The inhabitants of this village live their lives on the water.
Month: January 2009
Lunch on Inle Lake
We left our beautiful room at the Inle Princess early in the morning to take in some of the sites on Inle Lake. On the way, we saw how leg-rowing can leave both hands free for untangling fishing nets. We stopped and had a delicious lunch and cool beers at a restaurant with beautiful lake…
thedude Takes a Hike
When Andrew said that he knew of a place nearby where we could see “tens of thousands of ladybugs clumped like piles of scarlet coffee beans”, I knew I had to see it. It also happens that Andrew’s better half is an entomologist known to many as the Bug Lady, AND the topic for this…
Farewell Mandalay, Hello Heho
As we say goodbye to Mandalay, we begin what will be our best days in Burma.
U Bein Bridge
Later that day we took an emotionally draining walk half way across the U Bein Bridge. Along the way the sites ranged from beautiful to bizarre. We might have walked back too, but opting for a boat ride instead meant we would not have to see the heart-breaking sights again. Once in the boat, we…
Mahamuni Pagoda
I’ll change the title of this entry as soon as my guide replies to my e-mail asking him where we were when we shot these. At least I remember why we came. It was to see an unusual Buddha. At this temple and elsewhere, it’s customary for worshipers to purchase a small piece of gold…
World’s Largest Book
Yet another of ancient Burma’s mind-boggling sights on the grounds of the Kuthodaw Pagoda, this “book” consists of 729 stupas – each containing a single two-sided page from the massive Pāli Canon. Wikipedia has a nice shot from Mandalay Hill, which gives you a better idea of the size of this “book”.
Shwe Nan Daw Monastery
After a boat ride back from Mingun and a delicious Thai lunch with our wonderful guide, we visited an ancient monastery – every square inch of it carved by hand. This most beautiful teak wood building, was erected inside the Palace at Mandalay by king Mindon, the founder of Mandalay. After he died in 1878,…
Our Number One Travel Tip
You can avoid the throngs of children and the trinkets they they have for sale by taking advantage of the local transportation. Here we avoid the onslaught by taking a peaceful, but bumpy ride on an oxcart back to our boat.
Mya Thein Tan
I swear that I saw this lovely temple referred to as the “whipped cream temple” somewhere. You can see why. This was one of my favorite temples. Nearby, we stopped to have a look at the Massive Mingun Bell. Weighing in at 90 tons, it is the world’s largest cast bronze bell.