Eastern entrance of the Schwedagon, in 1995 without Chinthe (Lion) statues
A woman meditating on the terrace around the main Stupa
The reclining Buddha with Bodhisattvas in one of the Shrines
One of the beautiful and serene Buddha heads, omnipresent in the Schwedagon
People meditating in front of a Shrine which is dedicated to one of the days of the week
A woman, seemingly in direct communicating with the Buddha
A man praying in front of one of the many Shrines
Daily life combines flawlessly with a complex Pantheon of Shrines and Saints
Small Stupas aranged around the 98 meter heigh main Stupa
A detail of the main Stupa, which is covered with 50 tons of gold
On the train from Yangon to Mandalay, about 2 1/2 hours north of Yangon
When the train stops, there is always time for a quick deal
Little children having a delicious meal at one of the street stalls at Nyaung Shwe
Political education at Nyaung Shwe, those were the days in 1995
The dawn of a new day, outside Nyaung Shwe at the Inle Lake
If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the livestock waking up
Buddhist monks on a daily alms round to collect food
The people of Nyaung Shwe rise up early to prepare the food they donate to the monks
In the cold morning the rice is steaming
Fishermen are leaving Nyaung Shwe for a day of fishing at the Inle Lake
A fisherman of the Intha People with his typical basket that serves as a fishnet
Morning gathering of Intha men at the Inle Lake
After the basket net is placed on the bottom of the lake, the fish gets caught with a spear
The Intha people have a special rowing technique; it looks like they walk over the water
Floating market at Ywama Village
When there is a floating market, the traffic jams
Good navigation skills are needed to find your way
An old Intha lady
Intha woman smoke cigars and there is a local cigar industry
Burmese woman uses Thanaka, a paste made from ground bark, as skin-care and make-up
Approaching Maing Thauk village on the eastern shore of Inle Lake
Two old Pa´O ladies at the market of Maing Thauk
A blacksmith in action at the market of Maing Thauk
A house "on stilts", one of the characteristic houses on the Inle lake
Family life on the Inle Lake
The houses are interconnected with footbridges forming a small community
The floating gardens, a fabric made of lake-bottom weeds, anchored by bamboo poles
Gate at a floating garden, not constructed to block a footpath but a waterway
A young Buddhist monk, at the dawn of day, in Bagan
A beautiful Chinthe (Lion) statue, guarding one of the many Pagodas in Bagan
At Bagan, time virtually has stood still, at least that seemed to be the situation in 1995
The Sulamani Temple
A detail of the Dhammayangyi Temple
The Thatbyinnyu Temple
The beautiful Bagan site, scattered with temple ruins
The Bagan site in the hazy afternoon light
In 1995, the Bagan site was more the domain of the farmers and their goats than of visitors
Brigitte enjoys the view of the Bagan site, in those days we were two of the very few visitors
The Dhammayangyi Temple is notable for its incredibly fine brickwork
Golden Buddha, in one of the Bagan temples, the face has not the refinement usually seen
Young Burmese women as tourists in their own country at the Bagan site
Details of the Shwezigon Pagoda close to the Ayarwaddy River, still with the white terraces
Centre part of the Shwezigon Pagoda with the lower terraces still painted in red-brown
A Chinthe (Lion) statue at the lower terrace of the Shwezigon Pagoda
The beautiful Ananda Temple in the evening light
The Ayarwaddy River in the golden sunlight
The sun is slowly setting over the Bagan site
Ferry on the Yangon River, close to the city of Yangon
Traditional Burmese sailing vessel on the Yangon River
Low tide at the Yangon River, south of Yangon the river forms an estuary
The Schwedagon is dominating the city of Yangon
Sea going vessels, river ferries and traditional sailing boats in the estuary of the Yangon River
In Yangon, public busses built on WW II truck chassis, were widely in use in 1995
To get on the bus is a little bit difficult, but people are used to it and helping each other
And what about this 3 ton Dodge truck, probably a VK60 DA type from around 1940
The famous Strand Hotel, in front a Hino TA14 Truck from the 1960´s
Unfortunately a lot of houses were not maintained like the Strand Hotel
One of the many street food stalls in Yangon, usually the food is excellent
Spring in Yangon
Typical British colonial architecture, Yangon has a lot of buildings in this style
Nice houses in relatively in good shape, elsewhere in Yangon they were quickly deteriorating
A handicraft man at work in the streets of Yangon
Ngapali-Beach near Sandoway, we were the only tourists, can you imagine?
Local people at the Ngapali-Beach, waiting for the fishermen to come in
Herbs and spices are everywhere for sale in local street stalls
Brigitte loves to shop here so she can supply her kitchen stock in Munich
This lady is pressing sugar cane between iron rolls in order to gain the juice
The Shwemawdaw Pagoda in Bago, with its height of 114 meters towering over the town
The gold plated top of the Shwemawdaw Pagoda in Bago
The Shwethalyaung Reclining Buddha at Bago
Buddha statues have many subtle details that make the Buddha direct recognizable
Somewhere on the road between Yangon and Bago
The Four Seated Buddha shrine at the Kyaik Pun Pagoda near Bago
This gives an impression of the dimensions, the picture dates from before the renovation
A last visit of the Schwedagon Stupa the afternoon before we would leave Burma
Details of the building, they give the impression that the visitor has entered a "fairytale land"
Rows of ladies sweeping the marble floor around the Stupa in clockwise direction
Having a broom on each hand, they work very efficient
Group of serene Buddha statues
In an illuminated shrine, all kind of details come to live