After three days on the trek we were very tired when we reached the jetty at Inle Lake. The lake is nestled amongst mountains and it's one of the most famous sights in Myanmar because the houses are built on stilts and the traditional fisherman balance on one foot whilst holding their net with the other.
We spent the next two nights recovering and went to a restaurant that served only one set Shan meal (Inle is in the Shan state of Myanmar) which was homecooked by the most friendly and smiley lady; it was a Myanmar beef curry, my favourite, as well as cookies and toffees that are commonly eaten here - it was one of the best meals I've had in Asia so far. The lady told us there was a hot air balloon festival happening in a nearby town called Taunggyi so we booked a taxi there for the next evening. Our 'taxi' picked us up (it was actually a pick up truck with fifteen people crammed into the back) and we could see the bright lights of the festival for miles as we approached - there was a fun fair, music rigs with dance floors and many beer and food stalls. We jumped off the truck and ran to get a well earned beer. I thought the hot air balloons would be the type people are carried in but they were more like giant floating lanterns that were carried into the crowded fields and lit in processions with massive fire sticks. Everyone screamed and cheered as they floated off into the starry sky and then fireworks would explode out the bottom of them and into the crowds.
There weren't many tourists there and so everybody was staring at us, I felt like I was back in India! At one rig we found a small group of tourists dancing like mad to loud music whilst the locals crowded round and watched - naturally we joined in, as did one fun loving Myanmar lady! Before we left Paula spotted our driver guzzling whiskey and, thankfully, persuaded him to change to Red Bull.
This is the local post office!
Mountain views.
Exhausted after the trek.
I had a mammoth hot shower after wearing the same clothes for three days. We found this traditional hat on a tree in the town.
We spent the next two nights recovering and went to a restaurant that served only one set Shan meal (Inle is in the Shan state of Myanmar) which was homecooked by the most friendly and smiley lady; it was a Myanmar beef curry, my favourite, as well as cookies and toffees that are commonly eaten here - it was one of the best meals I've had in Asia so far. The lady told us there was a hot air balloon festival happening in a nearby town called Taunggyi so we booked a taxi there for the next evening. Our 'taxi' picked us up (it was actually a pick up truck with fifteen people crammed into the back) and we could see the bright lights of the festival for miles as we approached - there was a fun fair, music rigs with dance floors and many beer and food stalls. We jumped off the truck and ran to get a well earned beer. I thought the hot air balloons would be the type people are carried in but they were more like giant floating lanterns that were carried into the crowded fields and lit in processions with massive fire sticks. Everyone screamed and cheered as they floated off into the starry sky and then fireworks would explode out the bottom of them and into the crowds.
Lighting the balloon.
Many of the balloons were intricately decorated.
I heard that people have sadly been killed by the balloons in the past.
There weren't many tourists there and so everybody was staring at us, I felt like I was back in India! At one rig we found a small group of tourists dancing like mad to loud music whilst the locals crowded round and watched - naturally we joined in, as did one fun loving Myanmar lady! Before we left Paula spotted our driver guzzling whiskey and, thankfully, persuaded him to change to Red Bull.
The locals were filming all the tourists dancing.
Fancy a snack of fried chicken feet?
Crazy Myanmar lady!
Looks fab!...loved the balloons,fireworks and the post office on stilts...puts a new dimension on posting a letter ha!...don't know about the fried chicken feet though! As for the hat...looks like it should be hanging from the ceiling! x
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