Ambassadeur Everlasting
Through Akbar's...Doo
Sitting on the floor in the Nil Kanth in Mandu, out of the way of the visiting pilgrims soaking up the atmosphere - such a pleasent way to spend an afternoon. The Nil Kanth palace contains the Shiva shrine and was built for Akbar's Hindu wife. It was used by the moghuls as a water palace. The Persian inscription on the wall, visable, records Akbar's military exploits and the futility of worldly riches.
Going Home
Wat een leuke dag - mooi lente weer, mijn man is jarig en ik mag de rode ster hebben;) Bedankt voor alle leuke reacties en felicitaties! Fisher(wo)men going home at the end of the day - Ngwe Saung
Pig in the surf
The pigs were being unloaded from a small boat into the surf and onto the beach. Something they really didnt enjoy, their squeals broke the silence of the empty beach. Getting ashore with such a huge pig requires lots of strength and effort.
The Bay of Pigs
Not quite what you expect to see early in the morning on the beach.........these pigs were being unloaded from the small boat into the surf and onto the beach. Something they really didnt enjoy, their squeals broke the silence of the empty beach. Unloading them was probably easier than getting them into the boat, which I would have liked to have seen.
Drying the Nets
..................and when the nets are in and the fish and shrimp taken away, the nets have to be dried ready for use tomorrow. (Third photo in the series of beach fishing in Burma)
Networking
Net fishing from the beach is commonly used in this part of Burma. Two boats go out drop the nets in a circle and then the fishermen, women and anyone on hand pulls and pulls to gather the nets in. Often men swim around the nets splashing coaxing the fish in. It's a big operation and mostly the yield in little for the time and effort involved.
Painting the Sky
Our first day in Mawlamyine was overcast, cloudy and humid. Maybe not the best weather to be walking and exploring a new town, but certainly seems to be the right ingredients for a magnificent sunset. Sitting by the river with a cold Myanmar beer in our hands enjoying the canvas being painted before our eyes. The only sunset that we saw in Mawlamyine by the way.
Een Nieuw Bril Nodig?
Een nieuwe bril nodig? On our last three vists to Burma we have spent the first day in Yangon at the English Optical Shop, where we both, (mijn man en ik) ordered new glasses. Multi-focals and perscription sunglasses (zonnebril op sterkte). The first time after arriving back in the Netherlands we took them to an optician to ask his reaction on the quality. While the lens is not the newest and highest qulaity that they currently use here, it is the qulaity which they used a couple of years ago. The optician said they were perfectly made with French lenses. This year we ordered two multi-focal and a zonnbril for my man, and a multi-focal en zonnebril for myself. 5 pairs in total. Upon our return to Yangon three weeks later our glasses were waiting for us at a grand total of US$ 350! So if you need new glasses or sunglasses and are in Yangon, pay a visit to The English Optical House, behind Scot's Market and tell him that Elaine sent you, he is proud to think that he is being talked about outside of Yangon.
Beach traffic
Ngwe Saung sits on the western coast of Myanmar on the Bay of Bengal, nearly directly west of Yangon, some 200 kms away. The 6 hour plus journey by road is uncomfortable (Margo can also vouch for that) as much of the road is presently being repaired, damaged in part by cyclone Nagis in 2008. But once you are there, there is a beautiful unspolit beach stretching kilometers to stroll along and explore and if you get tired you can always hitch a ride back with the bullocks carts makign their way to and from the fields.
The Bulak
Although nose rings are very common in India, they actually originated in the Middle East. It was only during the 16th century that the practice of piercing the nose filtered into India, for ancient Indian civilization has not recorded any evidence of its existence either in the sculptures at Ajanta and Ellora, the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjadaro or during the reign of the Kushan and Gupta dynasties. Nose rings seem to be associated with the Hindu religion itself. However, the fact that Muslim ladies and children also wear nathunis (nose rings) belies the fact at least to a certain extent. Sometimes the Septum rings are so large that they cover a portion of the mouth and often come in the way while eating. The nostril rings also vie for attention. Some of them are so heavily ornamented with pearls and precious stones that they have to be supported by fine chains, which are attached to the hair. The Bulak which is quite common in Madhya Pradesh is a perfect example of this.
In green in Mawlamyin
In her fine green silky clothes and jeweled head-scarf you could be forgiven for thinking that she was out somewhere chic. But instead she was selling fish in the morning market in Mawlamyine. Beautiful and serene in green.
Morning in Orchha
In the cold early morning, as the sun rises, only a few pilgrims venture to bathe in the river. I was wrapped in a fleece and still cold, so admired their bravery. The ruins on the otherside are cenotaphs of the former rulers of Orchha.
New Novices
Two young and new novices waiting for the bus to depart from the central market in Mawlamyine. They had been novices for just two weeks they came from the same village and were feeling a little home-sick.
Moeder's Dag
For some reason we, (in the UK) celebrate Mother's day on a different day to that which is celebrated here on Moeder's Dag. and today is Mother's Day in the UK. So for all mothers and grandmothers and expecting grandmothers:) (mij dus) a mother and child portrait taken in Kayin province.
Through the eyes of..
You can’t go to Mawlaymine without visiting a few of the temples built along a ridge on the east side of town. Win Sein Taw Ya, just south of the town of Mawlamyine is one of these. It took us two days to reach here (see blog) Here lies a recently constructed 560 ft long reclining Buddha, at the same time under construction and repair, with a Buddha museum built into the base. You can enter the buddhas head through his ears and look out of his eyes, bizare really. A line of 500 statues of monks lead the way to the complex, they are also under repair. Even with the construction and repair work taking place, the site is a popular outing for the local Burmese. If you look well you can see people climbing the stairs to reach the buddha and therefore the scale.
Karst Mountains of...
The countryside around Hpa-An boasts of green rice paddies, fields of watermelon and rubber tree plantations. The rocky Karst outcrops and mountains dominate the landscape. These limestone formations are home to many cave temples and most are scattered with golden pagodas. (For Margo)
Difficult passengers
As I arrived at Schiphol this morning and stood waitng patiently for my bags to arrive, I switched on my phone to check my messages and emails............WOW!!!!! bip bip bip bip bip bip.........., other passengers looked over at me puzzled. For a moment I also didnt understand what was going on, then suddenly realized with all the wonderful reactions of congratulations that I had won the February theme, what a nice suprise. THANK YOU! what a home-coming. By way of thanks, I post an old photo from Burma not so much bijzondere vervoersmiddel but bijzondere passengiers. Seen in Bhamo, passing the day away walking along the banks of the huge Irrawaddy River. The Irrawaddy flows 2,170 km across the centre of the country and empties into the Bay of Bengal. The country's most important commercial waterway transporting people and cargo. PS: They finally moved all three buffalo with much sweat. PPS: I will try to catch up with you all and your photos in the next few days.
Verenigde Staten • Washington D.C.
Verenigde Staten • Washington D.C.
Catch a Rainbow
While his parents listen to the guide tell how Native people along the coast of Washington State, British Columbia, and Alaska continue time-honored practices in an ever-changing modern world, the young child moves away to play with the prism of the light. The National Museum of the American Indian
Verenigde Staten • Washington D.C.
Verenigde Staten • Washington D.C.
The Capitol at Night
Greetings from Washington DC. The US Capitol is maybe among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. The Senate and the House of Representatives have met here for more than two centuries. Begun in 1793, the Capitol has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored. I had to include the Capitol in this months theme. An impressive buidling in the day, even more so at night.
Good Morning Sittwe
It`s always worth to get up early to see the sunrise. But my intention this time was not to see the sunrise, I wanted to see the busy fishmarket and the people working early morning at the beach. These small boats transport the fish from the bigger boats to the beach. Some are sold straight from the boats, the rest is carried to the fishmarket, about 20 meters behind my POV.
Shadow play
The long corridors of the temples of Bagan are a welcoming cool place to sit in the heat of the day and your advantageous seat on the grond delivers a good POV when the time is right. The monk decided to stand stil for me but in fact I wanted him to walk between the shadows, but it still works - I think.
Oh, oh oh!
I dont remember what suprised her so much, but her captured expression is great. Somewhere in the Kayin countryside on our day in the hired tuk-tuk.
There is no rush
Arriving on the morning ferry in Mawlamyine. As the boat searches for an empty pier and passengers hurriedly gather their possesions and wait for the sliipery gangplank to be lowered, these two Barma men still have time for a smoke.
The new mother
I am guessing that this young lady must be a new mother as she is smered with tumeric powder. Turmeric is widely used after childbirth in India and Burma (maybe other places that I am unaware of? ) The extraxt from the raw roots helps the uterus contract and aids the milk flow. The powder is smered on the body as a sterile protection. My daughter is now 20 weeks pregnant with our first grandchild, I am not sure if she would welcome the wisdom of using tumeric
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