January 1-4, 2015

Inle lake was like going on vacation in the most epic international flea market you could imagine. We could have easily spent a week here. The main township at the top is called Nyaung Shwe, and it’s where we stayed. Already, we could see tons of resorts being built on top of and along the water. Which is great for local industry, until you see how polluted the lake already is with minimal tourism and even fewer regulation. Now days the fisherman are mostly for show than for function. Such is the cycle I suppose.

However, Inle Lake is not to be missed. There are a series of villages and towns lining the lake with with floating markets that rotate during the week. Some around the edges or up Apocalypse Now-style inlets, and some on stilts right smack in the  middle. We first rented a couple bikes rode to a local vineyard where the valley sunsets were reported to be pretty spectacular. And while the wine left something to be desired, the view more than made up for it.

The next day, we learned that for the equivalent of US $15 you can jump in a motorized canoe and cruise around with a local guide for an entire day, which we did. And it was epic. We did not realize they would also throw other random people into your canoe with you, but for that price I suppose we could hardly be surprised. However, we ended up making fast friends with everyone and having a lovely day, capping it off with a hearty group pizza when we got back.

Our entertainment came in the form of an Italian guy and girl who swore they were just friends and she had a boyfriend back in Italy, but he was clearly head over heels for her and she would playfully snub him while blatantly loving it. Their flirtation and banter had us in stitches all day.

At one point, he even said aloud in all seriousness, “I love you, you remind me so much of my mother”, which might be the most Italian thing to have ever happened.

Our worldview came from a badass Chilean solo traveler, on vacation from her full-time job working in Kabul, Afghanistan for the U.N. Talk about perspective.We even met up with a Japanese schoolteacher for dinner afterwards, who was also on vacation from her job teaching English in the Philippines. Add a Californian and a vagabond Arizonan to the mix and we had conversation for days.

How to top an epic day like that? Keep exploring. We rented bikes again the next day with hopes of finding a recommended lookout. After consulting the hand-drawn map, we set out around the other side of the lake. There are no exact photos of this journey because it ended up being what I’m sure the Tour de France is like in terms of exhaustion and confusion. We gave up after a few hours, but not before we stumbled upon an insanely colorful festival with 5 year old kids dancing to J.Lo. We then hired a boat back to town, threw in the bikes, and swore the lookout did not actually exist.

Later, we discovered something awesome was happening at the monastery across the street from our hotel whose chanting over loudspeakers had kept us up the night before. Alms were being distributed, where all the town comes out to distribute scoops of rice into the bowls of the monks as they walk through. I was especially intrigued by the lady monks in pink robes. All Burmese men have to do at least 3 separate short stints at a monastery before they’re 25, even if they don’t ultimately take their vows. A lot of children are there, primarily because the education is seen to be superior, and a lot of poor families see sending their boys there as a preferable alternative to poverty. It’s no wonder it’s such a part of daily life in that country.

All in all, Inle lake is not to be missed.

Cheers! It’s always great to be escorted onto an aircraft by military personnel in flip flops!

Since the lake is so shallow in parts, this technique just requires a large, netted hoop to be placed down on the bottom, and the spear grabs any fish stuck inside. Repeat all day.

Our international band of merry canoe-ers!

Outfit: Local hat, great-grandmother’s shirt, headscarf from long-necked women, Thai elephant pants, and rainbows sandals from San Clemente, CA.

When possible, always match your head scarves to your life vests.

Weaving scarves and garments with lotus plant fibers. It’s reserved for the finest clothing and monk robes, because it breathes in the summer but keeps you warm in the winter.

We splurged for another $15 lake cruise at sunset with some local brews. Not. Too. Shabby.