Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A woman vends peanuts and other nuts at one of several outdoor markets held on the shores of Inle Lake.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. People come to market in boats from all over the lake, often traveling over an hour to get to any given market. Here, market goers load heavy bags full of goods after the morning’s market on the southwestern shores of the lake. A pagoda can be seen in the distance.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A young boy helps to dock canoes that pull into a textile weaving workshop that rises up out of the lake’s waters on stilts. On his face he wears a paste called thanaka, a thousands of years old traditional adornment for men and women alike made from ground up bark.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. High atop a hill overlooking the site of one of the weekday markets, an elderly man sits at the entrance to a small buddhist temple. He accepts donations from visitors for the temple in exchange for candles to burn to accompany prayers.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Tobacco smoking is a widespread custom in Myanmar. The custodian of the temple’s eyes can barely be seen as he draws in heavily on a cigarette.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A young silversmith looks up from his work in a stilt-supported workshop on the lake.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Market stalls at one of the weekday markets on the shores of the lake.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A Pa’O hill tribeswoman offers a warm smile from her seat at her market stall where she sells an assortment of spices. Many Pa’O people come down from the mountains where they live to attend some of the markets.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A woman from the Pa’O hill tribe offers a welcoming smile as she minds her market stall comprised of nuts and spices.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A man makes his selections from a market stall selling assorted spices like turmeric and ginger.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A woman fries tiny sardines and offers one to me to eat, intimating with her hands that I am to eat the whole thing, including the head and tail (which I do).

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A young man helps to dock canoes that come to visit a boat making workshop.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Floating marketplace: these women travel around the lake with an assortment of hand-crafted goods to sell, ranging from beaded necklaces to silver bracelets and other pieces, most all of which are made on the lake.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A floating vendor on the lake. The people have a tremendous openness that is offered up quite willingly to those wishing to engage with it.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A woman works a machine that weaves local materials into fine cloths.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. The scenery is breathtaking in any direction and boats are always seen coming and going.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. This woman along with her sister and mother moved to the lake district from their small village far to the north because they can make more money in one of its well visited jewelry making workshops that caters to tourists. March 2019.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. The ancient resounds through the space between this subject and my camera. A sense of calm resignation permeates the air around this woman, who moved far away from her village to Inle Lake because there is no money to be made where she is from.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Mother and daughters. The younger women take the rings off at night and the woman in the middle has her doubts about continuing in the tradition of wearing the rings. March 2019.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A boatman takes in the scene at the Nanpen Sunday market, one of the busiest of the lake’s markets.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A joy-filled Pa’O woman wears the traditional dress of the hill tribe at the Nanpen Sunday market.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A girl and her friends spend the day accepting kyats (the local currency) for use of the toilets at the Nanpen market.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Toilet duty at Nanpen Sunday market.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Minding the public toilets at Sunday market.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. The keepers of the cash box for the Sunday market toilets, these girls pass the day under the shade of a battered tarp and deposit the kyats they collect into a small plastic basket.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Fatigue shows on the faces of these Sunday market vendors as the end of a long day approaches. Some vendors set out for market as early as 4:30am.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A woman sells an assortment of chicken parts at Sunday market. Meat typically sits out in the open without refrigeration for long periods in Myanmar. M

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A vendor of an assortment of oils looks up from his work towards the end of market day.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A market vendor winds down at her stall towards day’s end.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A man wears a traditional lungyi, as is customary dress for men everywhere. A modern version of the sarong, lungyis became popular during British colonial rule.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A man picks out a straw to accompany the fresh cut coconuts he sells at Sunday market.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. A man excavates sediment from the lake on what is a quite typical and locally made boat in the region.

Inle Lake, Central Myanmar. Village homes and a pagoda can be seen in the distance behind this team of men excavating sediment from the lake.