Another early morning as we caught an early flight to Inle Lake, Myanmar. The flight was only about 45 mins long from Bagan and we were in a totally different landscape, more mountainous, we are at a much higher elevation, and centered around the lake. This is a large lake with stilt villages and floating gardens. To create these garden rows they separate out pieces of this floating marsh land and then layer it with straw, silt and weeds and as they layer it up to 4 feet thick and secure it with bamboo it becomes like a garden row. Here the main crop is tomatoes since they grow all year long.They secure their gardens from floating away with sticks of bamboo and they can move them when they need to.
This area is also known for the fisherman that row their boats with their leg. I was told by our guide that this began as a result of the tall grasses and the “ground covering” which is pretty dense and hard to see over when sitting and also better to stand on their boats to spot the fish in the clear waters. So as a result, most of them row with their leg wrapped around the oar and paddle it with the oar wrapped around their leg. So interesting. Never seen anything like it.
We enjoyed lunch in an old restored heritage house on the water, built on stilts like all the homes and businesses here. They had a “Cat Village” here. So funny that there are so many cats around here since there isn’t land to walk between homes or villages, since all surrounded by water. They all must be brought to these places. Here there were about 37 cats and little wooden homes for them. Not being a cat lover I stayed away, although had to take a walk about. Sam couldn’t be kept away and hard to drag away. He was holding and playing and petting all these Burmese cats which were rather beautiful. It was like there was a cat whisperer here because a couple tourists were talking to the cat care giver about their cat issues. It was all a bit fascinating.
The only way to access these areas is by boat. Most of the homes, although some look like they could literally float away are rather large and that is because at least 2 generations live together so that could be around 20 people. Most seem to have power and their fresh water seems to be delivered, since I saw someone with a long boat filled with large water jugs who was dropping them off at each persons dock. The area is covered in long narrow water ways, almost canals that serve as waterways between villages, homes and floating gardens.
We stopped into a shop where they make cloth from Lotus fibers. The use of the Lotus stalk as a source of yarn was discovered here when a woman made a coat for a monk out of Lotus fibers. You first take a stalk from a lotus leaf which grows in the water around here. You cut it about 3 inches and as you pull it apart, there is a think almost silk like fiber that comes from the stalk and then they wipe off the fine fibers on a block and make another cut and then wipe the fine fibers again They twist these together and make a fiberous string that they wind with wax and wash several times and then spin into balls of string that they can then thread and weave on a loom into scarves and articles of clothing. They often mix it with silk and here in this area they make it. I had never seen any or heard of this kind of material. So fascinating and unique to this area.An item can take weeks to get enough fiberous material to twist and make into yarn and then there is the process of weaving. A small jacket was very expensive, understandably $700.
We visited an old and well known monastery. It was where many of the Shan princes, the royalty of this region, where married. Most marriages are performed in a Monastery over a temple, where in the Hindu faith they are usually held in temples. When the royals were married they would donate an ornate statue, almost shrine to Buddha. The monastery was a large old wooden building with dozens of large gilded ornately carved Buddhas. This place also was known until fairly recently for the cats that jumped through rings, an exercise that they performed, but our guide said they stopped doing that. Although there were many cats there and Sam was in heaven playing with hem.
The monastery has many tourists coming through it. I asked our guide why do they allow this, it seems so distracting to the monks. She explained that the monasteries are for the people and supported by the people and they are open to everyone since they are supported by everyone. If you are traveling on your own and have no place to sleep, even a tourist, you can stop and stay at a monastery. They will feed you with what they have and allow you to stay. The monastery is also a place that it seems most male Buddhist spend some time in, some a week, some months, some years. Most come for time when they are 20. It reminds me a bit of our faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Once boys are 18 and girls 19 they can serve a mission for our church, for 2 years and 18 months respectively. This is a time where they become very familiar with our faith, they study it for hours daily and then teach it, which is basically what monks due. They are supported by the church and don’t live extravagantly but they are provided with housing and food while they teach and they develop a firm foundation in their faith through this process of learning and teaching.
I have respect for the Buddhists here since they are committed to learning their faith and living it and allowing free agency throughout their lives to come and go from the monastery- they can become a monk for 2 years and then go back to being a civilian and they come again and go as they choose. According to our guide here, she doesn’t believe that you have to become a monk to reach Nirvana. She chooses not to focus on the afterlife and reincarnation, but focus on reaching nirvana in the present- a place of well being, happiness and living in the present- a heaven on earth. This is something we are each trying to do, aren’t we. I find it interesting how all faiths have truths and similarities and that is what should allow us to get along, be respectful of each other. I must say that traveling has deepened my own personal faith and confirms what I know to be true while developing a greater respect for others faiths.
Our hotel is made up of 26 Villas on the water back in a canal. It bumps up to land and our little villa is on a small pond covered in lilly pads and in an older and more chines feeling structure with large oval windows with floral hand painted designs built on the screen walls inside and lacquer furniture. It is so unique and equipped with an outdoor shower and a fireplace for when it is cool in the rainy season. Our dinner was delicious and we enjoyed the best meal we have had in Burma under the stars looking out onto the lake covered with little floating candles they had placed in the water for a romantic dinner for one of the guests on a tiny island that was floating just 30 meters off shore. Tonight Sam and I sat by the water and watched the sunset as well and it reminded us of being on Lake Baringo in Botswana with the lake and grasses in the background and the almost purple sunset. So grateful for this journey.
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