A very late, slow bus took us from Bagan to Nyaungshwe at the north end of the well known Inle Lake area southwest of Mandalay. Our hotel, Remember Inn (who could forget that!), set up a boat day-trip with a local Intha guide to stilted villages along the lake’s shores. The Intha people are famed for their “leg-rowing” fishermen although the lake today has serious environmental issues.
In most of the villages water is the only way of connecting from house to house or even place of worship.
The guide took us to some craft factories: weaving, silver…but understood our desire to mainly see the way of life.
He invited us to his home in a lake village not on any tourist route (accessible only by boat but not itself on water).
Top: children in guide’s village; bottom right: our guide with us and village children with his house in background. His 17 year old daughter was peeking out of the house. We felt sad for her as family could not afford to send her to high school ($800/year) and so worked in a tobacco factory with her mother. Bottom left: young entertainer “fisherman” fishing tourists not fish but hey, why not!
Kerry Travels 