Ron Emmons          Writer & Photographer
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Ten Days in Barmy Burma

22/1/2015

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Picture
U Bein Bridge, near Mandalay
In November 2014 I finally got to visit a country that’s been on my ‘to do’ list for decades—Burma, or if you prefer, Myanmar. Though I’ve lived very close for many years. I’ve not been able to visit as I’m on a press visa in Thailand, and the powers-that-be in Burma don't issue visas to members of the press, but the introduction of e-visas in October 2014 suddenly opened the possibility. Then new flights opened between Chiang Mai (my home town) and Rangoon (Yangon), as well as Mandalay, so I found myself packing my bags and chanting the words of Kipling’s poem:

“No! You won’t ‘eed nothin’ else

But them spicy garlic smells,

An’ the sunshine an’ the palm trees an’ the tinkly temple bells;

On the road to Mandalay…”

I spent two days in Rangoon, two in Bagan, two at Inle Lake and four around Mandalay and had a fine old time, being reminded every day just how different Burma is to everywhere else. And in an effort to capture the diversity of the place, I’m posting the following images from the trip.


On the Circle Line, Yangon
The Shwedagon in Yangon wrapped in bamboo scaffolding
Misty morning at Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan
Hot-air balloons over the plain of Bagan
Sulamuni Temple, Bagan
Weaving a bamboo wall, Bagan
Feeding birds over Inle Lake
Intha fisherman, Inle Lake
Stucco image, Indein Pagoda, Inle Lake
Baby at Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay
Village kids near Mandalay
U Bein Bridge, near Mandalay
View from Mandalay Hill
Botanical Gardens, Pyin Oo Lwin
Effigy of British soldier, Governor's House, Pyin Oo Lwin
Horse-drawn carriage, Pyin Oo Lwin
Reclining Buddha at Po Win Daung Caves, near Monywa
Whimsical statue at Shwe Ba Taung caves, near Monywa
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Unsung Isaan

21/1/2015

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Picture
Sam Phan Bok
Immediately on returning from Burma (see previous blog), I began my current job—updating two chapters of The Rough Guide to Thailand (Northeast and Central Plains) for the new edition (October 2015). After plotting my route around the Northeast, I headed south from Chiang Mai to Khorat, then east to Ubon Ratchathani, and from there zig-zagged across the ‘elephant’s ear’ of Thailand, commonly known as Isaan. I spent a few weeks visiting every town, looking at lots of hotels and restaurants, as well as bus stations and hospitals, but I also found time to check out a few places that were previously not in the guide.

My favourite place, as a photographer who loves shooting nature abstracts, was Sam Phan Bok (Three Thousand Holes), a surreal section of the Mekong River bed where rock pools are exposed during the dry season (Nov-May). Check out the images in the gallery below.

Isaan is Thailand’s least-visited region and gets short shrift from most guidebooks. Yet it’s also a great place to travel, for a host of reasons, not least of which is that there are no other tourists around to spoil your enjoyment. Add to this the Khmer temples, the mysterious Mekong River, the fiery food, the quiet, country roads and the hospitable, generous people, and you’ve got the recipe for a memorable adventure.


Buddha images, Wat Khao Angkhan
Ancient sema stone, Wat Khao Angkhan
Khmer sanctuary, Prasat Ta Muean
Sandstone and laterite wall, Prasat Ta Muean Thom
Prasat Sikhoraphum
Apsara carving, Prasat Sikhoraphum
Khmer dancers at Prasat Sikhoraphum
Garden of Hell, Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai
Garden of Hell, Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai (1)
Lintel at Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai
Supanniga Home, Khon Kaen
Bamboo grove, Supanniga Home, Khon Kaen
Phi Ta Khon masks, Dan Sai
Mekong view, Mekong Villas
Dawn over the Mekong River
Lily pond
Islands in the Mekong River
Mekong sandbar
Sam Phan Bok (1)
Sam Phan Bok (2)
Sam Phan Bok (3)
Sam Phan Bok (4)
Sam Phan Bok (5)
Sam Phan Bok (6)
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    Ron Emmons 

    is a British writer and photographer based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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Text and images copyright © Ron Emmons 2000-2023

Contact details:

Ron Emmons
122 Moo 7, San Pisua,
Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand.

Tel/Fax: (66-53) 115150
Mobile: +66-841758104

ron@ronemmons.com


Contact Ron
  • Blog
    • Introduction
  • Teaklord
    • Description and buying options
    • News of Teak Lord
    • The Making of a Book Cover
    • Tracking the Teak Lord 1
    • Tracking the Teak Lord 2
    • Review of Teak Lord
    • Teak Talk
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Periodicals >
      • A Culture Blossoms
      • Black, White and Blue
      • Deep in the Delta
      • Strange Town
      • Blissful Bloom
      • The Wonder of Water
      • Striking Signs
      • A Hike up Chiang Dao Mountain
      • Quirky Chiang Mai
      • Trailblazer
      • On the Road to Rio
    • Digital content
  • Portfolio
    • Searching for Shangri-La
    • Travel
    • Biography
    • Nature
    • Buddhism
    • Photography
    • Article List
  • Short Stories
    • Beyond the End of the Road
    • The Green Monkey's Tale
    • The Red Lion's Tale
    • Eruption in Ethiopia
    • First Flight
    • As Dawn Breaks over Choroni
    • The Hungry Eye
    • On Spirit Mountain
  • Biography
    • Ron's CV