After a quick flight from Bagan to Heho, we took a taxi direct to the town of Nyaung Shwe, the gateway to Inle Lake.
We arrived with no itinerary and no contacts. How would we fare?
48 Hours At Inle Lake: How To See Inle Lake In 2 Days [Day 1] (Inle Lake, Heho, Myanmar)
Day 1: Shopping, Temples, Floating Gardens And Kayan Women
Ticket And Maps
We first stopped by the information desk at the airport in Heho to purchase tickets to the Inle Zone and arrange a taxi.
They handed us our tickets and the maps below.
Map of the Inle Region
Map of Inle Lake
The Water-Taxi From Nyaung Shwe To Paramount Inle Resort
The taxi driver dropped us off at this small travel company called “Golden Inle Travel & Tours”.
After slipping the taxi driver some [extra] cash, the shop’s owner took us into his shop and asked us how long we’d be there and what we wanted to do.
We told him, “2 nights” and before we could say anything else, the man provided a document that said “2-Day Tour”. It pretty much had everything we wanted to do on it – and the price was way cheaper than what we had expected – so there was no need to shop any further.
Just like that, we agreed and paid him. He picked-up the phone to call “Tay”, the 16-year old teen who would be our tour-guide/boat captain for the next 48 hours.
Golden Inle Travels & Tours
That’s our boat, in the middle of the jetty (with the guy standing on it)
Getting out of the jetty was a bit, should I say, complicated
Tay is the captain now
Inle Lake: The “Real Thing” Or “Tourist Trap”?
Much has been made about whether Inle Lake is a “real tourist attraction” or a “tourist trap”. Rumors abound that “nobody really lives on the lake anymore” and “the lake doesn’t even have any fish”.
Perhaps what best illustrates this debate is the famous Intha Fisherman of Inle Lake themselves.
We first encountered them – and their picture-perfect outfits and iconic fishing-net poses – almost immediately after leaving the Nyaung Shwe Canal. On cue, our boat pulled up next to one and we snapped a whole bunch of pictures as he posed but didn’t fish (see the picture below).
By the time we realized this was kind of strange, our boat had floated up right next to him and he asked for a tip.
Fool me once. We soon realized the guys who were actually fishing on the lake were’t wearing traditional Intha outfits and they weren’t posing with nets for minutes on end. They were actually fishing. Still, we couldn’t hate on this guy as he too needed to make a living.
This brings me to my final point on this. In my opinion, Inle is both a “tourist trap” and a legit “real” tourist attraction. There’s no doubt that modern life, climate change, and economics have played a role in shaping the Inle Lake of today. Still, tourists visit because they want to snap a photo of the Intha Fisherman striking a pose [below].
There’s nothing wrong with people trying to make a living just as there’s nothing wrong with deciding what you want to pay for. If you take the pictures, then you should tip. If you don’t want to tour the many “factories” on the lake (like jewelry, trinket, clothing artwork, etc.), then you should speak up and tell your boat captain.
In the end, know that whatever you do buy or tip really does support the local economy greatly, even if you haggle a bit.
[Fake] Intha Fisherman
[Real] Intha Fisherman
Chillin’ on an Inle water-taxi
Arrival At Paramount Inle Resort
The water-taxi provided front-pier service. We were let off to check-in to the hotel and drop our things off in our room.
(image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com)
(image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com)
Day 1: Tour Of Inle Lake
We left the resort on the lake and headed out to do officially begin our “Day 1” tour of the lake.
The satellite dish and drying laundry were signs that “real people” did in fact live here
Lunch Stop
We soon pulled up to this restaurant on the lake for some lunch and ice-cold beers.
Can’t have a proper Burmese meal without ice-cold Myanmar Beer
Factory And Shopping Stops
After lunch, the first couple of stops were factories on the lake. I recall we stopped at a jewlery factory, a knitting factory [below], a silver factory, and a trinket factory.
All were the same setup; the “owner” meets you, gives you a tour, and then leads you through the exit in the gift shop.
Yes, most of these items are overpriced here. Yes, most of these items are available for cheaper somewhere else. Yes, many tourists love shop-hopping on Inle Lake. After shop #4 and one-and-a-half hours later, we were done.
We politely told our guide, “NO MORE SHOPPING”. He smiled and said, “OK – temples”.
This factory employed elderly local women for knitting
Temples, Gardens And Monasteries
With that, the shopping was done and we “free” to continue on to see some of the notable sites on the lake.
Ywama Paya Temple
The first stop was the Ywama Paya Temple complex.
It was good to get out and walk around here. Most of the pagodas were individually small, but taken as a whole, it was quite impressive.
Hpaung Daw U Temple [Under Restoration]
One of the most important temples on the lake was Hpaung Daw U Temple.
It was under restoration at the time of our visit, still many locals gathered there for religious purposes.
This temple also had a very large shopping market where you could buy almost everything seen at the factories for about 1/2 the price.
This is what this temple looks like when completed (Image: http://bjornfree.com/travel/galleries/)
The Floating Gardens
Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery (The Jumping Cat Monastery)
This more than 200-year old wooden monastery is the oldest and the largest on the lake.
Many years ago, the head monk was said to have trained cats to jump through rings (hence the name Jumping Cat Monastery), but most of those cats are long gone (we didn’t see any cats) and the current head monk has no intention to revive that gimmick for tourist purposes.
Large tourist group
A colorful building near the Floating Garden
Women selling items from the boat
Kayan Ladies (Long-Necked Women)
The last tourist stop on “Day 1” was the Kayan Lady Museum.
The Kayan people, originally from Shan State to the Golden Triangle area, are notable for the distinctive rings the women wear around their necks.
Legend has it that the original purpose for these rings was to prevent women from falling prey to tigers. It has since become a voluntary form of jewelry [and identity] for many of the Kayan women, as well as a big tourism draw in Myanmar and Thailand.
Outside the museum on the porch, you can pay to take a picture with an elderly Kayan lady (full disclosure – we did – and were surprised when she spoke to us in perfect English), although I chose not to include her picture here to protect her privacy.
The Kayan House
The rings are incredibly heavy
Museum map of Inle Lake
Museum map of Myanmar [& Shan State]
More tourists arriving
Return To Paramount Inle Resort
After a full half-day on the lake, we were beat.
(Image courtesy of paramountinleresort.com)
Final Thoughts: 48 Hours At Inle Lake: How To See Inle Lake In 2 Days [Day 1] (Inle Lake, Heho, Myanmar)
Although the “Day 1” tour of Inle Lake started off a bit slowly with all the tourist-trap factory stops and shopping (which I’m sure many people would enjoy), things really picked-up positively when we politely told our guide, “NO MORE SHOPPING”.
From that point on we stopped stressing and started exploring. Almost immediately, we started meeting locals and other tourists alike. Boating around the lake to get a lay of the land and checking out the temples gave us a solid feel for daily life, and that’s when Inle Lake really came alive.
We couldn’t wait to start “Day 2”.
Click Here To Continue On To Day 2: Inn Dien Pagoda And Nyaung Shwe
Cheers!
1 comment
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nearly anything done.
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