sartoric

Hi cwn

I see by your reply to Yestravel that you are slated for Hotel by the Red Canal in Mandalay. DH and I stayed there for 3 nights in August last year. We stayed in a ground floor room at the front of the building, it had a nice terrace overlooking a stream with fish. I believe the rear rooms have outdoor showers, but no where to sit outside. It was easy to get a taxi to go anywhere, and I found walking around the area interesting. The room was fairly compact.

The restaurant is up about six stairs, served Indian food in the evening, which was good.

Like Rupar Mandalar they had cocktail hour each evening, fun to chat to other travellers.
I didn't visit Rupar Mandalar, so can't directly compare.

cwn

Thanks, Caroline. That is good to know about the food and drink. We always enjoy cocktail time and especially if there are people willing to chat.

Shalom had assigned a room to us and then changed it to another one when he realized the first one was on the first floor. The new one is on the ground floor. I can handle six steps slowly so that is OK.

I like the idea of it being in an interesting area and good taxi service. We will have a car and driver for the touring and transfers, but am not sure how late in the day. In India our driver was available any time day or night, but he was also with us the whole week. This is some what different.

Carolyn

sartoric

Hi again, think I got Flickr sorted.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/121233764@N05/

Hope this helps.

cwn

Thanks Caroline,

Yes, it does help and thanks for taking the time to show me the pictures.

I have some hard rubber attachments for my sticks that keep them from getting caught in gaps like I see in the boat and on the dock.. I don't normally put them on, but they will be useful in Burma!

Enjoyed your report so much. What a wonderful trip you had!

Carolyn

yestravel

Not sure if this is the thread with the discussion of the Lotus weaving places, but the place in your picture does not look like the one I went to. However the way to get into is very similar in terms of the water and steps into it.

cwn

Yes, this has been a discussion recently. I asked the question on your or Caroline's thread.

So I guess that means there is more than one workshop. I will check that out once we are at the Hotel.... it may depend on the boat driver or the places you want to visit.

Did you meet any of the "Long-neck Women" while you were on the lake...I know this is a bit controversial, but we would love to meet them...every since we read about the tribe in the National Geographic...years ago...it is one of those things like the river boat ride Mandalay to Bagan.

Planning...Planning....

yestravel

No, we didn't. Lots of tours to their villages if you are comfortable with that.

Kathie

We also did not visit the long-necked women. There are a few at a stop or two on the lake, but their villages are far enough away that you can't get there from Inle as a day trip. My feeling about the ones you can see at Inle it is that's like a human zoo - they take these women away from their villages and exhibit them in an area that gets tourists. There may now be tours that say they will take you to their villages, but I would suspect they are taking you to villages where they have "transplanted" these women (given that these women are from much father north). Likewise, in Thailand, there are places you can see these woman, again, not in their own villages, but where that can attract tourists.

yestravel

Exactly right.