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Bagan in Pictures

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Have you ever fallen in love with a place before you even got there?   Ever since the first time I saw a picture of Bagan at sunrise, I obsessively scoured Instagram  looking through other people’s photos, dreaming of a time when I would be there myself.  My dream came true last year when I finally got to explore the Burmese plains and took  over 3,000 photos during the 3 days that I was there.  Even the great explorer, Marco Polo was in awe of this place, calling it “one of the finest sights in the world”. Continue reading →

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Photo of the Week: Chedi

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Ayutthaya, Thailand

Ayutthaya, located about 80 km north of Bangkok used to be a bustling Siamese capital.  After it was attacked and destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century, it was never rebuilt.  Nowadays, the sleepy market town stands as an archeological site with many ruined temples and palaces that give visitors an idea of its past splendor.

Walking around the courtyards, we encountered many headless figures of Buddha adorned in orange silk, sitting serenely under the shade.  The heads were lopped off by looters after the city was destroyed and left defenseless and sold to private collectors.  At Wat Phra Si Sanphet remain the three grand chedis that are believed to contain the relics and ashes of Ayutthaya’s greatest rulers. This photo was taken at the top of the steps of one of the temples.

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.

Day 10: On the Road in Bagan

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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 9: On the Road in Bagan

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This morning we woke up early and rode our bikes out to one of the temples to watch the sunrise, and were rewarded with the sight above. The hot air balloons rising over the temples of Bagan in the early morning makes for a magnificent sight.  In addition, with the thick fog rolling in from the river, it also creates a sense of mystique to the whole shot. 

Day 1: On the Road in Yangon

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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.