Inle Lake is possibly one of my favorite destinations not only in Myanmar, but in all of Asia!!!! It is becoming touristy during the recent years, but I believe it is good for the peoples economy here!!!! It seems that tourism has not slowed down their traditional way of life as they have been doing the same ways of fishing and water farming for generations.
A great hotel that is not to be missed while staying at Inle Lake is Myanmar Treasure Resort Inle Lake. This hotel has beautiful water villas that sit directly on the lake for a view of sunsets and water that you will not soon forget. The water villas come in three tiers, front, middle, and back and the front villas offer you a relaxing view on your porch of all the happenings on the lake. The restaurant offers a very high end priced menu in American Dollars but is worth the cost as you are paying for the location. All rooms come equipped with all the amenities you will need an an outside shower where you can view the lake while you rinse off. This hotel offers the best sunset views as you can sit from the bar and sip on a drink of your choice while you watch the clouds and sun roll by. I will return here and I believe anyone going to Inle Lake should stay here. Perhaps the photos will help you make your decision….
The ride out to the lake was a typical ride out of people living their everyday lives…
Its always nice to go to markets to see the local tribes and villagers come in to sell their items. I had been to this market once before and this time was a little less hectic..
We also had the chance to stop by a Buddhist Monastery Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung, which is nothing like I have ever seen before with the mosaics and murals made completely of glass. This is not a place to be missed as you enter into the town before the lake…
As our full day around the lake began, we couldn’t help but hit a few tourist places but also some off the beaten path places. The images on the lake are amazing with houses built up on stilts, people boating all around, and floating gardens. This is why I came back here and will continue to for years on end….
What better way to start a day than another market otherwise known as the 5 Day Market in which people come to sell their goods and it rotates every 5 days to different areas around the lake…
Of course you will see a few birds….
The Dragon Boat Temple is a place where we have visited before which I loved, as it is the start of the Dragon Boat Races once a year. Here in the middle is two Buddha and three monk statues covered by gold leaf as people buy them as they enter the temple and paste them on as they have become bigger over the years…
Ngwe Zin Yaw shop in the Pauk Par Village part of Inle Lake is another place I returned to. Here you can see how they make the traditional cigarettes that are seen all around Myanmar. These cigarettes are sometimes wrapped in leaves or corn husks with different flavors. We spent some time here watching how fast the ladies were rolling the cigarettes as if it was no problem. This shop also offers a lot of souvenirs and different tobacco for sale. They will greet you with a glass of tea or whiskey while you sample the cigarettes as they are free of additives and made with pure tobacco. This place is not to be missed on your trip to Inle lake (Even if you don’t smoke)….
Indein Stupa site was closed last time we were here so I took this opportunity to visit it. The 1058 stupas some new and some over 200 years old dot the landscape outside this tiny village. It was said that the people that live around there are descended from slave families that helped build the stupas. This is the first place I noticed a clash between Thai and Burmese style stupas and was a wonderful place to spend a few hours walking around….
As I ate lunch at a small restaurant called Green Chili Restaurant in the wood making village at Inle Lake, I noticed a curtain with some good light coming in from the kitchen. I took this opportunity to shoot some good ghostly images of the people working in the kitchen. As the lighting was perfect where I was sitting and also in the kitchen, these images came out better than I had imagined after darkening them up a bit…
