A beautiful Burmese belle and a hard-working bloke....

Beautiful Inlay Lake again....Me and Tom in a rented canoe, just in the floating hotel's enclosure near sunset....

More beautiful Burmese children....It's so lovely the way the only-slghtly-older children care for their siblishing.

This is the beginning of several weeks of owr glorious Jacaranda tree disporting itself. An old guy, judging by size, the tree is dazzling in early morning sun, and even a pretty good-looker on a grey day like today....

Now, you're probably thinking Inley Lake has got to be one of the strangest places in Burma, given the bevy of girls in this photo. They wear their wealth, with some discomfort, around their necks. As they get older, periodically they get the next coil.
The oldest woman here is 57.

This is a scene from the "Jumping Cat Monastery" at Inlay Lake. Believe it or not these resident cats have been trained to jump
through a hoop on command. In return for their trick, they get fed kitty kibble. The monastery, accessible only by boat, is much older than the head monk, and both are in rather a decrepid state....

This is Pandaw 2 in all of its glory, our home for 10 nights and eleven days - along with 36 other passengers and 32 staff.
A restoration of an English built steamer, Pandaw has been crafted from teak and brass by local Burmese. We tourists were in the lap of luxury in a wonderfully friendly, relaxing atmosphere on this cruise.



When we left the Pandaw and went to Inlay Lake, we traveled by motorised canoes. However, Tom and I rented this one from
the hotel to test our own muscle power.



The local boatmen get about by leg-paddling. It saves their arms getting tired (and keeps their thighs trim?).

I don't know why but more women seem to smoke these cheroots in Burma than men, and more older women. Apparently they are very mild tasting, but they look formidable!

On our Irrawaddy River cruise, we stopped in some villages, visited schools, and saw enchanting school kids. We tourists had
opportunities to hear the children sing for us and we donated some supplies to the school children....Here's one of them....

She's on her way to a festival at the temple....

Darling Burmese boy...a shot sneaked with my telephoto...

A Burmese worker....When we arrived at the Bhamo ferry wharf to board the Pandaw, these workers were doing back breaking
toting of heavy loads onto cargo boats. Since they get paid by the piece, they moved swiftly and probably were aided by good old betel juice - the chewing of which is mildly stimulating.

The enchanting children of Burma....It's very common for people of all ages to wear a kind of paste on their bodies which is made from the bark of a tree called thanaka. It moistures, blocks the sun, and is promotes the Burmese notion of beauty.

How many Buddhas inhabit Burma? More than the number of temples, stupas and pagodas which is not an inconsiderable number. In the extradordinary Pindaya Caves in Shan state, there are more than 8,000 in one place. There, all the Buddhas have been adopted by people from all over the world who look after their maintenance. There was someone from Cherrybrook, Australia and another one from Marou Bra....

Exactly 3 wks. ago, our first day in Burma, at the country's most celebrated religious site, Shwedegon Pagoda in Rangoon. Awe-inspiring and beautiful, it has 8,688 plates of pure gold covering its 330 foot height. On top of the pagoda is a 33 foot high umbrella encrusted with precious gems. All paid for by pious benefactors.

Daniel & I returned from our holiday in Burma a couple of days ago. This blog seems like a good place to display some of the
scenes we encountered....


A few of the very beautiful flowers of Burma....At Inlay Lake orchids grow in hanging baskets, and the lotuses are farmed so that thread from their stalks can be woven into textiles!