Every hotel on Inle Lake seemed to cater to its own specialized clientele. Japanese because of their Japanese-style cuisine, another Italian and Spanish. Our hotel was primarily filled with the Swiss, German and French tourists and we saw more Americans on this trip than on our last three trips combined. The English tend not to visit Myanmar…perhaps because of their Home Office warnings or Human Rights sensitivities. We personally feel that it is a disfavor to these wonderful people not to visit.

The main reason for Inle Lakes popularity among tourists is the abundance of markets, especially the 5-day rotating market that moves from village to village on certain days. The ethnic Pa-O, Danu and Intha inhabitants come to these markets to buy and sell their goods. These markets happen to be a tourist attraction but are a necessity for the people. Today, we went to visit the Ywama Floating Market and Village (not part of the 5-day rotating markets).

boats heading to Ywama Floating Market, Inle Lake, Myanmar
In the cool, foggy morning air, we motored along with boats loaded with produce, leg rowers…View image…and…tourists…

But nothing had prepared us for the wall-to-wall amount of boats, filled with tourists, local sellers marketing to the Intha, boats with souvenirs for tourists…creating one big traffic jam.

Buy this? At Ywama Floating Market, Inle Lake, Myanmar 

boat gridlock at Ywama Floating Market on Inle Lake, Myanmar
People selling vegetables…View image…flowers…dried fish…View image…

selling flowers with a smile at Ywama Floating Market, Myanmar
…men, poling their boats along on their knees! I couldn’t stay in a position like this for 30 seconds, let alone pole a boat for hours at a time….

paddling dugout on knees at Ywama Floating Market, Myanmar
…and then, along came a boat of monks and novices. If photographing is your passion with emphasis on people, you have got to visit Myanmar. I didn’t know where to look first or what to photograph first – unlimited, unique photographic opportunities and visual delights.

boatload of monks and novices at Ywama Floating Market, Myanmar
Even leaving the Ywama floating market while heading towards Indaing Pagoda, there were water buffalos standing in the water…View image…and a young boy walking to school along the embankment, carrying his little lunch bucket.

heading to school along the shores of Inle Lake, Myanmar