Inle Lake, Myanmar: Life on the Water

Inle Lake lies at 880 metres above sea level in the Shan Hills of central Myanmar, a shallow freshwater lake 22 kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide that is home to the Intha people — a community of around 70,000 who have built their lives entirely on and around the water. The Intha live in villages of wooden houses built on stilts over the lake, travel by long-tail boat, and cultivate floating gardens — rectangular plots of aquatic vegetation anchored to the lake bed by bamboo poles — on which they grow tomatoes, flowers, and vegetables that are sold at the rotating markets around the lake's edge.

The leg-rowing technique of the Intha fishermen is unique to Inle Lake and is believed to have developed because the lake's surface is often covered with water hyacinth and other floating vegetation that makes it difficult to see from a seated position. By standing at the stern of the boat and wrapping one leg around the oar, the fisherman can row with his whole body while keeping his hands free to manage the conical net that he uses to trap fish. The technique requires considerable skill and balance, and watching an experienced fisherman work — silhouetted against the morning mist with his net raised above his head — is one of the most beautiful sights in Southeast Asia.

The Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, on the western shore of the lake, is the most sacred Buddhist site in the Shan State, housing five small Buddha images that have been covered with so many layers of gold leaf applied by male devotees over the centuries that they have lost their original form and now resemble rounded golden lumps. The pagoda is the focus of the Phaung Daw Oo Festival, held in September or October, during which the images are transported around the lake on a gilded royal barge accompanied by leg-rowing boats in a procession that lasts 18 days.

The floating gardens of Inle Lake are one of the most ingenious agricultural systems in the world. The Intha cut strips of aquatic vegetation from the lake bed, layer them with lake mud, and anchor the resulting plots with bamboo poles driven into the bottom. The plots float just above the water surface, and the roots of the plants grow down through the vegetation into the water below, drawing nutrients directly from the lake. The system is extraordinarily productive — the floating gardens can yield three or four crops a year — and the tomatoes grown on them are among the finest in Myanmar.

The workshops around the lake produce a range of traditional crafts that have been practised by the Intha for generations. The Inpawkhon village is famous for its silk and lotus-fibre weaving — the lotus-fibre fabric, made from the stems of lotus flowers harvested from the lake, is one of the rarest and most expensive textiles in the world, used for the robes of senior Buddhist monks. The Ywama village is the centre of the silversmithing tradition, and the workshops there produce jewellery and decorative objects in the distinctive Shan style.

The five-day rotating market that moves between the villages around the lake is one of the most authentic market experiences in Myanmar — a gathering of hill tribe people from the surrounding mountains who come to trade their produce and handicrafts with the Intha of the lake. The Shan, Pa-O, Danu, Taungyo, and Kayah peoples all attend, many in their traditional dress, and the market is as much a social occasion as a commercial one. The best time to visit is early in the morning, before the tour boats arrive from Nyaungshwe.

Nyaungshwe, at the northern end of the lake, is the main town and the base for most visitors. The town has a good range of guesthouses and restaurants, and the canal that connects it to the lake is lined with traditional wooden buildings that give it a pleasant, unhurried character. The best way to explore the lake is by hiring a long-tail boat for the day — the boatmen know the lake intimately and can take you to the floating gardens, the workshops, the pagodas, and the markets according to your interests. The best time to visit is from October to February, during the dry season, when the weather is clear and the morning mist on the lake is at its most atmospheric.