Burmese Taxi
Burma 2011
We scrambled up the muddy bank of the Irrawaddy River to find pony traps and drivers waiting for us and for any other tourists who might straggle ashore. The carts or traps were tiny but we managed to squeeze our western fed bodies in and off we went. The ponies were hardy and fit: trotting on the muddy track at a brisk pace, past rice paddies, ancient ruins, and banana plantations. One of the things I love most about travel is the chance to be driven or to drive a horse and carriage. It was too bumpy to try to use my camera so I just enjoyed it. My farmergirl instincts kept me on the look out for snakes and sure enough, I saw one. It was a neon green color and the diameter of an electrical cord. It writhed and reeled as we sped past and it just barely managed to get out of the way.
Field of Pagodas
I forgot about snakes when we dismounted at these pagodas which looked as if they were in the process of being swallowed by the jungle. You’d think it would be easy to find photos here, but for me it wasn’t. I did a lot of close-up shots of the carvings and tried to use some of the statues for foreground. Here I used the inside of a temple as a frame. It’s one of my best…so far. I’m not deleting because years from now I might notice a gem that I’ve overlooked. That is if my external hard drives hold up that long.
The pagodas were like tiny temples. Some had a statue of Buddha inside and many had gold leaf on the pinnacle. They were not forgotten as I had assumed.