The Golden Kite – first stop on the route, which is called The Golden Kite was Inle Lake which is a unique self contained community. The fisherman are famous for steering their boats using one hand and one leg on the oar in order to keep their other hand free for casting lines and nets.
The lake has many hectares of floating gardens, bamboo rafts loaded with soil and held in place by bamboo poles sunk into the bottom as the lake is very shallow. Many vegetables can be grown and the locals tend the “fields” on their narrow skiffs. They also dig for mud and weed in the lake that is used to replenish the gardens that eventually break down and return to the bottom, thus completing a full eco cycle.
Each day we were taken out in the hotel long boat to visit a different
village. There are many other artisans such as silversmiths, blacksmiths, silk and cotton weavers and cheroot producers but the primary enterprise is fishing.
Around the perimeter of the lake they grow rice, sugarcane and raise livestock making this area virtually self-sufficient. It is still very unspoiled and hopefully will stay that way but times are changing. Tourism figures for 2011 were 200,000 and they will triple in 2012.
We understand that many hotel companies are waiting in the wings and as soon as sanctions are lifted development will be rapid.
No comments:
Post a Comment