Inle Lake is a freshwater lake in the Shan Hills area of Burma’s Shan State. It’s the second largest lake in Burma with a surface area of 45 square miles at an elevation of 2900 feet. With a mountain lake and plenty of water, the area must make its own weather as there were clouds on the mountains around the lake the entire time that we were there. The temperature was still in the 90’s but it felt so much better when we were out on the lake.

1. The first photo is just to give you a sense of the size of the lake. We could always see across it but it was a large area of water nonetheless.

2. The long narrow boats were called “rooster-tail boats” due to the spray of water that they sent flying out behind them. You can see this in the second photo.

3. And “yes”, they still had pagodas, even at Inle Lake. You can see a gold-domed pagoda in the photo.

4. While the lake was not crowded, there were always boats in sight out on the lake. You can also see plenty of floating water weeds in the background.

5. The last photo is a local transportation boat. Many of the locals would wave at us as they went past.