To go to Nuangshwe we spent about 20 minutes waiting for a pick-up on stand on the main road. Pick up was full of locals, carrying the passengers on roof is a not a big deal for Myanmar. The local price is 1500 kiat per person (as one Burmese old man told me), but the driver asked at the beginning incredible high price. But as usual he agreed for 2000 kiat per person.
We did not like Nuangshwe. It is not so agly town, but Kalaw was much quieter and nicer. In Bright Hotel we got a nice room with veranda for 10 dollar and it was the cheapest we could find around. There are few nice places in the town, serving good local and European food, but prices are high. Nuangshwe have dozens of pancake cafe – that was very good.
Full day trip with private boat cost us 13 dollars, it can be cheaper if we will share the boat with other travelers. Inle Lake itself is not so big, but the area with Intha tribal villages who living on lake is huge. The rice is ground on the fields around and irrigate with canals from lake. All other vegetable locals are growing on the water — on float bamboo rafts covered with dirt and lake weed The villages are also located on the water, bamboo huts based on few piles.
The boat is necessary for every family and Inle lake famous worldwide because of how the local fishermen operate with boat. They row the boat by foot only.
In Yawama village we arrived just on time — it was a market day (the dame 5 day system as was in Kalaw). Market isself was not authentic — a lot of tourists and a lot of souvenir vendors. They start doing their jobs just you showing up in a canal, floating sellers trying to attack your boat and will no let you go until you buy some silver jewelery for 2 dollars.
We liked the trip around the lake very much, especially Indein village with not restored stupas, where you can feel yourself treasure hunter or great traveler.
In Nuangshwe we met a Lithuanian couple we met before in Kalaw. They finished 3 days trek from Kalaw to Inle and were a bit disappointed by guide, it was a 18 years old girl, barely speaks English, but the trek was very interesting for them.
