.

18.3.2010, Thursday Heho-Mandalay-Kunming
HHO-MDY, Yangon Airway YH727 ETD 1155, ETA 1225 MDY-Kumming, China Eastern Flight MU 2030@1440hr
After breakfast check out from hotel and transfer to Heho airport, on the way visit 5 days market. Heho – Mandalay by morning flight. At Mandalay airport connection flight to Kumming flight.

Our GMT service will end.






And here is their plan for us in Yangon; I already am guessing that we should skip the view from Min Dama hill with the new Buddha image. Suggestions on shopping will be welcomed, as always. I should mention that I have been to Yangon before but my last trip was more than 20 years ago.




26.2.2010, Friday Arrival Yangon PG701 @ 1350hr
GMT staff will greet you on your arrival. Transfer to Savoy Hotel and overnight in Yangon, 1 Double and 1 Single Deluxe Room incl. BF.

27.2.2010, Saturday Yangon ( Tabaung fullmoon holiday, Shwe Dagon festival )
Our GMT guide (Ko Nyi Nyi) will greet you after your breakfast, sightseeing tour starts with the old colonial style city center with its busyness. Visit Sule Pagoda which stands in the middle of this busy city and Yangon’s biggest reclining Buddha Chauk Htat Gyi, Royal floating barge, and in late afternoon visit to our most famous golden dome of Shwe Dagon Pagoda rises 98 meters above its base and is covered with over 60 tons of pure gold and have sunset view over Yangon. Stay overnight at Savoy Hotel in Yangon, 1 Double and 1 Single Deluxe Room incl. BF.

28.2.2010, Sunday Yangon
After breakfast at the hotel, visit LAWKA CHANTAR AHBAYA LARBAMUNI at Min Dama Hill, to visit the newly built big marble Buddha image and enjoy the panoramic view over Yangon. Lunch can be in local restaurant. Continue to BOGYOKE (SCOTT'S) MARKET with hundreds of stores and gem shops (closed on Mondays and public holidays). Visit Yangon downtown area in the evening. Stay overnight at Savoy Hotel in Yangon, 1 Double and 1 Single Deluxe Room incl. BF.

rhkkmk

we loved our visit to the glass factory.... there is one shop just outside the downtown area--name escapes me, but they also have a large workshop outside yangon... in town is in a lovely house....mostly home furnishing and decorative items and lots of basket type things...

on 13th st we went to a really nice lacquare (sp) shop

ekscrunchy

Thanks! Any comments on the itinerary sent by the TA?

Should I skip the Min Dama Hill--spend more time in central Yangon?

How to maximize the limited time at Inle Lake? Skip the Jumping Cats? (sounds pretty awful to me!)

Kathie

I'd make some changes to the Inle Lake itinerary. I think it's well worth it to spend day one in the southern part of the Lake. It's an all day trip, and you'll see few, if any, other visitors. You are going into Pa-O territory and will have to stop and pick up a Pa-O guide at Golden Island Cottages on your way in. The entry to the area (which includes guide costs) is about US$5 per person. This is an opportunity to see life on the lake as it has been for hundreds of years.

I'd skip PHAUNG DAW OO Pagoda. I found this stop to be perhaps the least interesting stop we made on the Lake. Do visit Indien - get there as early in the morning as possible and you will have the place to yourself. On your way back to the hotel after Indien you'll have time for another stop - maybe the silk and lotus weaving village or something else that interests you.

You might find it helpful to browse our Inle Lake photos and se if anything else strikes your fancy. www.marlandc.com/Burma and click on Inle.

ekscrunchy

Kathie: Many thanks; I appreciate your taking the time to go over this with me. We only have one full day on the lake. so do you suggest beginning with a visit to Indein, very early, and then on to the southern portion of the lake? What would be the ideal time to set off--by 7am?

Craig

Eks - I agree with Kathie in that the southern part of the lake is the best and your trip should include Indein. The ideal time to set off is as soon as it is light enough out for your boat driver to see. Not sure what time that will be but certainly before 7 am.

I think you can skip the jumping cats. This is what they look like:

http://craigandjeane.smugmug.com/Tra...371_Bahcs-A-LB

Hanuman

Madam,

Will the tour company have a guide with you the whole time in Inle? I agree with everyone else - SKIP the jumping cat temple.

ekscrunchy

Many thanks, my faithful agent! And thank you to Mr. Craig as well. The cats will have to get along without my august company. I have seen enough in Craig's photos!

But what should be the plan for the first day/day of arrival?

Should we plan to eat both dinners at the hotel--Inle Lake Resort?

Gpanda

Let's get a firm grasp on the true nature of this thread. The OP is spending TWO WEEKS on a river boat and she's just now concerned how to spend two stinking days on a Lake? By the time she returns, she may have grown fins.

Nywoman

It takes 3 hours to reach the southern part of the lake. Am not sure if you can include Indein. Though optimal to get to Indein early morning, I would suggest doing it the day you arrive as well as cruising the lake and perhaps seeing some weavers. The next day you have the whole day go to the southern part, it is very different from the northern part of the lake and depending on the day, you may hit a market.
You won't have time for local villages except the ones on the lake.
Check out my photos http://picasaweb.google.com/nywoman

Kathie

Believe me, you'll eat dinners at the hotel. You are pretty isolated, and if you want a taxi you need to order it 6 hours in advance. The hotel food is very good, the service is gracious. You'll be fine.

Choose the most important (to you) places to see on the Lake. For me, the southern part of the lake and Indien are the two most important. The rest - well, it's magical just to be on the lake. Sit with your guidebook or Craig's report or mine or our photos and see what strikes your fancy. We enjoyed the silk and lotus weaving, and there are other crafts places you might like to see. You might want to visit the place where the 5 day market is. I'd avoid the floating market like the plague, even on a day when it isn't the location of the 5 day market. But those are my biases.

Kathie

Oops, I read your itinerary wrong. I thought you had a last morning on the lake for a quick trip to Indien. So Fanny is right, you may want to visit Indien on the first afternoon. You won't have time for anything else on day 2 when you visit the southern part of the lake.

ekscrunchy

Many thanks! We will plan to visit Indein on the first day and save the full day for the extensive tour of the southern area. My only obstacle here will be to convince my friends that they need to get started at 7am or before....(they are not early risers and I am thinking that I may do better just going off by myself rather than cool my heels waiting to get started). I would actually like to know how others handle this issue--if you are a early riser and eager to get going, do you just go off alone?? This can be easy if one can just take a walk from your hotel and return for friends, but in this case....

ekscrunchy

Fanny I loved your pics! Remind me, please, why I I am off on the Pandaw instead of headed for Ngpali!

Gpanda

Hey, you're only spending TWO WEEKS on the Pandaw. But, it's good to see you've already got the complaintometer up and running. It's really important to maximize your two days on the lake when you're wasting TWO WEEKS!

Kathie

Well, eks, you can certainly go off early on your own and let your late-rising friends have the day to themselves on Inle. Indeed, leave NyiNyi with them as you'll have a Pa-O guide for the southern part of the lake. They can then decide what they want to do. The hotel arranges boats, so there would be no problem with your party splitting up for the day.