Myanmar Pictures

We visited Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, with Overseas Adventure Travel. Following are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Enormous reclining Buddha in Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda in the city of Yangon

The two thousand year old Shwedagon Pagoda complex in Yangon at sunset.

Dala Township across the river from Yangon was virtually destroyed by a cyclone in 2008. These children are eating dinner provided by a charity.

One of the children in Dala Township

Houses in Dala Township. One belongs to a government official and the others are typical of all the other houses. Which do you think belongs to the government official? Is there anything wrong here?

The archeological zone of Bagan contains more than 2200 pagodas. We climbed this one bare foot for a view of the area. The steps were steep, narrow, and irregular. The handrail was essential.

But the view was more than worth the effort.

The pagodas came in many styles and sizes.

Woman selling spices and household items in the market.

The Shwezigon Paya Pagoda. Our guide called this the most beautiful pagoda in Bagan. The gold color? It’s real gold leaf.

Many of the villages do not have running water, so this is how you get the water home.

This is how you bring the water home if you are richer and your needs are greater.

The matriarch of a farm we visited.

An improvised walker.

Bagan is an ideal location for a hot air balloon ride.

You can just make out the shadow of our balloon on the pagoda.

The intrepid balloonists.

The largest pagoda in Bagan.

We took a horse drawn carriage ride through the archeological zone.

A novice initiation parade.

The second boy looks like he is fed up with all this girly stuff!

Who doesn’t love an iconic tree? Thaungthaman Lake.

Sunset at U Bein Bridge. The longest teak bridge in the world is 200 years old.

Entry of Sedona Hotel in Mandalay.

Mandalay Hill Monastery

Traditional wooden monestary, Shwenandaw Kyaung

The world’s biggest book. Each building contains one large marble slab with early Buddhist writings inscribed on both sides.

Children in the back of a truck.

This monumental pagoda was never finished and is now in ruins. It is about one third the intended height.

Taxi in the village of Mingun.

The Hsinbyume Pagoda built in 1816 in Mingun.

Two girls from the orphanage we visited. The thanaka paste has been used in Burma for 2000 years. Made from the bark of several trees, it provides beauty, improved skin, and acts as a sunscreen.

Does this truck look overloaded to you?

Fisherman on Inle Lake. He beats the water with his oar to scare the fish. When he sees bubbles, he puts the net over the fish. He rows with his leg as shown.