Yesterday we spent a full day on a narrow longboat cruising the lake and the myriad canals that finger out into the southwestern area of the lake. Fishermen dot the waterways, but there were also many who were not fishing, instead clearing the water hyacinth that is seriously invading the lake.
Like many other freshwater lakes in the world, this rapid infestation is caused by farming on the surrounding land. Fertilizer and livestock runoff feed the plants to the point that the lake is being choked. If not controlled, it will probably lead to the destruction of the small fishery that exists on the lake and the eventual death of much of its aquatic life, save the hyacinths.
This is not exclusive to Myanmar. Where I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg, among the largest freshwater lakes in the world, is now severely threatened by the same problem. It doesn’t matter if you are in the first world or third world, developed or not; this is a serious worldwide issue that needs immediate attention and probably radical solutions to reverse this course of destruction. Sorry to sound so gloomy.
The lake is 22 km long and 10 km wide and is located in central Myanmar. It is fringed by floating marshes and floating gardens. Stilt-house villages rise above the water and, along with fishing, handicrafts, silk and lotus weaving and silversmithing, contribute to the lake-based economy.
Our first stop, after about a 45-minute ride across the lake and then through a winding canal, was the village of Indein. It is famous for its crumbling groups of ancient pagodas, Nyaung Oak and Shwe Inn Thein Paya, noted for the hundreds of densely packed stupas.
Nyuang Oak
Shwe Inn Thein Paya Pagoda
Our final stop before heading back to our departure jetty was Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery. At over 200 years old, it is the oldest and largest in the Inle Lake region. It is built on wooden stilts and set among floating gardens.
It is also known as the “Cat Monastery.” The monks once trained cats to jump through hoops when boredom set in, but apparently this tradition has faded and we didn’t see one cat. The wooden monastery houses a collection of Buddha images in Shan, Tibetan, Bagan and Inwa styles.
On our way, we navigated through a maze of canals, passing Shan and Intha villages along the banks.
