9^th September 2013 – Nyaungshwe on Lake Inle

The busy bridge next to our hotel is the main link by road for people from both sides of the lake

It is also where the water ‘taxis’ and tour boats can be hired from

These conical nets are used by the fisherman as traps, which they take up in the morning

Here the silt at the bottom of the lake is being hauled up to use as infill on the lake in order to increase the ‘Inthas’ growing area for tomatoes and other crops

The water hyacynths however are a problem, clogging up the lake, and making it inaccessible in the middle

We see the oldest temple in town, Yadana Man Aung Paya, with its unique step-spired stupa as we got to visit the Mingala Market

Plenty of women here in the Shan scarf headresses

This old lady is so pleased we bought some of her hand picked tea!

All the varieties of tomatoes and fertilizers on sale

The typical Burmese way of having a noddle breakfast with flasks of hot tea

Take away noodles wrapped up in huge water lilly leaves

Pots of cooking oil in the kitchen area of the local restaurant

And containers of cooking oil being siphoned off into plastic containers for customers

The flower sellers are always close to the temples

Early morning market traffic on and under the bridge

A motorized boat trip along another side river to some important shrines shows us how the river is blocked by wooden poles all along its length to catch fish

The boat has to virtually jump the rapids being caused

The village of Indein on the western side of the lake

The site of a mouldering complex of shrines and stupas both at the bottom of the hill

And at Shwe Inn Thein, the top of the hill where a huge collection of weather beaten stupas have escaped restoration.  It offers a great view across the lake to the hills in the east and the countryside to the west.

A taxi bringing the villagers back from market