Friday 18th November - breakfast was in Chinese style dining hall Stuart nearly setting fire to the place by burning the toast on the open charcoal brazier. In addition to the normal rice and noodles avocado juice - really quite pleasant - and mango jam.
The 0930 start was a pleasure and we headed south on the lake to Inthein. The village itself lies off the lake and we travelled up one of the small rivers feeding the lake to reach the jetty. It is very picturesque and also tourist heaven but in a Burmese way which is not at all pushy. The children and even the dogs seem programmed to look cute and stand or lay in just the right place for they 'perfect' Asia picture. Although we had missed the main market day there we still a number of tribes people in the village from the surrounding hills in their distinctive dress selling produce such as avocados.
After a shopping frenzy - bracelets, a Shan 'boy' bag, a scarf and a set of wooden monks after a reviving cup of Liptons, a Rich and Creamy Mikko and a banana pancake at the Lucky Star restaurant we walked up a covered stairway lined with stalls selling a great variety of crafts to the crumbling 1054 red brick stupas dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The resin for the decay is that this area is quite wet and the bricks themselves are of varying quality and so have crumbled - all in all an impressive sight. At the top of the hill is a more modern set of pagodas with views over the site itself. The walk back down ran past more stalls and various scenes but despite the slight tourist feel it was a great few hours.
Off to lunch and a balcony view of the comings and goings on the waterways in Ywama. Then a requested stop at a silver workshop where they work by hand jewellery from silver ingots of Myanmar silver. The wire is create by cold pressing the ingot into finer and finer wire and then this is worked to chains or fashioned to various items. We did buy two silver chains - Christmas presents sorted !
The last stop was the oldest monastery on the lake, Nga Hpe Kyaung with its Shan style Buddhas all dating to before the Palace Mandalay Palace which was destroyed during the war and today the site of which is occupied by the military. However the main attraction is actually cats that will jump through hoops for a treat.
Back across the Lake the one legged fisherman were much in evidence and we stopped to see a demonstration of the net fishing. Back at the hotel having been all set for a 0730 start we find that the flight is delayed till after lunch - who knows why but it is the first delay we have had on the trip.
The 0930 start was a pleasure and we headed south on the lake to Inthein. The village itself lies off the lake and we travelled up one of the small rivers feeding the lake to reach the jetty. It is very picturesque and also tourist heaven but in a Burmese way which is not at all pushy. The children and even the dogs seem programmed to look cute and stand or lay in just the right place for they 'perfect' Asia picture. Although we had missed the main market day there we still a number of tribes people in the village from the surrounding hills in their distinctive dress selling produce such as avocados.
After a shopping frenzy - bracelets, a Shan 'boy' bag, a scarf and a set of wooden monks after a reviving cup of Liptons, a Rich and Creamy Mikko and a banana pancake at the Lucky Star restaurant we walked up a covered stairway lined with stalls selling a great variety of crafts to the crumbling 1054 red brick stupas dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The resin for the decay is that this area is quite wet and the bricks themselves are of varying quality and so have crumbled - all in all an impressive sight. At the top of the hill is a more modern set of pagodas with views over the site itself. The walk back down ran past more stalls and various scenes but despite the slight tourist feel it was a great few hours.
Off to lunch and a balcony view of the comings and goings on the waterways in Ywama. Then a requested stop at a silver workshop where they work by hand jewellery from silver ingots of Myanmar silver. The wire is create by cold pressing the ingot into finer and finer wire and then this is worked to chains or fashioned to various items. We did buy two silver chains - Christmas presents sorted !
The last stop was the oldest monastery on the lake, Nga Hpe Kyaung with its Shan style Buddhas all dating to before the Palace Mandalay Palace which was destroyed during the war and today the site of which is occupied by the military. However the main attraction is actually cats that will jump through hoops for a treat.
Back across the Lake the one legged fisherman were much in evidence and we stopped to see a demonstration of the net fishing. Back at the hotel having been all set for a 0730 start we find that the flight is delayed till after lunch - who knows why but it is the first delay we have had on the trip.