We decided to stop near Lake Inle for six nights, so we could relax, catch up on school work, do laundry and unpack our bags for a few days. We have several week-long stops planned during our trip for this purpose. The rest of the time we are moving every 2-3 days, a relatively fast pace especially with kids in tow.

Hanging out in our room, doing homework

A.J., who is on a bike every day at home, has been really restless and needing physical activity. He’s been on a campaign to rent bikes since we arrived in this country and we found a deal around the corner from our guesthouse that we couldn’t resist: four bikes for less than $5 for an all-day rental! The bikes were old but well-maintained and were perfect for exploring the nearby countryside. I was pleasantly surprised to see helmets available, particularly welcomed as we were to be sharing the narrow roads with trucks, cars, tractors, horse carts, motorcycles, dogs and people (we’ve got a post of local transport coming up).

Seeing the countryside

We cycled to a nearby winery, Red Mountain, which started ten years ago and in the most recent year produced 150,000 bottles. We had a brief tour and then sampled four of their wines from the tasting menu. Considering the location, I was really impressed with both their whites and reds.

Red Mountain Winery

They have 75 planted hectares

Ah, the sampling! Lovely afternoon!

Many Varieties

Following a pleasant lunch, we continued down the road to a small village where we were able to get a boat back to the town we are staying. Altogether, it was a 6+ mile ride and was one of my most pleasant memories so far on the trip.