Marilyn's Odyssey: Inle Lake

Inle Lake was definitely a highlight of our visit to Myanmar. Situated in Shan state 150 kilometers south of Mandalay it is an oasis of islands and islets that has a score of floating villages built over the water on stilts and supports a population of about 70,000. The fishermen on the lake are famous for their ability to stand on one leg while rowing with the other in order to have their hands free for fishing. It was certainly entertaining to watch. Many of the inhabitants are farmers and large parts of the lake have been reclaimed and are now orderly rows of produce reached by boat. The villages all seem to have a plan with orderly waterways instead of streets and in places there are small bridges crossing over so one can get to neighbors. Workshops occupy their places in many of the villages with weavers,silversmiths, cigar makers, paper makers and more carrying on traditional crafts to support their families. A large market is held every few days which we were lucky to participate in. What bedlam. The lake has become quite the tourist destination in the last few years and we were told that they are presently building ten new large resorts. We are so thankful that we visited now because that large an influx of people will definitely take away from the magic of this very special place.

Market day on the way to Inle Lake. This is a pile of tapioca. Was a surprise to most of us.

All types of dried fish if one wants to be adventurous.

Shan State area of Myanmar is where the bulk of the tea is grown.

Local markets are held every five days and keep moving around. Loud and busy.

So many of the clothes actually are handmade and on treadle machines at that.

These are local taxis and seat two persons sitting back to back.

Shwedagon Yan Pyay Monastery

The glass mosaics inside the wooden monastery were quite stunning and certainty gave this wooden monastery more draw than others we had visited.

Many young monks were studying intently while we were on our visit

The cave pagoda next to the monastery had hundreds of niches where individuals could apply and place their own Buddha for a limited period of time. There is apparently quite a waiting list.

A wine tasting at Red Mountain Winery only showed us that Myanmar has a very long way to go before they will be known for their wine production.

Sunset at Inle Lake

The sun setting with he gardens in the foreground was quite magical

Fishermen on the lake have an amazing sense of balance as they row the boat with one leg while trying to catch fish with their nets.

A trip to he lake is not complete without watching the cone fishermen

This gentleman was not only a performer but he also caught a fish

Harvesting the weed from the lake will get these men 15 dollars a boat load which takes about four hours.

This picture is for you Kayla

The long narrow boats were our mode of transportation for our time at Inle Lake

Agility and balance as well as creative modes of carrying items are a necessity here

This man was filling the locals oil jugs for cooking

Traditional Shan head dress

This little girl asked Eric to take her picture and was delighted to see the results

The local barber was set up right in he middle of the market

A total traffic jam of boats as all the locals come to market

Shopping done possibly waiting for family members

The Buddhas in this temple have been so heavily covered with gold leaf that they now look like round balls. It is unfortunate as from the pictures of the originals which are hundreds of years old they were beautiful.

Rickety bridge cross the water roads all over the lake so residents can get about the lake villages.

This woman is extracting the fibers from the lotus stems which they then weave into beautiful clothing.

Winding the lotus thread onto large spools for the looms.

A project in progress.

This elderly lady is winding the silk thread she has dyed.

The houses are built on stilts and the home owners park their boats underneath.

The waterway is their yard and street

Young children sit out alone and not a life jacket to be seen

Fascinating world. Most all homes had satellite dishes.

The villages were set up in a pattern

These young women worked in the cigar factory and each make approximately 1000 a day for the royal sum of four dollars a day.

The gardens in the lake have been built up over time and no fertilizer is used.

Farmers hard at work

Sixty percent of Myanmars tomatoes are grown in Inle Lake

Bamboo reeds are ready for a new crop of tomatoes

Notice the power lines. Septic tanks were also put in in the nineties and are emptied regularly.

A farmer taking his oxen down to the lake to cool off

Dinner with friends after a wonderful day exploring life on the lake

Our boats await us to take us out on our next adventure

Advertising signs seem to pop up all over buildings in Myanmar even in remote areas perhaps due to the lack of television.

We went up a long narrow arm of the lake with small Rapids where the locals had built small risers with sticks and branches.

The little village of Indein was so picturesque. It was situated on the bank of the lake.

A long narrow arm of lake runs right through the village.

We saw dozens of people doing their laundry in the river and the lake over the last two weeks but this was the only time that we saw a male actually carry out this chore.

The fences were so orderly and all made of sharpened bamboo so that the birds would not sit on them.

This industrious fellow did beautiful art work with what little he had to work with. His English was excellent and he was a delight to speak with.

The village is famous for its large collection of pagodas which date back to the 16th century. It was like a miniature Angkor wat without all the people

Many of the pagodas have vegetation growing from them

Shan head dresses come in handy for balancing your wares on your head

Eric enjoying exploring and snapping pictures

Stretching up the hill are thousands of stupas of all ages in all states of repair. These are erected by families.

At the top of the temple the stupas look like a crowded chess board

These adorable children spontaneously entertained us with a song

Stalls set up along the pathway. Thankfully he people of Myanmar are not at all pushy so one is not harassed

Mom and child sharing some time together

Collecting sand and dirt from the bottom for the lake gardens

It was a bit of a surprise to have this coming towards us in the village

Coming home from market

Traditional silversmith shop still making jewelry today

Demonstrating the art of paper making

Finished product with embedded flower petals

This lady is making paper umbrellas for sun shade,a popular item In Myanmar

We met with some women from the Padaung tribe who are famous for wearing the rings on their necks. The girl on the left is only 15 so does not have as many rings yet. Except for the bottom five rings which the woman on the right has the rest is one continuous coil. It is changed as the girl grows until she is an adult and then she gets the separate one when she gets married. It is loose and can move for sleep. Once girls have these coils they have them for life. There was one woman in the tribe who decided to be a nun and as nuns can have no adornments she had the coil removed and it was well over a month before her neck could support her head. They start the coil at age 9 or 10.

This lady kindly shared her experience about the rings. As was her tribal tradition she also had them wrapped below her kness as they believed this made your legs stronger.

One of the monuments inside the wooden monastery on the lake. The gold and mosaic work was beautiful.