MINGALABAR - MYANMAR IS ANOTHER JEWEL IN OUR BACKYARD.

 Nyaung Shwe is the town from which one gets to Inle (pronounced "Inlay") Lake, one of the larger inland lakes but perhaps the most interesting and one which brings in much tourist revenue. We boarded long shaft propeller teak boats to visit sites in the lake.

Such are the long boats made of teak wood which are akin to water taxis as boats are the main means of lake transportation. For foreigners, each boat will take four to five pax comfortably; for locals, willing seller willing buyer is applied as regards how many pax are to be taken.

Many cottage industries exist in the lake. This one deals with the production of cheroots.

A mobile market exists; its location is changed each day. In the market, this Pa O tribeswoman sells dried goods.

This is where cooking oil is sold.

Vegetable seller. I love the veggies cause they come from floating farms found in the lake.No need to debate whether they are organic or not.

 

This is like a water taxi stand serving the market.

Silk spinner. Silk production is one of the cottage industries.

She is extracting lotus leaf fibers to make silk. Perhaps, only in Lake Inle is such silk produced and it's the most expensive as many stems are needed to make a thread of silk. It's also very strong and yet supple and won't look crumbled even after being folded.

Inle Lake Heritage is one of the better restaurants here serving delicious Myanmar, Thai and Chinese food.

,

A couple of Burmese cats which were extinct in Myanmar until the owner of Inle Lake Heritage imported a few from overseas. Presently, there are more than 30 cats housed in the Burmese Cat Village sharing the compound of the restaurant.

Teak wood boat workshop.

Hull of a boat being completed. Every piece of wood is painstakingly done by hand.Here a long plank is sawn manually. A completed boat sells for about USD 2,500 to USD 3,000, without propulsion.

Women are employed to make cheroots by hand.

Hpaung Daw U Pagoda - where lake residents gather to worship. In the months of Sep and Oct, they hold a big festival lasting 18 days.

These boatmen literally beat the water to drive fish nearer shore so that they can use long fish traps to catch them.

This tribal "leg rower" fisherman demonstrates how fish are trapped in the long trap using legs only to control and steer the boat.

Proudly showing off  the tilapia he caught.

Singaporeans gingerly"walking the plank" to go for a cruise in the Irrawaddy River.