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On our trip from Myanmar to Vietnam, we lucked into a 48-hour layover in Bangkok, one of our very, very favorite cities in the entire world. We first visited Bangkok in 2011 and it was our first foray into Asian culture. We loved it more than we ever thought we would and dove into Thai food and Thai culture head first – and haven’t looked back since.
Can’t get much better than a Bangkok sunset
After visiting a few other Asian cities and countries by now, Bangkok is still at the top of our list and we think it’s a great city to get your feet wet- [...]
Bangkok Airways Flight # PG 710 Mandalay-MDL to Bangkok-BKK Dept: 2:15 pm Arr: 4:40 pm Duration: 1 hr 55 min Airbus A320
Having just landed from our connecting flight from Heho-HEH into Mandalay-MDL, we made our way to baggage claim which had a ton of carousels but was deserted for us.
After grabbing our bags (from a domestic flight), we had to send everything through another security check… Mandalay airport is a bit bizarre in that you’ll have to send your bags through no less than 4 security checks when connecting domestically: one in Heho to pass through security, one when we landed in Mandalay (this is the most unnecessary seeming), one to get [...]
After a relatively early (to our ordinary days in Myanmar) wake up call, we checked out of Inle Resort and began the trek to the airport. We asked the concierge to help us arrange transportation ahead of time but the resort car was unavailable, so they booked us a taxi that actually came out to be a bit cheaper ($30) than the hotel provided ride ($35).
The best part of rising early in Myanmar is that the weather is just about always perfect, even feeling crisp and refreshing at times.
The ride took us back through Nyanungshwe, winding around a few of the small mountains to Heho Airport. The journey lasted about an hour, putting us to Heho by around 8:05 a.m [...]
If one word describes Inle Lake as a whole – and, more specifically, Inle Resort & Spa, it’s peaceful. Time stands still as you find yourself captivated by the Inle fisherman on the lake and the morning fog slowly giving way to the mountains. We spent most of our time at Inle Lake relaxing and enjoying the beautiful views. The slower speed was welcome after spending time in the “big city” of Yangon with honking cars and busy people.
Inle Resort & Spa
After about an hour’s drive from the airport, we arrived at Inle Resort & Spa, which is right on the lake’s [...]
We organized a day-long tour of Inle Lake using the only transportation possible: a boat. Although they say you can get a boat tour leaving from Nyaung-shwe for around $20 total, we decided to go on a private boat scheduled by our hotel for about $45 total – this way, we avoided the $20+ taxi ride to Nyaung-shwe AND (hopefully) our hotel bases their reputation and (more importantly) Trip Advisor stars on making sure our boat captain is top notch.
We were ready to go around 7:30am and walked to the end of the hotel dock to meet our captain. As you might have guessed by now, this guy was extra friendly, especially with not knowing a lick of English. Our motor boat was long with [...]
Inle Lake isn’t just a lake, it’s a way of life that’s other-worldly, even when compared to other lesser-known parts of Myanmar. Its beauty is seen in glimmers of the 70,000 Intha farmers and their way of life, from paddling with one leg to living above the water in wooden + bamboo houses on stilts (with TVs in every window!).
An Intha fisherman on Inle Lake with his huge net
Myanmar is a country full of surprises to any traveler, but Inle Lake has the most surprises of all.
We saved Inle Lake for last on our Myanmar itinerary because we [...]
The old town of Bagan is fascinating and maybe one of the top places in the world to see the sunset over the thousands of pagodas.
Front row seat for the sunset on top of Shwe San Daw Pagoda
Although there are 2,000+ pagodas still standing, the crumbling temples are each unique with different shapes, sizes and designs (some are filled with ancient paintings while others have multiple tiers to keep climbing til you reach the very tip top). Some of our friends said they’d spend a few days less in Bagan because, by this [...]
Bagan is mystical, magical + inexplicable, all in one. There is a well-known saying of the Burmese people: “If you are a real Myanmar, you must have been to Bagan.”
It’s one of those places that you just have to go to understand its beauty because, as beautiful as it is in photos, no photo can do justice to the serenity when you’re at the tip-top of a deserted pagoda or the minute detail in every inch of a pagoda built literally thousands of years ago. I don’t mean to say “just go,” but… really, JUST GO!
The old, dusty town is also (would you believe it?) an old royal capital from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Beginning in the middle of the 9th [...]
