Tom's News Photos &c.

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Lisa Kristine, Thailand, Undated.

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Shwezigon Pagoda near Bagan, Myanmar

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friends

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young monks asking for donations

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Shwedagon Pagoda from our room and from the hotel dining room in Yangon, Myanmar. Then a few shots around that reservoir on the way to the Pagoda. Finally a picture with our friend Riff. Riff used to live in Portland, now he lives in Yangon.

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Shwedagon Pagoda; ကျာ် လ္ဂုၚ်, Yangon, Myanmar. 368 feet tall with a 76 carat diamond on top.

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A few city views of Yangon, Myanmar

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International Buddhist Education Center and other temples on Sagaing Hills, near Mandalay, Myanmar

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U Bein Bridge near Mandalay, Myanmar. The 1.2-kilometer bridge was built around 1850 and is the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world, according to Wikipedia.

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Shwezigon Paya (ရွှေစည်းခုံဘုရား) in Bagan, Myanmar. That’s the shiny one. The other photos are from other temples nearby.

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We rented bicycles and rode around from temple to temple. All that bike riding gets you thirsty. (My hat says Thailand, but this was in neighboring Myanmar.)

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Popa Taung Kalat Temple atop Mount Popa, outside of Bagan.

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Around Bagan. The ox-cart was genuine. That’s how that guy moved goods to the market. The mill is a bit contrived, a show for tourists, but still functional (separating peanut oil from the solids). The bottom truck is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The front half is a tractor, the back half a pickup, and noisy.

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Bodhi Tatung in Monywa, the world’s tallest standing Buddha image at 424 feet, 32 stories. Inside it looks more like the skyscraper that it really is. We were only able to climb 24 stories, however. They’re still working on the inside.

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Thanboddhe Paya in Monywa. This was described in Lonely Planet as a kitch-fest, a Buddha hall of mirrors, with 5,823,631 Buddha images.

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Some of the shinier temples in Pakkoku, between Bagan and Monywa.

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Some of the temples around Bagan, Myanmar.