Far from Myanmar's political turmoil, Inle Lake is an island of calm

By Jens Golombek Feb 22, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Yangon - Day is breaking early on the Inle Lake in Myanmar. In the magical hour in which night gives way to the dawn, there's a mixture of sounds - the splash of jumping fish, the cackling and cawing of colourful birds and the strains of Buddhist hymns.

A loudspeaker is transporting the exotic tones from the Mya-Thein-Than monastery which lies like some fairy-tale castle on the eastern side of the lake. Long before the sun evaporates the mists, the fishermen have begun gliding across the waters in their flat-bottomed boats.

Over the generations, the Intha, or the 'lake people,' developed a unique style of rowing. With the lungi, the traditional wrap-around-skirt, hitched up above their knees, the fishermen stand with one leg on the aft platform and with the paddle tied to the other leg.

In a stepping motion they can thereby paddle and guide their boat, while having a hand free for throwing out their nets and drawing them back in again.

For tourists, just boarding one of these longboats is a shaky adventure. Once one has taken a seat on one of the life-vest upholstered chairs and snuggled into a blanket to ward off the morning chill, there is no inclination to want to trade places with the local fishermen. What is a bit disturbing is the rattling sound of the outboard motor of the excursion boat.

Inle Lake is an ideal way-station on a journey from the port metropolis of Yangon in south-western Myanmar to Mandalay, 700 kilometres to the north.

Yangon, the old capital of Myanmar some 500 kilometres south of the lake, seems to be far away - and also far removed from the new capital Naypyidaw from which the military rule over the South-East Asian country.

Most travel organisers do not plan more than three days for the region and this is a pity. For even in the fast longboats one can hardly cover all the highlights. The lake, surrounded by mountains, is 22 kilometres long, not including the many tributaries feeding into it.

The village of Inpawkhon - located right in the middle of the lake, with the houses, atop pillars, jutting out of the water - is a destination which tour guide Min Wan Than regularly takes her visitors to.

'The town is famous for its woven articles,' she explains. Already from a distance one can make out the clattering of the looms. Min Win Than is aware of the concerns of many Western visitors who are afraid their money could end up in the wrong hands, meaning in the coffers of the corrupt military regime.

'You are supporting only families here, people who work here, if you want to purchase something,' she assures her guests.

A young woman demonstrates the art of lotus-weaving. With patient movements she slices the long stems of the lotus plants, withdraws the fine thin fibres from them and lays them out to dry. These fibres she will then weave into thread, from which scarves will ultimately be woven.

In Nampan, a market town on the southern side of the lake, there's a lot of colour and excitement every day. Hundreds of boats are lying on the muddy shore and those who arrive too late must first scramble over a dozen of them to finally reach solid ground.

Like all markets in East Asia, Nampan fascinates visitors with the hustle-and-bustle of the crowds, alien smells and bright colours. In the narrowly-crowded booths, farmers of Inle Lake are selling their tomatoes, cauliflower and aubergines.

Their fields aren't located on the land, however, but in the water. The vegetables grow on floating mattresses which are covered in mud and anchored in place in the 3-metre-deep waters by bamboo poles.

In the village of Sagar, two cooks are stylishly setting a restaurant table with porcelain cutlery and glasses for the lunchtime crowd in the shaded annex next to the covered entranceway to the Tharkong Pagoda.

The temple with its reclining Buddha statue and the delicate cupola of the stupas, or a kind of Buddhist reliquary, is located across the canal from Sagar and is rarely visited by tourists.

A slight breeze sets the tiny bells located in the ceilings of the stupas ringing in the mid-day heat. One looks off into the distance at the green Shan mountains and enjoys the quietude of the dreamy place, until tour guide Win Man Than calls the group together to get going again.

The return journey is a long one. As the boat finally reaches the northern part of Inle Lake it has become noticeably chilly. Dusk is quickly descending, but the boat pilot is sure of the way and guides the boat towards the lanterns of the hotel docks.

The lake is lying quietly amid the massive mountains. Only the one-legged rowers are still to be seen out on the lake, heading towards the lights of their villages.

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