Ambassadeur Everlasting
Aalmoes
A young novice collecting his morning alms in Chaing Mai. A few years ago, my son at the same age of 17, 18 played in a crust-punk band "Aalmoes". Complete with multi-colored hanenkam and writing their own protest songs, their practice sessions in our house did not generate such a serene atmosphere as this picture of Aalmoes. Different worlds.
Escape into captivity
The Padaung escaped from the Kaya State in Burma to Thailand in the mid to late 1900's and are actually refugees of a political turmoil. They belong to the Karenni sub-group of the Karen People, which are still fighting for their independence in Burma. I cant say that enjoyed my visit to village in Chaing Mai, it felt like a human zoo.
Anywhere in Burma
A typical scene from the dryzone of Burma, The Burmese refer to the dry zone as Upper Burma, even though it is geographically in the middle of the country. It was here that the Burmese ethnic group first settled and it was here that most of the Burmese capitals were subsequently built, including Bagan, Sagaing, Ava, Amarapura and Mandalay.
Pa-Oo Farmer
The Pa-Oo are the second most numerous ethnic group in the Shan State after the Shans themselves. They are an important branch of the Karen ethnic family and speak a related language, although many Pa-Oo in the Shan State are unaware of any connection. Local legend claims that they fled north to Shan Sate from the Mon city of Thaton, in Lower Myanmar, after the overthrow of the Mon King Manuha in the eleventh century by King Anawrahta of Bagan. Itinerant traders and Buddhists, many live to day in the mountains around Taunggyi and Kalaw in western Shan State, where their main cash crop is the thanapet leaf from cordia trees, used for rolling Myanmar's traditional cigar, the cheroot. Pa-Oo farmers wear loose fitting trousers, jackets and bright turbans, (or hand towels) We can see one of his cows in the blurred background.
A father's touch
We see many photos of mother and child, here in one of the Chin villages that we visited, I was struck by the tenderness between the father and son. Watching the father work - his strength so evident he then turned his attention to his son and tenderly held him - protecting him in his shyness. For all fathers. --------------------------- Close your eyes, Have no fear, The monsters gone, He's on the run and your daddy's here, Beautiful, Beautiful, beautiful, Beautiful Boy,
Roopmati Mahal
Mandu. - In the 11th century the poet-prince Baz Bahadur Baz built a Pavilion for his favorite dancer, Roopmati. A magnificent expression of Afgan architecture. It is said that when Akbar came here to get Roopmati, Baz Bahadur made a run for it and Roopmati took poison and died. Akbar stayed for a while and the city was left deserted after his departure. Today Roopmati's pavilion is being restored. Despite the physically hard work she looked radiant in her colourful clothes and bangles she could be Roopmati's incarnation.
The Water Girl
While out cycling we stopped at a ferry crossing by the Lemro river, we were hot and she offered us water from her clay pot.
Muted colours of Mrau
The dawn light and the smoke from the morning fires hangs in the air. People walk to and from the morning market in Mrauk U.
Take care of your...t
Morgen moet ik naar de tandarts, zo wat ben ik blij dat hij in Rotterdam is en niet Kulu, India :) A local dentist in the bazaar, the speed of the drill is determined by how fast the dentist could pump it with his foot. 1980's scanned from dia
Betel Nut
A tired rickshaw man, waits in the street for his next customer, I have no idea how long he has been working today, but I think that it is the beetlenut chewing that is keeping him going rather than the energy from food. Areca nut, or more commonly known as betel nut, is the seed of the betel palm or Areca catechu, a species of palm tree which grows throughout the Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The most important active principles of betel nut are arecaine and arecoline, alkaloids which are comparable to nicotine in its stimulating, mildly intoxicating and appetite-suppressing Betel chewing is a part of many Asian cultures, and preparation techniques vary. The nut is either slivered or grated, often flavored with spices according to local tradition and usually wrapped in a betel leaf along with some lime to better extract the alkaloids. After about 20 minutes of chewing, the fibrous residue which remains of the nut is spat on the street, where it remains visible due to its characteristic bright red color. Trails of bright red sputum lining the sidewalks are a sure indication of the popularity of betel chewing in an area.
Er is meer in Myanmar
ik ben net gevraagd om leuke plekken buiten de 4 bekendste bestemmingen - Bagan, Yangon, Inle-meer, Mandalay, daarom deze tip. Grote gebieden van Birma blijven "off limits " voor buitenlandse toeristen. Desondanks zijn er nog fanastische bestemmingen te bezoeken buiten de "main attractions " Bijvoorbeeld, Mrauk U dichtbij het grens met Bangladesh. En oude hoofstad dat eens het centrum van een belangrike koningrijke was. Ambassadeurs van bijvoorbeeld Portugal and Nederland woonden daar in het 16 &17de eeuw Nu een slaperige rivier dorp omringed door heuvels en mooi oud tempels dat versieren het omgeving. Het mooie boot tocht om daar te komen is een belevenis op zich. Mooi stranden langs het Golf van Bengal b.v.ChaungTha, een halve dagse rit van Yangon . 99% Van de bezoekers zijn Birmese, en mooi gelegenheid om "dichertbij " de Birmese te komen . Van "high rise" hotels en resorts is er geen sprake en voor een paar Euros verukkelijke vis en schaaldieren maaltijden. Kyaiktyo, ligt ten zuiden van Yangon, een bedevaartsoord. Een rit in een open truck, of te voet, door jungle bedecked heuvels, met veel watervallen, brengt u daar. Een onwaarschinlike pagoda balanceerd op een gouden rots boven de jungle. Veel pelgrims vanuit heel Birma geven een bijzondere sfeer. Het is mogelijk boven op de heuvel te slapen om het mooi zonsopgang te zien. Verder zuidelijke is Mawlamyine. Een rivierstad met erachter en heuvelrug met gouden pagodas . Oude Chevrolet buses van de tweede wereld oorlog doen nog steeds dienst als openbaar vervoer!! Geweldige markten. Veel uitstapjes in de omgeving . En hoogtepunt is een boot tocht van en paar uren door heel mooi landschappen (Karsgebergt en groen ristvelden) naar Hpa An. Hoofdstad van Mon state, een super vriendelijke kleurijke stadje, de omgeving is schitterend. Bergtop kloosters met fantastische uitzichten waar het mogelijke is te overnachten , mysterieuze, enorm grotten gevuld met Boeddha beelden en en mooi platteland om door te fietsen of misschien en trishaw huren voor en dag. Deze zijn alleen en paar exampleren van wat Birma heeft te bieden . Maar voor mij is de grootste attractie de eerlijk en vriendelijke mensen!
So still runs the...r
After Bhamo there is a gorge, here the Irrawaddy river is calm and wide. A high cliff towers over a turn in the river, looming up majestically over the small boats and rafts floating by. On this part of the river, the water is not too deep, and boats are hollowed from whole logs or small rafts made of bamboo. Indeed, rafts made up of less then a dozen bamboo poles are often seen with the one passenger lying back and humming a tune to ease the loneliness of his journey. What struck me about this young boy, sitting on the river bank waiting for the ferry, was how still how sat with his mother, looking out across the river, he seemed so deep in thought, grasping his little toy. Notice his curled toes, I wonder what was going through his mind.
Windmills of your Min
We stay in Khajuraho at the mela. As the fair comes to a close and people head off home, I met this young boy who wanted to practise his few words of english with me. how old do you think he is? - 11, 12? He obviously has had such a good day at the fair look at his neat clothes and smoothed down hair. I was struck by his genuine contentment - an enjoyable day spent with his father and his colorful windmill proudly held high. Such simple pleasures. And the world is like an apple Whirling silently in space Like the circles that you find In the windmills of your mind
From under Mother's..
Khajuraho is famous for its erotic carvings in the temples, (Griet posted a few fine examples recenlty) but this was taken at the mela (kermis). Under the protection of her mothers arm, I manage to get a nice a smile from the shy young girl who is very much enjoying being at the mela.
The Cost of Living
What is the cost of living for this sadhu in his small living space just above one of the ghats in Omkareshwar? I cant say that I really enjoyed this stop, the town is being transformed by the construction of India's most controversial dam project. Its environmental impact and net costs and benefits are widely debated. The Narmada Dam has been the center of controversy and protest since the late 1980s. Author and activist Arundhati Roy wrote a protest of the Narmada Dam Project in her book The Cost of Living
Cultural Melange
i have already mentioned the fishing town of Sittwe and posted a tip on how to soend a day in Sittwe, so we stay there a while. Photo taken in the market of three women reflecting the cultural mix of the region.
The young fisher
The busy fish market in Sittwe is a must to see, so many fish, so much action, so much filth. The atmosphere is vibrant. A wonderful place. Sittwe is situated on the Bay of Bengal, close to Bangladesh, many of the fishermen are moslim, coming from Bangladesh more than 200 years ago or Burmese moslims. Sittwe was also the town in which the peaceful protests began of last year. SEE TIP
The bat show
As the sun goes down the fruit bats in the main street of Sittwe begin their nightly show. A spectacular sight and worth spending an overnight in Sittwe. SEE TIP
Mystic Mrauk U
In Mrauk U it`s worth to get up early to have views like this. The photo is taken from Schwedaung Pagoda, which is just behind the guesthouse that I mentioned in my earlier tip. Mrauk U once boasted thousands of shrines and pagodas, and now many have perished there is rarely a hilltop that does not adorn itself with one pagoda or another. After the annexation of Arakan (Rakhine) by the British, the capital was shifted to Sittwe (Akyab): since that time Mrauk-U was known by the people as Mrohaung (Old City). The name Mrohaung was given by the British when they shifted their seat of administration to Sittwe in 1826. The original name was restored in 1979. Mrauk U is just 60kms by river from Sittwe and the trip takes 3 to 4 hours. SEE TIP
At the airport
Greetings from Bangkok!! if you are tired from the long flight from Amsterdam and have to wait a couple of hours for the next flight, how do you keep your self awake ---- take photos.:) This is Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok which is just celbratign its 3rd anniversary. It is designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects and really isnt a bad airport to get stuck in. I know of worse:)
The Blue City
The view from the Mehrangarh Fort. Jodphur is often referred to as the Blue City due to the indigo tinge of the whitewashed houses in the city. (Take the time to open this)
Majestic Mehrangarh..
Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur city in Rajasthan state is one of the largest forts in India. The fort is situated on a lofty height, 400 feet (122 m) above the city, and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces, which are known for their intricate carvings and sprawling courtyards. A meandering road leads to and from the city below.
Puja flowers
Outside any temple in India you wil find flowers sellers offering flowers to the devotees to place in the temple. This was taken during a very busy, (remember the bus crossing the river photo?) festival in Orchha,
Smoking Chowkidhor
Meet Chandran Lal, the chowkidhor (caretaker) of my rest house on my way to Mantalai. (4020m) in the Parvati valley. Chandran makes an excellent dhal and chappati in the evening and chai to set you off in the morning. He enjoys his chillum, (tabacco only) and a good converstion, pity his english is limited and my hindi not as good as it once was. I spent several years in this area and going through these old photos are bringing back so many nice memories to me.
Community-updates
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