Our next 2 days were spent literally ON Inle Lake which at 3200ft of altitude on the Shan plataeau east of the central plain. It is 13.5 miles long and 7 miles wide and the weather was delightful at that altiude with cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Had to wear a light jacket in the morning.
Above is a view from my hotel bungalow porch which was built on stilts over the lake. The Shan are one of the several ethnic groups that live on the periphery of the Burmese central plain. These groups have been in conflict with the majority Burmar central government for centuries. The Shan are very clean and there was no trash that I saw anywhere in the area.
The people exist on fishing, agriculture and handicraft manufacturing. And now tourism is expanding. The shoreline is dotted with stilt-house villages and mountains are nearby.
My hotel on the lake:
One of the renowned leg rowers of Inle Lake:
Some examples of houses on the Lake:
They create floating gardens for cultivation of tomatoes, peanuts, and beans. They do this by taking blocks of mud in 4-5ft depths place them together to form a floating length of fertile soil on which they plant the crops. They secure the garden to a spot by using long bamboo sticks to stick thru the garden into the lake bottom so they don't float away.
Sunset the first nite from my hotel bungalow balcony:
The second day at the lake we motored across to the western shore and visited the village of Indaing.
To get there our boat had to wind it's way thru narrow channels between the floating gardens.
The village had a field of old stupas and temples:
An assortment of people and characters:
And many handicraft artists:
The next morning I flew back to Yangon for half a day looking at the Royal Barge which doubles as a restaurant and showplace; the main market (where my guide lost me in the maze of stuff); and a street market in Indian town.
That evening I had dinner at a wonderful French restaurant in Yangon and flew back to Bangkok the next morning.
2 comments:
The last half dozen posts here have had such beautiful photos! This is an area I'd love to explore, and you're fortunate to have had this time among the people there.
I look forward to more!
Thanks
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