Inle Lake
Inle Lake is 22km long and about 11km wide. The lake is at 1328 metres above sea level. Inle is one of the most popular tourist destination in the Shan State.
The lake is full of floating vegetations and houses. The lake dwellers are one-legged rowers. They are well-known for it. They are called as "Inthar" meaning people of the lake. There are about 18 villages around the lake. They are Buddhist and about a hundred Buddhist monasteries can be found. A lot small pagodas can be found too
The floating water hyacinth are the major products of this region. Many hand made products such as bags, baskets are made from water hyacinth. Other vegetations are tomatoes, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, garlic, onion, betel, melon, papaya and banana. Some villagers also grow rice.
The Inthars also make their living by fishing. The silk dresses and clothes of Inle are popular among local and foreign visitors. Inle also produces silverware.
Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda - The main pagoda in the Inle lake is called as "Phaung Daw Oo" Pagoda. There are five small Buddha images all covered with gold and difficult to make out the figures. There is an annual festival around October/November.
Kakku Pagoda - The Kakku relic pagoda of the southern Shan state, which only recently has become one of the most visited places in the Shan State. It is situated near Mway Taw Village, Kakku village tract, Taunggyi township, under the administration of special region 6, About 25 KM away from Taunggyi, the Capital of Shan State.
Pizza in Kathmandu
So we were on the mountain, at 17,000 feet and we were eating rice and vegetables every day. Don’t get me wrong, I like rice and vegetables, but there is just something about the times when you don’t have a choice that you REALLY want something else. So, we were craving pizza. A good one with a thin crust and just enough cheese but not so much that the pizza is greasy. As we were sitting around reminiscing about the “perfect” pizza and complaining because probably the next time we would have one was when we were back to the States, a friend interrupted us and told us that there were a few good pizza places in Kathmandu. We were intrigued.
Once we got back to Kathmandu, we decided to try all the suggestions and more. What we found is that there is not only good pizza in Kathmandu but there is also good Italian, Thai, French, Chinese, Nepali, Indian, Steak, and even a not too bad place to get Nachos. So what have we been doing for the past few days? You guessed it, Eating,
We eat out a lot. In Nepal, it is actually cheaper to eat out than to try to make your own food. Besides, none of the hotels have kitchens. You can get a good meal for anywhere from two to five dollars. Of course, if you want to splurge, you can spend ten dollars or more.
Here are our top three favorite pizza places.
1. Roadhouse Café
2. Fire and Ice
3. La Dolce Vita
For breakfast we found a “German” bakery, which makes cinnamon rolls and even croissants, which are not as flakey as a real French one, but are a darn good substitute, since we are not in France. They even have filter coffee. We even found a place that has free refills (this is very hard to come by!) We are in heaven. I mean, in Italy, you buy a cappuccino and it is 3 euros and it is the size of a thimble. I could drink about 10 of them.
So, although I would not have guessed it, in Nepal you can get pretty good food, and darn good pizza!
Once we got back to Kathmandu, we decided to try all the suggestions and more. What we found is that there is not only good pizza in Kathmandu but there is also good Italian, Thai, French, Chinese, Nepali, Indian, Steak, and even a not too bad place to get Nachos. So what have we been doing for the past few days? You guessed it, Eating,
We eat out a lot. In Nepal, it is actually cheaper to eat out than to try to make your own food. Besides, none of the hotels have kitchens. You can get a good meal for anywhere from two to five dollars. Of course, if you want to splurge, you can spend ten dollars or more.
Here are our top three favorite pizza places.
1. Roadhouse Café
2. Fire and Ice
3. La Dolce Vita
For breakfast we found a “German” bakery, which makes cinnamon rolls and even croissants, which are not as flakey as a real French one, but are a darn good substitute, since we are not in France. They even have filter coffee. We even found a place that has free refills (this is very hard to come by!) We are in heaven. I mean, in Italy, you buy a cappuccino and it is 3 euros and it is the size of a thimble. I could drink about 10 of them.
So, although I would not have guessed it, in Nepal you can get pretty good food, and darn good pizza!
Quick - Fast Weight Loss Diet (1300 Calorie)
When selecting a low fat diet plan, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. Your assignment is to set realistic and attainable weight loss and diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.
Nutritional and Low Fat Diet Guidelines
- Commit to consuming 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday.
- To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.
- Keep it simple. Don't get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.
- Eat your foods slower.
- Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.
- Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.
- Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.
- Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.
Here is a sample low fat diet plan (1300 calories).
Breakfast | ||||||
Amount | Item | Protein | Carbs | Fats | Calories | |
12 ounces | coffee-w/caffeine | 0.40 | 1.40 | 0.00 | 8.00 | |
1 each | Bagel-plain, Lenders Bake Shop | 8.00 | 42.00 | 2.00 | 210.00 | |
2 tbsp | Peanut butter- creamy | 8.60 | 5.70 | 16.40 | 190.00 | |
1 tbsp | Cream, fluid, half and half | 0.44 | 0.65 | 1.73 | 19.55 | |
Total: | 17.44 | 49.74 | 20.12 | 427.55 | ||
AM Snack | ||||||
1 each | apple-medium with peel | 0.30 | 21.10 | 0.0 | 81.00 | |
Total: | 0.30 | 21.10 | 0.0 | 81.00 | ||
Lunch | ||||||
3 ounces | chicken breast/ white meat | 26.40 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 140.25 | |
12 ounces | Coca cola- diet w/ caffeine | 0.00 | 0.40 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
.25 cup | Croutons-plain | 9.00 | 5.50 | 0.50 | 30.50 | |
1 large | Salad-lrg. Garden w/tomato and onion | 2.60 | 19.00 | 0.80 | 98.00 | |
4 tbps | Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft | 0.00 | 12.00 | 4.00 | 80.00 | |
Total: | 38.00 | 36.90 | 8.30 | 348.75 | ||
PM Snack | ||||||
1 each | apple-medium with peel | 0.30 | 21.10 | 0.0 | 81.00 | |
Total: | 0.30 | 21.10 | 0.0 | 81.00 | ||
Dinner | ||||||
3 ounces | chicken breast/ white meat | 26.40 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 140.25 | |
1 cup | pasta, corn cooked | 3.68 | 39.07 | 1.07 | 176.40 | |
1 small | salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion | 1.30 | 9.50 | 0.40 | 49.00 | |
2 tbps | thousand island- reduced cal. Kraft | 0.00 | 6.00 | 2.00 | 40.00 | |
Total: | 31.38 | 54.57 | 6.42 | 405.65 | ||
Grand Total: | 87.43 | 183.42 | 34.85 | 1343.95 |
Grocery List
Food | Quantity |
Apple - medium with peel | 14 each |
Bagel - plain | 7 each |
Chicken Breast / White Meat | 42 ounces |
Coca Cola - diet | 84 ounces |
Cream, fluid, half and half | 7 tablespoons |
Croutons - plain | 2 cups |
Pasta, corn, cooked | 7 cups |
Peanut butter - creamy | 14 table spoons |
Salad - large garden | 7 large |
Salad - small garden | 7 small |
Thousand island - reduced cal. | 42 table spoons |
The Girl who Bought Lack Tables
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy has been out for some time, and I was a little late to jump on the bandwagon and start reading. I had been to the bookstore and picked up the book several times and just couldn’t seem to get past the first five pages. On a friend’s insistence that it takes 50 pages to get in to more or less I finally took the plunge. I was basically out of commission once I reached that 50-page-can’t-tear-myself-from-reading-this-mark and finished it in one sitting.
I immediately began to devour book 2, The Girl Who Played with Fire. I was on a roll until I got to the part where the main character, Lisbeth Salander, buys a swanky new apartment in Stockholm and furnishes it entirely with Ikea furniture (fitting as they are in Sweden). The page details each and every item that she purchases leading me to immediately pull out my laptop and see if we have similar tastes (we don’t). Yet, it was clear Salander knew sometimes there is nothing better and more cost efficient than items from Ikea.
After clicking through the Ikea website and googling for discontinued items all the while feeling a little nerdy that I actually did so, I discovered that Apartment Therapy had already done the work for me.
Glad I am not the only one who thought the reading was incomplete without being able to accurately envision Lisbeth Salander’s furniture and espresso maker (the Jura Impressa X7).