Day 4: Highlights of Inle Lake

After a rather relaxing first day at Inle Lake, we had a full agenda on the second day. We booked a full-day boat tour to experience Inle Lake on the water. We rode on a narrow longtail boat from Nyaung Shwe canal towards the open Inle Lake.

We encountered one-legged rowers posing in their traditional light brown robes and fish baskets for some tourist boats (the 'real' rowers were just ordinary fishermen in plain T-shirts and didn't seem too happy with tourists scaring away the fish with their many boats).

After a thrilling 1.5-hour ride across the lake, we made our first stop. We docked by the water and visited the ruins of Nyaung Ohak. Overgrown with trees, the stone ruins reminded us a lot of the temples of Ta Prohm in Cambodia, made famous by the Tomb Raider film. The biggest advantage here: far fewer tourists.

Back on the boat, full speed ahead to highlight number 2, the Shwe Inn Thein Pagodas in Inthein. To reach the pagodas, you have to walk along a covered pathway lined with numerous vendors and their small stalls. A great opportunity to buy souvenirs. Upon reaching the pagodas, you will be rewarded with a view of 1054 stupas. Some are old and deteriorating, made of stone, while others are newer and golden, each stupa telling its own personal story.

After having lunch at a cozy restaurant by the lakeside, we got back on the boat.

We spent the afternoon exploring life on the lake. One of the most fascinating sights on the water are the floating gardens. Residents plant tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and eggplants on narrow strips of fertile soil all year round, providing fresh vegetables to the entire region around Inle Lake. To prevent the fertile soil from eroding in heavy rains, thin bamboo poles are used to secure the gardens to the lakebed.

The fields are cultivated by the Intha tribe. When the Inthas arrived at Inle Lake hundreds of years ago, they were only tolerated by the existing tribes on the water. Over the years, entire villages were built on the lake, which still serve as their home today. We traveled through some of these villages on our boat and got a glimpse into the unique way of life of the Inthas.

Welcome to a village on Inle Lake

To round off the eventful day, we visited Nga Phe Kyaung: The Jumping Cat Monastery. As the name suggests, this monastery is not only inhabited by monks. A handful of cats quietly roam through the old rafters. And why jumping cats? Apparently, the monks found life in the monastery too dull. They started training their feline friends to jump through hoops on command. Boredom breeds creativity.