The farmers of Inle Lake have a unique way of growing their gardens. Tomatoes, squash and flowers grow ON the lake not next to it. 

The Intha people build floating mats of vegetation that support the trellised vegetables. Managing the growth and picking for market is done from small flat canoes. The people live in villages on stilts.

Fishing has a unique twist too. Fishermen row their boats with one leg leaving their hands free to manage the Burmese cylindrical net, or some use throw nets. Sometimes one leg is also used to hold the net.

We had a whole day on the lake in small boats stopping off at a Pagoda (our last shoe taking off for this trip!), a Lotus weaving workshop, a village where women still practice "Neck and Leg Stretching" and a Burmese Cat Haven where they have been able to import some pure bred Burmese cats from overseas to once again have a pure bred Burmese cat in Myanmar. 

By chance a festive parade was happening in the afternoon in the village of Nyaungshwe where we were staying. It involved lots of noise, floats, and heavily made up girls carrying cakes to take to the Pagoda for the Monks and to honour Buddha. Our Myanmar tour is drawing to a close and a flight will take us back to Yangon and the last day of this leg of the trip.