From Yangon, we took an overnight ‘VIP’ bus to Kalaw. The ‘VIP’ price is a bit steeper but worth it if you want a bit more comfort on the bus. Our seats were bigger and were able to recline more than the ordinary Myanmar bus. We also got a soda pop (sparkling water) and a weird looking/funny tasting wrap. The bus dropped us of around 3 am on a deserted road in the middle of Kalaw. There we were, backpacks beside us, looking for some sign of life. It’s a good thing Kalaw is just made up of a few roads so fortunately, we found our Hostel – Honey Pine Hotel, quite easily. We were able to check in already and get a decent rest.

The next day was all about finding the right trekking guide. After we had read some reviews, we went for Sam’s Guesthouse. We arrived at a tiny little restaurant/information office, where Sam invited us in for tea and explained us the different routes we could follow. We opted for the two day trek, which would leave the next day.

With a steady pace and after trying the infamous beetle nuts, our superfriendly guide Zaw, started of our trip through the mountains, rice fields and bamboo forest.

We arrived at our local home stay in Pattu-Pauk around 5 pm. We walked around town and watched the people return from the fields, the kids returning from the monastery and monks passing by the local stores. Although each house is supplied with a solar panel, lights went out pretty quickly after sunset and life slowed down around the dimming wooden fires. As soon as the sun rose, people were up and about, ready to return to their daily routine. Men, and woman, took their bulls back to the fields. For us, our hike continued on for another 4 hours, until we reached the bamboo forest and Inle Lake around noon.