Saturday November 8, 2025
Inle Lake is a beautiful lake about 14 miles long and 7 miles wide at its most expansive and is inhabited by different ethics of the area. It is famous for the fishermen that row their boats with one foot. Inle Lake has been a highlight for me so far in Myanmar. Despite many restaurants not operating anymore, Myint Swe always found good replacements. He rearranged our days to better fit things together which were appreciated.
We had a bit of time before and after breakfast to explore the
Aureum Inle Resort & Spa. There was a lot of sameness with the same "brand" in Bagan, but it has its uniqueness as well. Food was good in both, and the rooms were nice though the layouts were quite different.
We were fortunate to visit the 5-Day Market which is in a different
village each day. However, we weren’t prepared for the fiasco that parking the
boat would be. Upon arrival it was like a jigsaw puzzle with rows of boats
crammed together. Our driver wedged in and moved boats, so we only had a few
boats to climb from one boat to the other to reach shore. He and Myint Swe
helped us to get across them safely. It was interesting to see the various
ethnic groups shopping. Our guide bought quite a few things as well.
We stopped at one weaving place, and they weren’t open so Myint Swe
found another that we could visit nearby in the Inn Paw Khone Village. A lady showed
us the process of breaking the lotus stems to pull out the silk inside. We also
saw them using the looms and the dying process. We visited their showroom and
while not as soft as silk the items were still pretty and a bit less costly,
but still pricy since it’s such a laborious process to harvest and weave.
Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda was believed to be built by King Alaungsithu of
Bagan and he reigned from A.D 1112-1167, one of the longest rulers of Bagan
Dynasty. The center shrine in the main hall houses five small golden Buddha
images. The Buddha images have been covered with so much gold leaf that it is
impossible to see their original structure. Only men are permitted to place
gold leaf on the images. It was very busy with lots of security (military) and
Myint Swe told us that dignitaries were just finishing their visit. I have to
say it was the first time I had ever removed my shoes and socks at gun point.
OK, he wasn’t forcing me to remove my shoes, but where the stool was placed in
the crowd and I bent over, the barrel of his weapon was right in my face. Yikes!
We were told not to take photos of anyone in uniform or the crowd. (as is the
case in many places in the world)
I was looking forward to visiting Inle Heritage House Restaurant
for lunch which is a catering school and a cat sanctuary for nearly extinct
Burmese cats. We used to have a Tonkinese which is a cross between a Burmese
and a Siamese, so it softened the features of each breed. However, the
restaurant was not operating and apparently the last of the cats died. We
stopped instead at a restaurant with a great view of the Pagoda that we had just
visited. The food was really good with a whole boneless fish, a pork dish, cashew chicken, green tomato salad & more. Despite us telling him we aren't going to eat salads (nothing uncooked is advised anywhere on this trip), he continues to order them. They did have some shops at the restaurant and I found a magnet.
After lunch we made a stop to see the Long Neck women. In setting up this trip I had asked Jason (at Highlights Travel) if we could visit them and he said they don’t live in the area. Myint Swe said while they don’t live in the area as a tribe a few live here since they can make a living with weaving and wood carving and he took us to see them. I have wanted to see them after seeing a special on them many years ago.
Long Neck people are the Kayan (Padaung) women, a subgroup of the Karen people from Myanmar, The Kayan people migrated from Tibet through Myanmar, eventually settling near the Thailand border, fleeing conflict in their homeland. Most now live as refugees in Thailand.
They are known for wearing heavy brass coils to elongate their necks as a cultural tradition signifying beauty, protection (from tigers), and status in the tribe, though it's an illusion that compresses the torso, creating the appearance of a longer neck.
Girls begin wearing brass rings around age five; coils are added over time, pushing down the collarbone and ribs, not stretching the neck itself. Years of wearing this adornment does weaken the neck muscles and eventually makes it a necessary 24 hour a day commitment for life.
They are known as weavers and wood carvers and love to show their
traditions and are proud of their rings. Myint Swe let us hold the rings and they were quite heavy. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything we wanted to buy in their shop.
Next, we stopped to see the floating gardens which cover roughly 25% of the surface of the lake, covered by carefully tended floating gardens. Intha farmers grow flowers and vegetables such as tomatoes and squash on long strips of floating land. The land is formed through the collection of tangled water hyacinth, weeds and reeds that accumulate on the rim of the lake which takes years to form a thick layer of floating land. Inthas usually go and look for a good piece of light, deep trough around the rim of the lake. Once found, they cut them into long piece and towed them by boat back to their village. Here, they were tied down to the bottom of the lake by long bamboo poles. These gardens are called Kyun myaw and Intha women cultivate vegetables from these gardens from a boat, usually working on both sides.
Nga Hpe Kyaung is a historic, stilted teak monastery also known as the "Jumping Cat Monastery" for monks who once trained cats to leap through hoops, though now it's more known for its stunning Buddha image collection and traditional architecture. There are no cats there now. Built in the 1850s, it's one of the oldest on the lake, a working monastery filled with diverse Buddha statues.
At last, we came across the famous leg-rowing fishermen. They were
using nets and not the basket traps you see in photos, but still awesome to
see! Generally, the baskets are used just for tourists and we just happened upon this group of boats.
On our way back to the resort our boat driver stopped to help another boat caught in the islands he
got out and was pushing the floating islands apart. They are free floating so it's common to get caught up in them.
We took 2 of the chairs from the bedroom and sat out on the deck for sunset. We noticed a couple of boats going by and it was the
2 people cleaning out the old water plants at the resort going home for the evening.
At dinner tonight the waiter said we were supposed to get a free bottle of wine and spring rolls last night, so he brought them tonight. They have the best chocolate ice cream! At a small shop I bought a pair of earrings that were kind of funky and colorful, and I really like them.
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