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
No comments:
Post a Comment