Introvert on an outward journey
A trip to developing Asian countries is an opportunity to have gratitude for the privilege of being born in a developed country, and for reflection on what modernity has pushed aside. Modernity, with its focus on progress, and all things new, has pushed aside tradition, ancient ways of living, non-secular ritual, and the primacy of […]
Read MoreSome of the beautiful Asian women that crossed the path of my camera during recent trip to SE Asia, India, and Nepal.
Read MoreFlickr picture links: Favs from Asia 2018 (smaller collection than Best of Asia) Best of Asia 2018 Portrait of ASEAN food 2018 Nepal 2018 India 2018 Thailand 2018 Laos 2018 Cambodia 2018 Vietnam 2018 Myanmar 2018 Inle Lake 2018 (Myanmar) Mandalay 2018 (Myanmar) Bagan 2018 (Myanmar) Yangon 2018 (Myanmar) Hoi An 2018 (Vietnam) […]
Read MoreWhen you visit Myanmar, the elephant in the room is whether or not you should be there. Should you be spending your money in a country that is reportedly committing genocide? The Chinese of course don’t care, Myanmar is possibly on its way to being a Chinese economic colony, owing debt it may not be […]
Read MorePerhaps no area of Myanmar touched me more than Inle Lake. The fishing village I visited on the lake, is neither pre-modern or post-modern, it is somewhere in between: all the trash from modern life, but few of the conveniences. In a mostly pre-modern world, much of life revolves around fire and rain: the wood-burning […]
Read MoreAt the conclusion of the third Anglo-Burmese war, the then ruler of Burma, King Thinbaw Min, and his wife, were exiled to India, never to return. While the execution of the annexation was done on schedule, by some accounts to assist a domestic election campaign in Britain, the aftermath did not go so well, with […]
Read MoreFor those not yet worn down by “yet another temple”, Bagan is one of the best places to go. First, it was a pleasant country retreat from the bustle of Yangon, but the history on display and in spoken recounting is fascinating. While there is a large pagoda, what makes Bagan unique is the 3,000+ […]
Read MoreIn Mandalay, a 33 old young lady, who converted from Islam to Buddhism 10 years earlier, made an insightful comment “My Buddhism is like the Buddhism of Americans, I learned it from a book, not from my parents.” The point she was making is when you learn religion from your parents, it is entangled with […]
Read MoreBackground; Myanmar has had empires and been attacked/occupied by others building empires themselves, including: Mongolians, Chinese, Japanese, and the British. Myanmar has also experienced significant cultural influence from India, has had interaction on the border with Thailand, and from time to time been on trading routes in the ancient world. Homo Erectus may have been […]
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‘Twas the night before I be traveling, When all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, Not even a spouse. I start to think of distance that would be far, But before I finish packing, I read on my phone, With iron rods they have been whacking, Yangon women they had already been sacking, […]
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Mark Seery 