Wolfgang's photos with the keyword: Nge Hpe Chaung

The Inle Lake isn't deep - no more than 4 meters at its deepest. It makes perfect conditions for fishing. The Intha's most common profession is fishing. The typical net is taller than the average Burma fisherman, and its use requires a good eye for fish, and a keen sense of balance. The usual target is a sort of carp fish.

This technique has the boatman standing on the stern while propelling the boat, allowing him to see over the reeds which can grow high above the water surface. This iconic image from Inle Lake, of a man wearing traditional longyi (a long dress) and standing on the boat both spreading the fishing net and rowing, has left a beautiful impression on many visitors here.

Only a few villages, single standing houses, hotels and resorts are supplied with electricity over the lake. Power cut is usual, some days five times.

The floating gardens are created by knitting the buoyant roots of water hyacinth together, adding a layer of seaweed, and topping it off with a layer of mud. People use bamboos poles to hold the gardens in place so they do not drift out into the lake.

The boy on the boat is an Intha, one out of 70,000 of them. He lives in a village bordering the lake. Most transportation on the lake by the Intha's is traditionally by very small boats, rowing with one rudder.

The process for creating the floating fields can take up to as much as 10 years until the requisite amount of growth and submerged, matted organic matter has formed. They try to speed up the process by dredging the silt from the lake floor and add this to the newly formed islands, as this is thought to aid with the fertility of the plant life, and the nutrients in the soil.

The abbot came out the monastery hall to welcome us visitors. People told us that the jumping cats are mistreated to force them jumping and we shouldn't go to visit this monastery. Our visit was to chat with monks - the cats were lying idle somewhere in their haunts.

For the plantation of tomatoes people have to raise the ground of the lake with loam. The earth needs some years to set before people can grow up fruits and vegetable.

Instead of watching to jumping cats we started a discussion with the monks and were surprised about their open opinions (look to the poster fixed in the background).

Buddha sitting in bhumisparsha-mudra posture (calling the earth to be his witness). Birmany. The most shown mudra posture of Buddha.

I couldn't reconcile the slow reaction time of my camera to the inaudible commands by the monk and the cat's indeterminate reaction time, so I don't have a photo of the cat in the hoop. But I had much time left to chat with the monks and was surprised about their knowledge and the use of the English language.

Locals grow tomatoes and other vegetables in large gardens that float on the surface of the lake. The floating garden beds are formed by extensive manual labor.

Approximately 70,000 Intha people live in south-west Shan State on or at the Inle Lake. The Intha are one of the most famous ethnic groups of Southeast Asia. because of their skills to row a boat with the leg. Intha means "the son of the lake".

Most of the villagers earn their income with the grow of vegetables like (excellent) tomatos, eggplants (aubergines) and water plants for cooking. Men are going for fishing, the women and girls are going to grow up vegetables.

An afternoon we made the excursion to the famous temple where cats are taught to jump through a ring like trained tiger in the circus. Nothing happened like that! The cats only stayed asleep somewhere in the corner or under the cupboard. Anyway its worth to visit this monastery and meet the friendly talkative monks.