Since Inle Lake is rather a system of canals and lakes cycling around Inle Lake would be a tough job. Nevertheless I had a good day cycling around Inle Lake area.

Cycling around Inle Lake -A tour on the Eastern side of the lake

I rented my bicycle at the Gypsy Inn for 1500 MMK for the day. First, I cycled along the main road leading toward Shwenyaung to get a good picture of the rice fields. Then I returned into Nyaung Shwe. Just before entering the town, there is a small, adventurous bridge leading across the pond and at the other end is a cheap and good restaurant shack with river view. I loved their Shan noodles.

Cycling to the caves

With a full stomach, I continued toward the caves on the eastern side of town and passed Asiatico Pub, which is supposed to be a decent place for western food and drinks (I didn’t go there though). The uphill ride with only one gear wasn’t actually that bad since it wasn’t so far and in the steepest places I just walked. It was nice to ride through the green fields and past local stilt houses while having a good view across the valley. There even was a school at the top of the hill! And just a little further the cave with a temple inside is located.

I expected just a small hole with a shrine but in fact it’s about one third the size of the Batu caves. There were severall small statues and shrines. Again, I was the only person there. Hence, the cave was a bit scary and since I walked around barefoot because it was a temple after all, that didn’t make me feel more secure either. Yet, I stayed in the cave to wait until the first, heavy shower of the day was over. Just as quickly as it had begun it was over again. I enjoyed the path down the hill in bright sunshine.

 

 

From the Caves to the nearest town

The road toward the lake was pretty unspectacular. The only things worth mentioning were the hills of the winery (I’ll get back to that later), a part where the road was under water and a few achitectual interesting buildings. But there, I wished that I would finally reach the next city, Maung Thauk. However, then what the dark clouds along the hills had been telling, started happening. I was caught in a torrential rain and not even my rain coat was of any help. After about 10 minutes I finally found a small store-shack where I could hide out with the other Burmese people who were waiting. They were really nice and even offered me a chair. Time for more chili chips. Here they even only cost 300 MMK.

The rain lasted a whole hour and therefore I wouldn’t have much more time for exploring if I still wanted to see the sunset at Red Mountain Estate Winery. With my wet shoes and clothes I moved on and two minutes later reached the small village of Maung Thauk. I had been so close!

A long teak bridge

A few boat men offered to take me and my bicycle across the lake. That’s what most people do. Then, you can cycle back to Nyaung Shwe on the other side of the lake where you will pass Inle Lake’s hot springs (an idea for cold and rainy days at Inle Lake?).

However, I parked my bicycle and then walked along the half mile long wooden bridge, taking many pictures of the stilt houses and local people rowing on the river. I got a bit dizzy when I realized that the green ground around the houses was moving and was in fact a big floating garden. Floating gardens are one of the speciality this region is known for. At some point the teak bridge just stopped. From there I could again have taken a boat to cross the lake, do a 30 min tour around the local stilt houses or just cross the canal for free to go eat at one of the restaurants. That probably would have been lovely if I hadn’t been soaked to my underwear. I walked back to my bicycle and then started my return. At about half way I’d reach the turn off to Red Mountain Wine Estate.

Red Mountain Estate Winery for sunset

Again it was possible to cycle up the hill to the entrance gate of the winery but I had to do it standing. Nevertheless, I was glad when the gate man told me to park my bicycle below a roof next to all the others. From there it was a five minute walk to the restaurant.

The view from Red Mountain Estate Winery

I have to say that the view from the winery didn’t differentiate much from the one I had on my way to the cave. Except now I saw more of Inle Lake (far away) and a bit of the picturesque grape vines. I sat down at a table with an outside view. A look at the menu proofed that they were one of the only two wine estates in Myanmar. Their prices were rather high compared to usual Myanmar restaurants with alcohol. A glass cost between 3500 MMK and 4500 MMK. I realized that I was actually in the restaurant and not in the tasting area. Up one more flight of stairs led me to a covered outdoor bar, also with a nice view. Luckily a French guy who was also on his own joined me at my table right after I sat down and so I didn’t have to drink alone. Jean-Raphael (if I meet French guys when I travel their names always start with Jean…) and I decided that we’d meet up again for dinner later. Since there weren’t many tourists in town, the chance was big that we’d be eating alone otherwise.

The wine tasting at Red Mountain Estate Winery

The tasting costs 5000 MMK. You receive the same four glasses of wine as everyone else. They are filled to one third along with a plate of roasted peanuts.

The two white wines were okay. Pretty sweet, so just how I usually like them but they had a slight acid taste. Normally, I like red wine better but unfortunately the first red wine was simply disgusting and the second wine wasn’t much better either. My stomach even hurt a little afterward because it was so much acid. So, I don’t recommend the wine tasting. The view is okay but unfortunately we didn’t have a nice sunset due to many clouds. Plus, then there is the 5km ride back into town in the dark. Most bicycles don’t have lights and they don’t know helmets anyway. Let’s just say that it wasn’t the most relaxing ride.

Tip for the sunset at Inle Lake

To have a good sunset at Inle Lake, grab a beer from one of the shops and then hire a boat (about 10’000 MMK for the whole boat). Then, you really have a good view of the lake with the green hills in the background. I heard that the whole lake can turn golden if you have a good sunset. And of course there are the fisherman who row with their leg. I observed that unique technique on my boat trip the next day. And you just sit back in the chair on your boat and enjoy the drink you brought.

 

What is your recommendation for the Inle Lake area? Make a comment after this post!