Acrobatics at Inle Lake, Burma

Heading south towards Inle Lake at 7am down narrow canals bustling with morning activity, the dark sky overhead seemed to offer a dismal prospect of clearing up anytime in the near future. After a while however, the horizon of the dawning sky began to uncover bracing blue and yellow mirrors of light sifting through the cloud cover. On our left, above the distant banks still shrouded in mist, a few rays began to pierce through the paleness overhead and emerge resplendent on the shores underneath. Different sheets of woolly and wispy clouds were revealed, sheaths upon sheaths of different densities, patterns and shapes, so that as the sun's heat dissipated the former gray shapes each latched on to the brightening light and added new layers to a scene that was nothing short of the majestic. 

Inle Lake shrouded in mist

The water and sky were both silver mercury, the sun’s rays not yet golden but blinding white, and in the far distance tall dark shapes emerged and took shape in the clearing gloom as we suddenly realized that the lake was set in a deep valley. We could now make out in the distance triangular huts on stilts shining black, and silhouettes of fishermen with one leg balanced precariously on the end of their vessels, the other wrapped around an oar propelling the boat forwards. This is a fishing technique unique to the Inle region, where the use of legs to steer boats allows fishermen complete freedom to use their hands for other purposes, an incredible feat of balance and dexterity.

Mountain tops emerging from the clouds

Inle Lake fishing technique

We made many stops on the lake that day- to a traditional rotating 5-day market that changes location every day of the week; to a pottery making and silversmith village; and to a small hut where we stole a glace of the famous ‘giraffe women’, a minority group famed for their custom of piling up large heavy metal rings around the women’s necks causing them to become abnormally and disconcertingly elongated. We also made an impromptu stop at a monastery where the star attraction was supposed to be a bunch of jumping cats- said cats were lying piled up in a circle sleeping, with excited tourists snapping as many shots as they could of the novelty. After some inquiries I learned that the cat trainer had died, so the cats no longer jump and have not been jumping for the past 5 months- something our guide had somehow failed to tell us... As we were leaving I spotted a fat monk splayed out on his chair, pasha throne-like, with a lecherous smug grin on his face and extending his arms towards his subjects. Very monk-like behavior; all that was missing was his 37 virgins and grape-feeding slaves.

Boat unloading the day's market goods

Typical stilted house 

For sunset, our captain found refuge from the strong lake currents in a patch of floating foliage. A young fisher boy passed by, coming closer and closer and then all of a sudden giving us a complete demonstration of the local fishing technique. This involves a conical open-ended device that is used to trap the fish, who then swim up to the narrow end of the contraption (this works because the entire lake is rarely more than 5m in depth) where the fisherman ropes in and captures the catch. The boy sneakily tricked us into thinking he had captured a fish right in front of our eyes whereas instead he had deftly slipped a past conquest from his boat back into the net, but, no matter- well played.

Sunset fishing

Demonstration...

And the 'catch'

(Getting to Inle Lake: Most travelers decide to stay in the town of Nyaung Shwe as their main base for exploring the Inle region. Located north of the main body of the lake and less than an hour by boat, it hosts many options for hostels and restaurants. On the lake itself, most of the hotels tend to be government owned - not recommended - and also quite expensive. There are flights to nearby Heho airport, however we took the beautiful eight hour bus ride from Nyaung-U which was worth every minute of the trip).