---

Today was my last full day in Burma and we spent it cruising around Inle Lake in a motorized canoe, from which we visited floating shops and nearby villages. It was the send off I hoped it would be.

The first 10 miles of the lake seemed more like a river with parallel banks made-up of tall river grasses abd thatch-roofed stilt houses. We were amazed when the lake expanded and seemed uncontained, with water on every side as far as the eye could see. The backdrop was layers of hills and mountains topped with white mist and clouds. Fisherman speckled the lake, rowing with their right leg and casting net with their arms. Other boaters gathered sea weed and purple-blue water lilies. The large lake became over-grown with sea grasses and plant life which deceptively appeared to be dry ground but in actuality was deep-water marshland. Navicable clearings were created throughout the marshland, making dozens of defined canals.

I was told our first stop would be the floating market, but was unprepared for what that actually meant. As our motorboat sped through the canal, we approached paddle canoes full of small items for sale and two salespeople. They basically rowed into the path of our boat and kind of crashed into it, holding onto the side and presenting us with trays of wares. At one time, I think we had five canoes attached to us with tem people trying to sell us stuff. It was crazy...but it was my last opportunity to shop in Burma...

This floating market continued until we reached a shop on stilts that was famous for employing Padaung weavers. These women wear gold rings around their necks, calves, and wrists. In some places, they are called the giraffe women because the continual adding of rings throughout their lifetime stretches their necks and collapses their shoulders/chest cavities until their necks extend over a foot long. (don't worry...I took photos!)

From there, we visited Indaen--a conglomeration of ancient stupas. This was a cool area because unlike Bagan, the stupas were small, like pointed pot-belly chimneys, but crowded together only a few feet apart. The crumbling remains had weathered heat, monsoons, tourists and raiders (especially Thai warriors). Most of the Buddhas were decapitated, and the fireplace-sized shrines plundered. Nonetheless, their age--over 1000 years old--and the plants growing on top of them made them a spectacular sight.

We also ventured to the floating garden which was farm produce growing on top of the water (mostly tomatoes), saw how paper umbrellas were made, and visited a monastery where the cats were trained to jump through hoops. Unfortunately, both the monks and cats were quite lazy and there was no kitty hoop jumping. My cat, Miso, would be happy to know that she remains in my heart as the jumpiest and springiest cat I know.

The rest of the afternoon was simple and nice--lunch along the lake and cruising along the lake canals. It was a splendid way to spend my last day in Myanmar. We ate dinner at a joint that boasted Italian food and made their own pasta by hand. It was splendid.

---