Inle Lake - The Place That Time Forgot
Ever want to get away from it – the hectic pace of everyday life; the bombardment of sights and sounds of urban life; and people people everywhere all rushing to get someplace else. Ever wish you could step back in time to a simpler life free from the stress and the problems associated with all the ills that have come with “progress”. I do -- and I found such a place.
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| Lone boat on lake, late afternoon. While waiting on the lake for the sun to set, I took this picture looking east toward the opposite shore. |
The place is Inle Lake and it is in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in SE Asia. It is the perfect place to step back in time and enjoy the life much as it was a hundred or more years ago. Inle Lake is located 3,000 feet high up in the mountains of Shan State, reachable by an hour’s plane trip from either Yangon or Mandalay to neighboring Heho and another half-hour journey by car.
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Night view from our lodge
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Lone fisherman in the early morning mist
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Visiting Inle Lake is leaving the world, its hustle and bustle and its frantic pace, far far behind -- like stepping into another time and place -- indeed a paradise of peace, tranquility and harmony.
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Floating gardens are used to grow both fruits and vegetables on the lake itself.
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Inle Lake’s famed leg-rowing fisherman with conical net. They catch fish by capturing fish inside the net and spearing them.
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The people of Inle Lake, some 70,000 of them, live in four cities bordering the lake, in numerous small villages along the lake’s shores and on the lake itself. Most live in simple stilt houses of woven bamboo and are largely self-sufficient, living much as their forefathers did.
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11 year-old Padung girl. As girls get older, additional neck bands are added. Adults have 25.
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Lively grandmonther. You can see the story of her life in her face, and it has been good.
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In addition to fish caught by their picturesque “leg-rowing” fishermen, the actually raise vegetables and fruits on gardens floated on the surface of the lake and carry on small industries with hand labor to produce goods for local use and trading. Their five-day markets, which rotate between different places around the lake, serve as the basic shopping “malls” with sales conducted from boats on the lake.
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Two ladies, of different cultural backgrounds, living and working together in peaceful harmony.
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Two native men looking manly for the camera
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Just your typical sunset on Inle Lake
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Young monk, two windows
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But it is the fact that neighbors help fellow neighbors in time of need that reminds me of more innocent days in the U.S., before drugs, before rampant crime and before fears of security. They are simple people, living simple lives, with boats as their only means of transportation. Long boats carry produce and tourists, some with motors, leaving rooster tails in their wake. Residents cook and heat with wood. Many residents still do not have electricity. Step back in time when you view these pictures -- then put Inle Lake on the top of your vacation list. It is truly a place that is timeless.
As a traveler/photographer, the most important considerations are to make sure you bring lots of film and keep your camera handy, because from sunrise to late night, it is a photographer’s paradise. All my shots were with my trusty Olympus C-2100, with its 10X zoom. With such beauty, you don’t need special lenses and filters – just let the lake and its people speak for themselves.
About the Author
Sam Stearman moved to Hong Kong in 2003 from San Diego CA. Since relocating, he has been an active traveler and photographer, a member of PSA and a General Committee member of FAPA – Hong Kong & Macau Chapter. His work “Sam’s Exotic Travels” can be found on the web at www.samsays.com
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