After the Bath A Burmese woman and her child pause on a muddy riverbank so they can have their picture taken.
I’ve said it before: the hospitality, friendliness – and general willingness to be be followed around and photographed – of people in small communities off-the-beaten-track, amazes me.
Coming into Mandalay Green fields and the muddy Ayeyarwady River below.
The sun was barely up as we descended over the Mandalay region last September, landing at that beautiful, modern facility in the middle of nowhere: the brand new Mandalay International Airport in Tada-U. Finished in 2000 at a cost of US$150 million, the airport is thirty-five kilometres south of Mandalay, and so necessitated the building of new roads to the city. Wikipedia suggests the whole enterprise was designed to turn the country into an Asian hub for tourism and business. Other sources have whispered that the building of the airport was intended to advantage a powerful general whose lands are located in the area.
Of course, as soon as you are off the modern “expressway”, you are plunged back into villages where water is pumped and carried by hand and electricity is a foreign concept. What a contrast!
Into the Village Sometimes the “visitors” out-number the locals!
We were ten photo-tour participants, under the able leadership of Karl Grobl and local guide MM. In a village as small as this one outside Amarapura in the Mandalay region, we were at risk of swamping the local population. In spite of this, villagers stopped to smile, or simply ignored us and went about their daily business.
Water Carrier
A Smiling Welcome
Bath Time
Women Bathing
Baling
Still Life: Boats
Ferry Man
Portrait of a Burmese Family As I was taking a picture of a proud dad and mum with their daughter, grandma snuck into the shot.
Old Woman on the Riverbank
A local man takes a break.
Portrait: Cow I love these Asian cows with their gentle floppy ears.
At the Village Pump
Precious Water
Tomorrow’s Dinner?
Through the Window It’s already white-hot outside, but little light enters inside to the breakfast table.
The Kitchen Not a great photo, but an illustration of life’s challenges – imagine making dinner here every night!
A Boy and his Chillies
Just a Boy
Honking Road Traffic
Village Elder
Man at the Gate
“Say Good Bye to the Visitors”
Before long, we were back in our air-conditioned bus and driving north, and the villagers could go back to their work: pumping and carrying water, plowing the fields behind a bullock, tending the chickens and geese, rowing the boats on the river –
What a contrast; multi million dollar airports with multi million dollar infrastructure but the locals are struggling. I hope that the new Burmese openness leads to better living standards for all.ReplyCancel
Gabe …Life upside down, we really do get things wrong sometimes, The beautiful smiles on the faces of these people is so enchanting.ReplyCancel
michael carter -February 15, 2013 - 11:08 am
Ursula, thanks for posting this. It gives a feeling of being there, although I’ve never been to Mandalay. I was in Yangon 2 weeks ago. What a long way Myanmar has to come.
And I love the slideshow at the top. The pic of the Eiffel tower and the people bathing in the river, silhouetted with the reflection on the water – stick in my mind 😉ReplyCancel
Hi Michael,
I’m glad you liked the post. Isn’t Myanmar wonderful? I thoroughly enjoyed my two weeks there, More posts to come: watch this space! 😉
Sorry we didn’t catch up – maybe next time you are in Aus.:-)ReplyCancel
Roosevelt Arch Yellowstone’s North Entrance, backlit by morning sun.
“You will need a bare minimum of three days to see the sights along the Yellowstone road system,” says the Yellowstone Visitors Guide.
They are not exaggerating!
The Guide goes on to say: “Only 3% of Yellowstone’s visitors ever venture more than 100 yards from the road! Getting out of your car and taking even a short walk will show you what Yellowstone is all about – explore a thermal area, take photographs of the breath-taking scenery, and/or a new wildflower. Everyone should visit Old Faithful, but after watching the geyser, head out to one of the lesser known boardwalks to wait for your favorite geyser to explode.”
Although we had only a short visit, we did, of course, visit Old Faithful, taking the time to walk to the overlook, and to visit other geysers in the area. We also walked around the Artists Paint Pots and Mammoth Hot Springs – and we marvelled at them all. But what amazed me even more, was how varied and beautiful the landscape was, just from the roadways. Even from the comfort of your car, there is so much scenery and wildlife to be seen.
Each day, we entered the park from the north, coming through the Roosevelt Arch before winding our way slowly to the day’s destination – taking in the sights along the way.
Golden Gate The first road was built through the Golden Gate (so called because of the yellow hue of the rocks in the area) in 1884-85. The current road is still windy, but much safer.
Fisherman The colours are subtle on the Central Plateau, as a fly fisherman waits for a bite.
Our First Bison He’s rather scruffy looking, but he was our first bison sighting.
“Chimping” A family checks their bison pictures as they walk away from him.
Firehole River
White Waters, Firehole River.
Osprey, Firehole River Road.
Log Jam, Firehole River.
Yellow Wildflowers, Firehole River.
Rushing Water, Firehole River.
American Bison in the Woods
Bison dotted over the grasslands of Hayden Valley.
A Wapiti Buck watches us.
Large Wapiti (Cervus canadensis) grazing in rich grasslands.
Bison on the Move
On the Road ~ Evening Light.
Ancient (45-50 million years old) petrified redwood tree, Lost Lake trailhead.
Canyon Walls and Yellowstone River, Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon.
Walking the Canyon
Osprey in the updrafts of the Grand Canyon.
Rock pinnacles at the top of the waterfall give Tower Falls its name.
Bison Group
Give Way ~ Large Male Crossing!
Delicate creatures: Butterflies, Sulphur Caldron
Sulphur Caldron
Mud Pots and Spindly Trees The area around Sulphur Caldron has very little ground water.
We watched from the safety of the road as a Black Bear sauntered across the grasslands …
… and without pausing to check his reflection, went straight across a small lake.
Exiting East Too soon we had to leave the park, driving east through the Shoshone National Forest towards Cody.
Yellowstone’s landscape changes with every bend in the road. Of course, it changes with every season, as well. The guidebook is right: three days is barely enough! A friend of mine makes a point of trying to visit the park every year, and I can understand the appeal; as we drove out, we were already plotting a way to come back one day.
Seaman’s Hut A mountain hut built in memory of W. Laurie Seaman and Evan Hayes, who died in a blizzard in 1928. Summit Walk, Etheridge Range, 30 December 2012.
There can be no better place to recharge one’s batteries and to make plans for the future, than the mountains.
Of course, it is fair to say that Australian mountains are more like hills by world standards, with Mt Kosciuskzo, the highest, standing at only 2,228 meters. Even so, whenever I’m in the Snowy Mountains I revel in the crisp, clean ‘mountain’ air, and feel like the world is full of possibilities.
Silver Snow Daisy Celmisia asteliifolia on the summer slopes of Mt Hotham, 14 December 2012 (iPhone S4).
Wetlands Boggy ground and mountain views along Rennix Walk, 11 November 2012.
Mount Townsend Grass and snow patches viewed from the Summit Walk, 10 November 2012.
In the past few months, we’ve crossed through the high country passes a few times, and stayed near Kosciuszko National Park several more. Each time, the clean air and open skies have caused me to stop – to revel in those timeless moments when everything shimmers and feels endless.
Our most recent trip into Australia’s alpine regions was almost symbolic: as we approached Jindabyne, gateway to Kosciuszko, the summer sun started setting, casting a red and orange light over the land. At the same time, as if to signal the end of a hectic year, the full moon rose over the foothills.
Sunset ~ Moonrise Full moon rising: The Snowy River Way, 28 December 2012 (iPhone S4).
Full-Moon Magic The last full moon of the year through the gum trees, Jindabyne, 28 December 2012.
After arriving at our destination, we sat outside. Everything was quiet as we watched the last full moon of the year rise through the gum trees opposite our patio. What a perfect way to wind down after a busy festive season with family!
Of course, I don’t sit still for very long; in a few days we were out cycling and walking across some of Kosciuszko National Park’s vast and varied alpine landscape.
The Main Range Patches of Mountain Celery are scattered across the Main Range, Kosciuszko National Park.
Mountain Celery Aciphylla glacialis against the open sky, 30 December 2012 (iPhone S4).
Eyebright Clumps of euphrasia collina dot the hillside beside the Summit Walk, 30 December 2012.
Australian Raven The distinctive long throat feathers (hackles) accompany the raucous cries of one of the many corvus coronoides along our track, 30 December 2012.
It’s a wild and rugged landscape.
Silver Snow Daisies don’t bloom long, but are my favourite.
Their beautiful silver-blue foliage colours the alpine hollows.
Grasslands It’s a nice, easy walk from Thredbo Diggings campsite to Bullock’s Hut, 01 January 2013.
Fallen log along Bullock’s Track.
Sun bounces off the grasses.
Purple Wildflowers The wild and delicate forest floor, 01 January 2013.
Gum Forest Gum trees – fallen and standing – line Bullock’s Track.
Confluence The meeting point of Thredbo River and Little Thredbo River at Bullock’s Flat, 01 January 2013.
Clear Waters The Thredbo River runs cold and clear, Bullock’s Flat, 01 January 2013.
Company March flies can be an ever-present pest during the summer months. Bullock’s Flat, 01 January 2013.
A Riot of Colour Delicate yellow pea flowers in rich green grass, Bullock’s Flat, 01 January 2013.
Memorial to fires past.
Bullock’s Track.
Grasses in the Wind Life is tough in the Snowy Mountains: tufts of grass get a hold on granite rock.
White Flowers With every step, the textures, colours and scents of the forest change.
Family Day Out Families spend their New Year’s day cooling off in the Thredbo River, 01 January 2013.
It is always delightful exploring Kosciuszko National Park’s tracks and trails, and it was a great place to welcome the New Year, with all it’s fresh potential.
Wishing you all the best of the New Year ~ where ever you are and whatever your plans.
Pictures: 10 and 11 November 2012; 14 and 30 December 2012; 1 January 2013.
[…] I, personally, have been incredibly lucky this past year – with new babies and new adventures – but the events of the world around me have had an impact. I often feel weighted down by the disasters and acts of insanity that I see in the nightly news and feel the need to withdraw: to wrap myself in healing nature and refresh my spirit. There can be no better place to recharge one’s batteries and to make plans for the future, than t… […]ReplyCancel
The giant warrior (Dvarapala Yaksha) guards the doors to Wat Ratchathammaram’s unfinished temple.
Enlightenment doesn’t happen overnight.
Neither, apparently, does building a temple.
I don’t know how long they have been working on the new wihan (พระวิหาร), or shrine hall, at Wat Ratchathammaram (วัดราชธรรมาราม) in Maret on the southeast side of Koh Samui, but we’ve been driving past on the way to or from somewhere for several of our visits to the island over recent years – the sight each time causing me to remark on the beautiful red colour of the cement or clay in the building’s structure.
On our last two visits: mid-2011 and early 2012, we actually stopped. Comparing the two sets of photos that I took, I can see little change in the building or the surrounding grounds across the intervening time.
Although the shrine hall structure is up, and some of the paving is down, Wat Ratchathammaram’swihan still has an “unfinished” look.
The giant warriors have been standing guard at the temple doorway for some time…
…but the dragons at the steps are still supported by scaffolding.
The wihan houses the temple’s Buddha image.
Thai temples are often decorated with murals depicting stories from religious and everyday life. Theravada Buddhist scriptures are written in Pali, an Indian language not generally understood by Thais outside the monkhood, and temple art provides a means of passing on historical, moral, and religious lessons.
At Wat Ratchathammaram, the murals are in elaborate bas-relief, instead of the more common stylised and richly-coloured wall paintings.
This panel depicts Hanuman, the magical white monkey warrior, in an episode from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana, the 2000 year old Hindu epic.
Scenes of battle from the Ramakien.
Ganesh, the Remover of Obstacles, in a back corner.
Devas, benevolent supernatural beings, say prayers.
More deities feature on the exterior of the back wall.
The intricately decorated roof bargeboard or lamyong includes elements of the feathered garuda and the serpentine nāga.
Karma, from the Sanskrit karman, or ‘action, effect, fate’, comes from one’s actions and intentions. Therefore, making merit (puñña), or doing good mindfully, contributes to good karma in the Thai world-view. Honouring others (especially the Buddha) and offering service (especially to the temple) are a great way to make merit.
A young man meticulously fills the gaps between the paving tiles.
Careful work on the new paving tiles.
Paving tools.
As is the case on any building site, rubble collects on the ground.
New mouldings are stacked and waiting.
Meanwhile, around the rest of the temple grounds, life continues.
A cat sits on the tea-making table outside the abbot’s rooms.
Little kuti (monks’ houses) drop down the hill…
… with a pleasing view over the Bay of Thailand.
Beneath the temple, down towards the beach, a number of memorial stupas are located.
Decorated in rich colours and designs…
… they contain the ashes of loved ones.
Vases for flower offerings and incense sit at the base of many of the stupas –
– and a Buddha image is never far away.
The wildly coloured temple bell is a surprise, given the monochrome tones of the wihan.
It is a lovely, quiet spot, and I look forward to seeing what changes – if any – have been effected by our next visit.
Greetings to you, too, Dietmut! Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂ReplyCancel
Michael -January 14, 2014 - 8:10 pm
Liked your post and your pics are so much better than the ones I took!!!!!!!!, having read your article I can confirm that it is much the same as when you were last there, my pics from 24th Mar 2013 still show dragons supported by scaffolding and building rubble scattered around, all the same I liked it and will revisit in April 2014.
In preparation, I’m packing a bag for my escape to Australia’s Snowy Mountains. For while many regard New Year’s Eve as a time for noise-makers, fireworks, and drunken revelry, I prefer to use the time to take stock of the year past and to sketch out tentative plans for the year coming.
This time last year we were barely into our current home, surrounded by boxes and chaos. In the intervening twelve months, we’ve managed to carve out some order and to adjust to a different kind of lifestyle in a vastly different environment. But we have also been “on the road” and away from our house for at least half that time.
One of the things that becomes more noticeable when you travel is how very different people’s live are. Not just the obvious: food and housing and clothing; but the deeper fundamentals. Values and beliefs: what it means to be a “good” person; people’s hopes and dreams for themselves, and more importantly, for their children.
I was reminded of these differences everywhere we went this past year: England, Ireland, and Wales; Western Canada and across the US; country and coastal Australia; and most obviously, Thailand and Myanmar. As the Thais say, people everywhere are: “same, same… but different!”
Novice in an Alcove
The young burmese novice in this series of photos is a perfect example. He lives, studies, works, and sleeps in Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery in Myanmar’s Shan State, where his life is well-ordered but rather austere. Entering the monastery is likely to have been his family’s decision, rather than his own, and the decision was probably based on pragmatic as well as spiritual considerations: this is a poor area, and boys in monasteries such as this get their food, clothing, and education provided. I don’t know what his personal hopes and dreams are, but he won’t have been expecting a lot of fancy gifts from Santa this past week.
In one of the outer pagodas, filled with individual Buddhas in niches – all bearing the names of their benefactors – the young novice sat in absolute stillness for half an hour, surrounded by candles in the tropical heat, while ten travellers with assorted cameras snapped pictures of him from all angles. Outwardly, he did not question this odd request from the foreign visitors. His Abbot had told him to go sit – so he sat.
Novice Monk in Prayer
Clearly, these are not “found” images; the scene was set by our photographic-tour leader, Karl Grobl and our local guide MM while we were visiting Myanmar last September.
Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery in Nyaung Shwae is housed in a beautiful 150-year-old teak building, which I will return to in some future “Wanders” PhotoBlog post. We visited the monastery twice: once in the mid-morning for lunch, and on this evening occasion to photograph the young novice in the small window of opportunity between the fall of darkness and evening prayers.
Novice in Candlelight
While these images may not tell us much about this young novice’s actual life, to me they convey the kind of quiet, meditative contemplation that I associate with the New Year period.
So, I wish you and yours a happy and peaceful new year, and the quiet time to reflect on what is important.
I love the images. Another year of very good weekly wanders completed.
Always thought provoking.ReplyCancel
Karl Grobl -December 27, 2012 - 6:46 am
Ursula, what a wonderful post for the approaching new year. You’ve given us amazing images and an important message to ponder. Thanks for sharing, and I wish you the best in the coming year. Cheers, KarlReplyCancel
Thanks so much, Lisa. One day you and I have to talk about processing: your colours from the same location are SO different!!
Have a great 2013. 🙂ReplyCancel
Great images Ursula,
I particularly like the “Novice in an alcove” (as captioned) shot. I know some people love “inspirational” messages/text added to such images, but to me they work best without. Just a personal preference! 🙂
Best wishes for the New Year.ReplyCancel
lovely as always and may your 2013 be everything you both hope for. Thanks for the travels this year…looking forward to what 2013 holds in store.ReplyCancel
I wouldn’t feel too guilty abt getting the little boy to sit still for an hour for your photos – every day we ask children to sit still for hours on end in the name of teaching them spelling and arithmetic 🙂ReplyCancel
Very true, Philip! But I know MY children wouldn’t have sat so still. Thanks for your visit! 🙂ReplyCancel
Denise Johnson -April 13, 2014 - 1:39 am
Thanks for sharing these images. Seven years ago I had a death experience that looked so much like this photo. Seeing it almost made me faint. I am inspired to visit this monastery before I die, now. Please kindly send the boy a percentage of the sales of the cards. The monastery as well as his family could use the support and his practice is now making you money. I wouldn’t want you to receive negative karmic ramifications. Thank you.ReplyCancel
[…] Candles in the Alcove Once the novices have eaten, we are able to persuade one to pose for us in the alcove. (I posted a selection of these photos as “Light the Way” some time ago.) […]ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
Before long, we were back in our air-conditioned bus and driving north, and the villagers could go back to their work: pumping and carrying water, plowing the fields behind a bullock, tending the chickens and geese, rowing the boats on the river –
Yellowstone’s landscape changes with every bend in the road. Of course, it changes with every season, as well. The guidebook is right: three days is barely enough! A friend of mine makes a point of trying to visit the park every year, and I can understand the appeal; as we drove out, we were already plotting a way to come back one day.
It is a lovely, quiet spot, and I look forward to seeing what changes – if any – have been effected by our next visit.
While these images may not tell us much about this young novice’s actual life, to me they convey the kind of quiet, meditative contemplation that I associate with the New Year period.
What a contrast; multi million dollar airports with multi million dollar infrastructure but the locals are struggling. I hope that the new Burmese openness leads to better living standards for all.
Gabe …Life upside down, we really do get things wrong sometimes, The beautiful smiles on the faces of these people is so enchanting.
Ursula, thanks for posting this. It gives a feeling of being there, although I’ve never been to Mandalay. I was in Yangon 2 weeks ago. What a long way Myanmar has to come.
And I love the slideshow at the top. The pic of the Eiffel tower and the people bathing in the river, silhouetted with the reflection on the water – stick in my mind 😉
Hi Michael,
I’m glad you liked the post. Isn’t Myanmar wonderful? I thoroughly enjoyed my two weeks there, More posts to come: watch this space! 😉
Sorry we didn’t catch up – maybe next time you are in Aus.:-)