Inle Lake - 27 September to 1 October - posted from Rebak

It is only a short flight from Mandalay to Heho, the airport for Inle Lake but the scenery is quite different as we leave the Ayeyarwady River plain and head into the mountains. Having said that, the plateau around Heho is also quite flat - perhaps the remains of an ancient lake.

Paper making

 A visit to an umbrella making workshop is fascinating.  The traditional umbrellas are made from handmade paper, using mulberry bark as a raw material.  The process differs from tapa making in the South Pacific in that the bark is ground to pulp with water and then placed on a fine mesh to drain and dry, sometimes with the addition of flowers or leaves to create a pattern.

Traditional umbrella nearly finished

The frame of the umbrella, including the spring catch, is made out of wood and bamboo.  Rainproof ones are treated with creosote.

Drawing fibres from lotus stem

Weaving is another traditional activity practiced in the villages on the lake.  Silk is a common material but the premium products are made from lotus stem.  The fibre is labouriously removed from the stem by making cuts at about 1 inch intervals and drawing out about 10 fibres per cut.  This is then spun and woven on traditional looms.  The asking price for a lotus cloth shirt, which has the texture of coarse linen, was USD 550!  Silk was significantly cheaper.

Hydroponic tomatoes

On the lake, crops are grown in floating gardens, mats of compost and fibre anchored to the lake floor by bamboo poles.  Tomatoes, cucumbers and squash are among the products.  Culture and harvesting are by boat, with the rows of crops set just wide enough to allow passage.

Traditional sculling

The local men have developed a unique form of rowing or sculling using their legs, leaving hands free to handle their nets or tend their crops. Women are not permitted to do this so are confined to rowing only.

8 hoof drive - probably more effective than 4WD here

The local market is held at a different lakeside location, on a 5-day cycle.  Goods arrive at the market by bullock cart or by boat.  On sale are the necessities of life as well as tourist-oriented souvenirs.  Being beside the lake during the rainy season there is also a lot of mud!











Shan women at market

  As well as being the local shopping centre the market is an opportunity for a bit of gossip.  The girls haven't just washed their hair - this is traditional Shan headgear.