Burma / Myanmar: Phaung Daw Oo (Hpaung Daw U) Pagoda, Inle Lake, Shan State (1987)...

The Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda is famous for its five small gilded Buddha images that have been regularly covered in gold leaf to the point where the original shape is no longer visible. The images are believed to have been brought here by King Alaungsithu (1089 - 1167). Inle Lake at 116 sq km (44.9 sq miles) is shallow, long, crystal clear and calm. Here the Intha people live, hemmed in on both sides by tall hills. The Intha men are famous for rowing standing up, using one leg, whilst fishing with tall, conical traps for Inle carp and the other, smaller fish with which the lake swarms. The Intha women, champion market gardeners, use the fertile soil around the lake, as well as floating islands made of water hyacinths and mud, to grow cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbages, beans and aubergines. Inle is a simple place, but a place of plenty - both restful and sublime.