Woke around 3.30 with the incessant tapping of the monsoon rain on the corrugated iron roof. Dozed till 4.15 when I finally got up. The landlady of our guesthouse, the Three Seasons Hotel very kindly had breakfast waiting for me. I then got a taxi (slightly earlier than planned), to Yangon airport at 4.45. After a bit of waiting around at the airport, as it had not yet opened for the day, finally checked in for the 7.15 flight to Bangkok.

Arrived at Heho airport at 8.20 with plenty of time to spare, as plane was not due to depart till 9.40. After checking in, we found some seating and settled down to read. James meanwhile was giggling at the film Dodgeball being shown on screens overhead.

Woke at 6.00, slightly earlier than planned due to a public broadcast of a Buddhist service. Breakfast wasn't till 7.00, so leisurely packed the rest of my gear. The taxi then came at 7.30 to take us the 25 miles, but hour long ride due to the road surface and slow traffic to Heho airport.

Inle

Woke up at around 5.30am with the incessant crowing of a cockerel near my bungalow. Managed to doze until 6.20 when my alarm went off. Met Fiona and James in the restaurant for breakfast at around 6.45, before heading off to the jetty area to meet our guide and boat, which we had arranged the previous day. The initial journey to Inle lake took us 1/2 hour, and then to reach to other end of the lake to our first destination of. took another hour.