Day 10: On the Road in Bagan

November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

This morning Fausto had a little celebrity moment when he came out of the temple and ran into a bus load of locals on their way in. They were quite excited to see a white person, so they started to shake his hand and take pictures of him. Then everyone wanted to be in the photo with him. One lady took possession of his arm and wouldn’t let go. I was relegated to the sideline while Fausto soaked in the limelight. Then another white guy walked by and they couldn’t decide who to take pictures with, so they got both of them to pose together. It was a little surreal, we were not sure what was going on, but I think Fausto enjoyed himself.

Day 8: On the Road in Bagan

November 22, 2015November 22, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 2 Comments

You know the expression “…until the cows come home”? It means having to wait a long time for something. Well, today I saw a literal enactment of this idiom when all the cars and buses on their way to see the sunset at Pya Tha Da Pagoda had to wait patiently for the cows to make their way home.

Day 7: On the Road in Mingun

November 21, 2015November 21, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

In the small village of Mingun, just an hour boat ride north of Mandalay, you can catch an ox cart taxi to take you around town. Even though the town is small, it is famous for the unfinished Pahtodawgyi Pagoda. The King at the time wanted to build the largest temple in the world that would rival the Great Pyramids of Giza. His ambitious project drained local resources and was an unpopular undertaking. When he passed away, the pagoda was left unfinished and currently stands as an impressively gigantic dilapidated pile of bricks.

Day 6: On the Road in Amarapura

November 20, 2015November 20, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

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.

Day 5: On the Road in Mandalay

November 19, 2015November 19, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

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.

Day 3: On the Road in Inle

November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

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.

Day 1: On the Road in Yangon

November 15, 2015November 15, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

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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.

Photo of the Week: Fog

November 9, 2015November 8, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / 6 Comments

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Recently a friend came back from Iceland and it reminded me how much I miss this country . I missed the savage beauty of the desolate landscape. I missed the magnificent waterfall. I missed the time we spent at the Blue Lagoon. We were there when the fog came rolling in over the thermal water creating a nice effect with the sunset.

Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.

Photo of the Week: Abandoned

November 2, 2015November 1, 2015 / lifeafter9to5 / Leave a comment

Red Hook, NY

On a photography excursion to Red Hook, I saw this old abandoned train. I had to climb in and take a picture of the inside. There was bright sunlight filtering through the windows creating a nice contrast against the grimy interior. Sometimes old broken things are full of character and beauty.

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

14 Things to do in Prague

October 30, 2015February 22, 2016 / lifeafter9to5 / 5 Comments

I am not going to lie, I waited a long time to visit Prague. I had heard so many good things about the city that it was a big disappointment when my first impression did not meet my expectations. It is true that everything there is as beautiful as the photographs, but something felt off. The thing was, I didn’t think I was the only one who felt conflicted by the city’s beauty and frustrated by the hoards of tourists that seem to be everywhere. I was overwhelmed by the vendors trying to make a few bucks off of a gullible visitor. I remembered being on the phone with Fausto on the first night telling him how let down I felt considering how excited I was about going there. The whole thing just didn’t feel authentic.

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