Pretty much every time Amelia and I take a night bus we ask ourselves "why?!". We never really get any sleep, and nine times out of ten the bus arrives at stupid-o'clock in the morning, leaving us stranded for a few hours until we wait for places to open. But travelling at night has its advantages - firstly it saves time and secondly it saves money (as you don't have to pay for accommodation). However, the latter benefit didn't exactly come to fruition when we arrived in Kalaw at 3am in what felt like arctic conditions!
Thankfully, one man in Kalaw has good business sense. The owner of 'Golden Lilly Guesthouse' wisely awaits in the darkness and 'hunts' his tired and weary guests stepping off the night bus with no prearranged accommodation. We felt apprehensive about agreeing to stay in his $7 a night guesthouse, but beggars can't be choosers at 3am in the cold of the night!
The room itself was literally no bigger than the mattress that was in it. But at least there was a bed, so we hit the hay and weirdly felt grateful to the man waiting for us in the darkness..

We awoke, still intact and still in possession of all our belongings. It wasn't the best sleep (thanks to some inconsiderate French backpackers talking very loudly next to our room), but it was cheap and we escaped the cold. Sadly, after seeing the state of the shared bathrooms, we had to make a quick escape. They were absolutely revolting and to be honest they reminded me of the toilet from the film 'Trainspotting'!
Needless to say we swiftly left and fortunately found a much nicer place just around the corner. Trying to barter when you're looking in need doesn't usually work, but clearly they were as desperate as us! Taking $15 instead of $25.
Kalaw is a hill station founded by British civil servants trying to escape the heat. The air is cool and the streets are quiet. There is a central market to buy pretty much anything, from fruit and veg to SIM cards or even a tailor made longyi - Amelia and I bought exactly that, well Amelia's was tailor made, mine was 'off the shelf'. A Longyi is like a sarong and everybody who's anybody wears them in Myanmar. It doesn't matter if you're a man or woman, boy or girl, it's part of the culture and only the odd few have parted ways with the traditional longyi in favour of something more western.
During the British period many Sikhs, Muslims, Indian Hindus and Nepali Gurkhas came to Kalaw to build the roads and railway line and they've stayed ever since. Which means for the town of Kalaw, one doesn't have to travel far to get a variety of tasty food! At lunch Amelia and I had a feast in a highly praised Nepalese restaurant - for less than a fiver we gorged on chicken biryani, dhal curry, chapatis, more sides than I can remember and a mountain of rice!
Our main reason for stopping in Kalaw was to arrange a trek to Inle Lake. It's fast becoming a popular route to trek (rather than taking a windy bus journey) and depending on your personal preference you can choose to trek varying routes that take either 2, 3 or even 4 days, staying with local tribes along the way.
We checked out three of the top rated trekking companies based in Kalaw and settled with 'Sam's Trekking' after feeling they offered the best route at a very reasonable offer of 15,000Ks (£7.50) each a day - including food and accommodation too!
Whilst we were in Kalaw, a festival was taking place and we'd found out that a parade through the town was happening during early evening. According to someone from the hotel, the locals can sometimes get a little over excited and let fireworks off into the crowds, so trying to avoid the crowds we stumbled on what we thought had the best vantage point - a beer station! To make it even better they served draught beer at 700Ks (35p) per glass, which we could just about scrape together!

The following day, we ate, hydrated, blogged and arranged for our mountain of dirty laundry to be washed. It was good to have a day sorting out a few bits and bobs before commencing our trek the following day.

The trek began at 8am from Sam's office. We were a group of seven - two other Brits (Sam and Jen), two Americans (Shannon and Noreen) and a German (Sarah). Plus our guide called Nan, which was easy to remember, but felt peculiar saying, as he was a young man.
The first part of our trek took us up through orange and tea plantations. The views were stunning and at points unspoilt for as far as the eye could see. During the first few hours it was good to get to know our fellow trekkers. We had a nice group of like minded people - Shannon and Noreen who'd both been teaching in SEA too, and were on their way back to the states for Christmas. Sarah - an easy to talk to doctor on another one of her long holidays to explore the world. And Sam and Sarah - two pasty skinned, friendly northerners who'd recently left their jobs to travel. We all got on very well and the conversation was flowing throughout the trek.
For lunch we stopped at a beautiful and very picturesque orange orchard. The owners served up a delicious vegetarian meal (never thought I'd say that), which included freshly cooked chapatis, pumpkin curry and a fantastic avocado and tomato salad. Afters obviously included some freshly picked oranges, which I must say were possibly the best I've ever eaten!
Shortly after lunch we stopped at a monastery to meet some of the local villagers and join them in the communal house for more food, tea (one 'British' existence they surely can't eradicate!) and for Amelia, a hit of nicotine. Some cultures in SEA frown upon women smoking, however in Myanmar women are quite often seen puffing away, some even on cigars! Amelia, along with Shannon, decided to take Nan's offer up of a toke on what looked like a cigar but is actually a locally made cigarette.
We all sat on the floor with the locals and noticed that the women kept themselves on one side of the room with the men on the other. Amelia and I speculated that there might've been a religious or deeply rooted cultural reason for this school disco-esk situation, but no, apparently it's just because they're timid.
During the afternoon, we trekked through and past corn fields, along what looked like derelict railway tracks and past a vintage looking train station, bustling with local trade. It was only when a train came within a touching distance (down a very narrow section) did we know it was still in use! We literally had to jump into a hedge when we heard the unmistakable sound and rumble of a train approaching.
Just before sunset we arrived at a small village to stop at a homestay. Some of us brave ones (not Amelia) quickly decided it would be a good idea to 'shower' before it got dark. The 'shower' was a traditional type i.e. a bucket of freezing cold water! Let's just say it was...revitalising.
Dinner was served in the communal room, which would also be our group's shared bedroom. We ate traditional Myanmar food - rice, oily curries and stir fried veg, all washed down with a beer from the village's only 'shop'.
It was a wild night... by 8 or 9pm we were all tucked into our beds and falling asleep!

Unlike the others, Amelia and I didn't sleep too well. Nevertheless we were up and ready to tackle the day ahead. Breakfast was a typical Asian take on 'western breakfast' - bread and margarine/jam with a fried egg. The bread was, as always, way too sweet and the egg was dripping in oil, but we were grateful and we definitely needed the energy for the day ahead.
Our local guide Nan, I think it's fair to say, wasn't exactly informative. In fact, up until that point Amelia and I had only learnt about the situation in the communal house, how wet tea leaves are used in salads and the dried ones for drinking tea. He was friendly enough, just not very forthcoming with much local knowledge.
The first part of our trek that day took us out of the small village, and up through rice and vegetable terraces to a nice viewpoint over the valley we'd come from.
From then onwards we were passing through fields of rapeseed and chilli plantations. I was quite stunned at how much chilli there was, I've never seen so many chillies being grown and dried! With supposedly most countries boycotting trade with Myanmar, who knows where it's all going. According to Nan, it's used in their dishes, but none of us have noticed much chilli being used in their cuisine.
Betel quids are common place in Myanmar - evidence of this is stained into people's blackened teeth and rusty red spit soaked into the pavements. Betel is a leaf containing a mild stimulant. With it playing such a prominent part in their daily lives, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. However, to try it, I wanted someone with experience to 'show me the ropes', so to speak. With Nan being an avid 'chewer', I thought it was good opportunity to sample the concoction of tobacco juice, limestone paste and betel nut wrapped in betel leaf. Literally everywhere you go in Myanmar you can see small booths preparing and selling betel quids. Nan purchased three for pittance and gave me one to chew. At first I didn't notice any affects, just a fairly bitter 'leafy' taste and a lot of saliva building up in my mouth, which you have to remember to spit out because it can cause stomach issues! After a minute or so I felt a slight nicotine rush, and a numbing sensation in my mouth, so I can't say I get what all the fuss is about, but I suppose at the end of the day it's just an addiction much like smoking.
By midday we were all in need of some grub and rest. What Nan neglected to tell most of us, until we neared another village, was that we were going to his parent's house for lunch. Like Nan, they were very happy and friendly with a very hospitable nature. We all felt very content after eating their large serving of delicious food, so much so I think most of us drifted off before it was time to get going again. We had a little further distance to cover on our second day, of 23kms versus trekking 21kms on our first day.
The great thing about the area was the diverse landscape. During the afternoon, it had changed from chilli plantations and rape seed fields to rice paddies and karst landscape. As it was harvest season, we got to see local villagers out in the fields hard at work. Despite the fact they were slogging away, the majority of them were smiling and waved at us as we passed by their rudimentary lifestyle, I do sometimes wonder who's got it right...us or them.
Our homestay for the second night was a similar affair to the previous night. Although after another long sweaty day of trekking, this time everyone was a little less coy about having a bucket shower!
Feeling refreshed and clean with our new longyis on, Amelia and I bought a much needed chilled beer from the homestay's little tuck shop and relaxed whilst watching a beautiful sunset. It was good to get advice from Nan on how to tie the longyi, as my previous attempt had very nearly left me red in the face as it almost fell down during my exit from the beer station! Amelia's longyi in particular was drawing much admiration from some of the local ladies and it was great to see the smiles on their faces when we had them on.
Later that evening after another fulfilling meal, Shannon decided to tell us a 'ghost story' about people supposedly being possessed at her 'haunted' school in Malaysia. I personally find these things hard to believe, but the Americans always know how to tell a good story!
Despite the disturbing tale, Amelia and I slept like a log that night!

For our third and final day we were treated to yet another Asian take on western breakfast - pancakes, which to be fair weren't too bad. Served with fresh fruit, it wasn't a hearty meal, but we had less distance (13km) to cover so I hoped we wouldn't require as much 'fuel'.
Again, after leaving the vicinity of the village we saw new terrain. The soil itself looked much redder and there seemed to be a few more obstacles to avoid, like smooth boulders on our descent towards Inle Lake.
I think we were all thankful that the overcast skies above us that day didn't open up! Being the dry season, most of us were unprepared for rain - apart from Sarah, who looked like she was prepared for any eventuality!
About an hour before our lunch break, the dynamics of our group had changed to a fairly somber tone, it seemed like everyone was feeling a little tired. However, that soon changed after eating some much needed grub. Everyone definitely perked up and I was certainly feeling energised, especially when Nan spoke to inform us that we were nearing the end of our trek.
The last part of the trek led us to a tributary not far from the lake. Our last section of the trip was across the lake to a town called Nyaung Shwe - where some of us had arranged to stay a couple of nights.
Inle Lake being 875m above sea level actually has a fairly cold climate. Amelia and I, feeling surprised by the cool temperatures, huddled together in the boat for our chilly journey across the lake! When we arrived in Nyaung Shwe it was time to say our goodbyes to Nan, Shannon and Noreen who we wouldn't be seeing again. As for Sam, Jen and Sarah, we arranged to meet them the following day.
We were glad to have picked the 3 day 2 night trek, it was just the right amount of time. Any shorter would've been too brief, especially to absorb the beautiful landscape and meet all the lovely natured people along the way.