Relaxing at Inle Lake

After the somewhat exhausting days in Mandalay, we took the night bus to Inle Lake in the hope of being able to sleep a little on the bus. Unfortunately, a so-called VIP bus was no longer available, so we had to take the local bus. The seats on the bus were really comfortable and there was plenty of space. So we got ready to sleep right after departure. Unfortunately, we didn't get much sleep. First, the bus driver's crew put in a music DVD and turned it up full blast. In addition, the bus driver's fast driving almost threw us out of our seats. But the worst part was the constant honking. The bus driver kept honking continuously even when we were standing still. As you can imagine, the journey was not really pleasant. Finally, we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere at 4 am. From there, we had to take a taxi to our hotel. Fortunately, we were able to check in right away and then sleep.

During the day, we didn't do much except treat ourselves to something delicious to eat at Inle Pancake Kingdom.

On the second day, we strolled around the market in the morning and bought some small things.

Bike tour and wine tasting

In the afternoon, we rented bicycles and took a trip to the vineyards. When we arrived at the winery, we could take a look around and then do a small wine tasting. For the equivalent of 3€, we got to try 4 wines, which weren't super amazing but still enjoyable ;-) After the wine tasting, we enjoyed the view of the region and the lake from the winery terrace.

We ended the evening with beer and burgers.

Boat tour

The next morning, we had to get up early as our boat driver picked us up in the morning. On the full-day tour, we were supposed to get an insight into the lives of the people around the lake. Already on the way to our first stop, we could see the famous one-legged fishermen on the lake. They have developed a technique of rowing with one leg so that they have both hands free to pull in their nets.

The tour first took us to a silversmith where we saw how jewelry is made from silver and how to recognize genuine silver jewelry. If you rub real silver on a black stone, silver streaks remain on the stone. If it's not silver, the stone turns yellow/gold.

Next, we went to a place where there was a market that day. Inle Lake has a market that rotates in 5 different locations. But this one seemed to be mainly for tourists. Additionally, there was another pagoda in the village, which we only briefly looked at.

Then we visited the Long-neck Ladies. As a beauty ritual, they wear these heavy metal rings around their necks.

Other stops included a lotus weaving workshop, where scarves and skirts are handmade. Lotus is about 10 times more expensive than silk. The yarn is hand-pulled and wound from the plant. One woman alone takes 20 days to produce enough yarn for one scarf.

Then we visited a boat manufacturing workshop where we learned how the boats are made. There was also a cigar factory. We were allowed to try different cigars and watch the women making them. One woman rolls 500 cigars a day.

The last part of the boat tour took us through the floating villages and floating gardens. The villages are located in the middle of the lake and are all on stilts. Everyone has their own boat in front of their door. Additionally, the people grow fruits directly in the lake. The plants are about 50 cm deep in the water and are arranged in long rows like small islands. We were also able to taste the tomatoes that are grown there.

We spent the next day completely on the balcony of our hotel, and in the evening, we continued on the night bus to Bagan.