Ecolodge: Discovering the Treasures of Inle Lake, Myanmar

Daisy and I have slept in many different places during our trip. From luxury to basic through to dirty, clean, in the city, in the jungle and everything in between. There are so many that we have probably forgotten most of them! But sometimes, we end up in a place that we will forever hold in our hearts. A Little Eco Lodge, near the famous Inle Lake in Myanmar, is such a place. Complete with a comfortable lodge, a vast vegetable garden, an enthusiastic chef who teaches us how to cook Burmese cuisine in a beautiful bamboo restaurant, A Little Eco Lodge has it all, and more! We were even taken on the best treasure hunt of our lives!

Is it a farm or just a kitchen garden?

As Daisy and I approach A Little Eco Lodge in a tuk-tuk, the big vegetable garden is the first thing we notice. The piece of land is home to all sorts of delicious produce, including tomatoes, chilli’s, onions and potatoes, which make the basis for many delicious dishes cooked by one of the women of the house. “It looks like a farm,” I say jokingly to Daisy, who holds on tightly as we cover the last few meters over the bumpy path. “I hope so,” is her answer, as she surveys the rows and rows of tasty, fresh vegetables.

Comfortable rooms

When the tuk-tuk comes to a halt, we are welcomed by Mee Mee, the sister of the property’s owner, Kyaw Swar. Offering us help with our bags, she takes us to our room. The lodge is a solid dark brown wooden building on high poles. Walking up the stairs barefoot, we are greeted by an open veranda, with a small bookcase and a table. It feels like home already. When we open the door of our room, Daisy looks at me laughing. “Well, if this is a farm,” she says laughing as she plopped onto the comfortable bed, “I want to live on a farm when we get back home!”

A Bamboo Restaurant

After half an hour of rest, it’s time to explore the rest of the area. We walk underneath the building and between bushes on a paved path up towards a steep staircase. The staircase leads to the first floor of the lodge’s restaurant… but this is not your ordinary restaurant — the building is made entirely of bamboo! The different floors are completely open, providing an amazing view over the flat landscape that stretches out behind the lodge.

Delicious Vegetarian Lunch

It’s not long before we hear a lift squeaking… Our lunch is brought up to the restaurant with a sturdy pulley. Several dishes full of vegetarian delicacies are displayed on the table. “These are all traditional Burmese dishes,” says Mee Mee with a smile, “but without the meat.”

While we are enjoying a delicious meal, I ask if all the vegetables come from the garden. “Not everything”, she says with a smile. “Some of it comes from the local market or we buy from small shops in the neighbourhood.”

“If you like this, we could go and gather your own ingredients for lunch tomorrow?” she added. “Do you fancy a treasure hunt?”

The Treasure Hunt

It’s been quite some time since I took part in a treasure hunt, but after the chat with Mee Mee, I was full of wild expectations. The aim of the game is simple. Daisy and I are going to learn to cook Burmese today, with Mee Mee as our teacher. But first, we need to actually find the ingredients for a good cooking class, and that’s where our treasure hunt comes in! When it’s time to start, we get an envelope. It contains a list of ingredients, an A4 with photos and names of vegetables, herbs and spices, including the Burmese translation. Furthermore, we find a few general phrases that can be useful to have a short conversation in Burmese. “Good luck and see you later,” our hostess calls out as she waves the tuk-tuk goodbye.

Howdy Neighbour, Please Can I Borrow a Clove of Garlic?

We are dropped off at a local family in the neighbourhood. There we take a seat and wait. An old lady is smiling in front of us. The treasure hunt begins with an uncomfortable silence. “And now?” Daisy asks nervously. I shrug my shoulders and smile to the woman again. Her granddaughter is sitting next to her and the man of the house stays at a safe distance but looks at us with curiosity.

“Do you have a clove of garlic for us?”, Daisy asks, using the cheat sheet, in flawed Burmese. The women look at each other and start laughing hard. Daisy looks at me, startled. “Did I say something wrong?” The daughter stands up and a moment later she comes back with a basket of garlic. “Che zu be, thanks”, says Daisy and the woman nods with a friendly smile. It worked!

The Fun Bit

The ingredients come to us quickly after that. We get chilli peppers, we even manage to get some ginger and different herbs along with the garlic in our basket. The families we visit welcome us with pleasure and cordiality. We share a big smile with a great-grandson, a lot of laughter (including tears) with his grandmother, and receive admiration for our attempts at the language with his mother. The whole family participates, helps and laughs… but the happiest faces are our own.

We have so much fun with the people around us. There is a lot of laughter for our mistakes. Nevertheless, we succeed in ultimately collecting all the ingredients that we need. These people are not rich, on the contrary. They run a small shop and the men of the family work in the rice fields or as fishermen. The hilarity that arises around our arrival not only provides fun and friendliness, but it is also a much-needed source of income for the local people. They receive a small fee for their participation in the treasure hunt and they can use that well.

The local market

Daisy gets a big hug and we bow respectfully to each other when we say goodbye. The fun isn’t over yet. Even when our tuk-tuk leaves for the local market, we still hear the women giggling. At the local market, we get a new list of ingredients and a basket from the driver. “Good luck”, he says laughing.

We are crossing the market. At various stalls, we do our best to collect all the ingredients. We are quite the attraction. The market vendors want to help us as they beckon us to their stalls. Ultimately, only the spring onion is missing.” No problem“, says the driver, when we return to his tuk-tuk. He takes us back to A Little Eco Lodge, where Mee Mee is already waiting for us.

Time to cook

While Mee Mee listens to our stories about the treasure hunt and laughs, we walk through the vegetable garden. We pick the last ingredients fresh. Once we have picked tomatoes, onions and potatoes from the garden, it is time to cook under the supervision of the chef. We cut, bake, grind, purée and cook all the ingredients that we have sought ourselves. We taste dishes with lots of garlic, turmeric, curry leaves, chilli, ginger, peppers and peanuts. The smells that waft through the air of the small, simple kitchen are simply irresistible.

In just a little over an hour, we are back in the bamboo restaurant ready to tuck into our feast. When all our dishes are on the table and we just want to start, Kyaw climbs the creaking stairs. The owner of A Little Eco Lodge compliments us on our successful treasure hunt and on the dishes we have cooked. “It looks great,” he says as he sits down with us. He tastes a few bites and is visibly impressed. I look to Daisy with pride, “he is satisfied. We have succeeded.”

Kyaw: An Engaged Entrepreneur

“This restaurant was built with the help of a British subsidy”, Kyaw begins to tell us. “The treasure hunt was part of the plan that I submitted. The combination of local involvement and sustainable investment was the decisive factor and so we received the subsidy. With the treasure hunt, I want to involve the local population in tourism. Because although Inle Lake is a tourist spot, only a few big players benefit from all those visitors. In this way, the tourists learn the Burmese culture and in turn our local people can earn some extra money. This is how we help each other.”

Kyaw wants to offer his lodge a place where people can relax, enjoy nature and learn something new. “I try to do things as environmentally friendly as possible,” he says, “the restaurant is built with local bamboo, the wood from the lodge comes from the area and we use many ingredients from our own garden. We do not sell plastic bottles, all our water comes from a natural source further away and we filter ourselves. We separate our waste and recycle where possible. And we only employ local people.”

Inle Heritage: Education and a Loom

Kyaw is kept busy by more than just the Eco Lodge. He is involved in a school project for Burmese students from all over the country. As an entrepreneur, he supports the local initiative Inle Heritage , where young people are trained in tourism and research is being carried out for nature conservation. And on the grounds of A Litte Eco Lodge, he gives old ladies from the surrounding village the space to weave traditional rags and sell them to tourists.

“For a long time, we have been isolated from the outside world in Myanmar. There is still a lot of poverty and too few children go to school every day. Education at local and national level is of vital importance.
“As an entrepreneur, I want to contribute to the future of my country. I want to help the local population where I can and always with an eye for nature. Tourism makes that possible.”

Fancy Your Very Own Treasure Hunt?

Do you also want to take part in a treasure hunt at Inle Lake? Via this link, you can quickly and easily book your stay with this inspiring entrepreneur in Myanmar.

Want to see more of how we experienced the treasure hunt? Take a look at this compilation of our treasure hunt adventures via Instagram Stories. View the video on my profile page by clicking here.

The Most Sustainable Accommodation in Asia

The story of A Little Eco Lodge is unique, but there are plenty of other accommodations that tell a special story. Together with Better Places Travel, Daisy and I have visited many entrepreneurs who are running their accommodation just a little bit differently. They have an eye for nature and contribute to social initiatives. Do you want to discover even more inspiring hotels? Read about some of our other experiences below.