Friday November 7, 2025
We had a quick breakfast at the resort, and we weren’t amused to see
hot air balloons in the sky after ours was canceled yesterday. Only 2 of them
and perhaps it was a different company. We were pleased to see our regular
driver was back since the fiasco with the relative that had been picked up, and
he paid the “fee”.
We arrived at the airport and had a bit of a wait until we could be
checked in. It was only a 35-minute flight to Heho Airport near Inle Lake, and then just a 40-minute
drive to Inle Lake. We were supposed to have the rest of the day free until the
sunset boat ride, and we were looking forward to a day to just relax. So much
for the “plan”.
Myint Swe had ordered a larger vehicle since we not only had our luggage, and we also had the driver’s suitcase to fit in. A small van is what showed up and the guide
said we would all ride in that and he would get another car to bring our
luggage. So, we got in the small van, and our bags went in a separate car since
we were only to have 1 short stop before arriving at the resort and that seemed reasonable.
Highlights Travel got involved and to make up for the mess, the
guide said he wanted to take us to a cave and then we’d have lunch and then go
to the resort. Again, that seemed fine as we'd still have the afternoon to ourselves.
It was a beautiful drive through rolling hills and lots of farmland.
This area is their breadbasket as most of the vegetables are grown
here. We stopped a few times to take some photos.
We arrived at Shwe Oo Min Natural Cave
Pagoda, which I dubbed the Disneyland Buddha cave. It was interesting and
the views of the area were great, but it was over the top displays of Buddhas. The
rough part was walking from the parking lot in our bare feet up the stairs to
the elevator to the cave and doing the slippery sometimes slimy floors in the cave.
After the cave, we lost the guide, and he was nowhere to be found. He was
shopping and I guess he figured we were too. Since we only planned one short
stop Greg’s camera was still with the luggage in the other vehicle which was
headed for the resort. Communication on what was going to be done today would
have been appreciated.
The complex is set on a high ridge above Pone Taloke Lake and is a winding complex of natural caves and tunnels overly filled with buddha images. At the latest count, the caves contained more than 8000 statues, some left centuries ago by local pilgrims and others newly installed by Buddhist organizations from all over the world. There is a huge spider at the entrance that ties into the legend of the Pindaya Caves, where a giant spider held seven princess’s captive and then were rescued by a prince with a longbow.
A series of covered stairways lead to the entrance of the cave. We
skipped the last 130 steps to the cave mouth by taking an elevator.
It was interesting to see the huge variety of sizes and different
materials used in the Buddhas. Some were found by peeking into tiny meditation
chambers naturally there in the cave walls.
We left there and it was still too early for lunch, so Myint Swe
took us to see a parasol making shop. We watched them make the paper with the
fresh flower petals. We also watched a man make the handle to open and close
the parasol from bamboo. We watched ladies making lanterns, fans and parasols. I
bought a pretty fan.
We then drove to lunch at Green Tea Restaurant. The food was tasty
and again we had some cats to keep us company and sneak food. Dessert was a
chocolate crepe and Myint Swe disappeared again for a long time. He had gone to
a market and bought some fruit. He also was on the phone for a long time.
After lunch we made the original stop at an old monastery with oval windows. Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, a beautiful 19th-century red teak monastery is famous for its large, unique oval windows, intricate carvings, and mosaics It's a traditional wooden monastery built on stilts. I’m sure it was beautiful inside, but I was the only one that got out of the van, and I just snapped some quick shots and used their squat in the back. He then said it’d be another 30 minutes to the hotel, and it was a single dirt road with some traffic to wait until the other passed curvy and it took what seemed hours. So, what was supposed to be a 45-minute drive on regular roads, turned into 5 - 6 hours of touring that took us off the good roads to a single dirt road.
Myint Swe was frustrating because he wouldn’t answer a question yes
or no or how much longer until we get to the hotel. He didn’t seem to
understand that all we wanted was a part of a day to relax and enjoy the resort.
We finally got to Aureum Inle Resort & Spa, (sister to the resort where we stayed in Bagan) and we had about an
hour before the boat ride. Tom and Cathy opted out as we were all tired of
listening to him with no free time to relax. He is very repetitive and seemed
to just go on and on.
It was a beautiful sunset, and the boat ride was nice, and we got
our first glimpse of the famous fishermen rowing with their feet. Boating is the
premier means of transportation in Inle Lake. Although most boats are installed
with noisy diesel motors, the local fishermen still prefer an old-school rowing
technique. They stand at the stern of the flat-bottomed boat and wrap one leg
around the oar to direct the boat, while the other leg is to control the hull
of the boat. In this way, not only can they see across the water to avoid
twining weeds and gardening beds, but also it is easier to spot the telltale
bubbles of fish. We got to see one at sunset and hoped we'd see more later in the trip in better lighting.
