Day 19: Inle Lake, Myanmar. Inle Heritage Stilt Houses

We traveled by air East to Heho, Myanmar this morning. From there we had an hour long taxi ride by car and another hour by boat to get to our hotel on Inle Lake. It sits at a few thousand feet in elevation and the cool crisp air has been a welcome relief from Bagan. We arrived at the Inle Heritage Stilt Houses and checked into our room. There are only 6 rooms in the hotel, all built on stilts. It is run by a not for profit organization and all proceeds are used to support several projects. They provide an education in hospitality for around 40 students a year. There are several classrooms, dorms, a cooking demonstration building, and a multimedia room. Everything is connected by raised walkways with vegetable gardens situated in the small patches of land in between. They have also successfully returned a rare breed of Burmese cat back to Myanmar. It took transporting a few cats of the original breeding line from the UK and Australia 8 years ago. The cats are pampered in their own living quarters and spend some time on a small cat island connected by bridge when it's not raining. If that wasn't enough the Inle Heritage organization supports an aquarium with local fish and a natural wastewater treatment area. This is all open to outside visitors and hotel guests to tour.

Boat taxi to the hotel. 

The food at the hotel was some of the best I've ever had.  Fish prepared in the local "Shan" style for lunch. 

Our hotel room. 

Vegetable gardens. 

Student dorms. 

 

After lunch cat naps. 

I think this one wants to come home with me