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 82nd and 27th
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.
30.
FRIENDSHIP: young Thai primary school girls playing
31.
WORKSPACE: this was my workspace for 2 years – I miss it (archive photo - I am
currently not working)
