In the shadow of the mountains: oNe PhOtO a DaY fOr JuLy

THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH

1. HAPPINESS IS……..: A new shirt and new haircut and a couple of cold beers on a hot day when you are on the road.

2. SHOES: the sum total of the shoes with which we are travelling- obsession with colour coordination and imbalance of mine versus his noted! Since this was taken we have scaled down even further

3. COLD: the spray from passing boats on the Inle Lake today was cold despite the hot weather.

4. RED, WHITE OR BLUE: I choose RED - Red Mountain Estate red wine. I wouldn’t have expected to find a winery in Myanmar but we did out cycling today!

5. LOVE: I love that this NGO working in for children in China and Myanmar has a heart in their logo – when people follow their hearts love is the outcome.

6. FAVE SMELL: Frangipani is one of the many flower scents I love. It reminds me of the beach and the old fashioned sun tanning lotions of my childhood. This one was taken in the courtyard of the restaurant in Bagan where we ate last night and is often smelt in the temples and gardens of Asia.

7. WHERE YOU ARE: At the Thatbyinnyu Temple built in 1144AD and still regally standing in the Bagan (old town) Myanmar

8. PATH: the path around the inner chamber of Ananda Temple Bagan- for many devout believers perhaps it is also part of the path to enlightenment

9. 3 THINGS: 3 things we have purchased since arriving in Myanmar

10. SMOOTH: The smooth, flat surface of the Irrawaddy (or Ayeyarwaddy, as they write here) River from Mandalay Hill at sunset

11. I WORE THIS: I wore this as a drama teacher in the early 80s and I knitted it myself copying the cover of a textbook of the day onto a grid. I love it that it was recently sent to me by a student who I taught 30 years ago and she found me on Facebook. Photo credit goes to her. Only sorry it is such a small resolution.

12. A BAD HABIT: Just about the worst one I have noticed in Myanmar is chewing betel nut. This is our driver today. Look at those teeth!

13. 4 O’CLOCK: Eating the second and final meal of the day. Is it Dunch or Linner? We are often eating at this time when we are travelling though we rarely eat brunch.

14. EDIBLE: These deep-fried battered chilli crabs were on a stall on the other side, after we walked across the longest teak bridge in the world today. (U Bien Bridge in Amarapura) It is 1.2 kms and 200 years old. I don’t think they are edible myself being vegetarian but the locals sure seemed to think so.

15. OUTSIDE THE WINDOW: looking down from our hotel balcony. (windows are too dirty to shoot through) The view onto the corner of 82^nd and 27^th Street transformed into a restaurant

16. BOTTLE: Here in Myanmar plastic PET bottles are recycled as funnels and to store petrol for quick, roadside refueling for the many motorcycles that ply the streets. Do not be mistaken this is not water.

17. INSIPRATIONAL: this Abbot running a village school that has grown from 35 to over 400 children, teaching the 40 odd kindergarten students himself and cultivating flower and vegetable just to provide salaries for the teaching staff teachers

18. NUMBER: now that we are back in Thailand I have a growing interest in these numbers as we will make trains our main means of transport for the next few weeks

19. BUILDING: This miniature building is what the Thais call a spirit house almost every home, business or public building has one. This is the one at the hotel where we are currently (and often) staying in Bangkok. It features Ganesh the elephant headed Hindu god

20. HOT: I don’t know exactly what this is but is sure looks hot and it was bubbling away on a roadside stall today

21. FAVE FOOD: for as long as I can remember mushrooms have been my favourite food- any variety fresh, dried or cooked!

22. GREY: The entrance and gate to the walled, old city in Chiangmai in the late afternoon monsoon rain.

23. I DREW THIS: More correctly I have drawn this on hundreds of thousands of pieces of students’ work since I first started teaching over 30 years ago. It is a caricature of me and the hair cut I once had, smiling back at them for their good work, good effort or just for getting it done.

24. D IS FOR: delicious! This is from the veggo lunch buffet at the original Khun Churn in Chiangmai and it exemplifies the Japanese rules of a well balanced diet in a single meal- 5 different colours for a perfect balance of minerals and vitamins and 5 different cooking styles for good health- everyday.

25. GROUND: the various ground spices required to make different styles of Thai curry available for sale at the spectacular Warorot Market Chiang Mai

26. THE EVERYDAY: here in Thailand both Buddhas and lotus flowers are everyday and I never tire of either.

27. BLACK + WHITE: one of the ancient gates to Wat Suan Dok Chiang Mai

28. THIS IS NEW: a fruit I have never seen or tasted on a street stall in Chiang Mai

29. PERSPECTIVE: The entrance to Tamarind Village, where I could never afford to stay but the space was being used for a wonderful photographic exhibition called “Hidden Realms Sacred Spaces” which put a new perspective on many places I have visited in Asia.