At approximately 1,000 meters above sea-level, Lake Inle gave us the slightly cooler temperatures we had been begging for, and when lucky, even a refreshing breeze at nighttime. This region of Myanmar is also much greener than Mandalay and Bagan, and its countryside has beautiful lakes, valleys and even vineyards. The week we spent there included quite a versatile agenda of activities.

Starting with one of the most colorful markets we have yet seen, the Nuang Shwe market, we had a feeling we would really like Inle. The market was packed with locals, in fact we were the only tourists we saw, and again affirmed our belief that this country is a photographer’s heaven. As we walked in, we were permanently surrounded by many food stalls selling vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, fish and even flowers, covering any possible range of colors. Again, the peoples’ expressions, their liveliness, and their simple authenticity, it was almost overwhelming. As we continued our way through, we were swarmed by the locals doing their daily shopping, making it very clear that they had no time to lose! It was just a constant flow of people buying and selling.

Biking around the lake on what was supposed to be an “easy” route was quite the experience. The almost 40km trip took us through the countryside, rice terraces, small villages both on land and floating on the lake, rice cracker and tofu farms, and a short 20 minute trip over the lake in a small boat (or more similar to a canoe). It was a really nice ride, although extremely tiring given the heat and the distance we travelled! The agency who rented us our bikes advising this “easy day of biking”, must have never done this trip, or at least not by bicycle. The truth is, the only people doing these routes by bike are us, the few dumb foreigners, all of the locals are smart enough to ride their motorcycles… a mode of transportation unfortunately forbidden to us.

After getting a flavor of the lake by biking around it, we wanted to see it more up-close and personal. With that in mind, we took a 1-day boat trip on the lake, where we were brought to see many floating villages with their craftsman shops. The various centers all had their specialties: cigar making, hand weaving, silversmiths, and wood carvers building the boats (canoes) we were riding on. We made sure to buy some of the sweet cigars tasting of anis, and look forward to trying them back home with friends and family! We also got to see some traditional long-neck women who wear very heavy coils around their neck as a sign of cultural identity.

The villages themselves are quite impressive as they are built completely on the lake and each house has long stilts to lift it off the water. It has quite a decadent look, yet with something very special. In fact, we thought it seemed like a Far West movie but on water. Watching the fisherman still using traditional techniques is also quite interesting. They row the boat with one leg while slowly throwing the net in the water. It definitely looks like a difficult task requiring very good balance. Before finishing the day, we were brought to a floating monastery as well as a floating tomato garden. After seeing them, one has the impression that you can do it all on water!

At Inle, we also made time for relaxation. Visiting the winery in horse carriage was like from a movie in the olden days! Who would have known that in Myanmar there were also vineyards? We enjoyed the wine tasting and also met a friendly French couple from the French Basque Country. They are traveling for 10 months and were already 7 months deep, having been to South America and the USA, so we had quite a lot to talk about and spent a few hours sitting outside with the beautiful views over the vineyards and the valley, sharing stories about our travels. We wish you a great remainder of your trip Charlotte and Bruno!

As big fans of the local dishes, we wanted to learn how to make some of them so that we can cook it back home as well. We became friendly with a delicious restaurant in town, and they made a private course for us where we learned to cook among other plates, our favorite Shan Noodles. For those who want to know what they are all about, we can cook you some when we are back!

Finally, we thought that Inle was the perfect place in Myanmar to do a meditation retreat, and had the chance to find a monastery nearby that was so kind to accept us as guests for three days. As it was a short amount of time, we were introduced to concentration, a practice which takes already a lot of training. We feel so lucky to have been opened up to this new dimension, and especially to having been instructed by such a wonderful monk with an incredible story.

After this great week in Inle, we were slowly moving towards the end of our experience in Myanmar. The next and final destination was the former capital down south: Yangon.