Out of Norm Travels

Myanmar recently reintroduced itself to the world after it held its  first general election in 2010 following the release of politician and human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi and the lifting of  EU sanctions  in 2012. I was fortunate to have visited this beautiful country with world renowned national geographic photographer, Michael Yamashita and Jock Montgomery of Compass Rose expeditions in early 2014.  Of the many locations visited during this whirlwind 10 days photography experience,  Bagan   stood out as a must visit location.    Bagan (Burmese: ပုဂံ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city located in the Mandalay Region of Burma (Myanmar). It was the former capital of the Kingdom of Pagan in the 9th to 13th century. There remains over 2200 temples, monasteries, stupas and monuments and pagodas day. Info taken from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagan . It houses the highest density of Buddhist architecture in the world and ...

[transferred from my other blog, http://mty-sensa.blogspot.sg/] Frankly, my 3rd day in Bhutan passed by in a blur. I recall visiting the Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten (Stupa ) on the morning after a 1 hour or so hike. After that, we stopped over at the Punakha Dzong , reputedly one of the most famous dzongs in Bhutan before heading down to a temple dedicated to Drukpa Kunley , popularly known as the Divine Mad Man that spread Buddhism through unorthodox methods. People in that area usually have phalluses adorn their walls as a means of reminding themselves of him. My fav shots for each of the sights for Day 3: 14Jun10_Punakha_KhamsumYulleyNamgyalChorten 14Jun10_Punakha_KhamsumYulleyNamgyalChorten_WayUp_Padi 14Jun10_Punakha_Dzong 14Jun10_Punakha_Dzong_Monks 14Jun10_Punakha_ChimeLhakhang 14Jun10_Punakha_ChimeLhakhang_OntheWayUp_Lady 14Jun10_Punakha_DivineMadman_Shop_Way Up Day 4 was not any better for me as I think I am still adjusting to ...