Page 260 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

258 INLE LAKE AND THE EAST INLE LAKE
Inle Lake

Majestic INLE LAKE is one of Myanmar’s undoubted highlights. The lake itself is
beautiful, a placid expanse with forested mountains on its eastern and western sides,
while dotting the periphery of the waters is a marvellously photogenic chain of stilted
villages and small towns inhabited by the local Intha people (see box opposite), with
6 innumerable buildings rising out of the lake, complete with “streets” of water and boats
for traffic – among Myanmar’s most memorable, and surreal, sights.
While the lake is very firmly on the beaten path, its size is such that you only really
notice just how many other foreigners are around when your boat pulls up at one of
the stops. Even now, its markets are aimed more at villagers of the various ethnic
groups that live in the area – among them Shan, Pa-O, Kayah and Danu – than they
are at tourists. Most visit these markets as part of a boat trip (see box, p,000), while
other sights hereabouts include the beautiful Phaung Daw Oo Paya, Ngaphe Kyaung
(the former “jumping cat” monastery) and the lovely hot springs near Khaung
Daing. Note that the sights have been listed here in an order heading vaguely
clockwise around the lake, which is the route that most boatmen take. A good time
to be around is during the Thadingyut Festival of Lights in October, when locals
decorate their houses with lanterns and candles – a magical sight during a night-time
boat ride through the stilt villages.
The lake is, sadly, suffering from
Shwenyaung (10km), Highway NH4, Kalaw & Yangon ever-increasing pollution – it’s hard to
Shwe
INLE LAKE Yaunghwe imagine that, just one generation ago, its
Kyaung
Nyaungshwe waters were clean enough to drink. These
ACCOMMODATION
Golden Island Cottages 5/7 Nantha Red days, a greater proportion of the vessels
Inle Princess Resort 2 Mountain that work the lake are motorized, locals
Inle Resort 3 Winery
Ngwe Zin Yaw 6 are producing more litter, and chemicals
Paramount Inle Resort 1 from the floating gardens (and locals
Sanctum Inle Resort 4
washing their clothes) are seriously
EATING Khaung Daing
Golden Kite 3 Hot Springs Myatheintan impairing the quality of the water, and
Green Chilli 4 the size of the fish stock.
Inle Heart View 1
Ngwe Zin Yaw 2 Khaung Daing
Maing Thauk Maing Thauk and around
Thit Tha
Kyaung
The charming village of MAING THAUK
Inle Lake is usually omitted from boat tours of
the lake except on every fifth day, when
the peripatetic Inle market arrives (see
box, p.241), filling the village with a
Ngaphe
Kyaung photogenic throng of commerce. Now
Than
Taung Thale U a rustic backwater, Maing Thauk was
Floating formerly the headquarters of the
Gardens
colonial British administration in
southern Shan State before it was moved
Ywama
to Taunggyi in 1894, although nothing
N
Phaung Daw Oo Paya Tha Lay remains of the original Fort Stedman
(as it was known).
The village is split into two halves: one
Inthein
for landlubbers, and a “floating” section
Nyaung Oak
Shwe Inn Nampan 0 2 reachable via a long wooden bridge,
Thein Paya looking a bit like a scaled-down version
In Paw Khone
kilometres
of the famous U Bein Bridge (see p.301)
Taung Tho (14km) & Sankar (35km)