Tag Archives: people
Shy
Balinese culture
The simple word “Bali” usually conjures to the mind a plethora of exotic scenes: oneiric beaches, swaying coconut trees, tropical paradise where smiling locals massage our limbs aching from the hard work sitting at the office. However, while they certainly are well-founded, we know we will keep in memory another image of the iconic island: one of the Balinese culture, rich with music and dances, architecture and religion, paintings and sculptures.
Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
Kawah Ijen
‘Sometimes I think a man could wander across the disc[world] all his life and not see everything there is to see,’ said Twoflower. ‘And now it seems there are lots of other worlds as well. When I think I might die without seeing a hundredth of all there is to see it makes me feel,’ he paused, then added, ‘well, humble, I suppose. And very angry, of course.’
Terry Pratchett, Close to the Edge
Green Hills
Burmese portraits
The openness and friendliness of the Burmese people allowed me to practice something I usually seldom do: portraits. So during our three-day trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake, going up and down hills, between rice terraces and vegetable fields, passing through remote villages and sleeping in a monastery, I tried to capture the diversity of the people we met on the way.
The Plain of Bagan
More than four thousand Buddhist temples (you read it right. Four thousand) were built in the plain of Bagan between the 11th and the 13th century — and Myanmar stays, still today, known as one of the most devout Buddhist countries in the world. This incredible landscape, offered by innumerable pagodas piercing the green forests to reach the sky, is fully as breathtaking as the massive temples of Angkor were, back in Cambodia — despite their differences. Here, to the sheer size, complexity and grandeur of single monuments, the kings preferred the numbers, diversity, and immensity of the panorama.
Countryside
“Left or right?”
I had no memory of that roundabout. The way to the bridge we had taken to cross the Ayeyarwady river was ahead, but I could not recall which direction we had come from. I had been too busy striving to follow the villager — who had showed us the way to Sagaing Hill on his own motorbike — to memorize reference points.
“No idea!” came the reply behind me.
“Whatever. Let’s eat at that restaurant over there,” I suggested while pointing at a building, which was actually no more than a roof above packed tables and low stools set on the bare ground. It was filled with locals. That was a very good sign.
“Yeah, looks amazing”
First impressions of Myanmar: Mandalay
What to expect from a country which was, not so long ago, as closed and secluded as North Korea? We had had gorgeous tales of fellow backpackers, jaw-dropping pictures of remote landscapes, news about the harsh rule of the government; but nothing had prepared us for the simple, kind-hearted generosity and friendliness of the Burmese people. These undeniably fervent and devout Buddhists are everything a traveller could dream of. Welcoming and readily helpful, asking to take pictures with you (“As a token of rememberance!”) and smiling for yours, as interested in you as you in them, showering you with free tea, soups, salads, cakes, and never trying to cheat you, they are more than our pictures could hope to convey: they are, simply, an inspiration for the way we lead our lives.