-
Bangkok x Hanoi
Just arrived to Hanoi this morning. Vietnam is in front of the door and I’m looking forward to get some new impressions from the country. The visa which will expire on 15/05/2017. So there’s plenty of time for exploration…
-
Street kitchen + unexpected invitations
As I mentioned before we were visiting the muslim quarter in Mandalay for 3 consecutive days. One of the main reasons was a food stall set back in a corner of the alleys. A group of three and occasionally more women was preparing fresh food. A lot of people came driving by on their motorbikes…
-
Adore
On my strolls though Mandalay I came across a very special place. Hidden from the hustle and bustle of the main roads following a passage through a slim alley lies a muslim enclave. Muslims are part of Myanmar since the 11th century AD. In recent years this subject has brought out some very inconvenient realities. The…
-
Mandalay manufacturing – Jade market
After seeing the production of gold leafs, buddha statues, betel leaf packages with areca nuts this day in Mandalay we weren’t over with the handicraft program yet. We stopped at the Jade market on 87th street near the river. The market is more like a business center. You will find all stages of processing here.…
-
Mandalay manufacturing – Buddha statue workshops
Many of the gold leafs produced in Mandalay will be used in the Mahamuni Buddha temple. This temple is one of the most important pilgrim sites in Myanmar. The Buddha itself is not allowed to be approached by women. They have to wait outside while men are allowed to enter the shrine area where the…
-
Mandalay Manufacturing – Gold Leaf Shop
Worshipping is a common practice all over Myanmar. People donate different types of goods to the buddha statues. This includes sticking tiny sheets of gold leafs to the buddha statues themselves. Almost all of the gold leafs used for this type of appreciation are produced in small mom and pop style shops around the 36th…
-
Sun rising over Bagan
When we rode our electric scooter to the Dhammakaya temple east of New Bagan at 05:30 AM it was still dark. After the sky turned lighter we waited on top of a abandoned monastery to see the sun rising in the east. The sky was hazy and so it felt like the sunrise would not…