Start General Yangon Inle Lake Kalaw Mandaly Pyin-U-Lwin Bagan

 

 

 

Kalaw

Not far from Inle Lake, on my way to Mandalay I stopped by at Kalaw, a small village on the high plateu. I don't regret that. Not that is a very exiting place, on the contrary quite boring, but I was served my best, and only, Chinese dumpling here and I went trekking in the mountain among the minorities. It's even possible to trek all the way to Inle Lake. It's late February and possibly to hot to go all the way because there are no cover.

 

One of the central streets of Kalaw in the evening light. Not a very busy place.

 

Morning view over Kalaw, quite chilly nights and the mist lays heavy over the village. The cold water in the shower was really cold in the morning shower.

 

Typical lunch restaurant.

 

 

Restoring the paintings on the Stupa.

 

A young boy helping his mother to sell fresh water.

 

 

I found a strange shop with all kind of multimedia equipment. Even in Kalaw they have a small internet bar. A bad phone line and unreliable power supply was a problem though.

 

A Beautiful Baptist church is maybe not what you expect to find in a rural village.

 

My favorite food in Myanmar - Indian or Nepalese dishes. Most tourist didn't find Myanmar food very tasty and the Chinese food was quite tasteless.

 

Market day in Kalaw. You could buy chickens and cloths, but most off all food.

 

Trekking Around Kalaw

 

View of the mountains surrounding Kalaw.

 

Leaving Kalaw for a two day trek in the mountain.

 

There are several different tribes out there in the mountain, Palaung, Danu, Taungyo and Pao.

 

Tea bushes on the mountain slope being picked.

 

A small mountain village. Palaung tribe. They are not really used to foreigners out here, not even the locals from Kalaw gets here very often.

 

A Palaung minority women showing her traditional handcraft.

 

Young girl making new roof cover before the rainy begins in may. 

 

Schoolchildren.

 

Village view.

 

 

Old man, guess around 80 years old, smoking the Myanmar cigarettes. He had stories from when the British and Japanese soldiers where fighting in the area during the forties.

 

Foot Volley Ball among the Jake ox.

 

Women working hard on the fields. Actually, our guide was quite angry with the local men who mainly spend their day drinking beer and playing lotto.

 

 

Terraces in beautiful shapes south of Kalaw. 

 

Morning view after one night at the countryside.

 

A cold morning wash, brrr...

 

 

 

 

Buddha cave south off Kalaw.

 

The meditating Buddha protected by a snake.

 

Dirty and swollen feet and shoes after returning from the Trekk.