Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in the region of Southeast Asia. The British took over the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar was granted independence in 1948, initially as a democratic nation and then, following a coup d'état in 1962, a military dictatorship. For most of its independent years, the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and Burma's myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world's longest-running ongoing civil wars.
Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 116 km2, and one of the highest at an elevation of 880 m. In June 2015, it became Myanmar's first designated place of World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Inle Lake is a major tourist attraction, and this has led to some development of tourist infrastructure. Many small and large privately owned hotels and tour operations have arisen during the past few years.
Shopping is an entirely different experience at Inle Lake and because it is a rural area, Inle Lake does not have malls, shopping centres or supermarkets. The Inthar people that live on the lake get what they need from floating markets present in every village. The sellers carry all their merchandise on boats and conduct sales from there. With so many people on boats hawking their wares, there are times when the canals of the lake experience heavy traffic.

Shopping at Inle Lake is also dependent on the five-day rotating markets. For tourists, the experience can be tricky since the market does not have a specific schedule and venue. The market is open every five days, and its location constantly changes. For market days, the tribe people from the hills come down to sell their goods.