Fishing and Floating Gardens on Inle Lake

Shan State is a land of rolling mountains, idyllic lakes and umpteen minority people – at its heart is Inle Lake and we had three days to spend here.

We did a boat trip on Inle Lake seeing fishermen, floating gardens, stilted villages, traditional weaving, blacksmiths, boat building and silversmiths. We ended the day hiring two small canoes which we could paddle ourselves around a stilted village – we didn’t manage to stand up! This was a fun end to a fantastic day – in total we were out on the lake for seven hours. Here are some of our best photograph’s of Inle Lake.

A STILTED VILLAGE ON INLE LAKE
A STILTED VILLAGE ON INLE LAKE
A STILTED VILLAGE ON INLE LAKE
STILTED HOUSES OVER THE LAKE

Fisherman propel their boats using a distinctive leg-rowing technique. Traditional conical nets are still sometimes used.

A fisherman on Inle Lake - they row with one foot!
A FISHERMAN ON INLE LAKE – THEY ROW WITH ONE FOOT!
Another fisherman on Inle Lake
ANOTHER FISHERMAN ON INLE LAKE

The floating gardens are made from weeds and reeds taken from the lakebed. This is then piled in an area and attached to the lakebed using bamboo poles. Tomatoes are then grown on these ‘floating gardens’.

COLLECTING THE REEDS TO MAKE THE FLOATING GARDENS
COLLECTING THE REEDS TO MAKE THE FLOATING GARDENS
THE FLOATING GARDENS OF INLE LAKE
THE FLOATING GARDENS OF INLE LAKE

On our second day we borrowed bikes from our hotel and cycled to the lake. We hired a traditional wooden boat to take us and our boats across the lake to another village, not in quite the same style as yesterday, as we were sat in the bottom of the boat on mats with our bikes crammed in behind us. After lunch we cycled on to a vineyard, The Red Mountain Winery, our first vineyard…and in Myanmar! Dave and i just had to do a wine tasting whilst the boys played hide and seek in the vines.

WINE TASTING
WINE TASTING
HIDING IN AMONGST THE VINES...
HIDING IN AMONGST THE VINES…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Markets in Shan State operate on a rotating five day cycle, with three or four markets taking place simultaneously on each day. Markets here are colourful places – where local people sell their produce or buy essential everyday goods. On the day we arrived into Shan State, Pindaya was hosting a market so we stopped to have a look around. I love wandering around a local market, seeing the people and produce.

A COLOURFUL MARKET SCENE
A COLOURFUL MARKET SCENE
MARKET SELLER
BETEL LEAVES – USED FOR WRAPPING TOBACCO WHICH IS THEN CHEWED
DRIED FISH...
DRIED FISH
MEAT AND FISH...WITH NO REFRIGERATION...JUST A LADY SWATTING FLIES
MEAT AND FISH…WITH NO REFRIGERATION…JUST A LADY SWATTING FLIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PULSES, NUTS AND BEANS
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VEGETABLES

As we travelled around rural Shan State we saw many oxen pulling wooden carts. It was cauliflower season and we saw many carts piled high with cauliflowers being pulled by two ox.

WOODEN CART FILLED WITH CAULIFLOWERS
WOODEN CART FILLED WITH CAULIFLOWERS

Shan State is home to many ethnic minority groups. Whilst on the lake we came across some long necked ladies from the Kayan Lahwi tribe, originally from Kayah, the state to the south of Shan State. They migrated north to Shan State and into Thailand to escape conflict with military rulers in the 1990’s. Women of the Kayan Lahwi tribe are well known for wearing neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck, appearing to lengthen it. Girls first start to wear rings when they are around 5 years old. Over the years the coil is replaced by a longer one and more turns are added. The weight of the brass pushes the collar down bone and compresses the rib cage, hence the long necked appearance.

LONG NECKED LADY FROM THE KAYAN TRIBE
LONG NECKED LADY FROM THE KAYAN TRIBE
LONG NECKED LADY
LONG NECKED LADY – KAYAN TRIBE

On our last morning, before heading to the airport for our flight to Bagan, we visited some Pa O tribe villages near Kalaw. The Pa O people traditionally wear only black or navy blue with colourful turbans.

PA O LADY
PA O LADY SOWING SOYA BEANS
PA O LADY
PA O LADY LAUGHING AT US TAKING HER PHOTOGRAPH
A PA O HOUSE - WE WERE INVITED IN TO LOOK AROUND!
A PA O HOUSE – WE WERE INVITED IN TO LOOK AROUND!

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed at the Royal Inlay Hotel, a good hotel in Nyaung Shwe, a small town to the south of Inle Lake. We had a large family room for the five of us. The breakfast here was among the best we’ve had…and a special mention has to go to the pancakes which were the absolute best we’ve had. Flynn who likes a big breakfast managed five pancakes on at least two mornings! The staff were delightful, helpful, chatty and lovely with the boys, even allowing them to make omelettes and pancakes themselves on our last morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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