Shwedagon Paya
The first morning in Myanmar, what a shock! we start early morning by the astonishing Shwedagon Paya, adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf, along with thousands of diamonds and other gems. more important than the numbers, the sensations are just incredible: walking barefoot on this smooth white marble, surrounded by gold, gracious people and colorful clothes makes you want to join them in their serene state of mind, prayers or meditation.
Scenes from a train trip in Yangon
Preparing food to sell to the passengers
At every stop, food vendors come in the train to sell fruits, fresh food, etc. I wish we had such a service in our trains :)
Feeding, universal sign of love
Outdoor restaurants and these small tables and chairs omnipresent here
Most women and children wear Thanaka as sun protection and also as makeup. "The Thanaka paste has been used by Burmese women for over 2000 years. It has a fragrant scent somewhat similar to sandalwood. The Burmese grind the bark of the fragrant Thanaka tree, which is related to the sandalwood tree, to make Thanaka powder".
Most people don't have cars so train is essential to transport everything, like produce to sell it to the market
It’s hot, travel is slow, even the train driver takes a nap
The beauty is in his smile, not his surroundings
Markets
Markets are among my favorite places to visit. the ones in Yangon are very lively and offer so much variety of fresh produce.
Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset
We went back to Shwedagon Pagoda to see it at dusk. there were more people, including Westerners as well, unlike in the early morning. Still, seeing pure gold in the sunset light is amazing!
Flowers, food and water are the main offerings to the gods
As the sun sets, it becomes more intimate with the light of so many candles
Hindu temples have a very different appearance but similar offerings tradition
Life scenes
Streets are bursting with activity in cities, but life in smaller towns seems serene and peaceful
A smily farmer doing his job just like his ancestors did it
Portraits de femmes
Mandalay. Burmese women are beautiful in their colorful fitted clothes.
But, despite their almost frail appearance, they work incredibly hard and can carry loads that I could only dream of carrying myself!
But, despite their almost frail appearance, they work incredibly hard and can carry loads that I could only dream of carrying myself!
A somewhat “cruel” custom for our westerners minds: people capture birds and you can pay to free them to gain merit in the afterlife (Buddhist belief)
Elegant even with such a load
A mother doing her best with the little she has
This is fine sand for concrete that these women are carrying from the boat, high up to the bank. It must weight a ton!
Food
Food was great in Yangon, I just did a terrible job at photographing it.
Breakfast in Yangon
Edible Silkworm Pupae
Fried octopus
Mix of small fish or crabs fried in a batter
One of our favorite formula: pick what you want from a food display and they BBQ it for you
Our friend buying fried quails to munch on the way back
Making "crepes" like a pro!
His dexterity is really impressive.
His dexterity is really impressive.
Bagan
We spent a few days in Bagan, which is an incredible site by the concentration of monuments in one place. 2000 of them (many built 800 years ago) remain despite several earthquakes. We rented electric scooters to get easily to the main ones, or discover remote ones through sandy trails. Just a few of them below to show the diversity of styles.
Shwezigon Pagoda, Nyaungu
Shwezigon Pagoda, Nyaungu
The babies may look sweet but they are wild and fierce animals, and even steal stuff from kids. but in some temples People buy these little wraps with peanuts inside to give to the monkeys.
We had a very special experience in bagan one evening: My friend Andy met a family here, 15 years ago. Without internet at the time there was no further contact but when he showed old pictures of his friend Aye Tha Zin to people in the village they immediately called her and she welcomed us right away and asked us to her family for dinner in her village. Apparently no foreigner ever came to the village before.
The dinner in her house was a wonderful albeit a bit awkward experience. Around the table it was only the 2 of us, Aye Tha Zin, her husband and her son. A bit away from the table other family members (at least it seemed like it) were sitting without touching food or drinks. Aye Tha Zin was the only one speaking a bit of English. They encouraged us to eat but no one else was eating. I worried that they did not have enough to eat and that they wanted to make sure that their guests would be fed first.
Finally, curious neighbors and friends showed up, sometimes coming into the room, sometimes just checking us out from the door. It’s only when we made it clear several times that we were full that the kids and a bit Aye Tha Zin started to eat. This family was very generous and we felt privileged to be invited to share their life for an evening!
ATZ taking us through the village main square where men play a ball game
When there is a language barrier, pictures always help. Andy showing pictures of ATZ to her mother, from his previous visit.
ATZ's son showing us how to use Thanaka: they pour a little bit of water on this grinding stone and then grind the Thanaka wood on it. It’s pretty and the perfume is really nice.
Dinner wa
Like in most places in Asia, rice culture is prevalent
Buddha are everywhere in Burma, but Bagan takes that to a whole other level! Huge, or very small, standing, sitting lying down, looking severe or peaceful, every style is represented
Visitors give many offerings in the temples. It could be candles, flowers, water (to refresh Buddha statues outside) or money donations. Here, it’s another kind which is applying a piece of gold leaf to a Buddha statue. In this case it’s a Nat, which is a spirit and not a Buddha god.
Life by the water
Our two main experiences with it were taking a boat from Mandalay to Bagan on the Irrawaddy River, the biggest in the country, then visiting the incredible Inle Lake, in the Shan state.
Young girls have the same interests (and addiction to cell phones) as in any other country
When the river is the only place to wash yourself
Parking lot full for market day
Laundry day
Without a boat, the caught fish are very small
“The Floating Gardens on Inle Lake were made by native people, In-Thars. They grow vegetables on floating islands which are collection of floating weed and water hyacinth. The floating garden beds are formed by extensive manual labor. The farmers gather up lake-bottom weeds from the deeper parts of the lake, bring them back in boats and make them into floating beds in their garden areas, anchored by bamboo poles. These gardens rise and fall with changes in the water level, and so are resistant to flooding. The constant availability of nutrient-laden water results in these gardens being incredibly fertile.“
Supermarket on water
Kids are already experts at navigating
Inle Lake is the main way of communication between the surrounding villages
Hitting the water with their paddle to scare the fish away towards their net
Fishermen here are famous for their rowing prowess: they are able to row with one leg to free their 2 hands busy deploying their net.
I’m really impressed by their balance on such flat pirogues
Rowing is only when fishing to not scare the fish with the engine. The rest of the time the boats move fast thanks to these practical little engines.
These cone-shaped nets are made from bamboo and have a small net inside. Fishermen trap the fish by throwing the cone-shape nets into the water, pressing on it with their feet so it sinks to the bottom where the fish are.
The smoke haze acts like a filter for the sun.
Shan country
The Shan people are the biggest minority of the 100+ different ethnies in Myanmar. They seem more reserved and the women are dressed differently.
Kaung Daing. This village was literally covered in these drying bamboo mats, covered by seeds, and other non identifiable stuff.
Market Day in one of the villages around the Lake Inle
Market day is not happy day for everyone
Colorful head wraps wore by most Shan women
Fish with nothing to hide
Inn Thein and its many, many pagodas tightly close to each other.
In Burma, becoming a novice monk is a great honour for families. It’s customary for every young boy to enter a Buddhist monastery, starting with an initiation ceremony known as Shin Pyu.
The Shin Pyu can last up to two days and involves grand processions through towns or villages.
The Shin Pyu can last up to two days and involves grand processions through towns or villages.
Once the ceremony is over, novices change into maroon robes and enter the monastery for at least a week. Once they reach adulthood, boys can decide whether they want to become fully ordained monks.
Burmese love flowers and they’re available in every market.
Beautiful colors, big smiles, thousands of golden temples and kids free roaming is the image of Burma lasting in my mind
