Land o' Lake

Inle Lake, surrounded by the Shan hills, has long been a premier tourist destination in Myanmar and it is easy to see why.  For about 50 dollars a day, you can rent a boat, driver and guide and potter around the 45 sq mile shallow lake, passing fishermen and flocks of seagulls and clumps of water hyancinth along the way.

Seagulls on Inle lake

Fisherwoman heading to market

Fishermen row with their legs so they can see over the reeds and water hyancinths

Locals feeding the seagulls

Sun setting over Inle Lake

It was lovely to spend a day motoring around the stilt houses, stopping in at various markets, floating gardens, monasteries, temples and weaving workshops along the shore. Most memorable were the hundreds of ruined pagodas and stupas at Inthein, the monastery at Nga Phe Kyaung where monks train dozens of cats to jump through hoops (though they weren't performing when I was there), and a weaving workshop in Inpawkhone where they turn lotus root into soft thread, often mixing it with Mandalay silk or cotton from the hills around the lake.

Stilt housing on Inle Lake

Market on shore

Cotton, silk and lotus weaving workshop in Inpawkhone

Flowers growing on a floating garden

Fisherman at floating garden

Inthein, with hundreds of pagodas in various states of decay

Nature reclaiming Inthein

Pagoda with an unexpected extra on the stupa

Nga Phe Kyaung where monks used to train cats to jump through hoops

No hoop jumping when I was there, but plenty of cats regardless

I spent my final half day in town bicycling around the Nyaungshwe village area on the northern side of the lake. Most of the people who don't work in tourism or fishing are trying to eke a living off the land. And most of the people living here are Shan, an entirely distinct ethnic group with their own language and traditions.

Flooded fields near Nyaungshwe

Shan kids getting out of school

Shan villager near pagoda on outskirts of Nyaungshwe

Even though it rained on and off throughout my short 36 hour visit, and there were hundreds of other tourists, Inle Lake was extremely tranquil and a welcome break from the rigors of travelling around Myanmar.

Fisherman on Inle Lake as the sun went down