Here’s a little post showing off a few of the incredible little creatures I’d spotted in the foliage of Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Continue reading Feature on South-East-Asian CrittersCategory Archives: Features
Cultural or interesting posts nonspecific to a day or adventure.
Feature on the Street Art of Penang
If you’re looking for a story – you won’t find it here 😉 You’ll find it here!
Georgetown has some of the most incredible and inspiring street art on the planet. You can spend months trying to find them all, extract their meaning and appreciate their colours under different lights and weather.
With the few days I was there, I was lucky to catch quite a few of them. Here are the ones I found! If you can’t feel the magnitude and colours of these pieces, you’ll just have to go visit.
Continue reading Feature on the Street Art of Penang
Feature on the Shutters of Georgetown
Wandering into studiohoward, a chic photographic boutique in Georgetown, I was fortunate enough to bump into the resident photographer and owner, known simply as “Howard”. Talking to him about his photography, he told us that it’s “not about the camera you use, or the places you go. It’s about creativity, and expression. There is no such thing as the right lens, or even the right photograph.” Deep! I was certainly inspired.
Continue reading Feature on the Shutters of Georgetown
Feature on the Temples of Bagan
I have a separate post on my days in Bagan.
Here, I’d really like to share some photos of the temples in Bagan. There isn’t a lot of information available on their names and history, though with enough time I’m sure it could be pieced together with more diligent documentation! But really, that’s not what I was there for. I suggest you just enjoy the views; as that’s all I did 🙂
I also took a few shots inside a couple of temples. There usually isn’t a lot to see inside, but a few of the statues are quite impressive:
Finally, here are some sunrises and sunsets, which are incredible at Bagan. I was fortunate enough to have found a good few climbing pagodas to collect these over a couple of days!
Feature on Burmese Buddhism
Burmese Buddhism
Buddhism runs deep in the culture here in Myanmar, and as I’m experiencing and learning a lot about it, I thought I’d share with you some of the beliefs, rituals and stories I come across. I hope to update this as I learn more!
The 8 days of Burmese Buddhism
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Morning (12.00am to 11.59am), Wednesday evening (12.00pm to 11.59pm), Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 8 days total.
Each day has an associated planet, which contributes to the personality through the alignment of the stars on the day you were born.
The days also have an animal, whose characteristics are gifted to you at birth.
At every Burmese pagoda or temple, you will find a shrine with a Buddha and animal statue dedicated to each of these days.
Why 8? I don’t know. But 8 is definitely a much easier number of walls to have on a Pagoda than 7.
Finding your day
The day which represents you is the day on which you were born. I was born on 18th Feb 1989, which was a Saturday, so Saturday is my day.
Table of days
| Day | Animal | Planet | Description | Picture |
| Monday | Tiger | The Moon | Monday-born are said to be brave and intelligent people. They are cool and elegant like the moon. |  |
| Tuesday | Lion | Mars | Tuesday-born are the most faithful friends, husbands and wives. They make excellent soldiers and are very loyal. |  |
| Wednesday (morning) | Tusked elephant | Mercury | Those born on Wednesday morning are strong, with good memories and stable, mild tempers. |  |
| Wednesday (afternoon) | Tuskless elephant | “Rahu” – ascending lunar node | Wednesday afternoon people have extreme character and strength. They are passionate and wild. |  |
| Thursday | Mouse | Jupiter | Those born on a Thursday are said to be quick, intelligent and secretive. |  |
| Friday | Guinea Pig | Venus | Friday people have big hearts and love people. They are helpful, and often talkative, like Uncle Khaing! |  |
| Saturday | Dragon (legendary) | Saturn | People of Saturday have strong willpower and discipline. |  |
| Sunday | Galon Bird (legendary) | The Sun | Sunday people are powerful, with great power over others. |  |
Pouring water
Uncle Khaing believed that there is much more to the Buddha-washing ritual than I learned yesterday. First, you must pour as many cups as your age (in Burma this is counted as the year you are in, not the years you have completed) plus one, over the Buddha, from back to front. This represents the will and wish to live to an older age. Next, you must pour five cups of water over the animal to represent various important aspects of your life. Finally, you speak to the statue and explain your ritual: You pray to live longer by pouring one cup more than your age. You You wish for the cleanliness, freshness and purity of the water you pour to be imparted into your life through the power of the Buddha.
Here is a photo of me performing this ritual on my Saturday Corner at the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon:
Chanting
Chanting is a big part of Burmese Buddhism. From a young age, children are taught chants to help them focus their prayers and thoughts. Here you can see a chanting lesson at the Schwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, where the children are reciting from books under supervision:
Chants are also recited whilst circling the Pagoda. The circle always proceeds clockwise, matching the shrine day progression from Sunday to Monday:
I hope you found this as interesting as I did! If you have further insights or questions please comment below 🙂