Bagan - Myanmar

The vast plain at Bagan is studded with thousands of 1000 year old temples and stupas. Over 10,000 buildings were constructed and over 2200 still remain.

Phya Saw village an elderly woman smokes a bamboo cigar while holding an empty coconut shell ashtray. In contrast two young girls flash the peace sign while selling slices of fresh watermelon.

Ananda Pagoda with details of the golden roof line is one of the highest and finest pagodas in Old Bagan.

Typical village style lunch in Myanmar includes mutton, grilled fish, chicken in curry, vegetable salad, rice and several other mildly spicy side dishes.

Thatbyiunyu Phaya Temple, white with red and gold spires, is the highest temple in Bagan.

Manuha Temple, built by King Manuha to show his displeasure of captivity, houses very large standing and reclining Buddhas each in their own disproportionately small space.

Gubyaukgyi Cave Temple with Jane admiring the well preserved fresco paintings.

Light fades and we climb one of the stupas to watch our final sunset in Myanmar.

Mandalay - Myanmar

Kuthodaw Pagoda houses the world's largest book. Buddha's teachings are enscribed on 729 marble tablets plus 1 cover stone - double sided no less. Each tablet is approximately 2 meters high by 1.5 meters wide and would take 5 months to recite. Each tablet is housed in its own stone pagoda. 

Shwenandaw Monestary is built with teak carvings of Buddha images.

Craft workers make and apply gold leaf. One ounce of 24 karat gold is pounded and carefully cut into 4600 pieces of gold leaf.

Mya Thein Dan is an enormous white wedding cake style pagoda.

At Mahagandayon Monestary monks line up for a daily meal.

U-Bein bridge is the longest teak bridge in the world, and sunset over the Irrawaddy River.

Shan Highlands - Kalaw, Myanmar

Young monks scurry to their studies in the early morning at the local monestary.

Jane boards the slow train bound for Kalaw, along with heavy sacks of produce.

We arrive at the quaint family operated Dream Villa Hotel in time for lunch of steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves, coconut rice and fresh lime juice.

During our hike in the Shan Highlands we came across a local market where purple onions, chillies, tea and a multitude of other fresh produce are sold by women with a lot of facial character. The hills are covered in a patchwork of vegetable fields and rice terraces.

At a local village along the way Jane joins into a small game of football at the two room school.

Myinmathi Cave houses large Buddha statues in the vast caves connected by narrow tunnels.