Joe Louis starts a diet
The metalsmith was one of the less interesting stops on the Inle Lake tourist trap guided tour. They gave us a two minute demonstration of some of the tools and the furnace that they use to ply metal into the shapes they want. It gave a quick sense of appreciation for the manual work that goes into the finished product. But the actual demonstration felt like it was mostly an introduction to the gift shop portion of the visit. There were long glass cases of necklaces and earrings and other tchotchkes on sale. I looked through for a minute and then was ready to leave to the next stop. I appreciated the work of the people, but buying anything would have been an act of charity rather than a purchase. But I’m not much of a item buyer on the road in general.
See what other blogs are saying about silversmiths at Inle Lake:
“We moved on to a series of tourist traps, a market, blacksmiths, silversmiths, silk weaving factory and tobacco shop. This got tiring after a while and reminded us of our Mandalay tour and just why we dislike organised trips so much; the insistent pressure to buy things we didn’t need got to us when all we wanted was to take in the natural beauty of the lake.”
–Our Big Fat Travel Adventure
“We then visited a foundry. It was obvious they started the whole furnace and bellows contraption just for us, so I felt guilty not buying anything but I don’t really need a cast iron nutcracker.”
–You’re Not From Around Here
