traveling gypsy

portraits from Myanmar (part 5)

Andrei — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:50:59 +0000

Buddhist monks at a temple – probably one of the most photographed scenes. Add a bit of sunset and sprinkle with some shallow depth-of-field – and you get a very classic image. yet I still love this photo. In Lightroom I have about 5 virtual copies, with different crops and filters applied. The most important part – I really enjoy looking at this photo!

It was taken the second day in Bagan, Myanmar, while waiting for the sunset.

portraits from Myanmar (part 4)

Andrei — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:38:06 +0000

portrait from Myanmar (part 3)

Andrei — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:10:21 +0000

This photo I took at one of the temples in the Bagan area. This lady was taking a smoke break from selling at the temple entrance.

sunset at Bagan

Andrei — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:25:47 +0000

Bagan in Myanmar is every photographer’s dream. On an area no larger than 40sq km there are thousands of temples. I think it is impossible to visit all of them – so there is still room for someone to find his ‘own’ favorite temple. Renting a bicycle and moving from place to place is the best way to experience this amazing place.

The magic moment is at sunset – when from one of the taller temples you can see the surrounding area – a huge plain dotted with countless temples.

portrait from Myanmar (part 2)

Andrei — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:24:15 +0000

I took countless photos of people from Myanmar – from children, field workers, monks, people on the streets of Yangon – everywhere you point the camera there is an interesting face. The only other place where I could literally not stop from taking photos of people was India. Myanmar is just as fascinating.

portraits in Myanmar

Andrei — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:41:43 +0000

This is the beginning of a short series of photos I took in Myanmar, especially portraits of people.

Kuala Lumpur bird park

Andrei — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:08:44 +0000

I am not the greatest bird fan – but how could I say no to visiting the largest open aviary in the world? All thoughts of birds crapping on me, the standard afternoon rain did not even count. So – in Kuala Lumpur I had to visit this park. And of course take lots of pictures.

This happened almost one week ago – I am already that late in posting photos and stories.

I do have a post in work regarding the joys f an open-water diving course – but that is in the future.

Now – enjoy these bird pictures.

Kuala Lumpur – first impressions

Andrei — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 05:55:45 +0000

After 3 days spent in Kuala Lumpur, a daytrip to Melakka, countless bubble teas and lots of pictures taken it is time to move on.

Tonight I have a train ticket to Tanah Merah – and then a ferry from Kuala Besut to the Perhentian Islands. Right now I am in an Internet Cafe, trying to get a bit up to date with the blog writing. Fortunately I have uploaded a few photos to Picasa, but still a lot are only on my netbook.

Kuala Lumpur is far more pleasant to walk and do some sightseeing than Bangkok. That is the first thing I noticed.The second – the combination of skyscrapers (Petronas towers are just some of them), large parks and small green patches, different street food and a better hostel made me really enjoy Kuala Lumpur. Some of the better photos – or at least more interesting – unfortunately will come later.

For now – these are some pictures I took in the first evening here.

Jim Thompson museum in Bangkok

Andrei — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:43:43 +0000

One of the things to see in Bangkok, and a very pleasant introduction to Thai art, is a visit to Jim Thompson museum. The ex-OSS (what is today known as CIA) turned entrepreneur and who revived the Thai silk manufacturing was also a passionate art collector. And what better setting for sculptures, glassware and traditional furniture than a group of traditional Thai houses in the middle of Bangkok? Even if a visiting a museum is not high on the to-do list in Bangkok – this one is a very refreshing and pleasant experience.

getting the Myanmar visa

Andrei — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:34:47 +0000

Burma – a place with a name that conjures magic images. From Schwedagon Paya to Bagan, Mandalay and Rangoon, Myanmar has a lot to offer. As Rudyard Kipling said – “this is Burma – and it will be quite unlike any land you know about”. So – expectations are high, camera ready – and visa in the passport. And this post is all about getting the elusive Myanmar visa.

Why elusive? Because there are no embassies in a lot of countries – for Romanians a trip to Belgrade is necessary. Or getting it i Bangkok (like I did). Putting the wrong profession in the application form can lead to denial. And as the word of mouth at the hostel goes – having a too darlk or too light photo can also cause problems.

Doing a Google search also show a labyrinth of information – a lot of website devoted to electronic visas (if there is such thing), offering visa services, and only 2 or 3 blog posts that state how to get the actual visa.

My luck started when I discovered that the hostel is in walking (Asian, but still) distance from the embassy. So – one trip on Monday with: passport, 2 photos (3.5×4.5cm), and the first hotel address from Lonely Planet. i think that hotel gets a lot of virtual tourists. At the embassy I had to pay 5 baht for a passport copy,and 820 baht for the actual visa. For 200 baht more you can pick the visa next day, and some people payed 1300 baht for same day service. Same day service is available only if you queue at 9am. People who came at 1pm could only ask for a second day service.

The visa pick-up service is from 3:30pm (not 1pm as it is on the embassy placque – however on the paper slip it is clearly written 3:30pm). Pick-up took no more than 20 minutes, the double queue to get the visa form and the order number took 40 minutes. Pretty quick and efficient.

So – in short – it was an easy and painless experience, and no need to use weird tout services. There is also a photo center nearby in case of lost / forgotten photos, and some good food options nearby if you want to hangout and wait to pick the passport same day.

I hope this might prove useful for people who intent to get this visa and are scared by the online information floating around.

Cannot wait to actually visit the country!