The dusty plains of Bagan gave way to completely different scenery which we hadn't yet seen in Myanmar. The mini van climbed windy mountain roads with hills thickly clad with trees. We were definitely heading into trekking country.

Kalaw is a town where you don't really want to linger. The restaurant offerings were just about sufficient for our one night stay. Thankfully within an hour of arriving we had found a hotel for the night, booked a trek, ordered lunch of biriyani and a dhal bhat thali set at a Nepalese restaurant and Tony had identified somewhere for a haircut- which proved another interesting experience with hair clippers losing power mid way through and sparks flying when they were plugged in. He came out with two little devil horns where the woman had missed bits. I guess that is what you get if you pay £1.50.

The next day our group of five set out on our two day trek to Inle. The scenery was reminiscent of the Yorkshire Dales when we initially set off, and then more akin to Tuscany with cypress trees and fields being harvested.

Overnight was at a home stay in a rural little village inhabited by the Pak-OO people, one of the many tribes that live in this culturally diverse area. Our home was a hut in the traditional design, made using strips of bamboo and woven together to create walls. Underneath our sleeping area lived the cattle. The kitchen was a separate hut with a fire outside. The toilet hut was outside and involved a trek down steep stairs in the middle of the night with a flashlight. There is very little light in the villages and with clear skies we could enjoy some star gazing.

Whilst the day time temperatures are very hot, at night, even with three heavy blankets and sleeping in base and mid-layers on our ratten little floor mat, it was still so cold that we both ended up catching colds.

The next day we set off towards Inle, a few hours trek away.

Upon arrival we set off in our longtailboat up towards Nyaungshwe, our home for the next three days.

Even though we witnessed the wooden houses on stilts, the fishing on the lake and the farming on the waters on that initial journey, we still decided to explore the watery world further by organising an all day trip out on a boat. Our helmsman stilled the boat so we could watch a local fisherman. On Inle they have a very specific way of catching fish using a net and a basket and keeping the boat in position by rowing with their leg, presumably because both hands are taken. The fish are somehow moved into the basket once all the weeds have been removed and then a stake is used to spear them by hand. Sat watching him peacefully work away was a nice way to start the day trip.

We moved on to a village on the southern shore of the lake where we visited a weaving house, watched local cigars being made, visited a village populated by the long necked women tribe, who stretch their necks by adding gold rings, and watched locals go about their every day life in the watery world, before heading home.

The next day we hired bikes and cycled not too far out of town to a vineyard. The vistas were nice,which is more than I can say about the wine. This however, is Myanmar, not South Africa and so I didn't expect amazing things. Still, it was a pleasant way to pass a few hours.

We caught the overnight bus to Yangon so that we could head straight to the airport for our flight to Singapore to spend a few days visiting friends. The road was bumpy, and we were at the back of the bus so felt the full impact. Thankfully we weren't sick despite our stomachs being jolted around. Others were and the sound made me retch so I had to turn up the earphones and try to engross myself in Kung Fu Panda on the TV screen.

At 5am after not a lot of sleep, we arrived at the bus station, which even at this early hour, was heaving and just as busy as when we had first arrived over a week earlier coming up from the South.

After sx hours in an airport infested with mosquitoes, and with not much money, we were on our way to friends, food and red wine.