Inle Lake

Another UNESCO site, Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar, home to the Intha people who live in ‘floating’ houses on stilts. As well as being a beautifully scenic area with various endemic species, part of the lake’s appeal comes from the Intha themselves and their unique boating style: local fisherman use their legs to row while standing up for better visibility through the reeds.

Intha Fisherman

There is also a long standing heritage of craftsmanship among locals, passed on through generations. The only way to fully immerse yourself in this different world is to take a boat trip out onto the lake to see things from a local’s perspective.

Silver Workshop

Silver smithing is a major local trade, as well as silk and lotus weaving. As we learned at one of the day’s workshops, it takes 4,000 lotus reeds to make one small scarf, making it around 8 times more expensive than silk.

At our next stop we learned about the Kayan women, famous for their long necks, some of whom live on the lake. In fact it turns out Myanmar is home to 135 officially recognised ethnic groups, making it one of the most diverse countries we’ve ever visited.

After a brief discussion with the Kayan women, we were taught how the Burmese people protect themselves from the sun. Previously described to us as ‘Myanmar Nivea’, Thanaka is a mixture of sandalwood and water, which a significant portion of the Burmese population can be seen wearing on a daily basis. Given that there hasn’t been a single drop of rain during our visit to Myanmar, it is no surprise that the locals should have a good natural alternative to sun cream. Thanaka is also used as a beauty product, worn to give each individual their own unique appearance.

Cheroot Workshop

There were a surprising number of floating restaurants on the lake to choose from for lunch. Our boatman took us to one which had an interesting cigar making workshop, where they offered us various flavours of ‘cheroot’ (banana, mint, cinnamon and so on) to sample for dessert.

Neither of us smoke but given the situation, and the fact that a cheroot is a very mild form of cigarette, it seemed only polite to try the banana which was surprisingly pleasant. The boxes were all delicately designed as well – they were so pretty we briefly considered whether smoking might not be such a bad habit after all!

Floating Gardens

Following lunch we visited Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery, where we learned more about how the majority of Intha people manage to be self sufficient. As well as the aforementioned fishing and selling their crafts, part of the way they sustain themselves is by growing vegetables in floating gardens. These rows of floating tomato plants could be seen all around the Monastery.

Mine Thauk Bridge

Our final stop for the day was Mine Thauk Village, famous for its 400m teak bridge which is used as a pier connecting it to the mainland. Despite appearing a little unstable, there were dozens of people walking its length without a hitch. So we decided to join them.

On the way back to Nyaung Shwe (just north of the lake, where we were staying), we witnessed some more of the local fishermen’s incredible balancing acts. We learned from our boatman that these fishermen come out purely to put on a show, but with such a beautiful sunset as a backdrop we weren’t too disappointed.

Cycling Around Nyaung Shwe

One final, perhaps surprising, form of local produce from Inle Lake is wine. We learned about this on our last day, after we had rented bikes to go and visit another local monastery in the morning.

Wine Tasting

With a few hours to spare before we had to leave, we spotted that the Red Mountain Vineyard was halfway up the hillside, giving a good vantage point over the lake. With solely the view in mind, we cycled up the hill and accidentally ended up doing their full wine tasting experience (which cost £2.50 and was very enjoyable).

After this we were well prepared for our second overnight bus (having taken our first from Bagan to Inle Lake 3 nights earlier). If you’re ever in Myanmar and don’t fancy being overcharged for a domestic flight, JJ Express buses are the best alternative. Inle Lake by bus was quite a detour on our route to Mandalay, but well worth visiting to experience yet another unique area of this diverse country.