September 6, 2007

Inle Lake (MYANMAR)

Flying to Inle Lake and Taking Time Off to Relax

Today Jo and I were flying from Yangon to Inle Lake, and so we took an early morning taxi to the airport to catch our 7am flight. We drove straight past the airport we came in through (which was quite modern and gave us a good first impression of the country) and instead arrived at another airport several hundred meters up the road. Inside the 'domestic terminal' were four lonely booths set up for each of the four domestic carriers in Myanmar. We handed over our receipts and were required to check our backpacks on the plane (the overhead compartments were quite small). Rather than grabbing our bags and putting them on the automated belt that exists at airports around the world, a man came over and simply carried them directly onto the airplane - a process he repeated for each of the 20 or so passengers who were on our flight. I suppose this was as good a sign as any of how modern domestic air travel is in Myanmar. When it was finally time to board we walked out the runway door and 10 meters ahead our airplane was waiting. This was my first trip on a propeller-powered passenger plane (how's that for alliteration) in a long, long time, and given the frequency of accidents in Myanmar it wasn't a heartwarming prospect. It would be just my luck if, for my first domestic flight since coming to Asia, there was a crash.

Thankfully, and somewhat predictably, everything went smoothly. We made a stop at Mandalay (the former capital of Myanmar) where some passengers alighted and others boarded. I was able to have a free chat with the pilot as we all stood on the tarmac waiting around - it was really quite informal. I suppose when there is only one runway at each of the airports in the country there isn't much need for rushing.

We landed at Inle Lake's airport at around 11am, and after gathering our bags we sorted out a lift to the lake area. We ended up having to hire a local driver for $15 bucks (the price of gasoline has gone up recently which is what sparked all the protests), and the driver proudly got us there in just under one hour. This was quite a feat considering all the traffic on the disastrous dirt road - not car traffic, mind you, but herds of cows.

By far the most depressing sight  was the chain-gang labor we passed along the road. There were shirtless men bound by chains being forced to break rocks with heavy pickaxes. I had heard this kind of forced labor goes on in Myanmar, but I never expected to see it first-hand. It was not a pleasant thing to see, but I was too weary of the guards to dare taking a picture.

When we arrived at the Inle Lake area we were understandably tired of early mornings, extensive travel, and fried rice dishes. We checked into a guest house and headed straight for a nearby area where a western restaurant is positioned on three corners of an intersection. We ended up at a wood-fired pizza place, which made up for its lack of business with some of the best food, the friendliest service, and easily the most interesting decor of any place in Myanmar. The owner/cook must have been bored from the lack of tourists (it is low season) because he came over and engaged us in a 30 minute chat. He said his brother started the restaurant with him - learning how to cook pizza and pasta during a summer spent in Italy - and ever since they have been turning out some of the best pizza in the country. I can vouch for the claim, and I can also vouch for the ice-cold beer that warms even the most tired traveler's spirits. Unfortunately, the prices weren't exactly bargain-basement and after a few hours we found a new watering hole that was equally devoid of life. The great part of this new place was the collection of age-old National Geographic magazines that we were free to browse while we spent the afternoon and evening drinking Mandalay Beer.

It was good times at Inle Lake, but traveling and sight-seeing kicks off again early tomorrow.