Inle Lake

On November 30th, we arrived at Inle Lake in the Shan State by foot. It is the second largest lake in Myanmar and is famous for its floating gardens, stilt villages, and one-legged rowers. Many people live almost exclusively on the lake, as there is no need to leave. You can get everything you need to live there. That's why many children learn to swim before they learn to walk. There are 70,000 people living in 17 villages around and on the lake, most of them belonging to the Intha ethnic group. The village of Nyang Shwe, where all the affordable guesthouses are located, is in the north of the lake.

On our arrival day, during our one-hour boat ride, we see the famous sights of the lake. But from a distance, as the ride is only for transportation purposes. 

So the next morning we arrange to meet Kerry (the woman from Hong Kong we met during the trekking tour) and charter a narrow wooden boat to explore the lake in more detail. Including gratuities, we pay €2,70 per person in the end. And for that, we were driven over the lake for about 9 hours. 

However, the ride at the beginning resembles a sightseeing tour, as we let our driver determine the destinations. We visit a silversmith where jewelry is made. Including a shop. Then we go to a weaving workshop (silk, cotton, and lotus) including a shop. It is really fascinating and woven lotus feels very interesting, but I could do without the final visit to the shops. 

Kerry thinks differently and eagerly grabs for things. When we later visit a stilt house where two longneck ladies are exhibited at their looms like animals in a zoo, we decide not to let him determine the destinations anymore. 

From now on, we navigate through the waterways of the floating villages and, which is particularly interesting to us, the floating gardens. Vegetables are grown on a floating mass of swamp, soil, and water hyacinth, and narrow channels lead between the fields. Currently, it's tomato season. Since the hyacinths grow like weeds and actually need to be removed regularly, we get stuck in the gardens when a canal ends in a pile of greenery. Our driver has a hard time, but we manage to get out backwards. 

At noon, we stop at a restaurant, also on stilts, and of course, we order fish. Kerry ordered a whole fish and Max, who is sitting across from her, is somewhat disturbed by the way she eats it :-D It doesn't look appetizing at all, but Asians are quite messy in many ways (spitting, burping, no handwashing). After she finishes sucking the fish clean, only a few bones are left. Fins, eyes, head. She just snacked on everything :-D Wow! 

On the lake, we frequently pass by fishermen who have made the lake famous because they row with only one leg. They stand on one leg at the furthest end of their traditional boats and clamp the oar with the other leg. It's an incredible balancing act, but they learn it from an early age. They row with one leg to have their hands free for fishing. However, with the fishermen at Inle Lake, you have to distinguish between photo motifs and real fishermen. Some "fishermen" pose for the cameras in their brown linen clothes and old-fashioned, cone-shaped traps/nets. However, they don't actually fish, but hold the pose and hope for a tip. 

But there are also plenty of real one-legged fishermen on the lake. They sometimes still wear the traditional clothing of the fishermen, but fish with normal nets and/or engage in a kind of drive-hunt by hitting the water with sticks to drive the fish into the nets previously laid out. During our tour, we have plenty of opportunities to observe the work of the fishermen. 

In the end, we visit the wooden Nga-Phe-Kyaung Monastery, which also stands on stilts and can only be reached by boat. In the past, the monastery was known for the monks training the cats, which is why it is also called the Jumping Cat Monastery. Allegedly out of boredom, they trained them to jump through hoops. I only saw the cats lying in the sun though. 

Shortly before sunset, we are back in the village. In the evening, we go out to eat something delicious. We have Wan Tan and unbeatably cheap yet unbelievably delicious cocktails. Yummy :-)