Field Crew

Here's the crew that did the inventory work at Shinlonga last month (see Shinlonga). A fantastic team and a delightful group of people.  Was great fun working with them. [NOTE: Image was taken after the first day's transect when we were still fresh.]  

Leech Prevention

Kachin villagers in northern Myanmar use black tobacco and plastic string to keep the leeches away when working in the forest during the rainy season. No idea how effective this is.  [NOTE: I had decidedly mixed results with the imported leech socks that I bought in Tanai.]  

Reclining Buddha

Another exquisite statue from Myanmar. This one, a 50 - 60 foot long reclining Buddha of the "Paung Laung" style, is in Myitkyina, Kachin State.  I was with my friend, Dr. Brian Horne from the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research, and I was supposed to be looking for turtles in temple ponds.  We did find a lot of turtles - but I took a picture of this. [NOTE: It was great fun traveling with Brian. He knew the name (the Latin name) and conservation status of every animal we saw...]. 

Morning Mist

 

An early morning walk in the village of Shinlonga (see Shinlonga) produced this image.  Lot of plant products visible here.  The fencing and the walls and the floor are made out of bamboo; the roof is palm thatch.  

Takhet

Takhet is a Naga village inside the Hukaung Tiger Reserve of Myanmar.  I spent a couple of days here in late May doing some community forestry work, and had a very nice lunch in this house. Couple of points. First, note the firebox sitting on top of the bamboo floor. Second, the Naga family that lives here was out working in their rice field the day we dropped by to make lunch. The village head said, "No problem, make yourself at home". We did.  [NOTE: We met the family later that evening and they were very gracious.  No problem, indeed. And yes, the firebox eventually will burn through the floor.]   

Peaceful Countenance

Close-up of one of the hundreds of statues of Buddha at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar (see Sunday at Shwedagon).  The painted lines are so simple and the face so beautifully rendered.  Exquisite Buddhist iconography.  I spent a long time gazing at this.    

Images of Xijiang

Xijiang is a large Miao village located southeast of the city of Kaili in Guizhou, China. Beautiful wooden houses, exquisite silverwork and embroidery, gorgeous setting - and many Chinese tourists. The image shows the traditional Miao dress with silver jewelry and headpiece, and asks the question "which of these women is Miao"?  The photographer or the subject?  [NOTE: They both are.  After being photographed so many times by others, they were giggly happy to photograph each other. And to have me catch them doing it...]  

Kite Seller

My last evening in Beijing, I went to the Olympic Green to see the National Stadium and the Aquatics Center. Both buildings were unforgettable, and my interaction with this lively kite seller made the evening complete. [Note: Thanks to Luzhiyao and Yuan Yuan Zhang for being enthusiastic guides]. 

For Gruber

Daring Fireball does resource inventories in northern Myanmar.  In spite of the leeches, the rattan spines, and the pouring rain, the t-shirt performed beautifully throughout the whole transect. [NOTE: Rob Tizard had the foresight to take this picture (thx, Rob)].

That Truck

This World War II vintage truck hauling 55 gallon drums of gasoline up and down the Ledo Road caught my eye. Clearly a "no-frills" work truck.  The upholstery and dashboard are especially noteworthy. The owners told me that the vehicle had been in continual service for over 50 years. [NOTE: The truck was waiting for the ferry - as was I - when I filmed this (see Crossing the Taron)].