May's Travelogue

To be honest, Ho Chi Minh, also known as Saigon, needs more tourist attractions. Some people who fall in love with the high-end architecture cannot expect to find wonderful Cityscapes. Conversely, some individuals who like to relax in nature will not be satisfied. However, the most interesting part of Ho Chi Minh is the ancient architecture left by the French colony. There are many Churches and Chapels with several designs and facilities, and they are quite flamboyant. Among them, one of the buildings attracts me with its function. It is none other than the Post Office.    Bringing to the previous century  Normally, the Post Office's look is simple but it brought me to a specific time in history. Its design was influenced by French architecture mixed with Gothic and Renaissance.  When I entered the post office, I felt like time travelling; thinking about people and living style in the colony period, the feeling of classic and nostalgia came into my mind. I imagined h...

When we arrived in Ho Chi Minh, rain was pouring heavily. I was slightly worried as it was not a rainy season in South East Asa and there was a storm alert. However, we found a beautiful coffee shop walking in the rain. In fact, everybody knows that Vietnam coffee is quite popular. When we entered the shop hopefully, we suddenly didn't know what to order as there were plenty of items in the coffee menu. I flew blind ordered pointing somewhere on the menu. There is no crowd in the shop. I found that its decoration is quite cosy. They built bookshelf walls with several books which contained coffee history, quotes and articles. One of my friends said, " Coffee shop culture is not popular in our country. Actually, it is the best idea". And I replied, " Our people prefer tea to coffee". Rather, We Myanmar people always like to sit at the tea shop every day as we believe that the tea shop is a sort of local community. Our tea shop looks like diplomacy. Once we sit the...

The route Kalaw-Nyaung Shwe-Inle Lake is a good arrangement for 3-5 days trips.  It only takes 2 hours to drive from Kalaw to Nyaung Shwe, the nearest town to Inle Lake. When you reach Nyaung Shwe, you must take a boat to wander in the lake.  You can stay at Inle hotels overnight to feel the real Inle life.  Alternatively, if you are uncomfortable sleeping on the water, you can stay in Nyaung Shwe and explore the lake only during the daytime. The reasons why Inle Lake is popular are two main cultures that are slightly different from others. One is  Stilt Houses and the other is the style of rowing. Feeding Seagulls Stilt Houses The transportation Stilt restaurants Rowing with legs   Several ethnic tribes of Myanmar have resided in the lake for a long history. They do float farming and fishing. Traditional cotton weaving and silversmiths also can be found. The quality of Inle cotton wear is highly recommended. The residents use boats for local transportation, and...

You can enjoy some fun activities when you are in Kalaw.  (1) Train Tour If you are travelling with a small group, friends, colleagues or family, you can hire ‌a rail cart which is available to ask at the original Kalaw station. The short trip will take about 3 hours and the train capacity is up to 15 people.  Rail Cart Information in front of the Station Ticket Booth (2) Orange Farm If you are a person who enjoys having new experiences on the organic farm, there are some orange farms. The one I went to is near Palaung Mountain. It charges only a small amount of entrance fee and you can borrow a traditional dress to take memorial photos there. (3) Trekking to Cold Dam Cold Dam, local people called Yay Aye Kan, is a Dam which distributes water to its neighbourhood including Kalaw. As it is located a bit far away from town ( around 6 miles), it is enough good for trekking. Along the way, the visitors must pass through the pine forest. Therefore, the scenery is wonderful and the ...