Pindau to Inle Lake

Another day, another market…this time the rotating market in Pindau. We decided to be more active participants in the market day and play a game of chance (to the amusement of the locals). Basically, it was a large board game.

You pick your animal (fish, peacock, lion, etc), put down your bet and wait for the big dice to fall. We actually came out ahead by a few kyat. So, with our winnings, we went to the cheroot vendor (Burmese cigars) and bought two cheroots to try. After a lot of laughter when we started to light the wrong end, we finally got the hang of it. We had most of the market laughing as we coughed and choked our way through the cigar.
Before we headed back on the bus, Werner (the German guy) gave a German coin to one of the Pa-O tribes-women. So, we decided to give her friend a U.S. nickel. It was an amazing site- they had never seen either of these coins and they all got together to examine them in detail- including biting and smelling.

Werner was asked by one of the hill tribe women why he was so big, “like a water buffalo”.

More caves today…this time the Pindaya Cave. No one knows why the thousands of Buddha images in the cave were kept here. It was very strange walking through a cave with every niche filled with Buddha’s in every shape and size and position.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

* The Germans, Werner and Doris have kept us entertained with stories of the East Germans. Communication is evidently a challenge between the West and East Germans. When Werner asked one of the East Germans where he was born, the response was, “My coordinates are…” - giving him geographic coordinates rather than a town or city. When asked about his occupation, one man said , “I make earth furniture” – translation- coffin maker.

At the caves, we bought a basket of the Padaung people (the Giraffe women).

Photo courtesy of Flickr
As we drove to Inle Lake, we come upon another shin-pyu—this time with young, soon to be novitiates making their entry on horseback (their feet cannot touch the ground until the ceremony).

Finally we got to our guesthouse. We got checked in, cleaned up and had dinner in the main house. Dinner was typical Shan food- quite good- served on the floor on lacquerware elevated trays. Following dinner was the dance show. The first part of the dancing was “nat dancing” and it was awful! Men dressed as women doing strange dancing to meowy music. One of the “flamers” actually did his/her dance with burning candles-, which he/she extinguished in his mouth, over and over again.

Following the dancing, we retired outside to the traditional Shan dance show….a one note band (mostly cymbals) with very strange dancing. Lots of costumes….dance just isn’t our thing.