Myanmar, Inle Lake: My Fav Destination

This summer we spent 2 months traveling in South East Asia. We visited 9 countries and several cities, my fav destination was Inle Lake, in Myanmar. 

I was very curious about Myanmar, maybe because I didn't know much about the country and it's not a very touristic destination.

Traveling in Myanmar requires a generous budget to avoid bad experiences. And everything works in a very old fashioned way. For example, ATM's are something very recent. 

When we arrived, to Mandalay, we decided to book the next flights and it was a very unique experience. We had a seat in a very old and smelly room in the departures area. Every ticket is hand written (no computers) and you have to pay it with cash. People are nice but they have a completely different pace: very slow.

After Mandalay we took a flight to Inle Lake. We landed in a very small airport, in the middle of nowhere. After taking a cab, we still had to take a boat to our hotel: Inle Princess Resort. I read lots of good things about it and I didn't understand why the reviewers were so fascinated about the arrival... Until I got there!

Inle Princess Resort

First of all, the views in the canal are just amazing: very natural and quiet. We passed by several houses on the water and before we arrived to our hotel, our boat passed through one of those houses to allow a rower to join us. Suddenly, the engine stopped working and the rower took control of the boat... He was rowing with his leg. It was a magical moment. 

The Inle Princess Resort is gorgeous. From our bungalow we could hear the monks singing a beautiful and relaxing song, every day.

We did a boat trip around the lake. We went to a monastery that is famous for the acrobatic cats... We just found a bunch of lazy cats, laying around the monastery and indifferent to visitors.

The most beautiful place that we visited in the Lake was the garden. They grow tomatoes in a lake. How fantastic is that?! 

Our boat driver Oo was very kind and helpful. He was very respectful with the other boats, he never sped too much, and would even stop so that I could take pics.

Inle Lake is a magical place that seems frozen in time: very unique and authentic. People are kind and the traditions are preserved.