Myanmar Inle Lake Tour – Mountaintop Moment with Monk

Monk serving us tea in a remote Inle Lake hamlet was a typical moment of serendipity one finds while traveling in Myanmar

 

Who:  Sleeping Monk

Where:  Inthein’s Nyaung Ohak hamlet, Inle Lake, Myanmar

When:  After a long boat trip that started before dawn

We sat there silently, sipping tea and munching on the foot wide rice crackers he had given us.

He was an older monk who lives in a monastery at the top of a round hill filled with crumbling stupas atop Inthein’s Nyaung Ohak hamlet.

 

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We had just awakened him, unwittingly, when we tried to open the monastery’s door. Roused, he smiled gently when he saw us and then went in to grab a pot of tea, three glasses and motioned for us to sit.

He had no English and we had no Burmese. Silent for fifteen minutes or so, looking at the crumbling stupa remains that were his backyard, we shared time, tea, but not words.

 

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It was peaceful.

It had been a wrong turn.

It was another Myanmar moment of serendipity.

You can expect several a day.

Photography:  Peter Kachergis

 

 

This article is an adaptation of one published earlier in Splash magazines.  

Find other travel and entertainment articles in Splash magazines by Amy Munice, many featuring photography by Peter Kachergis here.  

Amy Munice

About the Author: Amy Munice

Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.

Amy hopes the magazine’s click-a-picture-to-read-a-vivid-account format will nourish those ever hunting for under-discovered cultural treasures. She especially loves writing articles about travel finds, showcasing works by cultural warriors of a progressive bent, and shining a light on bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY AMY MUNICE.

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