At first the lake appeared tranquil in the early morning but first impressions can be deceptive. Inle Lake is a bustling community with a unique way of life. Getting out on the water and mingling with the locals is the best way to see Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s top destinations.
Long tailed boats ferry children to school and tomato crops to market. Old men gaze down from stilt houses, staring nonchalantly at the water traffic below. Just ahead the famous fishermen of Inle Lake were at work. They are known for their technique in fishing and I watched as they rowed with one leg, expertly steering their boats to where the fish were. The conical nets are designed to catch and stun the fish by agitating the water. There is no refrigeration here and fish are stored in tanks under the stilt houses until needed for food.
Sailing on, the banks of the lake were lined with acacia trees but there was something else. The scent of tomatoes and mint filled the air as the floating gardens appeared. At one time Inle Lake was just water but through careful use of root beds and silt the villagers have constructed agricultural land suitable for vegetables and are now one of the top producers in the country. Boats sailed between the beds, trimming crops and weeding. The gardens now cover a substantial proportion of the lake and provide food for the locals as well as other areas of Myanmar.
Each day there is a market in one of the villages on Inle Lake. This is where hill tribe women trade green tea for fish and where vegetables, spices, and even gasoline is sold. I was offered delicious peanut brittle by a stallholder and at another watched as chillies were sold. Despite the profusion of fish there was no smell as everything was so fresh. Soon it was time to move on and I would see more of the industries of Inle Lake.
Cheroot rolling was going on in a stilt house workshop as girls rolled up to 1000 a day. Cheroots are big in Burma with the largest ones seen in Mandalay. There was silver smithing here too with craftsmen crouched over small tables working intricate designs onto baskets and bangles. Even the acacia tree had a use here with the nuts being taken to clean the silver. In another workshop silk weaving was a thriving business with vibrant colours being woven into fabrics. One lady was extracting silk from the lotus plant and using it to weave a delicate fabric. My biggest surprise was finding an iron foundry in the middle of wooden stilt huts and the fire being controlled manually with bellows. It seemed that each stilt house had something interesting to reveal on Inle Lake.
As I relaxed in one of Inle Lake’s restaurants eating freshly caught fish stuffed with herbs I reflected on how unique and remarkable this community was and what a privilege it had been to sail into their world for the day.
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