Tag Archives: environmental portraits We drove across North Dakota on our road trip this summer: about 350 miles – almost all of them dead straight – through black dirt and green hills, and under a dark, looming sky. It made me think about our visit to neighbouring South Dakota last year. Granted, the landscape further south was different: hotter, drier, with […]  It’s just a simple burmese morning market – in a dirty dusty street somewhere in Mandalay. Most of the vendors are seated on the ground on woven bamboo mats. The rubbish and the dogs threaten to encroach on the wares for sale. But, the vegetables are fresh, and the smiles are freely given. I love exploring […]  Got your gumboots? Got a raincoat, plenty of water, a folding chair and/or an inexhaustible supply of energy? The Byron Bay Blues and Root Festival is the place to be on an Easter (Autumn) weekend in Australia. There is nothing like music to lift your spirits. Add good company and wholesome food, and you have an unbeatable […]  Temples in Southeast Asia are living places. This is certainly true in Myanmar. The many Buddhist temples I visited there were architecturally beautiful – and different, with no two exactly the same. But what I generally find more interesting is the life – both sacred and secular – within and around them. On my first afternoon in Mandalay, […]  Myanmar truly is “The Golden Land.” From the mines to the temples, gold is everywhere. Shwedagon Pagoda, for example, is covered in 60 tons of gold, pounded into thin leaves. Gold is an integral part of Burmese life. Every day, faithful Burmese apply gold leaf to their favourite Buddha images as offerings. So much gold leaf has been […] |
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