The Inle Lake is home to people who have built houses on stilts in the water. This is possible because the lake is not very deep. They were probably displaced from somewhere at some point and have now settled on the lake. The houses are clustered together, forming small villages. Transport is, of course, by boat.
Farming is also practised here. Floating vegetable gardens have been created for this purpose. These consist of floating aquatic plants tied together. Poles stuck into the lake bed keep the plots in place. It is, therefore, pure hydroponics. If you forget about the mountains for a moment, the picture below might look as though it were taken in Holland. But it is one of these floating vegetable gardens.
The people living around Inle Lake rely partly on fish for their livelihood. They do not catch the fish with nets, but instead place an inverted basket, about 3 metres high, on the lake bed. They then look for the larger fish that may be inside the basket. These are then caught with a spear.
Naturally, everything is done by boat for these residents. They have developed a special rowing technique that allows them to move very quickly. They stand with one foot on the boat and the other more or less on an oar. It almost looks as though they can walk on water.
All in all, a truly unique community, which we were keen to see up close before they give up this unusual way of life.