A long tail boat is essentially a long open canoe-shaped boat with a loud car engine stuck on the back with a prop-shaft and propellor protruding out a long way before touching the water. We had seen many of these before in Asia especially in Thailand, and it was in this that we enjoyed a long day trip across Inle Lake. It was a busy day and we saw lots of lake life - many amazing stilt houses and villages, floating gardens of tomatoes, lots of cargo of rice and veggies being shipped around to markets, and of course, fishermen doing their weird foot paddle. We went to a local market that wasn't too touristy. It sold everyday household items and homemade foods and veggies. The local people here were different and wore bright red towels wrapped around their heads. We were amazed at how many local crafts and trades they had as we jetted through the canals to silk and cotton weaving factories, black smiths, cheroot cigar rolling factories, printing presses and silver jewelry makers. We topped off our day with a trip to Indein - a popular spot with tourists and of course, souvenir sellers. We were lucky though, because since it was late afternoon, most of the stalls that line the path up to the top 9that seemed like miles) were all empty! Phew! At least that wouldn't ruin our visit (as we had heard from others) and it was one hassle were glad to have missed. The atmosphere of Indein is surreal, with its crumbly, wonky stupas (pointy monuments), and overgrown temple and paths. We even saw trees growing out of the tops of some stupas! There was even this UFO type bug that had clear circular wings and a glowing gold body underneath. It was seriously cool and we wished we had more time.
On the ride back across the lake, we took time to stop at the Nga Hpe Chaung Monastery, also known to foreigners as Jumping Cat Monastery. I guess monks get bored too, and these monks had taught their cats to jump through hoops placed about 1m (3 ft) above their heads. Weird but interesting. *Mush
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