This photo was inspired by one I saw when I first looked up Mandalay, and one of the reasons why I wanted to come to this city. Getting up at 4 am, stumbling around in the dark and falling in the mud was totally worth it when we got to see the sunrise over the world’s longest teak bridge spanning 1.2 km across the Taungthaman lake.
This picture is of the citadel at the corner of Mandalay palace. The sun was just setting as we drove by and I couldn’t help but admire this scene. Intense colors, scattering clouds, and a clear lake created a setting for this stunning photo.
We were fortunate to be visiting In Dain during a festival. People traveled from villages all over the Inle lake region to congregate at the temple. Women got dressed up in their finest garb; men set up the family shrine and sat back and had drinks with their friends; while kids ran around in excitement. The mood was festive. As the afternoon approached, the sound of the drums got louder. Monks from all around came and joined the procession going from the top of the temple down to the market area. As they walked by, bowls of alms filled with rice are offered to the Buddhist monks, some of whom are quite young.
Today we headed north to Inle Lake, an area full of small fishing villages. While visiting one of the villages on the lake, we saw a procession of children. School had just let out and they walked across the bridge to the dock where they waited to be picked up by boat to go home. Like children everywhere, these kids were quite happy to be done with school for the day.
On our second day we headed to downtown Yangon where you will see countless old colonial buildings in the historical wards. As a result of the country’s isolation for many years, some parts of Myanmar have remained much like they were a century ago. While the buildings look like they have stood still in time, the streets below are bustling with modern day activity. The store fronts are open for business while cars and people jostle to pass through the narrow roads.
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After flying for two days, we finally made it to Yangon. We’ve only been here for a day and we’re already head over heels in love with this country. As my mom likes to point out “you like everywhere you go”, which is true, but there is also something special about this place. At first glance, it reminds me a lot of Thailand, especially the golden pagoda and temples. “Same same but different,” as they say. Here at Shwedagon Pagoda, instead of hoards of tourists, you’ll see Burmese people in their colorful longyi. Visiting the pagoda as a family affair. Even though it’s a sacred religious place, people bring their food and have a family picnic in the temples after praying.
It’s our last day in Rio and the sky is still overcast and ominous looking. We were excited to go hang gliding on this trip, but due to unfavorable weather conditions, we had to reschedule 4 different times. Today was our last chance, and after waiting around for 3 hours, we were finally given the all-clear to head up the mountain. Unfortunately when we got there, the wind picked back up and it was too dangerous to take off. This picture was as far as I got to becoming a bird. It was not meant to be.
This trip had it’s fair share of bad luck for us, starting with the canceled flight to the crappy weather, to the hang gliding. Ironically, this was the hottest winter in Brazil and it only rained 4 times throughout the whole season. Lucky for us, it rained all 4 days we were here. I am not complaining, we had a great time bad weather and all, and Rio can only get better from here. Time to head back to New York.
Today we visited Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro built on the side of a steep hill. This small area of about one square kilometer holds over 80,000 people. There are over 700 favelas of various sizes throughout Rio. These shanty towns were made famous in the movie City of God, showing the rampant crime and drug activity festering in these close quarters. Today, the government with the help of the military have attempted to overtake the area, drive down crime, and improve infrastructure. Our visit was pretty safe, we walked through the alleyways while learning a bit about the history of favelas got a glimpse into the life of its inhabitants.
This morning we woke up to more rain and clouds. Since we weren’t able to go to the beach, we decided to head over to Parque Lage, a public park area that sits at the foot of the Corcovado in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer above . Inside this preserved tropical forest is a quiet English garden and an old palazzo, built by Henrique Lage for his wife. This impressive mansion was later turned into a public area where you can sit and have lunch in the courtyard while enjoying the view.
We arrived in Rio after much drama with our flight. Our first stop was Corcovado to visit the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. It sits atop a lofty hill, overlooking all of Rio where you can see the outlying islands in the distance, giving the picture a surreal touch. The breathtaking view from here will leave you speechless.
life after 9to5 