Location:Inle Lake
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Day 17 Inle Lake 13th January
The monks resumed their chanting this morning at 4:30 am and were still chanting as we headed off after breakfast through the busy dusty roads of Nyaungshwe to the jetty to meet Jo Jo. A lot of tourist boats were heading towards Nyaungshwe as we headed out the canal. The fishing boats were out and waiting as we sped across the lake to the far side taking about an hour to the village of Tha Ley and the home of Phaung Daw Oo Paya where the 5 day market was taking place. Another crisp, sunny morning. This 5 day market also quite large in size, but not as big as Kalaw had mainly fish and local fruits as well as some pottery, baskets', fishing equipment that catered more for the locals. There was also quite a few antiques and a lot more stalls catering for the tourists. We wandered around for 1 1/2 picking up some local baskets, shirts for Liam's, small jade bowls, a fishing spear head and some pottery items. The boys also picked up some cheap looking bows only to find when we headed back to the pagoda a man with 2 beautiful bows. After some dispute, luke went and negotiated with the man for the 2 bows and we added those to the armoury collection. We gave the cheaper ones away later to 2 surprised boys.
Before heading off, we visited the Phaung Daw Oo Paya the most sacred religious site in the Shan state and famous for what now look like 5 big blobs of gold. These are very significant images of Buddha to the people here and have been transformed into golden blobs form the amount of gold leaf being applied to them by pilgrims. Once a year during a very famous festival they are carried around to all the villages on the lake on a huge golden barge with a large chickens head at the front. This form of barge is seen on quite a few of the waterways of Myanmar and obviously holds some significance. Interestingly women are not allowed near these Buddha images.
From here we headed across the water back into one of the villages for lunch. Boats zoomed past underneath us. By the number of fancy restaurants and hotels on the lake you can tell the tourist business is thriving in this area.
After lunch we headed to the western side of the lake along a large chanel to the town of Inthein. Their were mini weirs along the way which we had to charge up, presumably in place to maintain the water levels. At the town a soccer competition was going on, but with smaller teams and a smaller dusty pitch. There was quite a few locals watching the game, including school kids though the school fence opposite. The boys stayed and watched the game whilst Mandy and Liam explored a nearby hill of Nyaung Ohak covered in stupas. Deciding that these were maybe not what we were here to view, we headed back to the soccer pitch as school came out and the players had a break. Picking up the boys we headed back to the other end of town, paid a fee for using our camera and wandered up the river through a bamboo forest to what we assumed was the direction of the site we were here to see. Mandy decided to buy a few of the local scarves and was soon swamped by scarf vendors, resulting in the purchase of quite a few scarves. Seeking refuge in the undercover walk way which was about 400m long with huge pillars and lined with vendors selling all types of souvenirs we made our way up to the top of the hill which was covered in hundreds of stupas. This complex of 1054 stupas is known as Shwe Inn Thein Paya and was primarily constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. The stupas varied in height, size and appearance but were consistent in shape. Some were gold, others, terracotta, white washed, ochre, cement and the older ones brick. They all had wind chimes at the top which were making a lovely sound as they moved with the breeze. The boys found it a bit 'creepy' and decided to play with the local dog population including a number of puppies whilst Mandy and Liam wandered through the stupas. Heading back down to the village along the walkway, we could hear the soccer was back in progress. We bought some samosas and what seems to be a local doughnut and watched the next game for a while. These guys seem very fast and good at the game and must be part of some regional league. Jo Jo had also been enjoying the soccer as we headed back to the boat and down the canal to the village. Lots of people were bathing in the canal after a day's work. It was a beautiful light as we headed back across the lake. Clouds were forming behind us with the sun going down.
Back at Ngwe She we said goodbye to Jo Jo and our boat driver and walked back to our little villa which was a very nice little haven. After a break we found a lovely restaurant, quite posh, The Green Chilli, where we had a great meal with a large Japanese tour group. Prices don't seem to vary much depending on how up market the restaurant is and it usually costs us between 20 and 30 dollars for a good meal and drinks for all of us. We are certainly not lacking in food on this trip. The town was quiet and the streets dark as we headed back to the hotel.
Before heading off, we visited the Phaung Daw Oo Paya the most sacred religious site in the Shan state and famous for what now look like 5 big blobs of gold. These are very significant images of Buddha to the people here and have been transformed into golden blobs form the amount of gold leaf being applied to them by pilgrims. Once a year during a very famous festival they are carried around to all the villages on the lake on a huge golden barge with a large chickens head at the front. This form of barge is seen on quite a few of the waterways of Myanmar and obviously holds some significance. Interestingly women are not allowed near these Buddha images.
From here we headed across the water back into one of the villages for lunch. Boats zoomed past underneath us. By the number of fancy restaurants and hotels on the lake you can tell the tourist business is thriving in this area.
After lunch we headed to the western side of the lake along a large chanel to the town of Inthein. Their were mini weirs along the way which we had to charge up, presumably in place to maintain the water levels. At the town a soccer competition was going on, but with smaller teams and a smaller dusty pitch. There was quite a few locals watching the game, including school kids though the school fence opposite. The boys stayed and watched the game whilst Mandy and Liam explored a nearby hill of Nyaung Ohak covered in stupas. Deciding that these were maybe not what we were here to view, we headed back to the soccer pitch as school came out and the players had a break. Picking up the boys we headed back to the other end of town, paid a fee for using our camera and wandered up the river through a bamboo forest to what we assumed was the direction of the site we were here to see. Mandy decided to buy a few of the local scarves and was soon swamped by scarf vendors, resulting in the purchase of quite a few scarves. Seeking refuge in the undercover walk way which was about 400m long with huge pillars and lined with vendors selling all types of souvenirs we made our way up to the top of the hill which was covered in hundreds of stupas. This complex of 1054 stupas is known as Shwe Inn Thein Paya and was primarily constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. The stupas varied in height, size and appearance but were consistent in shape. Some were gold, others, terracotta, white washed, ochre, cement and the older ones brick. They all had wind chimes at the top which were making a lovely sound as they moved with the breeze. The boys found it a bit 'creepy' and decided to play with the local dog population including a number of puppies whilst Mandy and Liam wandered through the stupas. Heading back down to the village along the walkway, we could hear the soccer was back in progress. We bought some samosas and what seems to be a local doughnut and watched the next game for a while. These guys seem very fast and good at the game and must be part of some regional league. Jo Jo had also been enjoying the soccer as we headed back to the boat and down the canal to the village. Lots of people were bathing in the canal after a day's work. It was a beautiful light as we headed back across the lake. Clouds were forming behind us with the sun going down.
Back at Ngwe She we said goodbye to Jo Jo and our boat driver and walked back to our little villa which was a very nice little haven. After a break we found a lovely restaurant, quite posh, The Green Chilli, where we had a great meal with a large Japanese tour group. Prices don't seem to vary much depending on how up market the restaurant is and it usually costs us between 20 and 30 dollars for a good meal and drinks for all of us. We are certainly not lacking in food on this trip. The town was quiet and the streets dark as we headed back to the hotel.
Location:Inle Lake
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
day 16 Inle Lake 12th January
Our boatman Jo Jo was waiting for us when we went to breakfast this morning. It was still cold as we had French crepes, eggs and fruit before walking the 15 minutes to the jetty where our boat was waiting for us. The monks had been chanting since 4:30am and were just finishing as we headed off. We had a wooden long boat with long outboard motor and 4 upright seats with blankets making it a very comfortable trip. Not like the locals who travel sitting on the wooden bottom of the boats. We must look ridiculous to them.
It was a hive of activity as we at set out along the main canal that leads from NgweShe to the main lake. Produce from the lake villages and people were being ferried into the town. Only long boats of various sizes can be seen presumably because of the shallowness of the water. The muddy canal that we started on merged to crystal clear water with freshwater plants as we made it out to the lake proper. Traditional fisherman were waiting on queue to have their photo taken, promptly putting themselves into the perfect positions and displaying their fish without been asked. This is probably an easier way to make their living by taking a tourists dollar for a photo rather than actually fishing. However this was only a handful of people and as we headed further into the lake we could see plenty of people fishing out with their nets or large bamboo baskets. They are famous for being able to fish but at the same time manoeuvre their boats with one leg whilst balancing on the other. Quite amazing to watch. They fish either by net, or as the water is quite shallow lowering large cane baskets into the water capturing fish inside and then spearing them. Unlike other areas of Myanmar presumably the fishing by this way makes it sustainable as only relatively small amounts of fish are caught.
The water is a still inky grey as we head across the lake and into the floating gardens which are literally that. Huge gardens growing tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, flowers and presumably other produce depending on the season are being grown on floating masses of land. This is surrounded by what looks like large water lilies however, there appears to be no flowers presumably because it is winter. Farmers can be seen tending their gardens on their boats as well as standing on the land masses. As we come into the end of the gardens we enter the village which is completely above water on huge stilts. Each house is separated by water and small wooden boats used to move between the houses and around the village are docked underneath. All the shops are on stilts, including the post offices and there is a myriad of cottage industries taking place in larger buildings. The houses and buildings appear to be made of either bamboo or teak wood with the occasional brick building. Schools are also made of large teak buildings with platforms between the classrooms. Some appear to have some solid land that the children can use as a playground. Huge power lines bring electricity to the houses with cable running between the houses. Satellite dishes can also be seen on some houses, and many of the houses are quite large. We motor quietly down the water streets where daily life of washing, bathing and cooking is taking place and visit some of the cottage industries. It feels quite invasive weaving our way though the houses and there are quite a few tourist boats cruising up and down but the villagers seem to accept it.
We stop to see some women weaving out of the fibre of lotus flowers. A very time consuming and complicated process which means a simple scarf can take up to a month to make. Needless to say they seem pricey compared to other items one can buy, but when seeing the effort it takes to produce the fibre it also seems ridiculously cheap. The lotus produces a very durable fibre that the villages dye with barks from local trees. Mostly, when not producing items for the tourist industry, they create the robes for the local months.
From the weavers we visited the blacksmith who makes primarily knives, bells for cattle and gongs for the monastery. Luke was in heaven with the selection of knives available and fascinated watching the men create the required temperature in the fire to be able to heat the metal sufficiently that 3 of them could then beat it into shape before it cooled down. All very manual, but time is something these people appear to have. From the blacksmith we headed to see the long boats being made. Again being made very manually out of single pieces of wood, very beautiful objects. Our next stop was to see the long necked ladies which felt a bit like a circus. 2 older women with incredibly long necks created from wearing very heavy brass coils were weaving and posing for photos at a souvenir shop. We refrained from photos but then found an umbrella making shop next door which was quite interesting. Although we were being taken from shop to shop, the people were not hassling us to buy which was nice but felt we were very much on the tourist trail which we are not used to. It's surprising how many tourists are here and how they have adapted their businesses so effectively to cater for them.
We headed to lunch where some young girls were making and selling cigars in a room next to the restaurant. We had a lovely vista over the lake ( still in the water) with the fishermen and locals cruising by on their boats. We were then taken to another factory, this time where silverware was being made and we were shown how they extract the silver from the rock, along with a number of other metals, smelter it and make the jewellery and other ornaments, all by hand. Nothing really appealed and we moved on to our final destination the jumping cat monastery, apparently named as the monks used to train cats to jump. However although there were cats they showed no signs of intending to jump. It was however a beautiful teak monastery set high above the water with its fair share of golden Buddha images and souvenir vendors.
From here we headed back out through the floating gardens, across the lake past the fishermen and down the still busy canal. We made our own way back to our hotel, where the boys immediately headed off to buy a pizza whilst Mandy and Liam did some photo comparisons. We had dinner in the hotel where we were suitably humbled by a French man travelling around on a wheel chair.
It was a hive of activity as we at set out along the main canal that leads from NgweShe to the main lake. Produce from the lake villages and people were being ferried into the town. Only long boats of various sizes can be seen presumably because of the shallowness of the water. The muddy canal that we started on merged to crystal clear water with freshwater plants as we made it out to the lake proper. Traditional fisherman were waiting on queue to have their photo taken, promptly putting themselves into the perfect positions and displaying their fish without been asked. This is probably an easier way to make their living by taking a tourists dollar for a photo rather than actually fishing. However this was only a handful of people and as we headed further into the lake we could see plenty of people fishing out with their nets or large bamboo baskets. They are famous for being able to fish but at the same time manoeuvre their boats with one leg whilst balancing on the other. Quite amazing to watch. They fish either by net, or as the water is quite shallow lowering large cane baskets into the water capturing fish inside and then spearing them. Unlike other areas of Myanmar presumably the fishing by this way makes it sustainable as only relatively small amounts of fish are caught.
The water is a still inky grey as we head across the lake and into the floating gardens which are literally that. Huge gardens growing tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, flowers and presumably other produce depending on the season are being grown on floating masses of land. This is surrounded by what looks like large water lilies however, there appears to be no flowers presumably because it is winter. Farmers can be seen tending their gardens on their boats as well as standing on the land masses. As we come into the end of the gardens we enter the village which is completely above water on huge stilts. Each house is separated by water and small wooden boats used to move between the houses and around the village are docked underneath. All the shops are on stilts, including the post offices and there is a myriad of cottage industries taking place in larger buildings. The houses and buildings appear to be made of either bamboo or teak wood with the occasional brick building. Schools are also made of large teak buildings with platforms between the classrooms. Some appear to have some solid land that the children can use as a playground. Huge power lines bring electricity to the houses with cable running between the houses. Satellite dishes can also be seen on some houses, and many of the houses are quite large. We motor quietly down the water streets where daily life of washing, bathing and cooking is taking place and visit some of the cottage industries. It feels quite invasive weaving our way though the houses and there are quite a few tourist boats cruising up and down but the villagers seem to accept it.
We stop to see some women weaving out of the fibre of lotus flowers. A very time consuming and complicated process which means a simple scarf can take up to a month to make. Needless to say they seem pricey compared to other items one can buy, but when seeing the effort it takes to produce the fibre it also seems ridiculously cheap. The lotus produces a very durable fibre that the villages dye with barks from local trees. Mostly, when not producing items for the tourist industry, they create the robes for the local months.
From the weavers we visited the blacksmith who makes primarily knives, bells for cattle and gongs for the monastery. Luke was in heaven with the selection of knives available and fascinated watching the men create the required temperature in the fire to be able to heat the metal sufficiently that 3 of them could then beat it into shape before it cooled down. All very manual, but time is something these people appear to have. From the blacksmith we headed to see the long boats being made. Again being made very manually out of single pieces of wood, very beautiful objects. Our next stop was to see the long necked ladies which felt a bit like a circus. 2 older women with incredibly long necks created from wearing very heavy brass coils were weaving and posing for photos at a souvenir shop. We refrained from photos but then found an umbrella making shop next door which was quite interesting. Although we were being taken from shop to shop, the people were not hassling us to buy which was nice but felt we were very much on the tourist trail which we are not used to. It's surprising how many tourists are here and how they have adapted their businesses so effectively to cater for them.
We headed to lunch where some young girls were making and selling cigars in a room next to the restaurant. We had a lovely vista over the lake ( still in the water) with the fishermen and locals cruising by on their boats. We were then taken to another factory, this time where silverware was being made and we were shown how they extract the silver from the rock, along with a number of other metals, smelter it and make the jewellery and other ornaments, all by hand. Nothing really appealed and we moved on to our final destination the jumping cat monastery, apparently named as the monks used to train cats to jump. However although there were cats they showed no signs of intending to jump. It was however a beautiful teak monastery set high above the water with its fair share of golden Buddha images and souvenir vendors.
From here we headed back out through the floating gardens, across the lake past the fishermen and down the still busy canal. We made our own way back to our hotel, where the boys immediately headed off to buy a pizza whilst Mandy and Liam did some photo comparisons. We had dinner in the hotel where we were suitably humbled by a French man travelling around on a wheel chair.
Location:Inle Lake
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