from 'Helen's Myanmar Trip' by HelenIAM (September 2007)

Just back (2 nights ago) after 5 weeks in Myanmar.

As it was during wet season I kept to the central area.

Budget was $10-15 for a single room.

Route was Inle, Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin, Hsipaw, Mandalay, Monywa, Pakokku, Bagan, Kalaw, Inle, Yangon

From Yangon:

Flew to Yangon where someone from Radiant travel (sales@radiant.com.mm, see Radiant Travel under 'bookings from abroad') met me with an airticket to Heho. They had kindly agreed to let me pay for it on arrival so I didn't have to email credit card details. Managed to buy some Mohinga from a stall 5 minutes past the domestic terminal before I got the flight to Heho ...via Mandalay.

The maintenance at Mandalay was hilarious. A man climbed up the steps clutching a plastic bag out of which he got a plastic funnel, cloth, scrwdriver, pliers and a small can of oil. He wiped the funnel

with the cloth, used the screwdiver to make a hole in the can (with the help of the pliers) and then poured the oil into somewhere on the wing that I couldn't see, and climbed down the steps. Maintenance completed and off we went.

Inle (5 nights):

Heho to Nyuangshwe by taxi ... going rate is still $18. Taxi men here know they have you at their mercy and refuse to negotiate. Good ploy is to start to walk down the road to the main road and someone will soon follow you and offer a better price. (I tried this the second time I flew to Heho to go to Kalaw and Pindaya. The asking price of $25 fell to $15).

Nyaungshwe .. stayed at the Remember Inn ($10 single, $15 double) and loved it. Wonderfully quiet, huge clean room, fan, hot water, lovely people, loads of information, great breakfasts and always being given fruit and fruit juice. Moved from another place which was so noisy (next to a 'busy' road and a wat which blasted out the readings over a loud speaker 24/7), damp and with ropey water system.

Negotiated our own boat for 2 days (17,000 kyat per day) so we could just do Maing Thauk and Indein (wonderful) one day and then on the second day we did everything (lotus stem weaving, silver, cheroots, etc...) but stopped at nice places and reasonably priced restaurant that wasn't attached to yet another shop. The 12,000 kyat trip is the shopping trip.

Please bypass the place with the Palaung women (long necked) sitting like fish in a fish bowl. They have been contracted to leave their villages just to sit in the shop so people can take photos.

Smiling Moon still good for money changing but all the hotels will do it too. Try to be at the monastery 3km out on the northern road at 4pm as that is when the young novices have their lessons. It is fun to watch and a great photo opportunity. The road west to the hot spring (currently closed) has to be the worst road in the world! The Shan museum (which the government closed down) by the Remember Inn became a Buddha museum during my holiday.

Still think the Smiling Moon has by far the best food. Try the Shan fish curry! Sunrise cafe people are sweet and try hard and at the opposite end of that road (by the water) is the newly opened Lotus Restaurant with a slighly different menu. (I had fish steamed with Lemongrass in banana leaf). Also down there Aroma Restuarant if you fancy Indian food with all the chutneys... or try the Big Drum just over the river.