Inle Lake

Rachel and I spent a long weekend at Inle Lake, located in the hills of Shan State. Inle Lake is an expansive body of water, with an estimated 45 square milies of surface area, that sustains both wildlife and human communities. The Intha are the largest ethic group that lives in villages around and on the lake in stilt houses. Shan and other ethic groups also live in the area. 

 A view of the lake at sunset, our first evening

Due to the lake's distance from Yangon, we took a short flight to Heho, a city about one hour from the lake by car. From Heho, a driver took us to another small city along one of the canals that leads to the lake. From there, we met our lake guide, Chacha, who took us by boat up the canal and onto the lake. After a short distance, we arrived at the dock of our hotel.
 

While water buffaloes are old hat for Rachel at this point, I was excited to see a water buffalo for the first time! We saw this little boy on our drive from Heho.

Poinciana trees burst in full bloom along canals and on the lake shore. These trees were along the canal to the lake.  

We explored the communities on and around the lake, thanks to our guide, who met us at our hotel dock in the morning and took us accross the water to different locations. We enjoyed spectacular views of the lake and surrounding hills, and observing fishermen and people tending their floating gardens.

This fisherman models the method of paddling his boat with one foot, a practice unique to Inle Lake. Notice that he has both hands on his net and is balanced at the edge of his boat on one foot while he paddles with the other.

 More fishermen

Floating Gardens. Yes, the gardens literally float. The platforms are constructed from plant matter from the lake and topped with soil. The bamboo poles stake the floating platforms to the lake bottom. Inle Lake is known for the tomatoes produced in these gardens.

Men pulling up plants from the lake bottom for the floating gardens.

 

 A woman selling dark sugar at the 5 day market. (She gave us a free sample! Then Rachel bought some.) Each day the market rotates to one of five market locations in villages around the lake. Many vendors and customers arrive by boat to sell or buy.

 Weaving is a major industry in many lake villages. This woman is preparing thread to be strung on the looms. All weaving is done by hand.

 Weavers use cotton thread and lotus thread. This woman is extracting lotus fiber from the lotus stem, which is formed into thread. A lotus flower in bloom is on the right.

  A stilt house on the lake. The walls are woven from bamboo.

This house provides another example of woven bamboo walls. 

Boats pulling up to a dock near a Buddhist temple. Canals serve as the "roads" for the stilt house communities on the lake.

 Worshipers during a service at a Buddhist Monastery. This Monastery is also known for its cats. During their spare time, the monks train the cats to jump through hoops. In this photo, the cats are taking a break and appear to calmly observe the service.

Oh, yes. The Food. Can't do a post without mentioning the food, and this food has to be mentioned. While at Inle Lake, we enjoyed eating Shan food. Rachel had been talking up Shan food before the trip, so I was eager to try it and was not disappointed.

Shan noodle with pork, tomatoes, and plenty of fresh cilantro, green onions and chilies.

Rachel and I enjoyed fresh fruit, crispy, savory fried tofu strips and green tea at another restaurant for a mid-morning snack. We also ordered Shan rice (below) to-go so we could enjoy it later in the afternoon at our hotel. 

Shan rice, fried fish, roasted pumpkin vine, and green tomato salad. 

This food rocked my world.

The rice was flavored with chicken broth and topped with green onion. The fish, of course, was fresh. The roasted pumpkin vine had incredible flavor: young pumpkin vine and leaves with juicy red tomatoes, onion and garlic, all tied together with a mouth-watering charcoal flavor. The seasoning for the green tomato salad included fresh onion, chilies and peanuts.

I enjoyed the food so much that I was compelled to jump with joy after eating it. While at this point Rachel could have rightfully wondered whether I was going off my rocker, she just chuckled and kindly said, "I'm glad you enjoyed it so much."

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The trip to Inle Lake was definitely a highlight of our time together in Myanmar. We were both grateful for the quiet beauty of the lake and the opportunity to have a small view into the rhythms of life so different from our own.