By Bus, Bike, Boat & Train

We made the journey from the south of the country to Inle Lake overnight in a sleeper bus. Arriving in the early morning, the temperatures were already significantly cooler as this region is located at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, nestled among mountains and surrounded by rice fields.

On site, we explored the area by bike and took a boat trip on the lake, which is only half a meter deep on average. On the agenda was a visit to a cigarette factory and a weaving workshop, among other things.

We continued our journey by slow train on a 200 km route through the highlands and on tracks from colonial times, so we were shaken up quite a bit. The journey took 11 hours, but it was not a nuisance, but rather pure relaxation, thanks to the beautiful landscape and numerous breaks where we were well fed.

For the last 160 km towards the north, we changed to the express train, which took us to Mandalay in just 3 hours. Here, too, windows and doors were constantly open, which was not a safety risk for us, but rather an opportunity to smoke on the train - both unthinkable in Germany :)