Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

Inle Lake is a small lake in the highlands to the east of the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's largest river which crosses the country from north to south. It is situated in the Shan State and its inhabitants do not belong to the Bamar, the main ethnic group of Myanmar. The development of mass tourism has brought some benefits to the local economy, but not to the fishermen and peasants who live in the southern parts of the lake and who see more and more fast boats full of tourists come to their villages. The surface of the lake is just 44 square miles during the rainy season and it diminishes every year.

Sunset

Water lilies and bananas at dawn

Stilt houses

Floating gardens

Leg rowing fishermen (above) and weed harvesters (below)

Other fishermen (the image used as background for this page shows another fisherman)

Life in a river emptying into the lake near Indein: (left) men collecting mud used as fertilizer: (right) children (above) and a water buffalo (below) taking a bath

Statues of Buddha (in the Earth-touching position) at Nga Phe Kyaung Pagoda

Votive stupas (temples) built to gain spiritual benefits at Indein

Other votive stupas retaining parts of their decoration at Indein

Votive stupas about to be "restored" thus losing their evocativeness at Indein

Phaung Daw U Pagoda

Believers applying gold leaf on statues of Buddha at Phaung Daw U Pagoda

Votive stupas near Phaung Daw U Pagoda

Preparations for the Phaung Daw U Festival

Phaung Daw U Festival: the main boat moors at the pagoda

You may wish to compare Inle Lake with Tonle Sap, a lake in Cambodia.

Go and see Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival or move to:
Introductory page
Bagan
Mandalay
Yangon (Rangoon)