Street tea shops in the Boygoke market, home of cheap handicrafts and money changers
Schwedegon Pagoda
Nicest site in the country
Typical Burmese kids wearing thanaka
Lazy Budha
Giant Budha
Entrance to the synangogue in Rangoon
Electricity is sparse but everyone loves satelite tv
not sure why this is guarded so strongly
On the walk from Kalaw to Inle Lake. It was very dusty
Typical hill tribe village in the Inle Lake Area
Kids were cute, but dirty. I think i was the same when I was their age
Hauling wood to the city.
The oh so slow railway
With my treking guide Toto, a cheerful woman. Trying to get my teeth a proper red with the betel nut
Couldn't take too much of it
Monastery
Typical tea serving can. I usually prefer not to have my tea from containers of paint. On this occassion, things worked out ok
Inle Lake
Home to a jumping cat monastery. Not really all the impressive, I can do that, no problem. And probably twice the height too.
visibility in general was poor everywhere. This was due to the dusty, dry climate, and the everypresent burning garbage.
The men steer the boats with their legs. I think the main reason is because the women find their legs super sexy.
Rice farmers mooning me. Not nice!
The best part of the houses on the lake are the bathrooms on the lake. I'll give you one guess on the 'plumbing system'
Reflective little guy
Local Market
Mandalay is home to many monks, many of whom dream of one day making it onto the pitch
It's also near several ancient capitals, this is Saigang
Temples of Inwa. It took half an hour to bargain the horse cart drivers down an extra dollar. I refuse to pay high prices. No one likes inflation, just ask the Germans
This heartbreaker is only 13.
View of U-Bein bridge. The longest teak bridge in the world. Honestly not that impressive
Obligatory picture of monks on the bridge
Necessary photo of monks on the bridge during sunset. Fact is you have to take these pictures or pay a fee.
Random little village kids
I was shocked to find a Safeway up in Pyin ee Lyin, some two hours north of Mandalay. After being in the store, I'm convinced someone stole the sign.
Ample waterfalls outside of the town
total shocked to see so much water, everywhere else was so dry.
Bamboo Budha in Kyaukme- pronounce Chow May, don't ask me why
Bamboo paper making factory.
Golden Rock, little insignificant version
local college kids showed me around the city for a couple of days
Temples of Bagan
Is this a picture or a picture of a picture? In any case it's nice, right?
It was very hot, the temples were plentiful but only of mild interest. The civilization seemed to focus more on quantity over quality, here is one of the nicer ones
At every temple kids would harass you into buying little crappy handiwear. I was consistently unimpressed with their goods and indifferent to their plight. Clearly travel has made me hard
Temple for viewing sunset. It would have been nice, but it was filled with touts.
I happened to be wearing a shirt that said 'no money, no honey' which was easily read and understood by the Burmese. I quickly learned the appropriate phrase in Burmese 'base meshibu, yiza meshibu' to the delight of all. Coming down from this temple, most tourists were offered postcards, sand paintings or laquerware, I on the other hand was offered(semi-seriously) a variety of ladies.
A Burmese group photo
The photo from my tour group
Schwezigon Pagoda in Bagan. Lots of temples in Burma, all are gold-leafed
Making friends
Monks on a bridge, how poetic.
My travel companion for several days in the south. I say south, but the furthest tourists can go is a couple hundred k south of Rangoon
Trying to fit in
That big compound in the center, is a prison.
Local transportation is usually not nearly as bad as it looks
Local gas station, I'm not kidding
Pilgrims
Apparently putting a pagoda on a cool looking rock, makes it extra holy
It's hot, I'm squinting
