Off to the Races

The first full morning at Inle Lake, we boated across the lake (probably a 30 minute trip) to watch and even participate in the traditional Inle Lake boat races.  Ye Ye is quite the entrepreneur, and owns a fleet of nine motorboats (not the ones pictured below).  So, we must have taken 10-12 rides in the boats over the three days we were there.

For the races (pictured below), it was the orange team versus the green team.  The participants stand on their boats, with most of them using their legs to paddle.  The winner is NOT necessarily the first past the post.  Nope, the win goes to the team who is able to pull the bamboo out first whilst crossing the finish line (a key factor, as it turns out).

We watched the first race -- here

they are getting into position.

It's neck and neck, but the orange team wins

because they successfully pulled the bamboo first.

So, it's not just about paddling fastest, but also

the skill in grabbing the bamboo.

Then, we were invited to join the racers on the boat.  Kevin. and I were assigned to team Orange (my orange shirt pretty much guaranteeing it, whilst Rich was put on team Green.  Michelle then volunteered to row so each team of 20 included two Americans whose main goal was not to fall into the water.  

Ye Ye pointed out about ten times that we should use our hands/arms to paddle, not our feet/legs. Honestly, Ye Ye, I appreciate the advice, but I pretty knew much that instinctively.  The odds of me falling in the water were high regardless, but using the leg paddle technique would have only driven it way up.

Kevin, Glen, and Rich all have the same thought

-- don't fall in.  Dropping a paddle loses the

race, but in a choice between me or the paddle,

I'd rather lose the race.

I'm grinning, but it's not a confident smile

I had a sore hip after pressing so hard

against the bar.  Kevin is over my shoulder.

Rich gets into place.

Michelle joins the team.

Good thing this was pre-race -- Kevin and I

might have been facing the wrong way.

So, before the first race, one of my teammates gets right up in my grill and starts jabbering at me in a language -- the only word of his talk I got was "dinner!" -- which might have been his way of trying to motivate me.  Or he was trash talking me.  Every time I thought it was subsiding, he started back up again.  I thought he should tell Kevin these same points, but he kept yelling at me.  Every so often the others laughed.  I just turned my back, hoping we would get in position and the race start.

To win, we had to win two of three.  In the first race (in which we Americans did not participate), the orange team won.  In the second race, we lost even though we got there first, but our bamboo grabber guy failed to complete his task.  Perhaps my pre-race trash talker should have directed his advice to our grabber (first guy in the boat).

So now it was 1-1, and time for the tie breaker.  I felt a bit winded -- even though the race was short, it took some work.  (Apparently, the real races are a huge deal with many teams participating in what I presume is an elimination contest).  Even with the loss, I felt good -- I was still dry, and after all, that was the goal.

The second race was amazingly tight.  Both boats came in at the same time, but our bamboo grabber had trained with the Falcons and failed, whilst the green team grabber grabbed successfully.  Ignominious loss you might think, but, since I didn't fall in, it's quite possible I could be considered a real winner (unlike Matty Ice).  Rich and Michelle were champs, Kevin and I were chumps.  

(Btw, Kevin was great -- he laughed at all my jokes, and that's really all you need to do to be okay in my book.  Later, as we were getting ready to board Ye Ye's boats to leave the scene, I said loudly -- something to this effect -- "I did my part, but I honestly expected more out of Kevin." -- and he laughed.)  

Michelle and Rich give the champs the trophy.

Meanwhile Kevin and I give the 

second place finishers their solace.

There was a ceremony in which we gave the orange team a second place prize, and Michelle and Rich gave the victors the first place prize.  Then the two team captains did a little dance, and there was cheering by all.

Later, ESPN.com reported that the orange team had already replaced their bamboo grabber for the next set of races in the future.