Another day, another alarm call, to get to the airport to catch an early flight from Mandalay to Heho to go on to Inle Lake. This time up at 6.15 am, out of the hotel by 6.30 am and into a waiting taxi, an aged maroon Toyota that would not have looked out of place in an episode of Starsky and Hutch. We rattled out of Mandalay in the pre dawn light through streets that were filling up with people. Mandalay is an early to bed, early to rise city, and even at this hour the streets were teeming with people on their way to work or having breakfast in the many roadside cafes. Little wonder that we could not get a drink or food after nine at night- everyone is in bed by then.
The airport was about an hour from the city - once again the Burmese authorities have not held back in their grandiose vision for what seems to be a vanity project and yet another underused facility. The terminal building has extravagant pagoda-esque features, but take a closer look and it is just a large tin shed, and the empty car park gives lie to the idea of Mandalay as an airport used for anyone but tourists. Empty gates and vast runways, where the small propellor planes are dwarfed, point to a vision for Mandalay as a busy hub that is fanciful in the extreme at present.
Check in was quick, our bags were tagged and we sincerely hoped that we would see them again in Heho. Gill was less worried about seeing the bags at Heho, more concerned at seeing each other at Heho in one piece.... We were given stickers to wear denoting our airline, today we would be flying with Yangon Airways. Their slogan is, "You're Safe With Us". Given the dubious record of certain Burmese carriers, we hoped that Yangon Airways would live up to this.
The small domestic area of the airport was crowded with tourists heading off on the next leg of their Burmese Odysseys, and the only way to tell them apart was the airline sticker they were wearing; Air KBZ, Air Bagan, Air Mandalay, Asian Wings, Yangon Airways, Mynama Airways. We all lined up in our crocodiles to board our buses to our flights, which were leaving in quick succession. This was certainly a slick operation, BAA could learn a thing or two. The only exception to this were the monks who were travelling. Their colourful robes required no gaudy airline sticker, and they even had their own waiting area, a sort of Monks' Executive Lounge, if you wish - but without the free booze...
We boarded our flight and settled in. Despite Gill's misgivings the plane seemed to be in good condition and we could not detect any Sellotape holding the wings together. As we taxied early David looked longingly at a Myanma Airways Fokker 28, was it the one from Cafe Flight we wondered? These planes have long since stopped flying in the West as they are so old and the airline is not noted for its safety record. This really would have been a step too far for Gill but the height of fun for David. Indeed, we have since discovered that the Myanma Airways Fokker on which we had dinner at Cafe Flight in Nat Pyi Taw is actually the remains of a flight that crashed a few years ago...
The flight to Heho was a short hop. In flight service consisted of a fizzy drink. After 25 minutes we made a rather bouncy landing at Heho. This would have taken us twelve hours by train and six by road. Time for the next leg of our trip to Inle Lake.
We negotiated a price for a pickup truck for the hour's drive to Nyaung Shwe, the town nearest to Lake Inle from where we needed to find a boat. We could have paid only a fraction more for a real taxi, but Ant decided that we should save 5000 (£4.50) kyats "for the adventure". At this point David reminded him that the adventure would pass after the first ten minutes of bouncing around clinging on for dear life, and this proved to be the case as we rattled along mountain roads, around hairpin bends, and descended towards the lake.
Nyaung Shwe is the main drop off point for the lake. A busy canal cuts through town and the jetties were busy with the traffic of people and goods to the lake. It was a 30 minute trip on a narrow wooden motorboat to the Sky Lake hotel.
As the channel gave way to the shimmering main body of the lake we were enchanted by the view of the lake and surrounding mountains. Lake Inle is justifiably described as one of the highlights of Burma and currently graces the cover of the Lonely Planet guide to the country. Most iconic are the fishermen who row with one leg. This is no mean feat given the small size of their boats and the co-ordination that this requires. As we entered the lake the boat slowed as we came alongside several fishermen. This was obviously a photo opportunity for a small fee, but in reality there is no need to do this as you will see so many real fishermen during any trip across Inle Lake.
We chugged serenely into the Sky Lake Resort to the sound of traditional Burmese drums greeting us. We were rather less graceful as we clambered out of the narrow boat, fearing that it might capsize at any moment. The hotel is built on stilts over the lake and each room is an individual cabin laid out around walkways branching out from the main part of the hotel. The lake is clear and from our verandas we could see to the bottom, with fish weaving between the weeds. The rooms were very large, a bit tired, but clean and spacious with everything that we could need for a short stay (and this from Gill - except heating...). Electricity is available during evening and night time and hot water was plentiful.
We spent the rest of the day having a long lunch and a lazy afternoon before watching the sunset over the lake with a cold drink. The hotel seemed eerily quiet and the bar was reminiscent of the Hawaiian Ballroom at Maplin's Holiday camp, but after a few lime sodas with secret water, we really didn't mind so much. This was the perfect spot to chill for a few days. Luckily, Gill's fears of extreme chill in freezing temperatures didn't come to fruition, and Ant, who hadn't believed it could even get remotely cold here at night did have the grace to admit that even he felt "a bit nippy" at one point...
The staff were really attentive and tried so hard to please. We ate a hearty dinner of curry washed down with Myanmar beer and wine we had brought from Mandalay, cheerfully chilled and served with no corkage charge by the hotel. Then to bed, warmed by a mountain of brightly patterned heavy blankets, listening to the silence, and after a long day we were excited at the prospect of seeing more of the lake in the morning.
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