I know it's been a fact of life for all time but I'll never get used to the enormous gap between rich and poor, not just here, but everywhere.
We cycled through some Myanmar villages outside Inle Lake a couple of days ago, all off the beaten path. We'll be doing more of that later today. Some of the huts had electricity but they did not have running water or toilet facilities. The road we travelled followed a ditch, filled with brown water. It was obviously the water source for all of their day to day needs. We saw them bathing in the squatting position, sudsing up and washing it off by pouring water over their heads. We've seen the same system in Africa and India. More than clothes were washed there. It also housed ducks and rodents and who knows what other critters.
The land around this lake is a rich agricultural area yet the farmers live like peasants. Good soil, good water and lots of sun allows them to grow tomatoes, gourds, avocados, watermelons, peanuts, rice and much more. Very little machinery to help them. The water buffalo seen in this video pull the plows and anything else that needs heavy lifting....when it suits them. Apparently they are a bit delicate and if they're too hot, they get angry....hence the bathing. The cattle (the one's with the large hump on their back) are used in the summer and have a much better attitude.
Inle Lake is 27 km long and 11 km wide and houses a huge community, not unlike Venice. They live in bamboo huts on stilts surrounded by water. We toured the town for hours, had lunch with a local family, visited a locus/silk weaving factory and a canoe manufacturer. This isn't a canoe that we know. It's a boat specific to Inle Lake. No other boat is allowed on the lake. The rules for living on this lake are specific and strictly enforced. The thing is, there aren't facilities to direct human waste to a septic system. They poop in the lake. Check out the ensuite 1-piece in this photo. We kayaked a bit until we were told that we might see a turd floating by. The water was fairly clear so the thousands of plastic water bottles were visible, everywhere. No country on earth escapes this plastic menace.
The lake is only 5 meters deep and supports hundreds, perhaps thousands of families. Some families fish for tilapia and whatever else is left after centuries of fishing. Some remove seaweed to sell as fertilizer, some farm on floating gardens (supported by rotting plant material) and any number of money earning activities. The potential for erosion and shore damage is great so no motor over 35hp is allowed. These motors are variations on the Chinese Buffalos used by the land farmers...one stroke engines with one cylinder and yes, they're noisy as hell. But they leave no wake but they go like hell.