10/30/14
The best thing about Kalaw, which we left this morning after a one night stay, were our meals that day. Kalaw is located in the Shan state. And we had an absolutely delicious lunch of Shan food at a restaurant called Dream Restaurant. An apt name as the photos on the wall were almost all of The Lady Aung San Suu Kyi (which is what the Burmese people call her). And she was pictured with Obama, Hillary, Cameron and other dignitaries. Since the Shan state is next to Thailand, there is a strong Thai influence in the food. Lunch started with pumpkin soup with lemongrass. Among the many dishes we were served was a steamed fish that was almost like a mousse in texture and really good. The curried vegetable dish was also noteworthy. And there was flan for dessert which was a big hit. After lunch we headed for Kalaw which was an outpost for the British during colonial times. Since it is up in the mountains (actually only at an elevation of 4000 ft), it provided a respite from the otherwise hot climate. Apart from the fact that the British had been here, there wasn't a whole lot else to recommend it. We stayed at the Hilltop Villa, which reminded both of us of the cabins at Powhatan. Our Odysseys' itinerary had allowed that the hotel was not of the caliber of the other! And they were true to their word. Dinner was again delicious. This time an Indian meal. Among the noteworthy dishes were a barbecued pork dish like spare ribs (the only kind of pork I will eat other than bacon on occasion). And various meat and vegetable curries which were very good.
We left Kalaw early Wednesday morning for our hour and a half drive to Inle Lake. On the way we stopped at a little town to watch a parade of families whose young sons would be entering the monastery as novitiates for a 3 day stay. Waiting for the parade was great people watching with the opportunity to take lots of good photos of the locals going about their daily activities. We also made a stop at a monastery - yet another opportunity to take off our shoes and walk through the holy site barefoot. Inside one portion of the monastery which had cave like rooms which led to others, there were lots of little Buddhas in small alcoves, each with the names of the donors, a few of which were from the U.S. Inside we also had some great photo ops with some young monks who were as interested in taking our picture as we were in taking theirs. From there on to a pizza and pasta lunch on our way to our destination. Not bad, but not nearly as good as my homemade pizza.
Arriving at Inle Lake, we (9 of us) and all of our baggage were loaded onto 2 motor powered canoes, our mode of transportation while we are here. There are over 100,00 people who make their homes on the lake. The communities are located on little inlets, with homes on stilts. We are staying at a lovely resort called Inle Lake View Resort. The management was taken over by a Frenchman about 2 months ago, and one of the owners is also French ( a husband wife team--the wife is Burmese and the husband French). So the resort has some lovely French touches. The presentation of the food is very elegant, with the food itself being Burmese with a French flare. But the wait staff are still trying to figure it all out. Steve ordered a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. First he got two pieces of cheese and a piece of ham. Then they brought 4 pieces of cheese and two pieces of ham. Finally they
brought him a plain omelet which he proceeded to eat with his him and cheese. It was all pretty funny!
After breakfast we took off by boat to our destinations for the day. We visited yet another monastery and we added another pagoda to the list of Buddha shrines we have visited. Then on to lunch at the home of Ms. Ann. She still resides in her family home where both she (and her siblings ) and her father and his 18 siblings had been raised. She is a successful entrepreneur and owns two hotels and a restaurant on the lake, and she was a very gracious host. When we asked her how many children she has she told us 80 - her 80 employees. Her commitment, she said, is to support her community. The rest of her family has left the region. Her brother now lives in Yangon and her sister in Thailand. Again a multi course meal - delicious, but way too much food for the middle of the day.
Tomorrow is our last day on the lake, and then on Saturday we drive back to Heho for the flight to Yangon where we wind up our stay in Myanmar. From there Steve heads home, and Elsa and I head on to Anghor Wat and Hong Kong before
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