The inhabitants of the Inle Lake are called Inthar. They live in four cities in the border of the Lake. These people live in different villages surrounding the Lake and the village of the Lake. The Lake is in the town of Nyaung Shwe. The dominant inhabitants of the Inle Lake are the Intha while there are host of others from the neighboring tribes from Danu, Bamar, Shan,Pa-O and Taungyo. While their major occupation is subsistence type of farming, they are Buddhist devotees. They live in simple houses made of woven bamboo and wood. Their common means of transportation is boats since they live within and around the lake.
TNK Travel can help you discover the special way of life of the inhabitants of Inthar through Myanmar River cruises. With them as your guide, you will be able to explore the markets, the floating gardens as well as observe with interest the lifestyle of the village that is built on stilts. There is a whole lot you can learn from this people including their local crafts such as silk weaving, boat making and their special way of rowing the boats. TNK Travel will be happy to help you acquire new experiences from the Inthar people.
The way of the Inthar people is based on the traditional way of life that they had been used to. To effectively understand their way, you need to associate with them by dressing like them and tasting their food. It is advisable to have a local guide or a travel agent that can expose you to their language. The Myanmar river cruises should not be limited to watching alone but by associating with them.
After you have identified with them in your dressing, the next thing is to set out on a private motor boat that is equipped with lifejackets, blankets or umbrella depending on the weather. The first sight will be the style of rowing the boat with one leg by the fishermen of Inthar. Their style is to use one leg to steady the boat while the other leg is used in supporting the fishing cage. One arm is used to aim the fishing cage while the other hand is used in steering the boat. It is a unique practice and skill that have learnt or acquired overtime which you can also learn in the Myanmar river cruise.
Another aspect of the people that is worth learning and observing is their practice of floating gardens. The Inthar people make this possible by creating beds from weeds and weaving them to their bamboo poles that is dug into the lake’s floor. It is on these beds that eggplants and tomatoes are planted. This practice, in a way, is affecting the Inle Lake and affecting the serenity of the environment.
Another aspect of Inthar’s lifestyle is their weaving industry. They are good weavers of silk, Shan bags, and other unique fabrics. They produce large quantities of tote bags and hand woven silk materials that are of various designs.
The local favorite meal is catfish boiled in banana leaf. They also have special tomatoes salad. Myanmar river cruise is whole lot of experience.
Source: TNK Travel
