Exploring the unknowns

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

Worldwide | Monday, October 3, 2011 | 9 photos

Myanmar was a mystery for me before I had a chance to visit this closed but beautiful country. 'Welcome' with cautions at Rangoon Airport Immigration and check-points along the roads between cities at mid night even though I am a Vietnamese (a ASEAN friend of theirs), I was fascinated by the friendly normal people, the young monks, the pagodas and the beautiful nature I encountered in Rangoon, Mandalay and Bagan. Even a hand-made pot that contains water for pilgrim monks was stunningly beautiful in the sunlight. The Old Bagan, which dated back to the 11th-13th centuries, impressed me the most with its thousands of big and small stupas, payas and temples. The people here, though having been forced to be relocated to the New Bagan area, live with and treasure their old past. They eat, pray and love the Old Bagan their own way! I made my own photobook via Shutterfly to keep great snapshots of this Buddha land and its people and to present to my family and friends some of the unknowns that were made known to me! Definitely, Myanmar is one of the unknowns that I wish to explore. There are more of those out there in my country as well as in the far-away land of Africa. Bring me to those unknowns, if you can!