Myanmar/Burma: Life on Inle Lake

Inle Lake is in the mountainous Shan State, home to many indigenous tribes and traditional people. We based ourselves at the northern end of the lake in the tiny, unpaved town of Nyuang Shwe, which had a small semblance of an international traveler/backpacker scene.

We noticed tourists of all ages (mostly older Europeans), and though small in comparisons to other backpacker destinations in SE Asian countries, we did find a few more internet cafes and tour/travel guides along the dusty main road then we had elsewhere in this country.


The town was a good place to both explore and “chill out” for a few days, and we filled the time doing a bit of each – day tripping around the lake area, investigating pagodas, getting massages, reading, watching “ordinary life,” and eating typical regional foods.

We were fortunate to arrive in town during market day, which brought together some of the neighboring hill tribe people, and the farmers and fishermen from the surrounding area, who were all gathered into a tarp-covered, open-air marketplace selling, buying, and bartering their fish, produce, flowers, and wares - most of which looked fresh and fantastic and exotic (and smelled so too).

There was crowded and excited vending all about, as well as small “restaurant-type” stalls with tiny plastic chairs and makeshift tables, where people were selling meals and many unidentifiable items to the hungry shoppers and patrons. Of the things we could identify, we saw giant cloves of garlic, massive ears of corn, purple eggplant, a variety of greens, colorful flowers, and fruits of all shapes and sizes.

However, the real reason we were visiting the region was to experience and explore the huge and shallow Inle Lake, and one morning we hired a long-tailed boatman named Mo-Mo to assist us in doing so. Our all-day outing began just after sunrise, the cool lake air was brisk and a refreshing relief from the daytime heat.

Inle Lake is home to many people who live precariously in over-the-lake stilt homes built of bamboo and wood, many of which seem like they could tumble down and wash away during the rainy season.

These are crowded into water villages, where there are also floating vegetable gardens, floating stores, floating markets, and floating restaurants. In fact, virtually everything on the lake is floating!

 
The unusual floating gardens were literally patches of fertile islands with lake water just a few feet below, and small waterways and canals are used by the men and women who tend the “fields” - which are barely possible to walk on. It was the season of tomatoes, cucumbers, and flowers, and rows of these could be seen in many areas.

Many of the floating villages had some specific craft that they specialize in, such as lotus and silk weaving, canoe making, cigar rolling, or silver and goldsmith-ing.

We visited both a silversmith village and a weaving village, where we were educated on the various processes, and of course were encouraged to make small purchases (which we did). Each stop told a fascinating story of the lake people and what their everyday life entails - an environment that certainly requires hardiness beyond the ordinary.

Mo-Mo took us to a large floating pagoda, and since it was a full moon day there were many people praying and worshipping, making it a very special experience.

We also visited a floating monastery that not only had glorious golden Buddha images within, but also featured a bevy of monk-trained cats who would leap through a small hoop for the small groups of onlookers (Jumping Cat Monastery).

Inle Lake is famous for the uniquely coordinated way in which local fisherman use their leg to paddle a slender canoe. By wrapping one foot around an oar they can simultaneously cast their net and move about in hopes of catching lake fish. As far as we know, this is the only place on Earth where this method is used, and we saw many examples of men and boys utilizing the technique.

One highlight of the day came when we docked at the lakeside village of Indein – the only place we visited on Inle that wasn’t afloat. Here on the banks of the inlet we witnessed bulbous water buffalo wading in brownish water, experienced more local life in the surrounding village, and eventually hiked up to an area filled with old, crumbling, stupas, many of which were overgrown in jungle-lush foliage, but still contained their ancient Buddha statues and elaborately carved outer walls – very “Indiana-Jones-ish.






Our all-day outing was long and full, lasting until sunset, and we watched thousands of birds and waterfowl come out to do their thing on the lake as we headed back to the traditional wood dock in the town of Nyuang Shwe.

Even though living conditions of the lake people seemed dire and difficult, these seemed to be some of the happiest people we had come across.

One of the day’s most unforgettable and favorite memories were the many waving hands and “hallo’s” from nearly every mother and small child we saw - perched in their doorways, on wooden platforms, and from the unscreened square windows of their watery homes as we boated past and through their floating villages.