City of Pagodas

Today is a travel day for us over to Old Bagan, the City of Pagodas.  In previous centuries it is thought this city held over 10,000 pagodas and temples.  3,000 remain intact with another 2,000 underground ruins.  These are not the shining, gold plated pagodas of Yangon with Vegas lights behind the Buddhas, but ones in various conditions made of stone and brick and whatever building materials they had available.  A few still have their golden tops but most reflect the century in which they were built with a much more ancient feel.

After checking into our beautiful resort (complete with infinity pool, open air restaurant and spa), we walked across the street to a market and festival.  Temporary housing had been erected for the month long festival and the living conditions appear to be very basic.  The people were friendly and are happy to have their pictures taken.  Down one of the permanent thorough fares, shops and their keepers entice tourists to buy the sand paintings and lacquer goods the region is known for.  We stopped to watch a youth creating a sand painting with both paint and the sand that is applied to it.  They depict various symbols of Myanmar life, Buddha feet, the Burmese zodiac and other scenes. 

Late afternoon we headed out as a group to visit the Ananda Temple which is known for being symmetrical with Buddha images on all four sides.  There was a mixture of tourists and natives there to pray.  At each of these temples and pagodas you must remove your shoes before entering the shrines.  They are all left in one central area and are still there upon your return undisturbed. 

Our evening shoot was at the Shwe San Daw Phaya Temple.  Busloads of tourists arrive every night to climb the steep stairs of the temple to watch the sunset.  Several levels held the onlookers waiting for the sun to descend into the earth.  As soon as it had disappeared beyond the horizon, they left in droves to return to their hotels.  We stayed until asked to leave so we could photograph the surrounding shrines as they began to glow from the night lighting shining on them.  It was truly a magical evening.

Tomorrow: Bagan Ballooning

Transportation - The Great Equalizer

This morning was our first class session.  First, our instructor, Ira Block, showed us examples of his photos to emphasize the importance of light, composition and finding a ‘moment’.  This being the fourth trip with him, I have watched several of these presentations but I always learn something new.  We then had our first critique session of the trip.  Each person was asked to submit 5 photos they had taken since landing that they felt was a well done image.  Ira then talks about each one and what works and doesn’t work.  He keeps in mind the skill level of the photographer, always trying to help them improve over the course of the trip.  I love looking at what others found and their perspective of the places we had visited.

We broke for lunch and a small group of us walked the short distance to The Strand Hotel, a colonial era hotel that still remains much as it was during British rule.  They are known for their afternoon high tea, but their lunch is also quite good offering both Western and native cuisine.  They also had a charming shopping arcade which we vowed to return to at the end of the trip for a little shopping expedition.

Our afternoon shoot started at the main train station.  We spent a little over an hour watching people come and go on a variety of trains that service the station.  One train, referred to as the Circle Train, will take you on a circle journey around the outskirts of the city for around $3.  Taking a little over 3 hours, the journey allows you a view into local life.  The trains attract a variety of people, from pink robed Buddhist nuns, to monks, to westernized teens to more traditionally garbed locals.  The national ‘dress’ in the long he, a long fabric skirt that is worn by both men and women with the men tying a big knot in the front and the women wearing it like a wrap skirt.  It was interesting to interact with the people on the train, many encouraging us to take their pictures.  Transportation is the great equalizer and a perfect way to get a feel for a country.

Next, we took cabs to Yangon’s Chinatown.  This seems to be a feature of every major city I’ve been to around the world.  They are usually quite vibrant with an active nightlife and serves as a social gathering spot.  Food vendors lined the streets selling beautiful fruits and vegetables much like our farmer’s markets back home.  The street food vendors were here as well selling fresh seafood (prawns the size of lobsters were particularly interesting to me) and rows of satays which seemed to prove everything is better on a stick.  Bars lined the side streets and came alive as the sun set.  All of your senses are assaulted at once from the stinky but tasty (so I’ve been told) durian fruit to the colorful food offerings to the constant honking of horns.  We gathered for Myanmar beer at one such bar to top off our evening.

Tomorrow: Out into the country

Now That's a Big Dude

We had our morning free before meeting up with our workshop group in the afternoon.  A little further from the Shwedagon Pagoda is another important but lesser known religious site, Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda.  Inside is a 216 foot reclining Buddha encrusted in jewels and mirrors.  This obviously is not a major tourist attraction because we were some of the few visitors there that were not in prayer.  Robed Monks, both young and old, traveled around the pagoda both talking and praying. We also had an incredible view overlooking several other temples and what appeared to be the monastery where the monks reside.  Cats roamed the floor and were quite comfortable with people, one even lounged in the lap of a meditating monk.  Shrines with much smaller (but with the Vegas light halos) surrounded the perimeter of the building.  It was well worth the trip.

When we returned to the hotel we had a couple of hours before the group meeting.  We ventured back to the nearby market onto the train platform that ran adjacent to it.  We waited for an approaching train to take pictures of the people hopping on and off.  On the platform, several vendors were set up to sell fresh cut pineapple, small oranges (what we call cuties) and street food.  A baby slept undisturbed on a step while his dad tended to his wares.  Two charming Indian gentlemen wanted to visit with us about where we were from.  They let us know they were Catholic and that we could find them near the platform if we happened to return.

Our group met for a briefing on what to expect for the week and introductions of the participants.  We have people from Canada, Scotland, NYC, Detroit, Hawaii, a very varied crowd with skills ranging from professionals to ‘just picked up a camera’.  We left from the hotel to return to Shwedagon for a sunset shoot.

The atmosphere was different from our earlier visit, with more people milling around, various ceremonies being performed and a gentle afternoon light covering the complex.  We had more time this visit and used it to roam on our own looking for great shots to share with the class.  Each of us found our birth day, mine being Sunday, and were encouraged to find our corner and participate in the pouring of water over our day shrine. 

The complex has so many gold leafed spires that it is actually difficult to photograph them with the sun shining.  But as the sun set and the lights came on everything took on a golden glow.  Little children were shown by a parent how to strike the oversized bells with large wooden strikers. In some countries, people do not like you to take pictures of their children, but not here.  They seemed proud that you found their children charming and would even help you by posing them. 

We gathered at the Monday corner to depart for dinner at an old historic building that had once served as the office of Aung Sung, the father of the women responsible for the current democracy movement in the country.  He is an important figure to the Burmese people as both a war hero and the person who helped free them from British rule.  It was lovely place to share family style Burmese cuisine with our new group.

Tomorrow: So you think that was a good shot?

You're Not in Kansas Anymore

One of the larger markets in Rangon is right around the corner from our hotel and seemed like a good way to get introduced to the cultural.  We crossed over a bridge that strateled the railroad tracks to get to the market.  On the bridge vendors had set up tables to sell various things - fruits, vegetables, cooked food, cigarettes, etc.  None of these shops are permanent which is a scene we would see recreated throughout the city.  The market was very large and we didn't make it through even half of it. There were lots of shops set to sell you jewelry, from trinkets to expensive raw stones.  Unlike other similar markets I've visited, the vendors lacked any aggression to sell their merchandise.  That's not to say they didn't try to entice you if you stopped to take a peak but there was no attempt to grab you from the aisles to try to sell you their goods.

We had been told the Shwedegon Pagoda, probably the best known religious site in Myanmar, was an easy walk from our hotel.  While not too far in distance, the uneven, potholed streets made walking difficult and the trafficked streets hard to cross.  We were quite grateful when the golden stupa came into view.  We entered the complex at the base of the pagoda which meant either lots of stairs or taking the series of escalators to the top.  There were several famllies with older women that were afraid to step onto the 'magic steps'.  Guards tried to help them on and for some this worked.  Others opted for the stairs.  I guess it never occurred to me how frightening these could be.

The temple complex covers over 14 acres and is home for many small open air buildings that contain anywhere from 1 to dozens of gold leaf Buddhas. I think the most surprising thing to me was the use of multi-colored moving lights behind the Buddha heads that gave it a Vegas feel.  It seemed so out of place for such an ancient site.  This particular day a relic from Budda was on display which meant lots of people in a snaking line across the marble tiled plaza, most with umbrellas of some kind.  It really was quite a sight.

Instead of signs of the zodiac, the Burmese assign animals to days of the week on which a person is born.  These days are represented around the circle with Buddhas where people place flowers and pour water on the statutes although I can't offer an explanation why.  Monks roamed through the crowds stopping at shrines to pray.  It was all quite magical.

We decided to escape the noonday sun and return to our hotel, this time by cab.  The traffic is horrendous mainly because public transit is insufficient.  This means cabs are everywhere filling in the gaps. A ride that should take 10 minutes stretches to  30 to 40 during normal traffic.

We ate a late lunch in the hotel, rested a little then started our walk to the only gallery in Myanmar dedicated to photography.  Our instructors, Ira and Ari, were giving a lecture this evening on photography.  At night, street vendors pop up everywhere selling street food.  They have make-shift kitchens and even small dining rooms right on the street.  This made the walk very interesting if slowing it somewhat.

The gallery was upstairs in a block of doorways and alleyways.  You had to have a little faith that you were in the right place as you climbed the darkened stairway.  The structure appeared to be quite old and the less than stable wooden floor limited the number of people that could attend.  Afterwards, we opted for the quick (the traffic had died down) and cheap (all cab rides appear to be under $3) ride home.  The food vendors had disappeared, the dinner hour apparently being over.

This was a great first day in this beautiful country.

Next: A reclining Buddha