Homeward Bound - Dec 5

5 AM and I just cannot sleep. Can hardly breathe, my sinus is so plugged up. Finally get up, work on the blog a bit and take a shower. The hot shower provides a modicum of relief, but I can't wait until 8 so maybe some kind of shop is open where I can at least get some cough drops, having exhausted the stash I had brought from the States. I find some at a Seven Eleven (yup, that's what they called it), about the size of my kitchen. They're Halls but do not have the menthol that the ones I buy at home do.

9AM, Jim Thompson's place opens up and go shopping, armed with loads of tissues. Jim Thompson by the way was an American businessman who revitalized the Thai silk industry after WWII, concentrating on some of the native designs and textures. In 1967 at age 61 he just disappeared, never to be seen again. His design studio and main sales outlet is adjacent to his former house which is kept as a museum and memorial to him. It is a typical Thai house, very open and airy but larger than most and beautifully decorated. When I first visited his house,  few years after his disappearance, it was out in the "jungle" alongside a klong or canal. Today Bangkok has grown up around it and it is immersed in a residential neighborhood.

I purchased several scarves for Christmas gifts for the ladies at home. These scarves are not inexpensive but they are really beautiful and unique. Though a few may have the same colors, no two (that I could find) are alike. They are individually hand made as far as I can determine.

Finally it was time to leave for the airport and my flight home. The hotel arranged for a taxi at a fixed rate, similar to what I had paid before. I had split my checked items into two bags for the trip home as Qatar Airlines allowed me two and one would have been overweight. I had managed to find an inexpensive duffel in one of the markets (Malls) in Bangkok.

With that done I proceeded to the Tax Refund window after clearing security. I received about the equivalent of $60 US in Baht back for the VAT paid at Jim Thompson's. Well I wasn't going to bring home all that Baht so I spent it on more Jim Thompson stuff at the Duty Free. I could probably have saved myself the trouble of going to the original location but I tend to think the selection is better there.

Next I spent a couple of hours at the same Oman Air lounge as my previous visit to Bangkok International. I was the only non middle eastern person in there and it was pretty obvious I was being viewed suspiciously. That's OK, I liked the food and had a beer and was on my way.

The trip home to JFK was pretty uneventful, but long. Seven hours from Bangkok to Doha, and 14 hours from Doha to JFK with only an hour and a half on the ground at Doha. But from what I saw on the travel promo on the flights I think I would like to visit Qatar some day. That is definitely NOT a third world destination.

All in all, it was a great trip on many different levels. My friend, Nathan Horton, is a great photographer and very generous with his talent and sharing his knowledge. We had a really nice group of folks traveling, photographing, and hanging out together. I have gained a better insight into and appreciation for the Buddhist religion and I now have a Facebook friend in Myanmar, Mr. Ko Ko. Thank you all!

Depart Yangon

This was my last day in Yangon and Myanmar. But today there would be no lying in as the British say. We were out the door and in the bus at 5:00 AM and at the Shwedagon Pagoda. by 5:07. Traffic is light at that hour! Doffing our shoes again we went through what has become typical security at most tourist venues at home. The golden pagoda is actually just the gigantic center piece of a huge religious complex, and I was surprised to see how many people were there praying already.

The sky was still very dark but the pagoda was shining brilliantly with its gold leaf covering bathed in the illumination of so many flood lights. We had set up our tripods at the Tuesday corner. Apparently there are "corners" for each day of the week, so you can pray at a particular corner which corresponds to the day of the week upon which you were born.

After a few shots of the pagoda, I started to concentrate more on people worshipping. Wanted to also get some pics with a slow shutter speed so you could tell people were moving about.

Golden Pagoda

Monk Praying

Nuns Chanting

So, we got back to the hotel in plenty of time for breakfast. And then it was time to think of getting to the airport. Jillian had the earliest flight, on her way to Hong Kong. BTW, Jill, did you ever get a hotel booked? I thought I was a last minute guy! Then at noon, six of us got on the bus to the airport, Nathan, Bev, Cathy, Hubridge, Marko and I. Buzz and Charlotte and Ko Ko saw us off. Sorry to have missed the Brazilian ladies, Jackie and Marcia. They were staying an extra day in Yangon. Best guess - they were shopping!

Of the six of us on the bus, I had the later flight, so hung around a bit waiting for the Airasia desk to open up. Finally it opened, and the young lady behind the desk told me my checked bag was 3 kg overweight and that I would have to remove something.  Struggled with that, I finally thought to myself screw it I'll just go ahead and pay for the difference. How much could that be? $18 per kilogram is what I was told.  Oh the hell with it I'll just pay. Can I use a credit card?  Yes. So I handed my credit card and they can't figure out what to do. So finally the girl says never mind never mind waves me off and lets me go without being charged .

So, having gotten rid of my checked bag, I threw the twenty plus pounds of photo gear on my back, pick up my laptop and headed on over to security.  At this point, my stomach was growling and I was looking forward to chowing down at the "Priority Pass" lounge I knew was waiting next to gate 4. But, after passing through security I found out that I only have access to gates 9 and above. The lower numbered gates are in the old terminal. Oh well, maybe the lounge labeled "Executive Lounge" will honor my Priority Pass. No such luck, but for a mere $10 US, charged on my credit card as I have gotten rid of all of my Kyat, I am in like Flynn. The lounge is the size a small warehouse! There is food galore and beer, glorious beer! Plus wifi, but strangely no place to plug in your electronics. Somehow, they just haven't quite figured this whole touristy thing out yet in Myanmar.

Finally I make the flight to Bangkok, Thailand, where I plan to do some shopping. Arriving at Don Muang airport (not the new international terminal) I am happily notified by the Tiles app that my luggage has arrived on the carousel, grab my stuff and find a taxi to my hotel, the Holiday Inn Express (chosen due to its proximity to the Jim Thompson House). Highway? the driver asks. Absolutely my friend! And lay-o lay-o (that's Thai for put the pedal to the metal!). 45 minutes and 500 Baht (about $14  US) including tip, later I am in my hotel. And can you believe it, there's a frappin' Mickey D's next door! I am salivating for a Big Mac as I check in at reception. Up to the room and drop my bags, then back down to the Golden Arches! Well, actually McDonalds has altered their look a bit. The menu board started with a salmon sandwich but I eventually found the burger I wanted, ordered the meal and they gave me a slip telling me it was free refills on the soda! Close my eyes and I'm almost home.

Well, it was early to  bed for this boy as my sinus infection, which I thought was on the mend decided to flare up.

Yangon - Dec 2

This morning we check out of the Manor Hotel and board the coach for Heho airport. It's cool and the long sleeve shirt feels good. Reaching the airport we went through the cursory security inspection and into the crowded waiting room. The fight ended up taking much longer than anticipated because it was not a direct flight. A stop was made at some location in Myanmar that Ko Ko said had the best beaches in the country. When we landed I could see we were near the shore. I was a bit nervous about the stop because I did not have a lot of confidence in their baggage handling system. But at least when we stopped I got confirmation on the Tiles app on my iPhone that my bag had made it that far, because the app recognized the luggage tile. Must have been when they open the cargo bay. Or maybe they had actually removed the bag temporarily. In any case, when we arrived at Yangon my bag showed up with everyone else's.

After a very quick check-in at the hotel, we got on the bus again and Ko Ko lead us through another food market. There was a huge difference in that this market was much more crowded than ones we had visited in the past. So much so that it was difficult to photograph because of the endless stream of humanity moving about. Still, there were some good pictures to be made.

After moving through this market, we came upon one in which they were selling prepared foods. Kind of an outdoor food court.

Ko Ko showed us some of the old British colonial buildings.

Finally, it was time to go eat but first a stop at the waterfront at sunset. 

Dinner was at the Monsoon. Our last supper and probably the best meal of the trip.

Nyaung Shwe -Free Day - Dec 1

Yikes! Bikes! Glad I took out that trip insurance! I hadn't been on a bike in years..., well like they say "it's just like riding a bike". So off we go at 7:30 AM with Nathan in the lead and Ko Ko playing sheep dog again. And it's beep, beep, beep. Holy jumping Buddha I am as far over to the right as I can get man! Every bleepin' scooter, car, and truck passing us has to beep like there is no tomorrow.

Soon we reach our destination, "the temple of the oval windows". That's what Nathan calls it; I'm pretty sure that is not the official name. While I am playing with a couple of cute little  puppies,

Ko Ko arranges for a young monk to pose in the window and soon the staccato of shutter clicks begins again. Have to admit, it really is a nice location for a monk portrait.

 We have been shooting outside the temple so it was shoes on, but then we entered one of the religious areas for another location shot and off they came. This is a great setting too, with all the little Buddha statues filling the walls, and great diffuse lighting on our monk.

We finally let the boy go back to start his daily class. Again a donation to the monastery was made. While the others took pictures of the rest of the interior of this area I went back to the original temple. Initially I intended to just photograph from outside, but then noticed a bunch of what were obviously tourists' shoes at the base of the steps leading inside, I decided to go in. I wasn't the only one who noticed the shoes!

Risking mutilation of my shoes by those little rascals I went in and found it to be this really beautiful structure with incredibly smooth and shiny wooden floors. The young monks were sitting cross-legged on the floor writing in their workbooks. Wow, what a great opportunity for some great shots. If only they weren't so shy. They would duck their heads whenever I pointed the camera in their direction.

It wasn't until later I found out there was a sign outside asking you not to photograph the young monks. Oh, well, I guess I'll be going to the Buddhist equivalent of purgatory.

The rest of the day we were free to take the bikes and do whatever. We all initially headed back towards the hotel, stopping at a place called "The French Touch". This was a really cool cafe with some incredible photos on the walls, all credited to the photographic skills of the owner.

And the food was great too. I ordered a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant. Delicious! Made with Illy coffee, who'd a thunk it?

Found my way back to the hotel and decided to spend the rest of the day working on the blog.

Indein - Nov 30

We were on Inle Lake, or at least the outskirts of it. And today we were going to actually get a chance to explore some of the villages, Indein, in particular, that make up a large part of the commercial ventures surrounding the lake. Today I got to really appreciate how much a waterway can really enhance the exchange of goods and services between communities. There were the same fast longboats carrying goods and people back and forth that provided us with the chance to visit the tourist spots and photograph the famous fishermen, who row their boats one legged.

Early morning departure to catch the fishermen at sunrise. It took a surprisingly long time to reach the main part of the lake from our launch point in Nyaung Shwe. There were four of us in each longboat. I was in the front with the two nice ladies from Brazil (Jackie and Marcia) behind me, and Ko Ko in the last seat. When we reached the fishing area several of the fishermen came over and Nathan and Ko Ko negotiated and coordinated with them to get their photos. It was pretty obvious they had done this before because the fishermen pretty much knew how to position themselves and went through their repertoire of acrobatics on the bow of their boats, hoisting their fishing nets into various precarious positions. For me, the sunrise was a bit disappointing. We didn't get that nice golden glow. It was more a cold blue, but we worked with it. Finally when the sun was above the horizon we were able to get some nice silhouette shots.

Proceeding on we were taken to the village of Indein. The trip was somewhat reminiscent of Venice, as we zipped along past houses on stilts and little offshoots from the main channel. Of course the houses are quite modest and there was no where near the grandeur of Venice. People bathing, washing their clothes and dishes in the water are things you would never see in Italy.


Arriving in the village we had a coffee and potty break at Tony's Pizzeria (actually named the Golden Kite), where we planned to have lunch later. Then it was off to see this fantastic site with myriad ancient stupas all about, some overgrown with vegetation similar to what we found when visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia. And of course we were plagued by young girls selling souvenirs. This one was so cute I had to take her picture.  Then as she followed us about, Nathan solicited her help for our overview shot of the site. If you expand the shot to the right you can see her walking down the path in the center.
There were so many of these stupas to photograph I started to concentrate on some of the details. I liked this photo because it reminded me of ET. Who knows, maybe he did visit Earth!

Eventually we came upon an area where the stupas were newer and in better shape. Here I waited for awhile for someone to come down the path. But no one did, so I moved on. On the way back to Tony's I walked  through the Burmese version of a mall, full of souvenirs. Came across this lady wearing what looked to me like a headdress out of "Conan the Barbarian".
















Back at Tony's I had a vegetable pizza, which was surprisingly good. That's Nathan with "Tony", who is obviously Italian!

Sorry, should have taken the shot first but I was hungry!

As we zipped about in our longboats we frequently passed under pedestrian bridges, which gave the opportunity to grab an interesting photo, such as the following, where some ladies are starting to ascend the bridge. Notice the umbrellas used as parasols. Myanmar women do not want to get tan. Fair skin is considered more beautiful.

First stop was a shop where they created handmade silver jewelry. We were instructed on how to tell is the jewelry was truly silver or fake, plated by rubbing it on a dark stone.

Next stop was to visit and photograph some of the "long neck women". They start wearing the heavy brass rings around their necks as early as age 2. The necks are not really elongated, rather their collar bones are pushed downward giving the impression of a longer neck, which is considered to be beautiful. While visiting them we were told that the jewelry was originally designed to protect against lion and tiger attacks. I had never heard that before.

A couple of teenage girls also posed for us with coils on their knees as well.

At another point in the "village on stilts", we visited a really unique weaving "factory", where textiles are fabricated from the stems of lotus plants peculiar to Inle Lake. The stems are cut open revealing stands of what looks like silk inside. These are the drawn across a wooden board and rolled together to form a filament, that then can be dried, dyed. and spun into thread for a textile loom.

The last stop as we left the village was at the Burmese Cat Sanctuary. Interestingly, the breed had to be obtained from the West and reintroduced, as none existed in the country. Here at the sanctuary they are treated like feline royalty. 

Then we were on our way back to get more pics of the fishermen but at sunset this time. To make things even more exciting we transferred from our longboats to individual fishing boats. Talk about getting up close and personal! Made for some great shots. Again, the fishermen for sure have done this before, because they just kept the poses and lighting orientations coming! I thought it would be difficult to move from the larger boat to the smaller one and back but that turned out not to be the case. Here is one of my favorites. 

Then as the shoot was nearly over I got the shot below, which I also like very much because the fisherman is doing something competely natural as he reaches down to put away his lighter after lighting up his cigarette.

Then on the way back to our point of departure we passed these friendly guys.

Nyaung Shwe - Nov 29

Leaving Kalaw, we headed toward Pindaya, with its famous natural caves which have been filled over the centuries with thousands of buddha statues, and it's iconic handmade umbrellas.

Along the way we pass a rural village just as the folks are heading out to the work the surrounding fields. It seemed like an unbelievable number of ox carts came out of this place. Rush hour!

Some of the ladies stopped for portraits on their way into the fields. We offered them so "gifts" of toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, etc., courtesy of our hotels, but they were not interested. They wanted lotion, lipstick, etc. Sorry to have to have disappointed them.




At the caves, it off with the shoes again as we climb the stairs to the entrance, where Nathan pays the camera fees for each of us. Then we cram into the elevator for the trip up to the mouth of the caves, higher up. This is a big tourist attraction so the caves are pretty will filled with other folks too and we have to be careful setting up our tripods so as not to block any of the passages or trip anyone. Really, most places in the "West" would not even allow tripods in a situation like this. In addition to my normal cameras I brought along my spherical camera with the hopes of using it to capture a more inclusive view of some of the cave.

A mind boggling array of Buddha statues. And finally the steps back down to our shoes and motor coach.

At the umbrella "factory" we learned how these beautiful umbrellas are hand made, including the paper covering. First, as demonstrated by the young ladies, the bark of the paper mulberry plant is pounded into a pulp, mixed with water and possibly some other ingredients along with the pedals of local flowers. This mash is spread out evenly over a mesh, immersed in the water solution. The mesh is raised and the frame set in the sun to dry. The dried paper is then peeled off of mesh.

The umbrella mechanism is a marvel to watch made. Each one is individually handmade. No production line process here! The bamboo spring latch is just beautiful to see made. 

This picture shows the final result.

And this beautiful young lady below shows off one of the giant umbrellas.