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28. July 2001 10:46
by Rene Pallesen
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Schwedagon . . .

28. July 2001 10:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

schwedagon
Escalator leading up to Schwedagon








Schwedagon was a holy place with extremely large and beautiful temples.

To get to Schwedagon, you had to travel up very long escalators. I took this photo because these escalators were the only escalators I had seen during my whole trip in Burma. As Schwedagon is a very religious place for the locals, I guess to travel up these escalators give the sense of travelling to a higher and holier place.

Temples at Schwedagon Photo 1

The temples at Schwedagon were really impressive.

Temples at Schwedagon Photo 2
Another Temple




I was told that collectively, these temples were built with 39 tonnes of pure gold.

Cleaning Up






At the end of the day, the locals all contributed in cleaning the place. They clean all the tiles and are very organised.

Big StubaBig Stuba at Night

Buddhas at base of Big Stuba



Here is the 'Big Stuba'. All that gold...

Up close, the temples are a glorious sight. Especially at night!

Can you see those lights at the base of the Big Stuba? Each is a 'mini temple', illuminating a Buddha.



Lots of Gold



You can really see the magnificence of these temples!

Praying to BuddhaPraying to BuddhaIntricate Carvings


There are lots of rules or procedures about the way one prays to the Buddhas - very complicated to an outsider!

I saw a couple of the buddhists pour water onto the statue of the Buddha. Depending on the day of the week a buddhist is born, the individual would pour the respective number of bowls for the day of the week. A buddhist believes that by doing this, it would bring them luck.

At Schwedagon, I noticed there were hardly any tourists, mostly locals paying homage.

Can you see how intricate the carvings are in the foreground?

Praying Monk 1Praying Monk 2

Large Bell









The monks rung this bell to announce prayer times.

It brought luck to ring the bell.
For example, if you were born on the 1st day of the week, you rung it once to bring good luck. If you were born on the 6th day of the week, you rung it 6 times etc.





28. July 2001 10:45
by Rene Pallesen
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Myanmar ( Burma ) 23 July ~ 5 Aug 2001 . . .

28. July 2001 10:45 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

myanmar burma 23 july 5 aug 2001
Click here for full size Map of Burma






Burma/Myanmar surprised me in many ways. I would have liked to see more of Burma than I did, but due to military restrictions, I only had access to certain parts of Burma and was not able to see any of the indigenous people along the border as I had initially planned.Burma is a very poor country. It was difficult to travel... travelling 100 kilometres could sometimes take up to 6 hours.

One of the most beautiful places in Burma, I thought, was Bagan.

I took many photos in Burma, and tried to order them in the following pages:
  • I spent some days in Yangon, which had a heavy colonial influence.
  • Schwedagon was another place full of temples, a place laden with pure gold.
  • Whilst travelling, I could not help notice how influenced the people were by religion, and Burma's politics is one thing an outsider should not get involved in.
  • I was fascinated by what the Burmese used for medicine. They also had some rather interesting local fruit.
  • Mandalay also had an interesting colonial battle history. Whilst there, I watched the “Mandalay Marionettes”.
  • With the restrictions up north, I did not get to see much. But you would not believe how the Burmese play volleyball!
  • Finally, at Mt Popa, I went there to see a local monastry, and saw a lot of wild monkeys there.


Yangon ( Rangoon ) . . .

One of the main streets in Burma


This is the city-centre of Rangoon. Rangoon is the capital city of Burma.

It is actually a pretty big city if you compare it with other parts of Burma on a map.

Most of the buildings are from the old colonial period when the British occupied Burma. Unfortunately they have not been very well-maintained.

Can you see the green bits on the clocktower?

Clocktower with vegetation growing on it



If you are thinking it is vegetation growing on it, you are right! There is quite a bit growing on most of the buildings in the city.

Colonial Building 1Colonial Building 2The Strand HotelColonial Building 3

Man feeding pigeons



There were so many pigeons!

I managed to catch a pictures of a pigeon flying mid-air - can you see the blurred grey thing near the tree in the middle of the photo?



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8. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Tivoli

8. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

One day in Denmark we went to Tivoli to see the christmas show.Lucas got a ride pass so that he coul
One day in Denmark we went to Tivoli to see the christmas show.

Lucas got a ride pass so that he could jump on whatever ride he wanted, and Aiden was happy cheering.

We also saw the 'real' santa (Julemanden) and went past the Lego store.
















7. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Snow

7. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

While in Denmark it was snowing for a couple of days. The boys love playing with it.
While in Denmark it was snowing for a couple of days. The boys love playing with it.









7. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Little Mermaid and Queen

7. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

On the first day after arriving we went past the little mermaid from HC Andersens story and also pas
On the first day after arriving we went past the little mermaid from HC Andersens story and also past the residence of the queen, Prince Frederik and Princess Mary.










7. November 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Denmark - Dads 80th birthday

7. November 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year it was my dad's 80th Birthday. I took the boys back to Denmark to celebrate with him. Aide
This year it was my dad's 80th Birthday. I took the boys back to Denmark to celebrate with him. Aiden has been once before when he was 1yo, and it was Lucas' first time.




This lady used to be my dads babysitter when he was just born (she is 92yo)

30. October 2022 16:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Soccer 2022

30. October 2022 16:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

Both Aiden and Lucas were playing soccer again this winter.Especially Lucas is starting to get prett
Both Aiden and Lucas were playing soccer again this winter.

Especially Lucas is starting to get pretty good when he gets 'hungry' to take the ball.






30. July 2022 17:12
by Rene Pallesen
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Skiing Thredbo 2022

30. July 2022 17:12 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

This year we took the boys skiing for the first time. They had been practicing their roller blades a
This year we took the boys skiing for the first time. They had been practicing their roller blades at home to get used to the motion, so it was a bit easier to get them started on the snow. It was the first time for the boys to see real snow.

We went with another family and stayed at Thredbo.

It also happened to be on my fiftieth.




















13. July 2022 15:07
by Rene Pallesen
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Karate in Brisbane

13. July 2022 15:07 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

In mid July the instructors of the Sydney dojo planned to visit the Brisbane dojo. They encouraged m
In mid July the instructors of the Sydney dojo planned to visit the Brisbane dojo. They encouraged me to come along as I will be up for the next big grading soon and it would be a great introduction to some of the best instructors and karateka's in the country.


I also found the official lineage of our style listed on one of the boards.

6. May 2022 22:05
by Rene Pallesen
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All brown belts

6. May 2022 22:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

We just finished another grading as a family. This time the boys and Kim graded to their first brown
We just finished another grading as a family. This time the boys and Kim graded to their first brown belts and I graded to my third brown belt.

We were supposed to have graded about a month ago, but because of Kims dad's funeral we had to postpone it for a month.

It therefore turned out to be just a mini grading with just the four of us as a family.

Now it will be quite a while before any of us are grading again. The boys need to get a fair bit stronger before grading for the next belt based on the feedback. I will need to start working towards the black, so Kim will probably be the next one grading towards the end of the year.

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25. April 2022 20:04
by Rene Pallesen
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Camping Lake Lyell

25. April 2022 20:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

The boys putting up the tent.Our campground from across the lake.Teaching the boys to fish (only cau
The boys putting up the tent.





Our campground from across the lake.


Teaching the boys to fish (only caught seaweed).








The kids spent hours climbing up and down this little hill.


Lots of brains trying to put up a gazebo. Eventually we had to consult the instructions.


Sunset scenery


It was raining so we gathered under the canopy.



Lots of curious ducks (waiting to be fed).




Spotted a 2016 vintage from Coonawarra...had to try it.


Scenery from our camp ground.


Great selfie with Lucas and I.


More spectacular scenery.





Cuties in the hammock.


I have seen steam tractors in museums before, but this is the first time I have seen one that is still functioning. This one is from 1913.



One day we went mushroom picking. These ones you definitely can't eat.




And these ones you can.


First time I have seen a Leopard Slug.


A pretty good picking...



The kids found a bird skeleton. It could be a dead lyrebird, or maybe a dodo.




20. April 2022 14:04
by Rene Pallesen
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National Park Walk

20. April 2022 14:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments

While at Warilla Beach we one day did a walk at the Macquarie Pass National park. This was an easy w
While at Warilla Beach we one day did a walk at the Macquarie Pass National park. This was an easy walk with the reward of a waterfall at the end of the walk.