Our journey began in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bagan. Famous for having hundreds of Buddhist temples built between the 9th and 13th century, Bagan is well worth the journey to get there.
From Bagan there’s an overnight bus to the mountain town of Kalaw. This town attracts trekkers from all over the world who wish to make the journey from Kalaw to Inle Lake on foot.
As we reached the end of our two day hike, a longtail boat awaits to take us across the lake to our hotel. Along the way we saw how the locals live in stilt houses and utilize floating farms.
Along with agriculture, fisherman have made a living on Inle Lake for generations. These fisherman continue the tradition of rowing their boat with one leg while using their hands to pull in the nets. It’s an incredible feat of balance.
You may see images on the internet of fisherman in traditional dress with large bamboo nets. These fisherman are simply there for tourists to take photos, but real fisherman still use the traditional leg rowing as well but have switched to more modern nets.