For a change of scenery from the smoggy city, we took a long journey up to the countryside at Inle Lake. Quite different from Yangon, the tiny town Nyangshwe we stayed in was surrounded by the enormous clear lake, rolling mountains, and lush green rice fields.

We cruised on a long boat through neighborhoods built right on the water. The inhabitants row their boats by standing on one end and using one leg to move the paddle. Their hundreds of tiny little foot muscles must be insanely strong!

It seemed like one of those places that has stayed pretty much the same for decades. All over the lake you can find fishermen with old school Southeast Asian nets as well as seaweed farmers hacking and lifting piles of the stuff onto their boats. We also saw people working hard in tomato gardens floating entirely on the water.

People in the surrounding villages gather to sell their stuff in a different place on different days of the week, and we rocked up in our boat to one of these markets. It was good fun, just a lot of people bustling around the mud (it rained heavily the night before) looking for good produce, underwear, or whatever else they need/want. I didn’t do so well navigating in the mud and my foot got stuck. I was unsuccessfully trying to yank it out while leaning to the side to let a few people through who were carrying sacks bigger than me on their heads. It was stressfully funny.

And here’s a photo of a cute lady who was selling cabbage:

We went on a hike through some hilly farmland and encountered some seriously awesome swarms of dragonflies. And of course some really cute and kind-hearted kids who gave us flowers and mangoes.

Not to mention, our hotel, the Aquarius Inn, had the most incredible hospitality of the entire trip. They were always over-the-top with kindness and anytime they found you lounging around, they’d bring bananas with honey and local soy snacks with tea.

Inle rocks!