Shrouded by the ridges of the Shan Hills and enveloped amidst the green jungles of eastern Myanmar, Inle Lake shimmers like a mysterious polished mirror between its marshy banks; a mirage speckled by the occasional lean-to village on bamboo stilts and verdant hedgerows of tomato plant and swamps of water hyacinth.

Across its glistening surface, the meanders of wooden canoes and coracles weave past temple-dotted islands and the tribal town steads of the shore, powered by the famous leg-rowers of Inle. Elsewhere, floating farms are tended by cheroot-smoking locals, their wives nearby crafting sturdy Shan-bags ready for the weekend market.

There’s something undeniably beautiful about this enclave of rural calm and tradition, and, as any Inle Lake tour guide will tell you, there’s plenty to do here too; from joining in with the religious fervours of the Phaung Daw Oo festival, to sampling htamin jin tomato rice with dried chilli dressings and exploring the pagodas and villages of the diverse tribal nationalities here.