DIARY OF A TREKKING: KALAW - INLE LAKE

We leave at about 9.00am, the road is not difficult but it is not a piece of cake. We stop to eat in a booth adapted for visits, there Monson cooks us some noodles and an avocado salad and we take the opportunity to break the ice with Simon-cevapcici-lover, eat, rest and drink the green tea that both give here, because to To be able to drink the running water first it is necessary to boil it, and hot dry water is a bit disgusting, so you put some tea leaves and go.

After lunch we headed to the house of an old doctor-shaman and had a very pleasant time with his family. I have not commented but the trekking began the two fatal belly and also Lety was in these days of the month ... a picture come on! So the doctor took out some sachets with colored powders, made with the mixtures of several plants: one serves for the stomach, another for the period (the poor lety has to suck a good handful of this), another to recharge energy ... In the end we did a complete treatment each, and advance that it would not help.

We return to the road and after a few hours, when it is beginning to rain, we arrive at our first destination, a remote village where we would sleep at the home of a family from a local tribe. They receive us very happy and with the typical hospitality of this country. Before dinner we take the opportunity to walk around the village and a monk invites us to go to his monastery. After the appropriate presentations, offering tea, bananas, peanuts and others begins the show. It truly is like a goat and after each sentence it ends with a “Happy! Happy! ” He breaks his ass and we with him. What a strange situation but how fun! It could be the best of the day.

We have dinner and now we are among the blankets we hope to regain strength for tomorrow. I have not talked about the landscapes, they are beautiful, between mountains and rice fields, but come on it is not the garden of Eden.

Monastery lost by the mountains of Shan State, 26.10.11

At 7.00am up to have breakfast and start the day with energy, which in the first 30min of trekking evaporates: after saying goodbye to our friendly hosts, we wait 50 minutes of climbing a mountain along a complicated road at times. We arrived half dead, good lety and me, because the others are fresh like a rose, especially Monson, who has climbed the mountain in flip flops ... and we still have the worst 7-8 hours of our lives! I exaggerate yes, but really, the road gets worse after eating and with the rain of days gone by it is all muddy.

The first to slip and screw in a puddle is me. And it worries me right now ... if I had known how we would end up I would go straight through the water. The guide puts us in the middle of the mountain, I have no idea why, and there comes despair: it is impracticable, and with our city shoes more. Lety slips and falls a few times (in one of these drag with her the guide who had it well deserved, then I congratulated her for it) I put my feet to the ankles in the mud ... in short a total chaos. In addition the fatigue of yesterday and the heat of this morning accumulates.

After these 7-8 hours of trekking we arrive at the monastery where we will sleep tonight. Simply put: we have mud even behind the ears! So we took the opportunity to take a “bath” with care to the leeches because last night, both lety and me, we grabbed one (I will not describe how).

We had dinner, chatted with Simon-iron-man, and surrendered in our makeshift beds, dead.

Inthein, 27.10.11

We are in the market waiting to catch the boat that will take us to Nyaung-shwe. To the problems of yesterday, the progressive pain of the ankle of lety was added, so we decided that on the last day we would do it on motorcycles. In the end, even Thiri, the guide, points out ... she is a bit of a bastard, because during the road she didn't help much and got us in the worst ways ... then canceled the arrival at the expected point by making the excuse of our shoes, but once we decided finish on a motorcycle, he didn't rectify it. And finally he says that he comes with us (although the day before he said that only one person could go by motorcycle) because to meet us in the town of Inthein it would be impossible ... not even Manhattan!

Our boat is approaching ... just need to sink to finish the job!

SUMMARIZING:

WORST

• Leeches and the feeling of always having a punch.
• Slips and falls in the mud.
• The ascent to the mountain that left us dead.
• Having to wash muddy clothes after trekking.

THE BEST

• The experience of knowing unique tribes in the world and sharing time, laughs, tables, blankets with them is very rewarding, and in itself deserves the effort of trekking.
• Walk among rice paddies, fields of yellow flowers, of chillies ...
• Waking up with the prayers of the little monks instead of with the beep of the alarm clock (and smiling under the covers when listening to a dull monk).
• Take the opportunity to chat in English and learn new terms was "Top-shit".
• The happy happy monk of the first night.
• The bathroom with splendid views of the stars, many stars.
• The smiles and greetings of the children, who in each village came out to meet us.
• The feeling that all "the worst" of trekking is just a funny anecdote.