Page 263 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

INLE LAKE INLE LAKE AND THE EAST 261

INLE’S “LONGNECKED LADIES”
If you’re taking a boat trip on Inle Lake you’ll probably be offered the chance to visit some
of the long-necked Kayan (Padaung) ladies who have set up home among the Intha
around the lake. Some tourists find the experience uncomfortably fake and voyeuristic
– and it’s certainly not a patch on the tours to Kayan villages around Loikaw (see p.269)
– although bear in mind that the Inle tourist trade offers the Kayan the chance to make
good money by selling their handicrafts, and there’s no sign of the exploitation suffered by
the Kayan served up to tourists at refugee camps in northern Thailand. There’s no fee to 6
enter their homes or to take photographs, although of course it’s only fair to buy
something in return.

exchange for edible rewards. This is what most people still come for, though the
current crop of cats hasn’t been trained to do anything at all – except possibly
slink around and hide in corners. Relieved of its cat-fancying crowds, the
monastery is now an enjoyably peaceful place to stop during a tour of the lake,
centred on a gorgeously atmospheric teak hall filled with a stately array of
beautifully carved Buddhas. The small market at the back of the monastery is also
a good place to hunt for souvenirs.

Khaung Daing hot springs
• Daily 8am–6pm • $7 • Around 9km south of Nyaungshwe, K15,000 return by taxi
Located off the west side of the lake, and easily reachable under your own steam from
Nyaungshwe, the soothing Khaung Daing hot springs are a real indulgence, looking like
a rather fancy upmarket resort complete with cocktail bar, restaurant and spa. The best
time to be here is around sundown, when the shadow from the mountains to the east
starts to inch, then race, across the surrounding fields.

South to Sankar and Moebye Lake
From the southern end of the lake, a canal leads down to the village of Taung Tho,
(around 15km south of Nampan) whose market (see box, p.241) is a far more
authentic affair than others around the lake. Past here the canal continues for a further
30km or so, through a sylvan landscape dotted with Shan and Pa-O villages before
reaching remote Moebye Lake. The hills here would make for excellent hiking territory,
but conceal a substantial opium trade: an estimated five tonnes of the stuff per year,
with the crops protected by local militia.
The main attraction hereabouts is the pretty village of SANKAR (also spelt Samkar),
close to the northern end of Moebye Lake, comprising a mix of stilted and shoreline
houses. Directly across the lake from here is the nearby Tharkong Pagoda, with a
modern temple complex surrounded by a photogenic array of crumbling red-brick
stupas, some of them seeming to emerge directly from the lake (if water levels are
sufficiently high), like some kind of half-drowned Burmese Atlantis. It’s around six
hours return from Nyaungshwe to Sankar (count on about K50,000 per boat), a long
time to spend on the water.
Beyond Sankar, one adventurous possibility is to continue south by boat down
Moebye Lake to the town of Pekon (another 2hr 30min), then by road (1hr) to Loikaw
– although the journey will set you back a minimum of $75.
GETTING AROUND INLE LAKE
By boat For details of boat trips on Inle Lake, see the “Inle lake by bike (see box, p.251). For longer trips, ask at Active
Lake by boat” box (see p.260). & Authentic (see p.253), who also run good bike tours.
By bicycle It’s possible to hit a few of the sights around the