Myanmar was a cultural experience we had never experienced. The country itself has only been open to tourists for a handful of years; the first free and fair elections were in 2015, and shortly thereafter they lifted sanctions which opened the country to visitors. It is still untouched in many ways. Most of our boat trip around Inle lake was spent traveling from one artist to another, each one in their own stilt house above the water. Of particular note was the amazing women weaving patterned textiles out of silk, cotton or more traditionally, out of the lotus flowers which grow around the lake.
The neck-rings on the women in the first few photos ispart of an ancient tradition among female members of Kayan Lahwi, a sub-tribe of the Kayan ethnic group native to Kayah State.
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/ancient-tradition-of-long-neck-women-fades-as-myanmar-develops-7675612. Truly fascinating.
Overall, I was taken back by the amount of craftmanship and tradition all around. From the men making knives to the weave work, tiny silver earings and hand crafted umbrellas, I loved walking through each shop, catching glimpses of it all. I tried to quietly photograph it, capturing the shadows that fell on each peice, casting light on centuries of talent passed down from generation to generation. Such a beautiful thing to see, and to see before tourism inevitably completely ruins it all.