Buddhist Gift Shop

One of the many stalls that vendors have set up along the entrance to the Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay (see Maha Myat Muni Buddha). Nats, and Buddhas, and monks, oh my! 

Coke in Myanmar II

Shown above is a can of Sprite produced by the new Coca-Cola plant in Yangon (see Coke in Myanmar). "Proudly Produced in Myanmar" was expected. "Manufactured for you with Love and Passion" was not. How about "Manufactured for you with utmost hygiene" or "Manufactured for you with respect for human rights and equitable working conditions"? I'm just saying...

Another Transect

So here we are running another transect. This time at N25.32859° and E95.36510°, about an hour's walk from our basecamp south of the village of NamSaBi in Sagaing Region. To put this in context:

the Google Earth screenshot above shows the location of the transect. The border of the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary is off to the right, close to the edge of the image; our basecamp was located near the ricefields at the top left. I am pretty sure we were the first people to count and measure trees here. 

More Monks at the Museum

More shots from my visit to the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh (see Monks at the Museum and The Monk and The Schoolgirl). Nice framing by the Traveller's Palm on the right, which is actually not really a palm, but a member of the bird of paradise family (Strelitziaceae) from Madagascar. The penetrating gaze of the monk in front is also nice. [NOTE: Ravenana madagascarensis, i.e. the Traveller's Palm, is said to be pollinated by ruffed lemurs. Which is, additionally, quite nice].

Shwe-Kyaung-Pyi Nat

Lovely Nat carved into one of the doors at Shwe-Kyaung-Pyi pagoda (see Shwe-Kyaung-Pyi) in Mandalay. Love the wings. Looks like he's scolding us about something. 

[NOTE: For those who might be interested, I have recently uploaded a PDF of the rattan book, Systematics, Ecology, and Management of Rattans in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam: The Biological Bases of Sustainable Use, to the Bibliography page. The file is about 25 MB].

Bamboo Graffiti

I see a lot of graffiti in New York, but I've never seen it on bamboo. Or written with a White-Out pen. Image is from the bamboo grove in the National Kandawgyi Botanical Garden in Pyin U Lwin. [NOTE: I saw White-Out pen graffiti on street signs, and light poles, and bathrooms all over Myanmar].    

Sunset Over The Ayeyarwaddy

Watching the sun go down over the Ayeyarwaddy River from the Mandalay Hills (thx, Saw Htun).

Birthday Questions

What do I want
What am I really after
Sometimes a tree answers.

-Philip Whalen
Obsolete Models
The Collected Poems of Philip Whalen 

The word "Questions" in the title of this post can be either a noun or a verb. 

[NOTE: Image shows infructescences of Baccaurea sp. growing in the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, Sagaing Region, Myanmar (see Pressing Plants at the Basecamp)]. 

The Piano Tuner

Have just finished reading Daniel Mason's debut novel, The Piano Tuner. The premise: "In 1886 a shy, middle-aged piano tuner named Edgar Drake receives an unusual commission from the British War Office: to travel to the remote jungles of northeast Burma and there repair a rare piano belonging to an eccentric army surgeon who has proven mysteriously indispensable to the imperial design". Beautiful writing, captivating descriptions of forest landscapes and rural life in colonial Shan State. Highly recommended, especially for readers who have just returned from three weeks of fieldwork in Northern Myanmar. [NOTE: Daniel Mason was 26 years old, and a student in med school, when he wrote The Piano Tuner].  

Cornerstone

Cornerstone of the Administration building at Mandalay University. "This stone was laid by the honourable Sir Reginald Henry Craddock, K.C.S.I., Lieut-Governor of Burma on the 29th day of August 1921". [NOTE: Had a lovely meeting with the Rector, Dr. Maung Thynn, in this building. Really nice man - with a background in botany].