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2. May 2013 08:09
by Rene Pallesen
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Vanuatu - Waterfalls

2. May 2013 08:09 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu waterfalls


There are a number of waterfalls on the main island Efete in Vanuatu.

Some of these are very accessible as they are right next to the road such as this one.



Others are a bit more of a hike, but definitely worth it...such as these ones at Mele.

Unfortunately the access to the falls is not being very well managed. They have cut steps into the limestone and scrubbing the surface to avoid people slipping when walking. Unfortunately this also erodes and changes the waterfalls and I think they should put a walking track adjacent to the falls instead.








2. May 2013 08:08
by Rene Pallesen
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Vanuatu - Out and about

2. May 2013 08:08 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu out and about


One day we hired a driver to take us around the island.

One of the places we stopped was the Blue Lagoon which is a small semi freshwater lagoon with large lime stone deposits making the water very blue to look at.



We also stopped at Turtle Bay which is supposed to be a turtle sanctuary...but for what it is (tiny) and the knowledge of your guide (none) very over prised.

But they did have some live coconut crabs.



Some baby turtles



And a couple of large turtles in a very small and dirty enclosure.

2. May 2013 07:33
by Rene Pallesen
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Vanuatu - Around the hotel

2. May 2013 07:33 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu around the hotel


The hotel we stayed at was in a great location at the back of the lagoon with a little private beach.





...and a Tam Tam out the front.




It was great using some of the watersport equipment such as kayaks and catemarans







And it had a golf course which we didn't get a chance to use.



Mostly we would just relax or swim when around the hotel.





2. May 2013 07:16
by Rene Pallesen
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Vanuatu food

2. May 2013 07:16 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu food


You would think that a country with access to some of the best seafood and freshest produce would have fantastic food.

Although the food was Ok, we didn't find it fantastic and generally very over prised.



There was plenty of restaurant in and around Port Vila and some of them serving specialties such as coconut crabs and flying foxes.

We tried the coconut crab...but it was overcooked and dry and had surprising little meat on it (no meat in the body itself).




So we stuck to more traditional seafood which most often was battered and deep fried.



And as usual Aiden got into the free kids menu desserts



2. May 2013 05:26
by Rene Pallesen
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Lake Macquarie 2013

2. May 2013 05:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lake macquarie 2013


This weekend we went up to Lake Macquarie with the family to stay for a couple of night at a resort. I didn't take a lot of photos because we either didn't do much or were too busy with the family.

I did however take this one photo one evening at Katherine Hill Bay.


1. May 2013 12:38
by Rene Pallesen
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Vanuatu - Star fish

1. May 2013 12:38 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

vanuatu star fish


The beach at the hotel was full of really big and colourful star fish....couldn't help but take a few snapshots.





26. April 2013 10:46
by Rene Pallesen
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Lucas 7 Months

26. April 2013 10:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

lucas 7 months


Lucas is now 7 Months and for this month we decided to take his Monthly photos while he was on his first overseas trip to Vanuatu.

This series of photos was taken at Eton Beach on the east side of the island of Efate in Vanuatu...he loved the water and had a hard time to understand that it is unpleasant to eat the sand and drink the salt water.

He is now almost able to crawl...he just needs to figure out that it is not enough to just move the legs...you also have to move your hands.



3. April 2013 07:20
by Rene Pallesen
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Another old Lucas 4 months photo

3. April 2013 07:20 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

another old lucas 4 months photo


I know it was a couple of months ago, but I only now got around to processing it.

Here is another photo that I took of Lucas when he was 4 Months.

27. March 2013 11:15
by Rene Pallesen
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Axolotls

27. March 2013 11:15 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

axolotls


The other night we went for dinner at Marks place. He asked us if we could help him take some photos of the kids Axolotls...our response was 'Their WHAT??'.

Anyway, it turns out to be some sort of Mexican Salamander and he'd attempted to get some photos using his point and shoot camera, but wanted something better that he could print and hang on the kids wall.

Here are some of my efforts:



27. March 2013 11:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Sucking feet

27. March 2013 11:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

sucking feet


When Lucas doesn't have any toys to play with then his favourit pass time is to suck his feet. Here is a quick snapshot from the other day when he was at it again.




He's now got two teeth, so hopefully he wont chomp off his toes.
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27. February 2007 12:53
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from 2004

27. February 2007 12:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from 2004


I have now added photos from 2004. The highlights from this year was a trip to the United States and Canada as well as a family trip to Egypt. This was also the year that Australia entered the war in Iraq, so there are a couple of photos from the anti war demonstrations.

Click here to read about 2004Click here to read about 2004

27. February 2007 10:25
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from Portugal 2006

27. February 2007 10:25 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from portugal


In Mid 2006 I was in Portugal for our International Partner Conference with the company.

It was a week of being busy setting up for the conference, socialising but also a lot of fun and partying.

The bridge across the river in Lisbon
Click here to see more photos from:Portugal/Slideshow

27. February 2007 08:14
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from The Blue Mountains 2006

27. February 2007 08:14 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from the blue mountains 2007


I quite regularly head up to the Blue Mountains to go Rock Climbing.

We normally camp overnight and then depending on the weather and temperature decide on the day what walls we are going climbing on. The photos in the gallery are a selection of some of the photos I've taken in 2006, but there will be more to come in 2007.

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of photos of me climbing as I tend to forget to pass my camera to someone else.

Most of the time I go with my friend Sarah, but she has now moved to Canberra so she doesn't come up there as often as she used to.

Climbing
Click here to see more photos from: Climbing in the Blue Mountains/Slideshow

27. February 2007 07:47
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from Tokyo

27. February 2007 07:47 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from tokyo


In September 2006 I went on a business trip to Tokyo along with a colleague of mine Tsukada-san.

Most of the trip was hard work and very long days, but I did manage to snap a couple of photos here and there.

We did get the deal in Tokyo, so the trip was worthwhile, and we are now installing our solution across all of Asia.

Girls in Kimono
Click here to see more photos from: Tokyo/Slideshow

27. February 2007 02:36
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from Denmark 2006

27. February 2007 02:36 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from denmark 2006


In early 2006 my Mum had a stroke while my parents were on holiday in Thailand.

A few months later in April when I was in Europe for work I used the opportunity to go and visit and check up on how my mum is doing.

She is now in a wheelchair and still getting used to finding new ways of doing things.

I didn't do much while I was there, because it was mainly a social visit to help my mum and dad.

My mum
Click here to see more photos from: Denmark/Slideshow

27. February 2007 02:17
by Rene Pallesen
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Added a photo album for various photos 2006

27. February 2007 02:17 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added a photo album for various photos 2006


I have a number of photos that don't really justify being in individual albums. I have now added all these photos from 2006 into one album.

Who's the clown? Click here to see more photos from: Miscellaneous/Slideshow

27. February 2007 01:41
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from USA 2006

27. February 2007 01:41 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from usa


In early 2006 I went a trip to Seattle for our annual kick-off event.

Some of us flew over there a few days early to go skiing in Wanatchee east of Seattle. If was a weekend of perfect skiing. It was my first time skiing so I took some lessons after which I was doing fine (blue slopes).

During the week we had lots of meetings and dinners. There were award nights as well as just social nights where we could meet up with the rest of the company.

The following all of us in International went down to Crystal Mountain at Mount Raineer to do some more skiing. It was a lot of fun and we all had a great time.

Me with Mount Raineer in the background
Click here to see more photos from: USA/Slideshow

27. February 2007 01:30
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from skiing in Thredbo 2006

27. February 2007 01:30 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from skiing in thredbo 2006


Mid 2006 I went with Soeren and his family (visiting from Thailand) to Thredbo to do some skiing. We drove down there Friday night and returned Sunday night. Thredbo is located in the Australian Alps 5 hours drive south of Sydney.

Generally the skiing conditions are pretty good, but last year was pretty bad, but we did get some skiing done. Soeren on skiis
Click here to see more photos from:Skiing in Australia 2006/Slideshow

27. February 2007 01:05
by Rene Pallesen
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Added photos from Holland 2006

27. February 2007 01:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

added photos from holland 2006


In 2006 I went to Holland a couple of time for work. We have an office in Vianen 50 milometers outside Amsterdam.

I normally don't take a lot of photos when I go there, but if you click on the link below then you can see some of the ones I did take.

Amsterdam
Click here to see more photos from:Holland/Slideshow

4. January 2007 12:27
by Rene Pallesen
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2008 has started

4. January 2007 12:27 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

2008 has started


The year 2007 as you can see was a busy year with lots of traveling and adventures.

It is now time to move onto 2008 and see what this year can bring.

You can follow my adventures in 2008 by clicking on this link.

Can I at the same time suggest that you bookmark this page and I can highly recommend using the new RSS feed features on this website.
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21. August 2012 12:03
by Rene Pallesen
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The Entrance 2012

21. August 2012 12:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

the entrance 2012
This weekend we went with the family up to the Entrance 150km North of Sydney.

We stayed at a small resort in the middle of The Entrance close to the water and restaurants.

When we arrived on the Friday night it was really windy and cold...I had left behind my jacket in Sydney rushing out the door but fortunately I had enough jumpers to still stay warm.

We were staying close to the bridge across the Entrance and underneath the bridge there were some nice lines that I quickly rushed out to capture before sunset.


Next day we spend around the local area looking at the market, playground etc.

In the afternoon there was pelican feeding which definitely was worth seeing.

One of the birds had a fish hook stuck in its neck and the feeders quickly caught it to try and pull it out.

They also have this insanely long jetty going into the lake. I wanted to do a sunset photo but the conditions weren't great...no spectacular clouds and the water was full of seaweed that had been blown in with the wind.

21. August 2012 10:14
by Rene Pallesen
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Norah Head Lighthouse and Milky Way 2012

21. August 2012 10:14 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

norah head lighthouse and milky way 2012


During the day at the Entrance we made a quick trip up to Norah Head light house to scope it out.

Later that evening I headed up there in the dark to take some star photos.

The conditions were perfect with the Milky way clearly visible and I good some great shots. Here is one pretty much straight out of the camera that requires just a little more processing.





As I walked from the gate to the lighthouse (about 700 metres in pitch darkness) with my torch all hell broke loose suddenly when I rounded a corner.

I heard people scrambling in all directions through the bushes falling over branches. I used my torch to have a look and saw these 6-7 kids running away...obviously they were sitting there smoking weed and got a freight.

Later in the evening they walked past me as I was taking photos and one of them said 'Man, you gave us a freight...we thought you were a cop'!

15. August 2012 03:13
by Rene Pallesen
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Cherry Blossom Season

15. August 2012 03:13 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

cherry blossom season


The Cherry Blossom season is about to start here in Sydney (does that mean spring is here) and the first flowers are out. Yesterday I brought my camera along when picking up Aiden from daycare and managed to take a couple of photo along the way.



I may try and take some more photos over the next week or so. Kim mentioned that she would like to hang one of the photos on the wall.

We are in the process of doing some large prints...I have already ordered the first one which is a glass print which should arrive next month.





8. August 2012 10:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Love the new camera

8. August 2012 10:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

love the new camera


I love the new camera...it performed abosolutely amazing on the weekend when I did a photoshoot with the family. The 36 Megapixels mean that every detail such as pores in the skin, hairs etc. is visible and sharp.

This photo below shows one of the photos of Chong and Emma zoomed in at 100 percent..the small photo on the left shows the original photo.





8. August 2012 08:37
by Rene Pallesen
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Emma

8. August 2012 08:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

emma


A couple of months ago Chong and KC had a new addition to their family.

Last week they asked me if I'd take some photos for them. It was a good chance for me to have a play with the new camera as well as some light setups.






Emma was very good and only had one 'accident'.



It was also a good practice session for when our next addition arrives in a couple of months.











I love the new camera, the details are absolutely amazing in the studio and the autofocus is accurate now after I had it fixed by Nikon.

31. July 2012 10:06
by Rene Pallesen
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Satellite Tracking Facility

31. July 2012 10:06 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

satellite tracking facility at belrose


Yesterday I went to a work conference where at the end of the day they offered us to do some site visits.

I was fortunate enough to visit the satellite tracking facility in the Northern part of Sydney. The company I work for owns a number of satellites (at a cost of around $400 million each) and they will be launching their 10th satellite later this year...the 'O10'.


This photo is from the control room where they look after all the locations, transponders and media broadcasts from the satellites.




It was interesting to be able to see the raw/unedited broadcasts from areas such as the London Olympics, the conflict in Syria etc.


The actual electronics was equally impressive.






I even found the box that currently is receiving all the media broadcasts from the 2012 London Olympics.






This is the Satelite Dish controller...On the display you can see the current position of the dish (and from that you could probably calculate the location of the actual satellite).




Outside was the array of dishes.






Most of the satellites are being launched from French Guyana by the European space agency.




30. July 2012 07:34
by Rene Pallesen
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Big Birthday

30. July 2012 07:34 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

big birthday


A couple of days ago it was my birthday...I wish it was my 27th...but it wasn't!

Kim took me out for dinner on the day itself to a nice place at Circular Quay...very nice, but absolutely freezing and windy in there.





Day after we went out for dinner with the family to a Japanese restaurant and they ordered a shameful amount of food!

After the dinner we went back to our place for cake.



15. July 2012 12:26
by Rene Pallesen
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Thomas Trains and Warragamba Dam

15. July 2012 12:26 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

thomas trains and warragamba dam


Aiden is a big fan of the Thomas Trains, so a few weeks ago when Kim saw some vouchers for the Train Shed she bought some tickets.

This morning we went out there with the whole family to go riding on the trains. Aiden was very excited...to the point where he didn't want to get off the train.



The kids had 5 rides each and they also had lunch and scones provided for us.







Aiden had to check out anything that remotely looked like a train (looks like he is taking a wee here).




It was also a good day to try out the new camera (just came back after 5 weeks in the repair shop for recalibration). Kim was using it most of the day and said she loves it compared to my old camera.


On the way in I had seen a signpost towards the Warragamba Dam. This is where 80-90 percent of Sydneys drinking water supply comes from.





8. July 2012 10:57
by Rene Pallesen
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Duck feeding at Centenial Park

8. July 2012 10:57 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

duck feeding at centenial park


This morning it was a beautiful winter day here in Sydney and we decided therefore to go duck feeding in Centenial Park with Aiden and Dylan (I was supposed to have been doing a course, but it was cancelled).

Aiden eventually figured out that it was fun to tear off small pieces of bread and throw it in the water for the ducks and swans to eat.



I showed him how to hand feed the big swans with a flat hand, but he still didn't like them much...and even less so when one of them stole his bread after sneaking in from behind.



Stupid Swan!!!!



But eventually the swan apologised and he was happy to feed the smaller birds.



Also the pond is full of fat eels (and on one occation I have seen turtles there). Some of them would surface to try and steal the bread from the ducks.





10. June 2012 09:37
by Rene Pallesen
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Emily's birthday party

10. June 2012 09:37 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

emily s birthday party


Yesterday we went to Emily's birthday party in Centennial park. We were there on time at 10.30 on a very cold morning (it had been 7 degrees overnight) but there was no-one else there...the host and the birthday child turned up two hours later (I cannot stand people who consistently have no respect for other people time).

We had brought Aiden tri-cycle that he got as a birthday present from his grandma last year.



We also spend some time exploring the forest next to the playground.








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27. March 2002 11:14
by Rene Pallesen
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Whale Watching

27. March 2002 11:14 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

whale watching


We went with Donna and Sandra up to Port Stephens to go Whale watching.

It was a great day (very cold) and we saw lots of whales.

Click here to see more photos Click here to see more photos from: Whale Watching/Slideshow

27. March 2002 11:03
by Rene Pallesen
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Climbing in New Zealand

27. March 2002 11:03 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

climbing in new zealand


I went climbing with Andy in New Zealand. We flew onto the glacier at Pioneer hut with a skiplane.

We attempted a couple of peaks in the area but were mainly unsuccessful due to sloshy conditions and late starts. Andy eventually insisted going down after taking a bit of a slide after taking a bit of a slide. We did however get a little bit of climbing done.

Click here to see more photos

Click here to see more photos Click here to see more photos from: Climbing in New Zealand/Slideshow

16. September 2001 11:10
by Rene Pallesen
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My Friends in Denmark . . .

16. September 2001 11:10 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

my friends in denmark


Believe it or not, I still have quite a few friends in Denmark. I would like to put photos of all of them here - unfortunately I do not have photos of all of them. If you are one of my friends and your photo is not on this page then please do not despair - I still consider you a friend, and maybe, the next time I go to Denmark, I shall have photos of you all!

Kenneth in kitchen


Here is one of my best friends in Denmark. This photo was taken quite a while ago, before I came to Australia.


Kenneth is now living here in Sydney, on the beautiful Manly beach - only about a half hour away from me. Kenneth came to stay with me a few months ago. He was trying out a new job, and actually came back! He is going to give Australia a go, to see if he likes it like I do. No more biting winters, lots of warmth and sunshine, beautiful mountains and bush to explore... and I think he has discovered, there are lots of friends to make - especially the pretty fun-going ones with two legs and a skirt! *smile*

He is actually a pretty good cook. Whist he stayed in my apartment for a couple of months, he cooked pot roast with gorgonzola sauce, and also gave a wonderful 3-course dinner for a small group of friends here. About two years after I arrived in Australia, I returned to Denmark for a visit. On the day I arrived in Denmark, he threw together a party for me!

Ester







Here is Ester, another one of my friends.


She is a fashion designer and paints some wonderful paintings.



Me!



Naturally at parties, there was quite a large amount of beer being consumed (how can you not?? - not possible to have a party otherwise in Denmark.


It was nice to taste one of the annual Christmas beers from Tuborg.
Created: Jan 2000 Last Updated: 16 Sept 2001

28. July 2001 11:11
by Rene Pallesen
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Photo Gallery

28. July 2001 11:11 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

photo gallery

Photo Gallery

I have placed photos here - those I could not fit on the respective webpages.



Schwedagon
Big Stuba at nightBig StubaBig Stuba at night
Schwedagon 1Schwedagon 2Schwedagon 3


Mandalay
Mandalay facing eastMandalay HillMandalay Fortress


Marionet
Puppet Show 1Puppet Show 2
Musicians


Volleyball



Created: 3 Nov 2001

28. July 2001 10:52
by Rene Pallesen
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South East Asia ( 24 July ~ 24 August 2001 ) . . .

28. July 2001 10:52 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

south east asia 24 july 24 august 2001





Map of area I went to

I initially made plans to explore Burma and then make my way across the border into western China at Burma's only border crossing up north. I had not made any definite plans wanted to play it by ear... but in the end my trip consisted of Thailand, Cambodia and restricted areas to Burma.

I was away for a total of 5 weeks and must admit that parts of my trip really frustrated me - there were many restrictions in Burma and being in Bangkok at times stressed me because of all the tourists and crowds. I really only went to Cambodia to see the magnificent Angkor Wat - actually I really did enjoy being there. I think my most enjoyable part of the trip was the days I had climbing on the secluded areas of Krabi.

Burma - Temples at SchwedagonCambodia - Angkor WatThailand - Scuba-diving at Krabi
Burma
(23 Jul ~ 5 Aug)



Cambodia
(6 ~ 10 Aug)
Page available soon
Thailand

Page available soon








28. July 2001 10:51
by Rene Pallesen
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Monkeys . . .

28. July 2001 10:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

monkeys
There were quite a lot of monkeys at Mt Popa.





Mother & Baby Monkey

Monkeys fighting

Mother feeding baby monkey

The photo above in the middle, shows monkeys that look like they are playing around. They are actually fighting monkeys and can be very dangerous because they bite and also snatch things from you.

They were rather oblivious to me being there, until the flash on my camera went off. Then their attention was on me and they were ready to attack.

I adopted the “monkey mentality” - avoid eye contact and move away backwards - the only way to stop the monkeys from attacking is to not look at them.



Monkey 1

Sitting Monkey

Monkey with eyes closed

Monkey Portrait!

28. July 2001 10:50
by Rene Pallesen
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Burma Up North (continued) . . .

28. July 2001 10:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

burma up north continued
Volleyball Player Photo 1



Whilst I was up north, I watched a rather interesting game of volleyball.

I have never seen such dexterity and agility amongst the players!

It was amazing to see how flexible these guys were.

Volleyball Player Photo 2

Volleyball Player Photo 3Volleyball Player Photo 4
Volleyball Player Photo 5Volleyball Player Photo 6

Volleyball Player Photo 7Volleyball Player Photo 8

Volleyball Player Photo 9Volleyball Player Photo 10

Volleyball Player Photo 11

28. July 2001 10:50
by Rene Pallesen
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Mt Popa . . .

28. July 2001 10:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

mt popa
Mt Popa



There is a monastry on Mt Popa - a hill located 50km away from Bagan.

When I was there, it was a cloudy day.

Woman selling petrified wood at Mt Popa

I ran into a woman selling petrified wood - quite silly really, considering the place was covered with it.



Road sign

They must think tourists are stupid! *laugh* I managed to pick up a couple of small pieces to take back with me.


As you can see, there are stacks of them around.

And no... this is not a tombstone.
This is actually a road sign.


Example of petrified wood

You would be surprised how big some of these pieces are - this piece below was actually about a metre long and 40cm wide.

Toilet in Burma

Actually what I found interesting were the toilets in Burma.


My girlfriend tells me that squatting over a toilet is quite common in Asia.

In many of the city areas, they would have toilets as we know them, and they would also have a carved hole in the ground, on which either side, one places their feet on.

Toilets in the rural area are more crude than that - a hole leading into a gaping pit.

However, what I found interesting about these toilets were that recycled running water was used to wash away any excrement. The water is first used for washing one self and then used in the toilets.

As there were a few toilet cubicles a row, sometimes you would see the excrement from a toilet uphill go beneath you! *laugh*

Very clever and environmental system, I think!

Me at Mt Popa



Trying to grab a snooze... *smile*


Like Schweddagon, most of this is real gold as well.

And yes, there is a monkey sitting near my head.

If you click to the next page, you will see that I have taken a series of photos of the monkeys.

28. July 2001 10:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Puppet Show . . .

28. July 2001 10:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

puppet show
Puppet Show




I saw the most interesting puppet show, known as the “Mandalay Marionettes”

There were 2 or 3 puppeteers out the front, with a live band of musicians.

Unfortunately, it was more of a show for the tourists, rather than the locals.

It cost 1,000 chats or US$2 per show.






4 men manipulating the marionettes A child posing as a 'puppet'
The Marionettes



Lots of bright lights

28. July 2001 10:49
by Rene Pallesen
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Burma Up North . . .

28. July 2001 10:49 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

burma up north
Map of Northern Burma


View from train


I decided take a 20-hour train-ride to Myitkyinã *laugh* it took 20-hours to get there by train because there was only one track.


It was definitely faster to run next to the train than to travel in it!

We had to wait for the oncoming train to return before we could travel north.

At one point, we crossed a bridge that was so rickety that I thought it would collapse any moment!

Working in the rice fields






Locals working in the rice fields.

Working in the rice fields





Locals using water-buffaloes to plough rice fields.

Jrrawaddy River




The train travelled along the Jrrawaddy River.


It would have been nice if I was able to travel to Mandalay via a riverboat down the Jrrawaddy River.

People living on lake




It was amazing to find out that people live “on” these lakes, by building houses on stilts.


This sort of housing is quite common in many parts of Asia, especially areas where monsoons quite frequently flood an area.

It is also very environmentally-sound, I think, and hurts the land less.

Most of the houses are made of wood.

Myitkyina in rain






Myitkyinã is pretty dismal in rain!




There is a huge drug problem in Burma, especially through the crossings into China.


I have scanned a copy of a recent newspaper article about this problem in Burma.