Myanmar - Part II
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Filling the bottom of a valley in western Shan State, this large, shallow body of water is a nexus of culture and history, and the numerous different tribes that live near, next to, and even on, the great lake, all present a melting pot of multiple traditions rarely seen other places. The amount of ethnic groups, tribes, and minorities is staggering, and as it is one of the well known stops of Myanmar's current tourist trail, this mix is being accelerated into the modern world quite rapidly, for better or worse. We spent four days here, mostly centered around the town of Nyaung-Shwe, which is at the northern end of the lake.
The Nerdy Part - How Did It Form? And Tell Me Some History....
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Inle Lake sits in what is known as a graben. Eastern Myanmar is very geologically active, with numerous faults and subfaults crisscrossing the eastern side of the country, and Shan State in particular. It is not uncommon for Myanmar to suffer from occasional earthquakers. There is a whole lot of limestone in the area, which is a sedimentary rock, and the area around Inle Lake is a formation called "horsts" and "grabens". These are large blocks of earth that have been (mostly) congruently "lifted" and "dropped" in sequence, to form mountains separated by flat basins and valleys. One block goes up, the next block goes down, the next block up, and so on. This is how the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, USA were formed.
Over time, rain water has collected in one of those basins, filling a portion of it to form the broad, shallow lake. Average depths in the lake range from one to five meters. Even in the middle part of the lake it is less than 30 meters deep. When you look at a relief map of Myanmar, in this area in particular, you will see a series of broad valleys and moderate hills, all following a pretty straight on north-south alignment. Given the absence of riverine features (large floodplains with meanders, oxbows, and former gravel bed shoulders), it's clear this is a typical horst and graben formation.
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The area around Inle Lake possesses more than a dozen different tribes, from the dominant and well known Intha People ("Children of the Lake") to much smaller groups (such as the Pa-O) who number less than a few dozen villages. Although the archaeological record is spotty at best, given it's current position as a crossroads of culture and traditions, it's likely that the Inle Lake valley and greater area has been inhabited for the past few thousand years. The number of settlements is incredible, with villages built on stilts over the lake itself, on mud islands, in the floodplains and flats of the valleys, as well as into the hills and mountains above. There is a low-end estimate of 70,000 people in the area, and it sure seems like it could be that fairly easy. Of course, it's going to be interesting to see how these different groups do over the course of the next two decades, as more tourism and more modernity comes to Myanmar.
Alright, that's all for the nerdy bits.
We arrived into town at the crisp hour of 5:30. The bus ride was mostly uneventful. We stopped three different times during the night for potty breaks, and each time we stopped the stops got more and more rustic. The first stop was at a full on highway rest area, with a dozen restaurants and stores selling all manner of foods and drink. Many nice restrooms line the back. By contrast, the last place we stopped was a small restaurant on the side of the road that didn't have walls, only a roof. I don't sleep well on buses so I endured through most of the inky darkness, and was pretty relieved to finally chug into Nyaung Shwe. Right off the back as you step off the bus they are there getting you for your entrance fee into the "Inle Lake Tourism Zone". 20 bucks down, just like that. A quick Tuk Tuk ride dropped us off at the Zaygi Inn, our hotel for the next few days. It was a bit spartan but for just a few days it wasn't that bad.
We arrived into town at the crisp hour of 5:30. The bus ride was mostly uneventful. We stopped three different times during the night for potty breaks, and each time we stopped the stops got more and more rustic. The first stop was at a full on highway rest area, with a dozen restaurants and stores selling all manner of foods and drink. Many nice restrooms line the back. By contrast, the last place we stopped was a small restaurant on the side of the road that didn't have walls, only a roof. I don't sleep well on buses so I endured through most of the inky darkness, and was pretty relieved to finally chug into Nyaung Shwe. Right off the back as you step off the bus they are there getting you for your entrance fee into the "Inle Lake Tourism Zone". 20 bucks down, just like that. A quick Tuk Tuk ride dropped us off at the Zaygi Inn, our hotel for the next few days. It was a bit spartan but for just a few days it wasn't that bad.
Since I had hardly slept, and Kelsey hadn't exactly slept well, we crashed out for a four hour nap, waking up in time to go have some lunch. It was here where we tried to rent a moto, only to be told that foreigners aren't allowed to rent motos in Myanmar. Bummer. However, we were able to procure a couple of bicycles and set off down the road looking for a hot springs that our bike rental guy said "you can't swim at" but everyone raved about. It ended up being quite a trek. We had just about reached a limit, and stopped to hike up a short hill to a small pagoda we had spied from the road. Whilst up there, we looked down and realized the hot springs was right below us! So we quickly went back down the hill, and sure enough, there they were. And while a bit hot, they were quite nice and enjoyable.
We spent some time hanging out by ourselves, taking turns in the 36 degree water and sitting outside of it. After a while we started talking to some other travelers who were hanging out. One couple was from Mexico and were on their way back to Australia, where she was getting her degree. The other couple was from Holland and were out seeing the world. Nice folks all around. After we finished up, we leisurely rode back, taking lots of photos, enjoying the scenery, and also getting soaked in a brief rain storm just shy of town.
After we arrived back at town we had some dinner and retired early to our bungalow. Outside, a friendly turtle had taken up residence underneath our porch. He was a little shy but let me take a couple of photos. Another distraction that night was the wide array of flowers throughout the town. I couldn't stop looking at them and taking pictures of them. There was such a wide array! It was a pretty early night for us as we had an early mission on a boat trip the next day.
On to Part III - Inle Lake Boat Tour....
All photos copyright Kit Davidson unless otherwise cited.