Myanmar’s Magic Through The Lens

Having just spent 3 weeks in Hong Kong we were scouring the map for new inspiration in South-East Asia, and decided on Myanmar, or (Burma) if you like. A place still largely uncharted, and yet to be flooded by mass tourism.

We spent four weeks touring the country by bus, motorbike and even the odd canoe! There were so many places that captivated us, such as Bagan with its vast plains of over 2,000 Buddhist temples, or the royal heritage of Mandalay and the floating gardens and stilted villages of Inle Lake.

Unfortunately Myanmar holds a darker side, and life is difficult and somewhat oppressed for many people here thanks to the military regime and corrupt government! Even still we were always welcomed by the warmth and openness of the friendly people.

Yangon is a peculiar mix of old Buddhist temples and ornate colonial architecture, and is a very intriguing city to explore. The golden Shwedagon Pagoda dominates the skyline of Yangon and is a perfect focal point for photography, especially in blue hour as the surrounding lights begin to illuminate the pagoda.

We visited a local bar one evening for food and drinks, and were blessed with a perfect sunset over Shwedagon Pagoda.

Shwedagon Pagoda is the biggest pagoda in Yangon and draws in thousands of pilgrims each year. If you have time I recommend a visit early morning and also in the evening to see the contrast. In the evening you’ll see many monks making their pilgrimage, prayers and candle lighting ceremonies, it’s truly fascinating to observe.

If you’re not short on time here I highly recommend a trip on the circular train-line, it offers up some great photographic opportunities and an up close look at local life. There is people selling all sorts along the train tracks and even the train itself becomes a marketplace, with travellers selling anything from exotic birds to clothing and fruit and veg onboard!

We only had a short stop-off in Inle Lake but it was a welcome contrast from the dusty back lanes of Yangon. The pristine lakes and rivers are surrounded by rolling, green hills and peaceful countryside, giving way to a much slower pace of life.

The best way to experience the area is by heading out onto the lake early-morning, where you can rent a motorized canoe and visit the back canals and stilted houses. it’s also the best time of day to see the locals fishing, trading and just living their daily life out on the waters.

The Intha Fisherman pictured below can be seen at work with their unique fishing technique of balancing and rowing the boat with one leg all whist fishing at the same time, pretty impressive eh!

It’s surprising that Mandalay is often overlooked by travellers but I highly recommend at least a few days here. Mandalay has so much royal heritage, being the former capital and home of the king and has plenty of hidden treasures to explore and photograph! I highly recommend renting a local driver for the day here so you can explore as many sights as possible. We were unlucky with the weather conditions during our stay but fortunate to find some hidden viewpoints that only the locals knew about (pictured below).

The U-bein bridge is a great focal point for photography, and I couldn’t believe how many people actually make their daily commute across this 1.2 km old wooden- bridge. Monks, farmers and local fisherman go about their daily lives as they cross over and work around the area, it really is a great place to sit and people watch.

Bagan alone is home to more than 2,000 Buddhist temples and believe me there is no better sight than watching the morning sun rise over hundreds of pagodas, blanketed in mist as local herders and farmers go about their daily lives. The best way to explore Bagan is by e-bike which you can arrange through your accommodation, but prepare for the dust!

It’s a place you can get lost in for days at a time, and the whole area is an archaeological marvel. If you’re into photography you can literally spend days just scouting for locations, and exploring the inside of these temples never gets boring, each one offering something different.

Strict rules are now in force to stop people from climbing these pagodas, so the best place photography is from the Bagan tower in early morning, especially the lower section of the tower as on a good day you’ll be able to capture the hot-air balloons floating past the pagoda-tops.

I recommend packing at least a 70-200mm lens or even 400-600mm for the best results to compress the scene.

You’ll find that some of the temples and pagodas are off-limits to tourists or require a key to access them, fortunately for us we got speaking to some of the locals who offered us access to these sites (for a small fee of course). They were some of the most ornately detailed temples we visited there and great for photography!

Our last stop before returning to Yangon was Hpa-an, which is located in the south of Myanmar and is less frequented by tourists. It’s an area best explored by motor-bike and is surrounded by rice paddies, caves and lush countryside. I highly recommend doing some of the hikes in Hpa-an such as the Taung wine hike. This hike is best in the early morning. If you’re lucky you’ll even see some monks taking the pilgrimage to the pagoda at the top.

The early morning views atop of the Taung wine hike were stunning and would you believe we were the only people there for sunrise, bonus!