Myanmar a land like no other; beautiful people, colors, landscapes, awesome culture and tradition.
Myanmar… a land like no other.
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I saw her in the corner of my Eye… got drawn into the color…managed to get just one shot off before she put the water melon tray down. Mandalay - the burmese writing reads something
like no Vendors, Tuk-Tuk's etc., are allowed at this place.
(as per translation from my guide) Myanmar/Burma
Wow I made it…certainly a long time since my last post but then I have been away for some 5 weeks, fighting a cold after my return, editing thousands of images and catching up with my family and friends.
I randomly selected for this post only a few photos from some of the places in Myanmar, Cambodia shall follow in my next post, this time not so far off…promise.
My very special THANKS and gratitude to all the participants who joined our last Photo Tour/Workshops to Myanmar - Cambodia and your kind and nice feedback.
(Testimonials) Thank You!
Almost like a United Nations assembly again, the participants came from: from Canada, USA, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Philippines and Australia.
You have been all outright terrific!
They took some awesome photos, saw incredible places and on top of it all had lot’s of fun…
We already posted the images “Behind the Scenes” and some of the participants work at these LINKS.
Of-course it goes without saying many thanks to Arj, my trusted assistant who did an excellent job, the ground staff in Myanmar, to our super guide Tin and the drivers who made our Myanmar experience just perfect. Thank you all!
Thanks also to my good friend Hubert Weber who joined me on my second leg through Myanmar and Cambodia, thanks for your friendship and putting up with me... the old geezer, he, he.
You might note that we have updated also our Photo Tour/Workshop Calendar for 2013/2014 including some exiting trips to Sri Lanka (end of Feb) and a very special one into the Thar Desert, Rajasthan India in early March 2004.
The Thar Desert trip is almost fully booked and we have only 3 more spots available, so if you like to join this amazing Journey let us know a.s.a.p.
(this photo tour/workshop in India is for max. 8 participants only.)
This one promised to be awesome... a very special Itinerary and I have my special local guide onboard whom I have worked with many times before, getting us to some great and of the beaten track places. Plus a super bonus… towards the end of our journey in India we celebrate Holi… the festival of Color.
Later this year (2013) we have yet another trip to Cambodia and Myanmar, check out all the details on our GD Photo Tour/Workshop Calendar or you can contact me via e-mail.
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/gdphotoworkshop/page1/calendar.html
Now a few selected images from Myanmar, a land like
no other…beautiful people, colors, landscapes
and awesome culture and tradition…
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Cooking in the Monastery…Yangon - Myanmar/Burma
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A very happy vendor selling sugar cane, near the Yangon River - Myanmar/Burma
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Surrounded by cartons of Eggs this worker at the
Yangon River proudly showing his Tattoos to me…
Yangon - Myanmar/Burma
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A novice Monk in Bagan having fun with his
little green ball, Myanmar/Burma
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Reflections…Inle Lake, Shan State - Myanmar/Burma
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Early morning mood on Inle Lake, Shan State - Myanmar/Burma
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Traditional fishing at sunrise Inle Lake, Shan State - Myanmar/Burma
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The last light at this Monastery in Bago - Myanmar/Burma
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A Monks "soccer game"… Bago - Myanmar/Burma
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The magic of Bagan Myanmar/Burma
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Novice Monk at a Bagan Monastery, Myanmar/Burma
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Smoking away… the local cheerot cigar, village near Bagan. Myanmar/Burma
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Hpa An, Myanmar/Burma
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Hpa An, Myanmar/Burma
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Muslim school children, Hpa An, Myanmar/Burma
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At the Maha muni temple, Mandalay, Myanmar/Burma
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At a Monastery for buddhist Nuns, Mandalay, Myanmar/Burma
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U-Bein Teak wood Bridge in a different light at sunrise, Myanmar/Burma
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Please Note: I visited Mingun or Nan Oo Pagoda after our PhotoTour/Workshop
during my extension in the Country and this place will be part of our next Itinerary.
The Pagoda was build by King Bodawlaya in 1791 in Mingun, Sagaing Mandalay,
Myanmar/Burma
Just one more…
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The many Faces of the Bayon Temple, Cambodia,
taken after my Journey through Myanmar.
Please stay tuned for my next post on Cambodia, very soon…
GD
Asia Travel Photography: First impressions, the Journey continuous in Bhutan with GD Photo Workshop.
Bhutan… Land of the Thunder Dragon
After a long Journey I have returned and only now found the time to update my Blog…it has been over 6 weeks since my last entry.
My Journey started in Sri Lanka then to Nepal and from there to Bhutan where I meet most of the participants for our GD Photo Workshop who flew in from Bangkok, Thailand.
View of the Himalayas with a perfect view of Mount Everest.
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Flying from Nepal to Bhutan was just breathtaking, we had a superb clear sky and the 45 minute Journey via Druk Air (Bhutan’s only Airlines) took us along the Himalayas with a perfect view of Mount Everest. Then came the approach to Paro Airport… wow that was exciting, flying through Valleys before touching down.
Sri Lanka was absolutely fantastic again with some spectacular landscapes and wildlife and Nepal wow…my trip coincided with some cool festivals there and on my way back from Bhutan via Kathmandu we picked up the full moon festival in little Tibet.
But these stories and Images have to wait until I am done with Bhutan…so lets start with the Land of the Thunder Dragon the amazing Kingdom of Bhutan.
On our second day we left Paro and set off for the famous Monastery the Tigers Nest perched high on the cliffs at approx. 3200 meters. We all decided to go by Horseback and my experience from the Outback of Australia came in very handy with the exception that the track took us along the cliffs ever so close to the edge… our return Journey for more than hours had to be made on foot since it is to risky for the Horses on the way down.
Last light on my walk down from the awesome Tigers Nest,
at 3200 meters Bhutan,
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A Monk on its way to the Tigers Nest, Bhutan, he is not sitting on a chair, but behind him is his backpack a heavy load to carry but easy for these spiritual Monks, about half way up.
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Bhutan is a destination like no other. Identified as one of the 10 bio-diversity hot spots in the world, this ancient kingdom first cautiously opened its doors to tourism in1974. Ever since, visitors have been mesmerized by Bhutan’s timeless Buddhist culture, soaring snowcapped peaks, and magnificent landscape dotted with numerous monasteries, temples and Dzongs (fortresses).
The Dzong (fortress) in Paro Bhutan
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Amazing architecture at the Dzong (fortress) in Paro Bhutan
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Nowl I like to thank all the participants who joined this GD Photo Workshop in Bhutan and thanks to Joerg who came along with me to Sri Lanka and Nepal.
It was another super cool group and many familiar faces amongst them, Luis M. Harder and JP Yulo from the Philippines, Joerg Schueler from Germany/Shanghai, Hubert Weber from Switzerland/Philippines and Massimo Casal from Italy/Jakarta.
Trongsa: Lama performing a blessing ceremony at the village of Wangdiphodrang
near Trongsa, Bhutan.
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A Monk at the Trongsa Dzong, fortress, Bhutan
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In due time I post again the Images behind the scenes and of course the participants work, you see all the fun we had, not only from the Tigers Nest but from very cold mornings “chilling out” at higher altitude.
My sincere gratitude and thanks to our Bhutanese Guide Sonam Dendup and Driver Tschering, who certainly were some of the very best I ever worked with.
Oh… not to forget… the Bhutanese people they were exceptional friendly and charming where ever we went…they are very beautiful people and so traditional.
This and so much more made our Journey very special and enjoyable…just awesome.
Thank you all!
Pretty young Bhutanese Girls in the traditional Village
of Sopsokha, Punakha District, Bhutan
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Image above: At the Talo Tshechu Festival, I only found out later, after showing my Guide Sonam Dendupthe photo that the old Gentleman on the right is the famous Bhutanese singer Ap Dhopay who is from Talo under Punakha district. He has been serving the 3rd King for many years and later joined the Royal Academy of Performing Arts (famously known as Royal Dancer) He sang many traditional songs and is keen in the preservation of the culture and tradition in Bhutan. He was awarded a Silver Jubilee Gold Medal in the year 1999 by the 4th King of Bhutan.
Monks and locals getting ready for the Talo Tshechu Festival with
Dramitse Nga Cham (sacred Mask dance of Drum and Stick) Bhutan
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Local and some foreign spectators at the Paro Festival, Bhutan.
Durda Chham, dance of the Lord of cremation and the dance
of wrathful deities.
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Talo Tshechu Festival with Dramitse Nga Cham
(sacred Mask dance of Drum and Stick) Bhutan
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Talo Tshechu Festival with Dramitse Nga Cham
(sacred Mask dance of Drum and Stick) Bhutan
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Colorful Bhutan… Talo Tshechu Festival with Dramitse Nga Cham
(sacred Mask dance of Drum and Stick) Bhutan
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Colorful Bhutan… Talo Tshechu Festival with Dramitse Nga Cham
(sacred Mask dance of Drum and Stick) Bhutan
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
In due time, once I have finished my editing I share more images with you on my Photo Shelter site updating my main website and on this Blog. For today I have selected only a few images, first impression from Bhutan the “Land of the Thunder Dragon.”
I might add Aperture 3 performed absolutely flawless, handling with ease almost 20,000 images during the duration of the entire trip.
I am going to alternate my Blog post’s, next in line is from Nepal and then Sri Lanka, please stay tuned for a lot more in the coming weeks.
In the Traditional Village of Sopsokha, Punakha District, Bhutan
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A heavy load for this old lady…Traditional Village of
Sopsokha, Punakha District, Bhutan
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Near the traditional Village of Sopsokha, Punakha District, Bhutan
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On the way from Trongsa to Thimphu, Bhutan. along the road paintings
of Buddha on Cliff face. (Chendepii) Paintings of Buddha & Guru
Rinpoche from the Buddhist movie "travelewrs & Magicians" produced
by Dzongsar Jamyang Khentse Rinpoche Nove. 2002
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Paro Festival, Bhutan. Durda Chham, dance of the Lord of cremation and the
dance of wrathful deities.
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Just one more…
Crossing the road in Thimphu, Bhutan
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FYI… our next GD Photo Workshop in ASIA starts on 29th of June in Myanmar, and I might add, this is a very special one with some exciting new locations.
Later in the Year we have also trips to Laos-Vietnam and Cambodia, scheduled for September 2012.
For more information please go to our GD Photo Workshop Calendar for 2012 and 2013.
BTW… for those who live in Manila, Philippines we have a special workshop at the Power Mac Center, Greenbelt 3 starting on Monday, “the Digital Darkroom” a three-day event in cooperation with the Ayala Filipinas Heritage Library.
GD
Exciting updates on GD Travel Adventure Photo Workshops, Culture & Nature expeditions through out Asia and beyond.
"My creative process begins when I get out with the camera and
Interact with the world. A camera is truly a license to explore.
There are no uninteresting things.
There are just uninterested people." - Jerry Uelsmann -
Discover the undiscovered… with Gunther Deichmann, Expedition Leader and international multi awarded Photographer. For his full Bio please click this LINK.
These Photo Workshops take you beyond the normal tours, designed for only small groups to give you the maximum attention throughout the Journey.
(Depends on our destinations max. number is between 8 and 12 person.)
Adventure and fun at the same time, stress is not on our agenda, everyday has its little surprises and rewards, from culture experiences, wildlife encounters and fantastic photo opportunities and the whole search is for the unknown, so you can really expect the unexpected.
Learning alongside Gunther, with his vast experiences in Asia and Australia who has traveled these parts of the world for international Magazines for over 30 years.
Gunther’s experience and knowledge brings you closer to your subjects and you learn how to see things in a very different way and light. It is Gunther’s Philosophy about Photography that exposes you to a very different kind of image… a quote by Oscar Wilde says it all; “To look at a thing is very different from seeing it."
GD Photo Workshops are unique in many ways…besides creating beautiful images and experience different cultures there is always an element of fun amongst the participants no matter what nationalities attending. Read some of the testimonials from previous workshop participants. Click here.
More from Behind the scene from our last workshop and the students work click the LINKS.
We take Photography very seriously but at the same time find the precious hours after the shoot to relax and talk about our daily adventures, sharing each other’s experiences and the images we created.
Gunther will also guide you through the process after the shoot, the Digital Darkroom, he has years of experience on a variety of Software including producing Multi Media Presentations.
He is on the Apple Aperture Advisory Board Asia and an Apple Certified Pro Aperture Trainer.
But most of all... "Lets look at the world through our eyes, not through photo-editing tools."
Please Note: Our workshops for Laos-Cambodia 2011 is now fully booked and we have only one more spot for Myanmar but if you're still interested you have to confirm your bookings by the 20th of August.
We have also announced our destinations and Calendar dates for 2012 and working very close now with one of the Top Travel Agencies in Asia (soon there will be a major announcement regarding this exciting new development)
Besides Sri Lanka and Central India in 2012 we travel also to Mongolia - Tibet and a very exciting adventure Journey through Vietnam -Laos and Cambodia by road.
Please note the dates for our Bhutan Trip might change slightly due to some festivals which we don't want to miss, we advise very shortly. There are only 3 more spots available for this amazing Journey into Bhutan. Booking for Bhutan closes by September 15th latest.
Vietnam Delta
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In 2013 Gunther will lead a very special trip to Australia his home Country which he knows only so well; the outback and the amazing wildlife of Kakadu National Park. A 14 day Journey to some places seldom seen by others. More details will be announced later @
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/gdphotoworkshop/page1/calendar.html
Rare Aboriginal Ceremony Central Australia
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Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia 2010
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“Journey means travel. The more you travel, the more you
broaden your horizon and experience different cultures.
And to me that translate into photography." - GD -
Travel Photography: Sri Lanka’s beautiful people, caves and Buddhism culture, the story behind the photos.
The Journey continuos in Sri Lanka...
Dambula Rock Caves, Sri Lanka
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This is the final part from my last journey to Sri Lanka and Central India; well Sri Lanka was actually the first part of my trip, don’t ask me why this became last, I honestly don’t know.
I have selected just a few photos for this short but rewarding Journey and if you like to see more please feel free to check out all the other photos from Sri Lanka on my PhotoShelter Archives and Galleries.
Paintings and statues inside the Dambula Rock Caves, Sri Lanka
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I left from Manila with my friend Hubert Weber via Bangkok and arrived just after midnight in Colombo, a long day indeed.
After an hour drive we got to our Hotel and managed to get a few hours sleep, but it was more like 2 hours since we had to hit the road to the Dambula Cave Temple in the morning…oh my gosh it was morning already.
Tiered but the adrenalin was doing a good job, it was after all my first visit to Sri Lanka, and right from the arrival I had a very good feel about it, the people seem to be very nice, actually super nice as we discovered during our entire trip.
On the way to the Dambula Caves there were lots of photo opportunities along the road, from Rubber plantations, handcrafted Batik, the famous Ceylon Tea,and so many other interesting subjects including a snake charmer with a huge Python and Cobra and of course Dambula which had been on my agenda for many years.
Dambulla is a part of the Cultural Triangle declared by UNESCO is on the main road from Sigiriya to Kandy about 19Km from Sigiriya. There are over 80 caves in the surrounding and some of them have been used by monks as meditation locations.
Buddha statues inside theDambula Rock Caves, Sri Lanka
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The Corridor outside the Dambula Rock Caves, Sri Lanka
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Major attractions are spread over 5 caves, which contain the statues and the paintings. Since it's founding in the 1 century BC by King Valagamba, many improvements and additions have been carried out to the sculptures and paintings over the years. Hindu statues are believed to be of the 12 century AD and the latest paintings are of the late 18-century. The temple is a perfect location to view evolution of the ancient Sri Lankan arts.
We reached Dambula mid afternoon…by now we felt the long hours without sleep, only to be told by our charming Guide that we had to climb (a lot of steps) to the Temple Cave.
I almost collapsed half way up…my energy was fading fast from lack of sleep and long hours on the road, puffing… I had no choice but to hire a friend of our Guide who just happen to be there to help me and carry my backpack …or was this planned?
Uhhh… we made it, just in time for the nice afternoon light which blessed us for the remaining few hours before sunset, and what a sunset it was…all the hard work paid off.
Sri Lanka another place I have to return too, not only for its amazing culture, but also for its Landscapes and rich Wildlife. As a matter of fact we’re having a GD Photo Workshop in 2012 to Sri Lanka and Central India - discovering the undiscovered, for example the not so frequently visited Rock Cave Temple Aluviharaya near Matale.
Aluvihara cave temple Sri Lanka
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Aluvihara cave temple is surrounded by hills, 30 km south of Kandy on the Matale-Dambulla road is having a great historic importance. The history of Aluvihara is traced back to the 3rd Century B.C. in the reign of King Devanampiyatissa.
Aluvihare is one of the most important cultural sites in Sri Lanka.It was believed to be, Buddhist doctrines were first recorded on Ola leaves after passing through orally, here in the 1st century BC, during the reign of King Vattagamini Abaya.This Dhamma record is known as 'Thripitakaya' and to day it is concern as main guiding Dhamma book of Theravada Buddhism.Aluvihare is significant for the huge rocks which leads to classified it as a rock temple.
People of Sri Lanka
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People of Sri Lanka
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People of Sri Lanka
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Of course Kandy was on our itinerary, the last royal capital of Sri Lanka that is now a major tourist destination. (115kM from Colombo at 465 meters above sea level). Famous for the Temple of the Tooth and many other temples, the city could be called the cultural capital of the island.
I short…Sri Lanka is an amazing place with its friendly people, rich culture, amazing landscapes and unique wildlife, truly inviting for many more visits.
Batik handycraft, Sri Lanka
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Meditation at the temple of the Tooth, Kandy Sri Lanka
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Worshiping and meditation at the temple of the Tooth, Kandy Sri Lanka
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Just one more...
Young boy with incense, Sri Lanka
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Oh did I forget to mention all the Elephants? But that is another story…my next post will be from Bangkok, Thailand, so please stay tuned.
GD
