Inle Lake Things to Do

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The beauty and mystery of the Inle-Lake region is enhanced by a relgious festival, celebrated by all surrounding villages, that can be reached by boat.
The 5 holy revered Buddha statues kept in a pagoda at Inle lake`s Nan Hoo village start their journey around the surrounding villages by huge festival-boats, usually around end of October/beginning of November.The 5 Buddha-images are that completely covered with gold, offered by the village-people,so that their shapes look more like giant balls, rather than statues.They are collectively known as "Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda - statues".

We actually didn't have much of a choice about seeing the women with the stretched necks at a shop on Inle Lake. It was one of the places our boat driver took us. The women where gold coils (probably brass) around their necks which depresses their collarbone. this gives a giraffe-like impression. Evidently, there are areas in Myanmar where some women did this traditionally. Now, this is done more as a mechanism to make money. We saw at least one of the women putting on the coils once she saw us (I am guessing it is not very comfortable). We found it a bit disturbing and did not plan on taking a picture until the shop owner and boat driver basically insisted, which I thought was a bit odd.

Nga Phe Kyaung is also known as Jumping Cat Monastery. The monastery is located on Inle Lake and will probably be a part of any boat tour. Just to be sure you can always ask. It is a large monastery with an open air area. Here, some of the monks train cats to jump up into the air through hoops. It is actually an impressive sight to see how high some of the cats can jump as you can see in the picture.

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Taking a boat trip around Inle Lake is a must do activity. These can be arranged by guest houses and are quite reasonable in price (<$10US per person). The trip we took lasted for the better part of the day. The boats are long and with small motors at the back.

Among the interesting things you will see are traditional fishermen who throw cone-shaped basket down into the water and then spear the fish who are caught in the basket. The coolest thing is how they manuver their boats, standing on the back end of a long thin boat with a long paddle that they row with both a hand and their leg. A balancing feat!

We saw the small towns built on stilts above the water and were impressed by the amount of agriculture on the lake. They've built up rows of tomato plants and they go through the rows on their boats to harvest the tomatoes.

There is a major market where souvenir peddlers paddle up to the boat. The boat tour stops at a variety of different craft makers and shops, all on the lake.

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When you visit to Inle Lake, get hire the boat and first one hour boat trip to begin your sightseeing. So surely you need the scraf and hat! Put on sunscream before you get too much sunburn. Boatman supply the umbrellas but you can not use it when the engined boat run in the lake. Buy some snack to feed the seagull which you will see they are following to your boat in the afternoon. There are many GuestHouse in Nyaung Shwe but if you want to stay in the lake, choose one of the upmarket hotel.

Heho(Airport) to Nyaung Shwe(Jetty Town) - 1hour drive

Have a nice trip!

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Though the well famed "long neck" Padaung women don't live here, some of them have settled in the lake mainly acting as live attraction for this tribe. They are involved in handicraft production and a stop in their souvenir shop is sometimes included in the tour around the lake. You're not supposed to buy, but I think you'll most likely refuse to make some photos as they are highly photogenic for their distinguished appearance. (remember a tip is welcome)
The Padaung (Kayan also known) as well famed for the coiling lengths of brass around the necks of the women. They are a tribe with turbulent history: in the 1990s, due to conflict with the military regime in Burma, many fled into neighbouring Thailand where they settled in the border area. In fact there, are more or less like a human zoo, as lots of tourists are willing to pay, in order to visit them and make photos..
The tribe wears rings or coils made of brass that are placed around the neck. The coils are first applied when the girls are about five years old. This results in the appearance of a very long neck. The rings, once on, are seldom removed but contrary to myth, the women do not suffocate. There are many explanations about why these coils are used: protect from tiger bites, protection them against slave trade by making them unattractive or more likely, it reflects the neck of a dragon.

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Nga Phe Chaung Monastery was almost our last stop before returning back to Nyaung Shwe. This is a 250 years old monastery, the oldest in the region. Despite the wooden layout, the nice views over the surrounding hills from its balconies, the beautiful altars....most of the tourists come here for its special attraction: the jumping cats!!

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At the Nga Phe Chaung Monastery, which is a popular dock for the motor boats, there is a special attraction. This monastery is famous for the "jumping cats"! These are cats trained to leap through tires on command. The cats roam freely inside the monastery, they are used to humans (but not so tender) and in most cases they are ready to perform specially for your cameras!! A donation is appreciated...