left our jobs, went to Asia

Early morning at Shwedagon pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

Monsoon period in Myanmar, and, specifically in Yangon, means that it rains a few times per day, without the possibility to easily determine when will the rain start, and when will it stop.

Due to this reason we have been postponing the visit to Shwedagon pagoda, country's main religious monument, for a few days. It was constantly rainy, with dark grey sky and no sun. A definite no-go, especially having photography in mind.  READ MORE »

Glass with unidentified sport symbols, Yangon, Myanmar

We had it in Laos, and it's time for it again. Ladies and gentlemen, "Decode the image" is back!

I've found this glass in a breakfast area of Yangon's Haven Inn hotel.

Your entries decoding what is portrayed here are mostly welcome. My humble take is as follows.  READ MORE »

Improvised lifting device, Yangon, Myanmar

It looked just like all the rest multi-apartment buildings, and only after leaving the city and coming back for a second time, we noticed that ropes with hooks, handles and plastic bags on their ends are hanging down from every window and balcony on the streets of Yangon.  READ MORE »

Happy father and a kid, Myanmar

A lot of men and women in Myanmar are seen spitting red liquid on the streets. At first it seems like they are ill and that's blood, but soon it becomes clear that it is a result of chewing a betel nut.  READ MORE »

Cutting grass in Yangon, Myanmar

Many men in Myanmar look like casual bodybuilders. No overweight and muscular. Couldn't identify the reason behind that, as the food that they eat is quite fat, and not everybody practices as much physical work as this person does.  READ MORE »

Temple. Midday. Bagan, Myanmar

Though the purpose of our travel wasn't "seeing it all", some facts make me scratch my head.

Bagan, a city in Myanmar, has around 4000 temples in and around it. Significant part of them are important cultural and archaelogical monuments.  READ MORE »

Temple. Sunrise. Bagan, Myanmar

So you want to make good travel photographs?

Easy. Just follow the schedule below:  READ MORE »

Two buddhist monks travelling comfortably from Mandaly to Bagan, Myanmar

I still have mixed feelings about Buddhist monks. Some of them are deeply religious and seemingly devoted to what they believe in, while others chat with on their mobiles, smoke and ride about on motorbikes.  READ MORE »

Representation of national colors and territory of Shan state of Myanmar

Call to the the geography experts: which country's flag does it resemble, and which country's territory?  READ MORE »

Plastic bag with green soft drink and a straw, Kyaukme, Myanmar

Takeaway drink in this case ment pouring the contents of the bottle with a soft drink into a plastic bag and putting a straw inside.  READ MORE »

Elder woman of Palaung minority prepares herself for a photograph near

Kyaukme, Myanmar

Coming from different cultures and being different ages - it can be uneasy to understand each other.

I asked if I can make her photograph. She waved her hands intensively, giving me a clear signal.  READ MORE »

Palaung man blowing into the fireplace with a pipe near Kyaukme, Myanmar

Many things in Asia seem strange, inappropriate or even unacceptable. Could be so, but what I also learned is that there is usually a simple and practical explanation behind the action.  READ MORE »

Paper car to be burned in Chinese cemetary, Kyaukme, Myanmar

This is a car. Made from paper, still it is nearly the size of a real prototype. Loaded onto a truck, its destination is Chinese cemetary, where it will be burned and in that way sent up to the heavens, as a present to the ancestors. The fate of the horse that is standing near the car is the same.  READ MORE »

Banner in town of Pyin U Lwin, Myanmar

Overwhelming majority of locals in Myanmar that I met were nice, polite and peaceful. Based on this, I do not believe that "Oppose, oppose, oppose, crush!" is their desire.  READ MORE »

Boy with a thanakha makeup in Pyin U Lwin, Myanmar

In Myanmar, the most popular makeup by far is thanakha. It is a paste, made from the bark of a thanakha tree grinded together with some water on a flat stone. It is later applied by ladies on their faces, and at the same time plays the role of a fragrance, sun protection and a beautifier.  READ MORE »