Nearby Mandalay, in the middle of Myanmar, lies Inle Lake. This is a pretty large, shallow  body of water, that supports the life of several tribes in a dozen villages. Some of the daily life takes place on the lake – with boats being the main mean of transport. The combination of faraway mountains, Budhist monasteries built on water, village markets and of course a lot of tourists whizzing from village to village offers a pretty nice and relaxing atmosphere.

I spent 3 days in late October 2011 in one of the villages near Inle Lake, and the experience was very interesting. As I was there in the slightly-rainy season, the water level was high enough to offer the full water village experience. This also meant there were little ponds that I had to cross on my way to the pier, food stalls or to meet with friends.

Because Myanmar has opened to foreign tourists only for little time, the tourist infrastructure and the feeling to be in an amusement park are somewhat lacking. And that is good  - as part of the charm of the area is the way I could almost imagine I was living in a fishing village.