An unexpected, but welcome boat ride back to Nyaungshwe, across Inle Lake

 I set off for my second day of biking around Inle Lake and really took my time enjoying the scenery and exploring the rural farmland outside of Nyaungshwe. I came across a hot spring pool where I spent a few hours soaking and by the time I came out of the spa the sun was already setting. I was a few hours away from Nyaungshwe (and my sweet room at The Gypsy) by bike, and with no headlamp, it was looking as if a long, dark and spooky ride home was in my near future. But Myanmar had an almost magical way of solving your problems even before they began. Already on this trip I had begun to notice that almost the very instant a problem flit across your face, there was someone coming forward to solve said problem.  Truly. This case was no different. Just as the reality of my situation dawned on me, a man came up and said he had been waiting for me and would I like a boat ride, for me AND my bike, back to Nyaunshwe? It only took 20 minutes and I got a private sunset boat trip to boot! So here is that sunset journey, starting in his small village lining the edges of a very shalow tip of a canl which twists and turns through the reeds and eventually opens up onto the large Inle Lake.