Kalaw -Trekking centre & Inle Lake – Villages built on water!

The morning Market in Kalaw

A village elder from Trish's Trek

Tribes people selling their goods at the Train station

Traditional fishing in Inle Lake

Girls Orphanage at Inle Lake

Next stop was another hill station, Kalaw. Fortunately it was a bit warmer there at night but Mike still bought a touque! It’s a trekking centre. Mike had hurt his knee before we left so couldn’t trek but Trish set off for 2 long day hikes with a local guide. He was over 70 but had lived in the area all his life, spoke all the languages of the local hill tribes and was a wealth of non stop information. We got invited into villagers’ homes for tea and oranges and to meet the latest grandchildren. Very special! The way of life hasn’t changed for centuries. I saw villagers clearing rocks from the bullock path by building a fire over the offending boulder to weaken and crack it, then chipping at it by hand to place homemade dynamite to blow it apart. Further along the route a whole village came out to watch the first backhoe and bulldozer anyone had ever seen. A nearby gold mine was building a road near the village. Wish they could have helped the other guys out too! Kalaw had a weekly market for all the outlying villagers to bring in their produce. There were endless oxcarts and the ladies had a huge variety of clothing and headgear, depending on which tribe they came from.

Our favourite stop was Inle Lake with its villages of houses and pagodas built on stilts over the water. The local Intha people have a unique rowing style using one leg wrapped round the paddle leaving their hands free to manage their fishing nets and traps. There are very few roads so no cars or bikes. Even little kids get around in flat bottomed dugouts which are moored under every house. Fruits and veggies are grown on floating mats of reeds as well as round the houses when the water is low in dry season. We rented a boat for the day and toured the area and visited temples, silversmiths, weavers, and cigar makers. We also stopped at an orphanage and chatted with 4 of the delightful girls living there. Another day we rented bikes to explore back roads to the local villages and markets. There was great excitement amongst the villagers when hot air balloons floated by-, a new tourist venture.