The visit to the Shan plateau gave us some of the most unforgettable moments of the entire trip. Getting there was not easy: it was necessary to take a plane to Heho, and from there to rely on a private taxi driver to reach the points of interest.

The plateau is a highly rural and quiet area, whose main attractions are limited to an area that includes the Pindaya caves, Inle lake and the Kakku pagodas.

The cultivated hills form gentle slopes of yellow and green, and are crossed by dirt roads demarcated by a red border, the main color of the mineral rich earth of this area.

We decided to stay in Nyaungshwe for a couple of days, dedicating a whole day to exploring Inle Lake using one of the countless private "motor canoes", the lake's official means of transport.

NB: to access the lake they will ask you for a tourist tax worth around 10 dollars at a checkpoint. (tax applied in 2018).

Pindaya caves

Shwe Oo Min Cave is hidden in a limestone escarpment overlooking the city of Pindaya, and is one of the most unique attractions in all of Myanmar.

The cave is divided into several main sections which contain a total of more than 9,000 Buddha statues, added since the 18th century (before then, according to legend, a giant spider prevented the visit).

Some passages inside the cave are tortuous, and in some it is necessary to crawl on the ground (not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia).
Around the cave there are covered stairways leading to the monastery, from which a satisfying view over the whole valley repays the effort.

At the end of the visit we stopped in a shop where beautiful wooden umbrellas were made entirely by hand.

Kakku pagodas

The pagodas of Kakku were built, according to legend, by missionaries sent by the Indian Buddhist king Asoka in the 3rd century BC.

Historically they were built at the behest of one of the kings of Bagan in the 12th century AD.

The complex,impossible to visit until 2001 due to an ethnic conflict, includes more than 2000 small pagodas that rise from the ground with the typical shape of a slender spire, on the top of which there are the inevitable Htis (decorative metal elements), also consisting of some small bells that ring out surreal jingles in time with the rustle of the wind, exacerbating the religious and subdued imprint of the place.

At the entrance there is a small pool that offers games of reflection merging with the countless spiers.

Inle lake

Inle Lake is one of the most visited destinations by tourists from all over Myanmar.

Premise: here you will find many private guides who will try to take you to shops and bazaars already decided in advance to make you buy any heirloom at a high price.

Our advice is to insist not to fall into these traps and continue along the shores of the lake to enjoy the landscape, the floating gardens, and the true essence of this place, destined, if continuing in the wrong direction, to disappear.

Unfortunately, the lake, due to the increasingly excessive anthropic activity, has become polluted due to the pesticides used in crops.

Furthermore, agricultural activities contribute to an excessive exploitation of water, and all this is bringing the situation to an irreversible limit.

We hope that the administration understands and manages to preserve it for future generations, saving it from a bitter fate and bringing it back almost to the natural beauty of the past, when the water was even drinkable, and the fishermen's nets abounded with fish.

Fish that were subsequently used as bargaining chips (and still are in part) in the hugely popular markets that are held on stilts.

Markets are the crossroads of different ethnic groups, and participating in them was a truly intense experience, worthy of television documentaries; the local people, mainly women, sold all sorts of agricultural products, coloring the whole atmosphere.

Subsequently, before retracing the lake in the opposite direction to return to the town of Nyuangshwe, we reached the town of Indhein through a canal in the jungle, where we visited some pagodas that have now become ruins with the inexorable passage of time.

Right here, on one of the hills, we found a smiling monk resting on the ground cross-legged, next to carefully cut wooden logs.

This scene of serenity was the symbol of this people.

A strongly religious people, who live their life trying to smile, despite the political and development problems typical of third world countries.