The excitement of street photography reaches a peak when I travel to places where time seems to have stood still, where modern technology hasn’t changed the landscape and where traditional life seems to still flourish. One such place is the Inle Lake area of Myanmar.
Inle lake is a very shallow 13 mile long body of water in Eastern Myanmar. The area borders China to the North, Laos to the East, and Thailand to the South. The lake is the center of all the activity in the area. The houses, shops, temples and schools are all built on bamboo stilts near the banks of the lake. The floating farms provide food and material for the flourishing weaving trade. Small villages dot the banks of the river with all transportation happening by small boats. If any place seems to define the word “tranquil”, the Inle Lake hits the spot.
Most important and most fascinating are the fishermen of Inle Lake. With the lake having an average depth of only 7 feet, over the centuries the fishermen developed a beautiful and unique way of fishing. It is fascinating to watch their almost ballet-like movements as they fish.
Watching the fishermen gracefully cast their nets is so fascinating. It is no easy feat to throw these nets which are weighted around the edges and then have them spread out in full size. Once the nets settle, the water is stirred up a bit and then then the net is retrieved along with any fish that happened to get caught in the webbing.
The most common form of fishing in Inle Lake is by the traditional leg casting method. Because of the shallowness of the lake and the abundance of reeds in the water, the fishermen must stand in their small boats in order to see possible fishing areas and to avoid congestion. They also need to have both hands available to cast their conical nets, stir up the water, and retrieve their catch. They have mastered a technique where they stand on one leg and unbelievably wrap their other leg around the oar in order to steer the boat. This frees up both of their hands for the work with the nets. The fishermen seem to be a combination of dancers, acrobats and strongmen in order to achieve this.
The fishermen look for areas with air bubbles coming to the surface and push their nets down to the bottom. They then stir up the area with their oars, and wait for fish to get caught in the netting. It is a sight that I never tired of watching.
The streets on Inle Lake are actually the inlets and the large lake itself. All of the buildings, homes, schools, temples, and shops are built on stilts throughout the area. If you want to visit your next door neighbor, you need to hop in your small boat and row there.
Most of the structures on the lake are built with material that is grown there or floated in on their boats. The houses are open on all sides to the cool breezes from the water that temper the hot climate.
Commerce in the Inle Lake area obviously revolves around fishing and harvesting of plants and vegetables. Among the few exports are their hand-woven baskets, and fine lotus spun clothing. All along the river you can find small, barely lit homes with women using traditional methods to weave the clothing. Weekly outdoor markets at rotating villages along the lake serve as both major social events and opportunities to buy and sell their goods.
Another local cottage industry around Inle Lake is the production of hand rolled Cheroot or cigars. These cigars, with both ends cut off, are extremely inexpensive in a country where people cannot afford commercially produced cigarettes. The cheroot is usually made by wrapping a mysterious combination of banana, pineapple, sugar, tamarind, honey and whatever else happens to be around in one tobacco leaf. Walking around the market areas on the shore of Inle Lake I often saw women smoking their cheroot.
Rather than limit themselves to gardens on land, the Farmers around Inle Lake have developed a massive system of floating gardens. These island gardens are built atop clumps of water hyacinth and seagrass and are kept in place with bamboo poles. Fruits, vegetables and flowers of all kinds are grown here.
Sadly, in February, 2021, after having experienced only 10 years of civilian rule, the military once again took control of this beautiful country. The lives of the people who were so optimistic about their future is now in a shambles and very difficult. I have been keeping almost daily contact with my wonderful guide and we both look forward to the day when she can once again enjoy the beauty of her country.
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