The Bangkok Flower Market

Bangkok Flower Market / Pak Khlong

I have been in and out of Bangkok so many times, and although my first few visits were less than enjoyable, and I have a very special place in my heart for it today. Despite the dirt, grime and obvious underworld, Bangkok has unending charm and is perhaps my favorite city in the world.

During this trip I did I made sure that Bangkok was a stop inbetween trips. I flew into Bangkok before going to Burma, then back before going to Bali, then back again before leaving Asia for Hawaii. 

On the first leg I had a few days to kill while waiting for my Burma visa to go thru. My travel buddy, Jenny, and I decided to try something different. The flower market was just that, endless stalls of flowers for sale. Apparently it is busiest just before dawn, however we got there just after and it was a beautiful yet mellow scene.

Top 10 Pix from Burma

Burma August 12-25, 2012

This is the last post from Burma... Here are my top 10 personal favorite photos that I took in Burma. Most of these photos appeared in past posts, and have included links to where it first appeared. I thought that it would be a nice recap of the country as a whole, and for me to see which photos mean the most to me and why. 

I have mentioned before that working everyday as a professional photographer, it is hard to keep up my creativity and inspiration. Being in Burma brought that all back for me and I looked forward to everyday and the new and beautiful things I would have the opportunity to shoot. From people and temples to reflections and rainbows, Burma brought my photographic inspiration back.

The below photos are not in any particular order...

Inle Lake: A typical hat worn by the people who live on the waters of Inle Lake. I love this photo for 2 reasons. First I love the hat itself. Clearly it is made from all natural materials and I am sure its design is for functionality to protect its wearer from the rain and sun, yet the design of it is creative with the button on the top and the straight sticks used to further segment each piece of wood, it is gorgeous. Secondly, I love the natural light and how it hits softly on the hat. It was hanging just next to a door and it was an overcast day so the light was soft and filtered.



Inle Lake: A woman spins the thread from a wheel to individual spools used for weaving. Again I love this photo for 2 reasons. I love seeing where clothes are made and how the craft of weaving is done. Most everyone in Burma, men included wear pieces of fabric around their waist and legs called longi's or on women sarongs... basically skirts. This house and family had several weaving looms where these fabrics were created from string into a beautiful woven fabric. I also love the light and expression on this womans face. The soft window light hitting her gentle face, and the distant look in her eye, all the while she is working which is seen from the blurred spinning wheel in the background.



Inle Lake: This is probably the most amazing rainbow I have ever seen. It was so low to the ground and so vivid and vibrant, and it was even a double rainbow at one point. The effect of both the dark storm clouds and rain on one side of the lake and the other side with its nice crisp afternoon light was fantastic. I did wish I had a long lens so I could get the boats and fishermen up close right against the bright colors of the spectrum, but I only had my favorite 50mm and a wide angle. I think I did alright despite the lack of the perfect lens for the situation. Ah choices one must make whilst travelling.

Bagan: This woman is also part of a family that weaves, she just happens to be taking a break to take a puff of her traditional Burmese cigarette.




Bagan: I love this photo for the beauty of the temple, the red brick and the golden towers against the bright blue sky. Plus I love how some of the birds are just chilling out on the temple and some are flying, it adds life and contrasts the ancient still temple.



Bagan: This scene is the vision I had in my mind of Burma. Mountains, trees and scattered temples on the misty horizon. I got the effect of the sharp and detailed foreground by using the HDR technique.

Yangon: This gorgeous little girl was selling cards. They were really lovely, hand painted cards and I bought a few from her, she said I was "a very good customer". The market in Yangon was filled with these smooth talking children that should probably be in school, but are selling anything they can to the tourists in the market, and I am telling you they strike a hard bargain!

Yangon: I love this photo because of its composition, mood and color. I love the framing that I had through the window of the restaurant out onto the street. I love the 50mm f1.4 lens I was using that puts only her hands and what is in them in focus. I love where I was at that moment... we ran out of the rain into this restaurant and ordered to this day one of the best noodle soups I have ever had. Out on the street people went about their day despite the monsoon downpour. Venders continued to sell their goods in shelter by buildings and people went to and from work.

Yangon: This image was taken from the Shwendagon Pagoda in Yangon. As I have mentioned before I loved getting creative with all the jeweled and glass finishes on the temples and had such a great time with the reflections. And again, gotta love the 50mm!

Yangon: I love the imperfect symmetry of this old truck, the Burmese script on the license plate, the antique and rusted truck itself and especially the rag in the corner adding a surprise piece of color. The rag also  brings me back to the modern day and although this truck is from a time passed it is still being maintained and cared for today. Plus it reminds me of Cuba and I love Cuba!

Burmese Pottery: Journey to the Caribbean

Being one who travels to some of the most remote and culturally rich places on earth, I have come across some unique artwork and handicrafts. I have been tempted by these works of art from the East to the West. 

Some of the top places I have felt overwhelmed by the uniqueness and beauty of the local art are: 

Paintings of old cars and life in Havana, Cuba
Ceramics in Toledo, Spain
The famous Murano glass in Venice, Italy
The woodwork in Indonesia
The stone replicas of the Bayon faces in Angkor Wat, Cambodia
The textiles and silk work in Thailand

I would have quite an eclectic collection of artwork from all over the world by now if I had not been faced with dragging these items with me through all my travels and moves!

In Burma there are some amazing handicrafts and markets. The pottery featured here is from near Bagan, the area where all the ruins of the ancient temples lie. This is where I fell to temptation and I purchased the green bowl, and little owl you see here. I hauled these with me back to Bangkok where they ware stored while I went to Indonesia, then carried them with me to Hawaii and back here to Cayman. The owl made it just fine, but not at all to my surprise, the person in the middle of the green bowl had broken off. Luckily a little superglue fixed that right up and I could get on with the big plans I had for it. I filled both of them with lucky bamboo and gave them both away as gifts.





This piece I gave to my good friends as a little wedding gift. Their wedding was the main event in my trip to Bali. (blog post on this affair will be posted soon!) I was a little sad saying bye to this one as it was such a mission to carry with me, it being so fragile, but well worth the mission.

This cute and wise owl made me think of my friend who is pregnant, and thought it would make a cute little decoration for the baby's room.

The Road to Mandalay: Bumpy and Beautiful

Mandalay, Burma

August 15-18

I had this romantic image of Mandalay in my head based on the famous poems, songs and references about "the road to Mandalay" over the last century. It was the on again, off again capital of Burma and famously occupied by the British for about 50 years, not to mention rich history is holds to the Burmese with the many pagodas, the ancient royalty and their palace and expansive grounds.

Despite the nostalgia Mandalay conjures up in my thoughts, the reality was unfortunately quite different. Like Yangon, the city has been through wars, had serious lack of general upkeep by the corrupt Burmese government, and like the rest of the country the majority of people are poor and have little resources to make their own homes and properties nice.

Jenny and I were unfortunately very ill while we were here and barely left our hotel room in 48 hours. Finally day 3, our last day, we forced ourselves to do some sight seeing. Mandalay Palace, Mandalay Hill for sunset and the famous and "blacklisted" comedy show The Mustache Brothers (this is a whole other story in itself well worth checking out the link that I just provided).



The above views were taken from the top of Mandalay Hill. It is a great place to watch the sunset over the Irrawaddy River and see the life below.

The above photos were taken in the same style I took the other reflection photos from the Shwendagon Pagoda that I posted a few weeks ago.

The temple in covered in gold and colorful mirrors. As you can see the golden light hitting the golden temples is magical and exotic.

The above and below photos are taken of the Mandalay Palace. This palace has a very sordid past. It was the built by and inhabited by the last 2 kings of Burma until its occupation by British troops, only then to be destroyed in WWII. Today it has all been rebuild and renovated and is a tourist attraction. The above photo is looking onto palace property. The entire palace is surrounded by a moat, which I by the way thing is awesome and would like to have one around my house someday.

Inle Lake: Life on the Water

Inle Lake, Burma

August 20-24

Inle Lake, wow what can be said about this amazing place. It has so much beauty and culture and was definitely a highlight of the trip. The first day we did a boat ride tour around the lake and it rained pretty much all day! The second day the sky was clear most of the day until a big storm dumped on the lake, thankfully it was not for very long and it produced this amazing low rainbow over the lake with the backdrop of the mountains... one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever seen!

Going into Burma I had very little knowledge about the place... questionable government, horrible human rights, lots of pagodas and that there was a big lake somewhere. Well it all became clear when we got here and saw how the people lived, on top of the huge freshwater lake! The houses are built on stilts, the gardens and produce is grown on floating masses of greenery and everyone goes everywhere by boat.

The Intha people who live on the lake have a very interesting way of getting around, they paddle with their leg. Quite an interesting sight to see.

We went to a market that was filled with colorful and exotic merchandise. I have said it before, I just love wandering thru markets around the world. (check out my post Markets and Munchies) The bartering, the smells and food, and interesting things for sale, just amazing. It is so interesting to see what the local people need for daily life.

The downside of the markets, and of Burma in general, is the pushy vendors who completely lack knowledge on how to deal with tourists. This woman literally chased us down and harassed Jenny to the point of such extreme discomfort. It is understandable the persistance and desire to make a living in such a poor and corrupt country, however the overall feeling I got in Burma was that I was a big dollar sign ready to be exploited and ripped off around every corner.

Below you can see the floating houses.

Some of the other industries on the lake include weaving, silver smithing, and other handicrafts.

This above photo I think is one of my top 10 favorite photos. (top 10 favorite Burma photos to come!!) I love the natural indoor light and the spinning wheel, and the far off look this beautiful woman has in her eye.

The below photo is the famous Nga Phe Kyaung monastary where the monks have trained cats to jump through hoops. It is very random and pretty cute, worth the 5 minute show!

As my birthday was right around the time we were here we decided to splurge on a nicer hotel and stay on a hotel on stilts. It was so relaxing and stunning. Just sitting around, reading, catching up on work and watching life and time pass by on Inle Lake.

Above are the floating gardens the people tend and grow their crops. Below Jenny and I on the tour the first day. We had a great group of people and it was a really nice day getting to know them and explore the lake with them... despite the rain!