The People of Myanmar

Myanmar is a wonderful travel destination, with few tourists and the nicest people you are likely to meet anywhere in the world. In this first of a series of blogs on my trip to Myanmar I give a snapshot of life in this mysterious and much maligned country and a profile the Burmese people.

Life revolves around the market place with the usual flurry of buying and selling all types of items.

The streets look a bit different to the West. Both the photos that follow give a taste of life in two of the country towns, Bagan on the left and Mandalay on the right. You will notice many types of transport - the open air 'bus', horse and cart and the trishaw, Myanmar's version of a rickshaw.

The most popular sport in Myanmar is the same as throughout all of Asia, soccer. The photo below shows some kids playing a game on a dusty little field.

The monks in Myanmar seemed to be more prominent than in the other Buddhist countries of the region. The men wear a purple coloured robe and the girls are in pink.

The next two photos are taken in the capital, Yangon. Notice the males wearing a wrap-around called a longyi (pronounced lon-gee). The school uniform of the boys is a little different to what you normally see!

The next three photos are of rural life in Myanmar. The first shot shows some fishermen pulling in their net., the second a family of duck-keepers by the lake.

Rice is the main staple of the Burmese, with the women working in the paddy.

The Burmese have a good sense of business and they are eager to relieve you of your money. The two boys below were some of the best at their craft. The stuff on their face is a type of zinc that most of the young people and women seemed to be apply each day in the country towns.

The boy below was trying to sell us postcards as we watched the sunset over Bagan's temples.

The final photo is one of my favourites - two young kids on the U Bein Bridge near Mandalay.