Mandalay - Thazi - Kalaw - Inle Lake

My next destination was the mountain town of Kalaw on the way to Inle Lake. I was going to do the three day trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake but taking a day to rest after being sick kind of screwed everything up. I was able to get my permit to cross the border to Thailand and booked a flight for the day before my visa expired on Dec. 19. There was no flight on the 19th or else I would have went the last day. This means that I would only have 4 nights for Kalaw, trekking and Inle Lake. The trekking was two nights. I didn't want to spend just one night at the lake so I decided to skip on the trekking. It was only staying in villages along the way with not much forest, so I wasn't too disappointed.
The problem I had to figure out was how to get to Kalaw without taking the overnight bus option which was the most popular and straightforward way. I came up with a plan. It would be a bus/train combo to Kalaw. I hung out with Thida for the last time in the morning before I left. She helped me get transport to the bus station and rode with me there. I said bye and then got on the bus to Meiktila.
It was three hour ride from Mandalay to Meiktila. Once there I had to switch to a pickup for Thazi, only one hour away. I rode in the back of a pickup filled to the brim with sacs of onions. It only took us 30 minutes to get to Thazi and before I knew it, they were dropping me off at Moonlight Resthouse. I ate dinner and went to bed. The train to Kalaw left at 5am.

I woke up at 4.20am and walked to the train station. I bought my ticket for upper class and had a bit of rice and coffee for breakfast. The train left 30 minutes late. Instead of separate chairs, like a bus, off the last train, this time it was a larger seat with one big cushion. It was more comfortable and had more elbow room. The tiny old woman sitting beside seemed far away. The train left in the dark but soon the morning sun was a welcome sight. It's warming rays getting out the morning chill. The scenery along the way was amazing, mountains and rolling hills and small villages only along the rail line. It took about seven hours to get to Kalaw.
I took a horsecart to the Golden Lily Guesthouse and got a large, though faily empty room, with hot shower for $6. After eating lunch I took a rest. I was feeling the effects of being up at 4am. For dinner I went back to the same small family run restaurant. I was literally eating in their living room. Kalaw sits at 1230m elevation and gets cold in December and January. It was 14C when I went to bed but when I got up it was only 9C! This was the coldest place I had been to so far and I hoped it would remain the coldest place I would visit.
That morning I took a pickup to the junction for the road to Inle Lake, about two hours away. From here I hired a moto for the last 30 minute drive. I was finally in my last destination in Myanmar. I had 3 nights to spend at the lake before my flight out.