Ambassadeur Everlasting
A new broom sweeps...
This may well seem a thankless task, two young novices sweep the bat droppings from floor of Saddar Cave, one of the largest in the Kayin countryside. The cave is home to a large bat population, the sound is incredible and the smell overpowering.
Curiosity and Thanaka
He was so curious as to how the camera worked peering into the lens trying to see somthing apart fromhis own reflection and of course delighted when I turned the camera around to show himself on the display. Another day in Mawlamyine
The Duck farmer
As the sun sets behind mount Zwekabin, the duck farmer diligently herds the ducks/geese back to the farm for the evening. A great sight to behold and not as exceptional as you may think, Lione has a fine example from Indonesia.
How do your flowers..
Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your flowers grow? (An old english kinderlied) The Zwekabin pagoda, nestled under Mount Zwekabin, Kayin state. I like the red geraniums and the monks red robes
This is my playground
The countryside surrounding Hpa An is full of limestone cliffs and houses many caves. One of the largest is Saddar Cave, this breathtakingly huge cavern contains a pagoda near the entrance with many Buddha images. Further in the cave becomes a dark and wild place with many huge stalactites, and the home of a large bat population. A 10 - 15 minute journey through the cave brings you again to daylight. For the local kids the main cave is great place to play hide and seek amongst the buddhas
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Omkareshwar -Shaped like the Hindu symbol, 'Om', Omkareshwar attracts many pilgrims. This once not only holy but picturesque small town is now the site of one of the worlds biggest Dam projects. Most of the ghats also seem to be in the process of redevelopment, all a bit of a mess really. At the confluence of the rivers Narmada and Kaveri, the devout gather bathe in the rivers, kneel before the Jyotirlinga, and offer their hair as a gesture of surrender and humility. The head is shaved saving a small tail at the crown. TITLE: with thanks to David Bowie
Thanaka Swirls
Thanaka is used as a skin protection but also as decoration. This lady selling fish has a fine example of thanaka decoration. If there is one thing that is typical of Burma it is the use of thanaka. Mawlamyine fish market, Mon state
On the way to Win Sei
On our way to Win Sein Taw Ya, (the world's largest reclining buddha) waiting for the pick-up to leave the market in Mawlamyine. See my blog for the entire story.
The Orange Turban
One of the elderly gentlemen that I met on the streets of Jhalawar a non-descript town in Rajasthan. No famous temples, no famous forts, just a busy, dirty little town with friendly people = all I need for a relaxed few days.
Taxi or Rodeo
In the theme of 'Bijzondere vervoermiddelen' this taxi from Snoul to Kratie was 'heel bijzonder". Packing the people into the taxi is precision work. The people that you see still standing are waiting to be directed to their place, the goods bought in the market are tied to the sides, including the live chickens, When this taxi pulled away, the front wheels left the ground, like a buckign horse at a rodeo, admist roars of laughter, unfortunately my camera was already back in my bag and I was taking my seat in another taxi. The monk stands patiently and watches, he sits in the front next to the driver - a monks privilege
Mawlamyine Morning
The early morning boat from Hpa-An to Mawlamyine is a highlight if you are ever in the area. It leaves at 5:00 and hawkers surge on board with tin platters of sliced pineapple, lotus pods and steamed sweetcorn for the passengers. The food may not be the most appealing for breakfast but the atmosphere and light are stunning.
Banana stems
I enjoy the hustle and bustle and sometimes the smells of markets, so on our last morning in Yangon we headed to one of the busy markets to buy a few "souveniers" a burmese calender for the wc, a huge lighter that we had seen a few people use for our tuin-haard, a few cheroots for the neighbours and a garland of flowers to eventually dry. While browsing the stall with banana flowers and stems, I sensed that I was being watched.
The Green Barber
Its easy to set up a barber shop in India, actually all you need are the tools. Sometimes you see customers squatting on the floor, sometimes you see just the chair manifesting itself as a shop (I have a photo here "At the Barber") http://www.columbusmagazine.nl/azie_en_midden-oosten/india/rajasthan/reisreporter/fotos/203710.html and sometimes a very simple shack. The barber here obviously liked the colour green, notice his razor. Somewhere in Madhya Pradesh
Inner Thoughts
I realised that there are many photos of monks here but not so many of nuns - so to put the balance right........ A young nun in Kayin. It is a traditional cultural requirement for every male Burmese Buddhist to become a novice in childhood for some time and a monk in adulthood. There is even a saying, "You must become a monk, before you can become a man." Such a cultural requirement does not exist for women. The shaven head is a fairly strong cultural barrier, in fact, since almost every adult laywoman takes great pride in her long hair.
Double Take
If you think you have seen this photo before you are not entirely mistaken. Janneke Versteeg (Jversteeg) uploaded almost the same photo yesterday which I found amusing. Strange how we both seem to have had the same idea. This is Jodphur fort in Rajasthan
Kyauk Klaup
Kyauk Klaup pagoda standing on a finger of rock in the middel of a lake, surrounded by emerald green paddy fields and mountains. A precarious ladder can be climbed to reach the golden stupa at the top. A beautiful place, we hitched a ride on a truck and then another on a tuk-tuk and finally on a pilgrim's bus to arrive there by sunset and our guest house was less then 10 kms away...............................
Monk or Shoe-carer
One thing we have learned in our travels in Myanmar is to wear sandals or flip-flops that can be easily removed. That is a requirement for entering all the temples, monasteries and any cave considered a religious site. That meant we had to walk through the cave in our bare feet over the bat droppings. That is also the reason that you don’t get into bed at night without scrubbing your feet well :) The caretaker and shoe-carer of Kawgun cave
The Ol' Chevvie
Mawlamyine is generally considered to be off the main tourist trail for most travellers to Myanmar but the town does have a charm of its own with its rich history, buildings with colonial style architecture and World War II era wooden Chevrolet buses. A good way to explore the surrounds is by jumping on and off of the old buses as they ply in various directions out of the town.
The goose plucker
The concentration is clear to see on the face of the goose (?) plucker in the market of Mawlamyine. Each feather is taken out with fingers pinched as tight as a pincet. Markets are a favorite of ours and this was no exception. All the stalls were in operation and thronged with locals buying and selling. Everything from household goods, clothing, fruit and vegetables, fish and meat were on offer.
Old Mawlamyine
The small town of Mawlamyine is slowly in decay, old colonial buildings being taking over once more by the jungle. Both George Orwel and Kipling visited Mawlamyine, and I somehow doubt that much has changed since then. We saw signs of electricity but in the four days that we spent there we saw not one single light in the town. She says, What can we do? if we complain to the municipality they tell us there is nothign they can do. And if we complain too many times, they make trouble for us. If we are unhappy about our environment we can speak out, write a letter, join an action group, but in Burma people cannot do that. People cannot speak out about simple things, a broken telephone line, disconnected electricty. They never know where their complaint may end.
Defeating Dynamite
Hidden away in the hills surrounding Hpa An is Kawgun Cave. An open cavern which consists of thousands of tiny clays buddhas and carvings over the walls and roofs, an impressive line of buddha statues leads the way in. This 7th century artwork gallery was badly shaken recenlty when a local cement factory in its quest for limestone started dynamiting the nearby peaks, luckily the damage was minimal!
Travelling on the...T
Travelling on the Thanwin river in southern Burma at sunset. The banks of the river are lined with small paddy fields which form a patchwork dotted with water buffalos, small huts of bamboo set amongst the coconut palms and frequently golden pagodas.
Ingenuity overcoming.
An entry for bijzondere vervoer On the road between Kratie and Stung Treng. The road bridge had been destroyed some years earlier, the new bridge was SLOWLY being constructed, in the meantime cars, jeeps and small buses were transportated across the river by cleverly built rafts, powered by four strong men and a small outboard motor. Passengers including me, could either balance on the raft or clamber across the unfinshed bridge -wisely or not, I chose the latter.
On the banks of the..
Hpa-An sits on the banks of the Thantwin River. A popular and scenic eight hour boat ride on the river links the towns of Hpa-An and Mawlamyine but it only runs on Mondays and Fridays. The old double-decker boat was left by the Japanese. Tomorrow is Monday and tomorrow the boat will leave at 5:00 but for now as the sun sets its time to wash the days' dust away
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