There was something on my bucket list that I’d wanted to see for a while (other than the temples of Bagan) – and that was to see the fishermen on Inle Lake.
I’d heard a lot of people complain and seen a lot of miserable reviews about how Inle Lake wasn’t really worth the hype, and how the fishing was more put on for show more than anything else.
Well, I think that the Inle Lake area is rather beautiful and definitely worth a visit if you’re passing through…
As for the fishermen well, perhaps it was the time of year I was there. I was traveling in what is considered off-peak season and they paid us no interest at all. As opposed to what I had been told (and also what I had read) where they put on a bit of an acrobatics facade when it comes to the fishing nets, then approach you asking for money.
Happily, I didn’t find this to be the case and was lucky to have witnessed a particularly serendipitous sunset. I watched as the sun sank behind the clouds and turned the horizon beyond the surrounding mountains a soft golden hue, and the surface of the lake took on an inky reflective quality.
Other than the hum of the small boat engines, it was peaceful and calm. We sat in our own boat, bobbing slightly on the smallest waves and in the wake of other passing boats.
The silhouettes of the Burmese fishermen, with their pointed woven hats and the characteristic outline of their nets glided across the water and no, I did not feel disappointed in the slightest…
The Gypsy Heart Travels 