10-7 (Saturday) Inle Lake

I got up at 4:30 so I'd be ready by 5:30. The hotel served us breakfast in the room then we left at 6:00. It was a little chilly as we headed across the Inle Lake. I put on my flannel shirt and I was wearing my zip off pants. We went through several water villages. We saw hard working fishermen rowing their flat bottom boats with their legs as they plotted a path through the floating islands and water hyacinths. They actually live and work on the water growing their crops on fertile masses of marsh grass and soil that are anchored to the lake bottom with bamboo poles. The lake is in a valley surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. This serene body of water has floating gardens (many tomatoes are growing right along the canals), tribal villages, monasteries and stupas line the shores.

Our long tail boat was like a large canoe. The boats the fishermen use are smaller. They are more like a dugout canoe. The fisherman perches or stands on a small flat platform on the back. They use nets or a cone shaped basket for catching fish. The lake is not deep 4-6 ft or 12 feet during the rainy season.

We got to a certain area where 100's and 100's of boats were "parked." This was the observation area for the upcoming parade. While we were waiting for it to begin vendors in their floating markets came along side our boat trying to sell their wares.

The "floats" consisted of a line of very long boats tied end to end. On each side there must have been 30 men standing up rowing. Sometimes they used their arms on the long oars and sometimes they rowed with their legs. Each boat "team" was dressed alike. There was a lot of burnt orange which seems to represent Buddha! Some of the boats had huge umbrellas. The last two floats were gold in color and represented a pagoda. Once the last float passed everyone cranked up their motors and raced to another location to see them again. Then we maneuvered our boat to land where everyone was getting out for the festivities. There was so much water on the ground from all the rain that our feet sank down in the mud and it was hard to pick them up. We sat down at some tables under cover and had breakfast. There were a lot of minorities walking around. I saw a Japanese woman running after them and sticking her camera right in their faces. She was totally out of place with her picture taking. I ran up to her and stuck my camera in her face and took her picture but I don't think she got it.

It was back into the boat to make the rounds of the different "factories" where they show you how a product is made and then expect you to buy it. First was the silk factory. There was only one young girl working the looms because everyone else was at the festival. Next was the cigar "factory." The cigars were wrapped in a green leaf and weren't much bigger than a cigarette. There were 8 girls working. They work from 7 in the morning until 6 at night. They roll 500 cigars a day and earn 18 cents a day. They sit cross legged on the floor to do this job with no support for their back. They get 30 minutes off for lunch.

Our next stop was the big pagoda. We had to take off our shoes to go inside just like we do at every pagoda. This one was worth seeing - the ceiling was beautiful. Around the top of the wall right next to the ceiling were colorful painted pictures telling Buddhas life story. In the center of the room was Buddha on a platform. There was a sign that said "Ladies Prohibited." underneath the pagoda was a huge market. I bought a tee-shirt and a hat and Joyce bought a couple of sarongs.

Next we headed off to lunch in a very nice restaurant. There were some Americans sitting at a table next to us, the first we have seen since leaving home.

The next stop was the silver factory. The conditions were so primitive - they still operate a bellows with their foot to stoke the fire for melting the silver.

The paper making factory was next. Some girl kneels on a board most of the day making the paper.

My favorite stop was to see the Long Neck people. They were weaving. The grandmother was 65 years old and very funny. We were saying how pretty they all were - grannie said, "yes, but I'm the MOST beautiful!" She had 25 rings around her neck and let me tell you they are heavy.
It started raining as we stopped to snoop in shops along one of the canals. We also stopped at a fancy hotel in the middle of one of the canals. U Tin Wint told the management we were there from America to make an inspection of the place! I don't know what they thought but they rolled out the red carpet for us showing us the rooms, the menu, the observation tower etc, etc.

It was raining again when we went to our last pagoda of the day. It was the one where the monks have taught their cats to jump through hoops.

We rode back to the hotel with our umbrellas up since it was still raining.