Myanmar Photo Tour
The swimming pool in the garden of the Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort in Bagan above the Irrawaddy River or Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar.
By Michelle Alten
Day 5—We arrived last night at Bagan (Pagan) the ancient city of over three thousand pagodas. After our night at the riverside Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort, we begin visiting the ancient ruins.
Hot air balloons are flying over Bagan, Myanmar in the early morning.
Close-up of one of the four Buddha statues inside the Ananda Temple, which is a Buddhist temple, built in 1105 AD during the reign (10841113) of King Kyanzittha of the Pagan Dynasty, in Bagan, Myanmar.
Today we visit temples and ruins including Gubyauk Gyi, with extensive frescoes, Thabrnyu, towering above the landscape with four towers, and Ananda, with four standing Buddhas, each with a different gesture representing teaching, travel, and charity.
Puppeteers are performing a traditional puppet show in Bagan, Myanmar.
Close-up of a Burmese sampler platter in one of the restaurants in Bagan, Myanmar.
At lunch time, in a local restaurant, master puppeteers enact stories with marionettes in ornate costumes, standing a few feet tall.
Photos from our model shoot:
At sunset we climb the Shwesandaw Pagoda where Burmese travelers and visitors from around the world chat with each other as they watch a golden glow bathe the landscape dappled with red-brick pagodas. A group of girls, university science students from a nearby city, joins me to take selfies. They barely speak a word of English but are very eager to talk to me. We communicate as best we can, using our hands and smiles and help from guides and travelers who eagerly join our conversation.
A farmer is climbing a palm tree to collect the sap of a palm tree to make Toddy Palm Wine in Bagan, Myanmar.
A farmer is using an ox to grind peanuts to extract the peanut oil in Bagan, Myanmar.
Day 6—Today we take a break from the archaeological site to see how Toddy palm is used to make liquor, juice, and beer. A man shimmies up a ladder a couple of stories high to collect the liquid from the palm.
A woman is making a small basket out of bamboo at a lacquer ware workshop in Bagan, Myanmar.
Later at a lacquer factory, men and women sit, meticulously creating vessels out of bamboo or horse tale. They cover the pots and boxes in black lacquer. Then other artisans etch elaborate designs into plates, trays and other objects. The process clearly takes many hours and endless patience.
Portrait of a girl with paste made out of the Thanaka tree on her face providing protection from sunburn in Bagan, Myanmar.
A man in a boat on the Irrawaddy River (Ayeyarwady River) at sunset in Bagan, Myanmar.
Reflections of the setting sun on the Irrawaddy River (Ayeyarwady River) at sunset in Bagan, Myanmar. If you are interested in a future photo tour to Myanmar and Laos, please email me at [email protected]. Visit https://phototours.us/tours for tour information.