We raced to the ruins by horse cart, but arrived at the best viewpoint two minutes after the light had faded. I immediately made plans to return under better lighting conditions, and continued snapping anyway. There’s plenty to shoot. If nothing else, there are always children. There are more adorable children in Burma than there are pagodas. Of course, they all have something to sell, and we bought whatever we could carry. The money we spent went directly into the hands of the Burmese people who need it most, and most of what we bought will go directly into your Christmas stockings. 🙂

Disclaimer: When you see a shot like the one below, you probably imagine your hard-working photographer came across the old woman after trekking for hours through dense jungle to some remote village never before seen by a westerner. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but these days, smiling children and cigar-smoking women can be found anywhere a hapless tourist might be in Burma. They’ll happily pose for you and wait patiently for a tip. I bought this pose for 1,000 Kyat – about a buck.