The Essence of Myanmar
This monastery, located at the northern end of Inle Lake, is built entirely of teak. Large teak logs are used as pillars as a defense against the floodwaters of the lake. The monastery is small and weather beaten and you might be disappointed on first glance. That is the wonderful thing about looking for a good shot. You must take your time to find the angle that brings out the essence of the subject. Then you fall in love with the subject.
Buddhism has been celebrated here for approximately 200 years and, as you can see from the young novice standing in the window, the philosophy is still being taught today.
We didn’t have time to go inside, we were on our way to the airport, but Win spotted this boy and called to him to pose in the window. The boy obeyed but he was torn. He had been told by the master to prepare the morning tea and he knew he should be in the kitchen working. I think we delayed him 5 minutes. While we were checking our camera LCD screens, he disappeared.
We have his photograph. He’s all bundled in his robes, because the temperature was in the low 70’s and to the Burmans, it was chilly. He looks like a little emperor.