A totally different world...

Yesterday we spent the day motoring around in long boats (kinda like a large canoe) on Inle Lake (said like inlay). It was like nothing I had ever seen before. We crossed the lake and there was a whole village build up on stilts in the lake. Shops, houses, a school, a hotel, and restaurants, all up on stilts. Everyone paddled around in long boats through their streets of water. It was so incredible.
We stopped by a shop were they sold products made of silk and lotus. It was amazing to see the ladies making the material at the different stages. From taking the fibers out of the lotus plant(I didn't even know they existed) to spinning it into spools, to dying it, and weaving it. It was just so fascinating.
After that we kept boating til we stopped by another shop. A long necked lady (with lots of gold rings around her neck) lived here. There used to be more long necked ladies living here, but they had all returned to their villages and he was the only one left. I had seen pictures of these kind of people, but never thought I'd see one for real. She said she got her first ring when she was nine, and by the time she was 14 she had 19 rings, and now she has 24 rings. It's really sad in a way, to think about her as a little girl having that done to her. But she said they don't do it anymore.
During another stop two boats pulled up next to ours, full of jewelry. It was quite the interesting experience. We bargained at bit a got a few nice pieces. That's one of the great things about shopping in places like this, you can always negotiate the price. For example, we got the lady to drop the price on my pearl necklace $25. Can you imagine being able to do that in the states?
After that we headed back across the lake. During the ride home, the sun set. It was quite a magnificent sight as it slipped behind the mountains.
I've still more to write, but I'll stop here for now.