WATCH: 39 Local bus from Inle Lake to Meiktila, Myanmar (Burma)
We Said Go Travel http://www.wesaidgotravel.com/ October 23, 2012 We wanted to travel during the day from Inle Lake to Mandalay. They kept saying, “no” to us. There is only the evening bus from Inle Lake to Mandalay 10,000K per person with air conditioning. But we knew there had to be a way to go during the day and without air con.
We left Golden Empress Hotel by Tuk Tuk around 10am for a surprising 35min ride to the junction for 6000K. We did not think it would be so far but it was. Immediately as we crossed the street a man said to us, “Meiktila?” We said yes, and were offered 5000K each for the middle row of the back of the truck or 8000K per person for the front seat. They shoved our bags under the seats on the dusty floor, we climbed in and we were nearly off by quarter to eleven.
It was definitely the milk run and we stopped many times to add more people, let people off, get betel nut, water, oranges all sorts of things. At one point an additional seven young men threw their large carry sacks in the back and all climbed ontop of the bus with the large satchels of green beans.
We went through Kalaw and stopped for lunch somewhere but we only got butter bread roles and soy beans. I went to a grimy outhouse but at least it was there. I loved the fields of rice and corn and all the oxen. Coming down the steep hills we had to stop half way and water the tires. I found a truck with a tire that seemed to be on its last day. We got to Thaza and knew we were close. We saw a beautiful sunset over a lake and thought we made it but we kept going.
At the bus station in Miektila, they offered us 1000K per person for motorbike or 3000K for 2 in a tuk tuk as it was 1km we decided to walk. We saw the clock tower and the mosque. We found Lekker Corner which we came back to for dinner (Thai and Chinese food). A nice man on a motorbike helped us find the right street and we saw both $25 and $35 rooms. The pricier ones have TV and refrigerator; there is only wifi in the lobby. We looked at two rooms and were not so impressed as the $35 had such a dirty floor. I asked for room G2 as the Lonely Planet suggested but that building does not exist anymore. George looked at two more rooms and found #202. After we dusted off our bags, we opened the refrigerator and saw how disgusting dirty it was. There is another hotel in this city but not in town. This would be our most expensive night in our 27 days in Myanmar.
Aung San Suu Kyi had her honeymoon here in this town but I think not in this hotel.
Bus to Mandalay: one company one bus leaves at 11:30pm, and arrives 4am
Another company: 5am bus to Mandalay
Front desk at the hotel suggested to take a mini bus at 8am, 9am, 10am, or noon.
Breakfast was available from 7-10am inside or outside as you wish.
Honey Hotel, Maung Maung, Panchan Street, Meiktila, 064-23588
This movie is from our 28 days in Myanmar (Burma) from September 28, 2012 to October 26, 2012 and our year TRIP in South East Asia, see all the videos from our trip.
Our Memoir, Traveling in Sin, is available on Amazon.
By Amy Sommer on Westside Today
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