When I initially arrived in Yangon / Rangoon, I wanted to fly up Bhamo - one of the bigger towns north of Burma. I also considered exploring Myitkyinã - a town further north of Bhamo.

My Lonely Planet guide indicated that the only border crossing into China was to the east of Bhamo. My initial plans to Burma also included exploration of western China. However, I was disappointed by the military turning me back, despite the fact that my Lonely Planet guide said I could cross into China at Ruili.

I decided instead to fly to Mandalay, not only because it was cheap to do so, but it saved me a 20-hour bus ride there from Yangon.



I heard about a song for sailors.

“To be a real sailor, the sailor would have to have been to Mandalay way upriver”

I quite liked Mandalay.


The photo below, is of Mandalay Hill.
During World War II (20 March 1945), the British and the Japanese fought one another to gain control of the position on this hill.



The photo to the left is taken from the hill itself facing east - as you can see, it has an aerial view of the whole city, and puts any oncoming enemies at a disadvantage. Control of Mandalay was important during the war, as the soldiers were able to set up artillery and attack anyone approaching the fortress.

This hill was of big strategic importance.

The building you see near the shrine is a monument to the British regiment who managed to take control of this hill from the Japanese.

At the eastern part of the delta, a lot of logging takes place. There was a train line built that used to cart all the trees/wood for export to Thailand.



The moat around the fortress is man-made.
Although man-made, comes from the local river.

The original fortress was burnt to the ground.
The whole fortress covered an area of 2.5 x 2.5 km







The design of Mandalay was quite colonial, and surprisingly, most of the streets were at 90º to one another.

Overall, I found Mandalay the most expensive city to travel to in Burma.

No matter what one does in Mandalay, be it explore Mandalay Hill or the city itself, the locals always had “special” foreigner prices. It really annoyed me.

I tried to use local currency as much as possible. However, FEC (Foreign Exchange Currency) was more valuable and worth more to the locals. FEC is also used in China, and one tries to use local currency as much as possible. Any item you buy has 2 prices - and obviously it is cheaper to use local currency than to use FEC.

I must admit, even Mandalay Hill was not that nice for the price I paid to explore it. It was also expensive just to go into the fortress.

Surprisingly, I could not find maps of the area that was not more that 40 years old.

Politics . . .


There is a lot of politics going on in Burma that an outsider should not get involved in - Burma is one of those countries where political opinions are best kept to oneself.

In Burma, use of the Internet and mobile phones is illegal. This is the government's way of controlling the information entering the country. Even access to equipment such as laptops is illegal - the country is so poor that many could not afford such a piece of equipment.

I saw many young women queueing for their rations. They were standing so close together that I thought they were lesbians! *laugh* The girls stand close together so another person cannot jump the queue by pushing in.










The girls here are very young, some have barely reached puberty and are doing some very hard work.





There is a lot of critique by Amnesty International, of Burma's use of young girls to provide maintenance for the roads.

Medicine . . .

My girlfriend, Arumi, tells me one sees the wares of a 'Medicine Man' quite often throughout Asia.

Whether they sit by the roadside, or whether they own a shop in a building, one will see very similar items being sold around Asia.

The “pellets” you see here are in fact different types of roots such as ginger or some unknown vegetable, that have been sun or air dried.



You will see the antlers of various animals such as deer or even rhino. There are also skulls from different animals - some of these animals may be endangered species, but somehow you will see them being sold in these markets.




These skulls are definitely not being used as “trophies” around the house!

The Burmese, like many Asians, believe in using very 'natural' remedies to cure common ailments.




A Medicine Man may not necessarily be a “doctor” according to western standards - that means he may not have a university degree.

However, a Medicine Man, may be what we know as “witch-doctors”. Some of the remedies they know are very natural and useful.

Unfortunately, not all of these remedies work. Around Asia, you will see shops or Medicine Man selling items like tigers' paws and skulls, or ground ivory tusks. Many of these are sold as cures or enhancements for the sex life.

In Burma, there is virtually no wildlife left.





You will even find that even tobacco is sold naturally.

Not in cigarette form, but in leaf form! The laws in Burma are not quite the same as they are here. Marijuana is also sold very freely.




Lotus Fruit . . .


Quite often in Asia, you may see lily pads floating on the water. In fairy-tales, you hear about frogs sitting on a lily pad.

You will be amazed to associate that this fruit here, comes from the flowers/plant growing out of the water near the lily pads.

The yellow seeds come from the flower itself. The seeds are used often in many Asian desserts, and said to promote better blood circulation.

While, the root of the lotus plant is also a delicacy. It is white when cooked, and has a crunchy texture, similar to that of the water chestnut. Mainly used in savoury meals, although used as a dessert as well.

Personally, I think it is too much hassle retrieving the fruit! *smile*

Created: 31 Oct 2001

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.



The temples at Schwedagon were really impressive.






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








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







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.






You can really see the magnificence of these temples!



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?












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.

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 ) . . .




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?





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.







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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Created: 22 Sept 2001

I took part in a photo competition in November 2001, using one of the photos I had taken during my trip to Mt Cook in January 2001. This photo was of Kevin, the alpine guide from my group in the technical climbing course.

The following photo and comments appeared on the Planet Fear website, in the Front Line Photography Competition - not long after I was notified that I was one of 20 winners, and I was even more surprised to find out that I had come third!

The comments above the photo were my comments that I had emailed to them when I sent the photo. The comments below the photo were (one of the judges) comments about my photo.

3. Rene Pallesen The attached photo was taken in New Zealand on the main range near Mount Cook. The valleys to the west are filled with clouds formed by the moisture from the forests underneath. The snowcovered mountains in the north are visible through the clouds. The photo was tak Home 2. May 2014 15:05 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments To my one and only - May 2014 2. May 2014 15:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Share 1. May 2014 15:05 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Toronga Zoo April 2014 1. May 2014 15:05 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet A couple of weeks ago we made a trip to Taronga Zoo.One of the families from daycare had a spare pas Share A couple of weeks ago we made a trip to Taronga Zoo. One of the families from daycare had a spare pass that we borrowed for the day. First we went through the bird sanctuary and the kids were not overly impressed and were more interested in the waterfalls and the leaves fallen off the trees. After that we walked past the playground and Lucas immediately ran off (Aiden was a bit more hesitant as he is more cautious) and couldn't get enough of going down the big slide (by himself). The seal show was more to the taste of Aiden even though he'd seen it before. After this we went to the Australian section of the park to see some kangaroos (including a tree kangaroo) and other wildlife. 23. April 2014 12:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day photo shoot - Other various 23. April 2014 12:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Here is some more photos from the shoot the other day. They are not my favourites, but good enough t Share Here is some more photos from the shoot the other day. They are not my favourites, but good enough to share I think. Model: Kerry Ann Peterson Model: Gabriella Srage Model: Emma Perceval 22. April 2014 12:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day photoshoot - Dream 22. April 2014 12:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet I just finished another edit of one of the photos from the open day. Someone else had posted a photo Share I just finished another edit of one of the photos from the open day. Someone else had posted a photo of a dream like impression and I wanted to see if I was able to do the same with one of my photos. Model: Taylia Lopez Lighting & Set: Studio 1A Hair & Make-up: Kabuki Mee Designs I also did another photo of one of the other girls at the photo shoot. Model: Britney Williams Hair: Cara Leupuscek Makeup: Melisa Tomic Sets: Studio 1A Sydney 19. April 2014 15:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day photoshoot - wrap up 19. April 2014 15:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet The photoshoot last week provided a lot of lessons...some learnt and some where I need more practice Share The photoshoot last week provided a lot of lessons...some learnt and some where I need more practice. My main reason for participating was to gain more experience working with models and especially be able to pose models better. A secondary objective was to get some great photos that I can use for my portfolio and for this website. I think I succeeded with both objectives although I definitely need more experience with posing.    I had no idea what to expect before getting there apart from knowing that there would be a number of models, makeup artists and a number of different sets.   The format is pretty simple...first come first serve to a set. You use the time effectively, work quick and take 20-30 shots with each model and after that you let someone else have a turn and move onto a different set.   This means that you have to work very effective with the models and try and get a good photo. You cannot change the set and you cannot change the light setup so in terms of creativity this is quite limiting. It came in very handy that I have done some studio photography and have a good understanding of the theory. This means that it was easier for me to work with the variables that I could change, mainly changing my position on the set to get different shadows and lights and then also let the models move closer or further away from the lights to change this. I definitely think that this allowed me to get some pretty unique photos, but I definitely something I need to do more of if I get the chance to do this again.   Also, some of the models were professional models and others had done absolutely no modelling before. They all presented different challenges, as the professional models will give you the model poses and looks and it it hard to change this without it being pretty obvious that you only have little experience. The ones with no experience required a lot more guidance and this was where I really struggled and I definitely need some more standard poses that I can pull out for these situations. That said some of the models with no experience did really good and the most of the models were rally good fun to work with. I especially found it really hard to pose with the male models. Another thing is how social media works. The agreement was that you would put your shots into a dropbox folder so that the hair and makeup artists as well as the model could access low resolution files and at the same time get access to your contact details if they would like prints/hires files. I also posted the photos on the groups facebook page and the response was amazing compared to what I normally get on photos. Lots of likes and suddenly everyone wants to be my friend on Facebook (they may be disappointed when they see the stuff I normally post) and most amazing is the response from the models and the hair and makeup artists...a number of them are already using the material to promote themselves (which I am fine with as long as it doesn't go beyond that) and they are leaving comments/shares saying things such as 'this is my favourite photo from the day so far'. Not knowing what gear to bring I brought pretty much everything I terms of lenses and even a couple of flashes and grey cards. I ended up shooting with my 85mm f1.4 pretty much most of the time and occasionally changing to a 50mm f1.4 for full body shots or on the sets where there wasn't much space on the set. What I didn't bring was my 105mm macro lens. I could have used this lens for getting in close for detail type shots and wish I had brought this along. I should also have brought an ND8 filter for shooting natural light at f1.4...even with the Nikon D800 it was next to impossible to not overexpose using that bright light.   They have announced that they will be holding another shoot in august which I am planning to participate in and they also have a nude workshop in July that I am trying to convince Kim that I should go to...but we will see. 18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day photoshoot - Miyuki 18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Miyuki is a makeup artist and had never done any modeling before and this was the first time as a mo Share Miyuki is a makeup artist and had never done any modeling before and this was the first time as a model. She has a really nice outfit/hair piece and the makeup was done really nicely. The skin in her face is absolutely flawless and virtually no re-touching was required. Photographer: Rene Pallesen Model: Miyuki Tsuda Hair and Makeup: Kabuki Mee Designs Set/Light: Studio 1A Sydney 18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day Photoshoot - Melanie J Bowers 18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet One of the professional models on the day was Melanie. She knows how to model and give you the looks Share One of the professional models on the day was Melanie. She knows how to model and give you the looks but it also made it hard to get a unique photo. Even though I did get a lot of great photo I think the one below is the best...it is very magazine like. At one point during my session with her she started talking to some other people down the back and she became all smiley and giggly...the modelling cover totally disappeared. I really kick myself that I didn't keep shooting while this happened. Photographer: Rene Pallesen Model: Melanie J Bowers Hair: Cara Leupuscek MUA: Melisa Tomic Studio and lighting : 1A Sydney 18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day photoshoot - Pia Prestley 18. April 2014 07:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Pia had a very cool red and white facepaint/makeup. It was a bit strong for the set but I think it i Share Pia had a very cool red and white facepaint/makeup. It was a bit strong for the set but I think it is pretty good in black and white with a slight hint of the colours blended back in. Photographer: Rene Pallesen Model: Pia Prestley Hair: Cara Leupuscek MUA: Marie Donnell Studio and lighting : 1A Sydney 17. April 2014 14:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day photoshoot - Sudip Limbu 17. April 2014 14:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet At the photo shoot there was also a couple of male models.I find it a lot harder to pose males than Share At the photo shoot there was also a couple of male models. I find it a lot harder to pose males than females...with females I can (kind of) tell what looks good and what doesnt and when I get a goo pose I know it. With males it is a lot harder as I never think about what looks masculine. This day was a really eye opener that before I next time have to shoot a male I will have to do a bit of homework and have some general ideas already mapped out. At the end of the day they were shooting inside this caged lift and I got the this shot. Later I saw another photographers photo using the same setting and it was amazing. It was really cool to see what other people did in the same set and I learned so much just from watching other photographers as well as models. I also did a couple of shots using a projection screen...not a big fan, but I did snap the following that turned out somewhat ok but not entirely happy about it. Model: Sudip Limbu Hair: Cara Leupuscek Makeup: Melinda Lighting & Sets: Studio 1A Sydney 17. April 2014 14:04 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Open day photoshoot - Valerie Peovska 50's style 17. April 2014 14:04 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet I did another set/makeup shoot with Valerie in a more 50&#39;s style setting.First I had her standing up Share I did another set/makeup shoot with Valerie in a more 50's style setting. First I had her standing up, but just could not get the poses working for me with the makeup and the set...just somehow seemed out of place and it was my second set of the day so I was still trying to get used to the whole idea of giving posing directions. Eventually I had her sit down and managed to get this photo which I think captured the whole 1950's style much better. Model : Valerie Pueovska Hair : Cara Leupuscek MUA : Melisa Tomic Studio/Set: 1A Sydney Photographer : Rene Pallesen << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts 1 2 ... 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 ... 92 93 Older posts Home 2. January 2007 10:02 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments New Years Eve 2007 2. January 2007 10:02 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet new years eve Share New Years eve this year was celebrated on the Lawn at the Botanical Gardens near the opera house. We had a nice combined view of the fireworks in the city, on the harbour and on the bridge. We were there with a group of friends and and we brought picnic blankets and food to eat. The 9pm fireworks were a bit disappointing compared to other years but the midnight one was really good. This year they use the whole area, so simultaneously fireworks were being fired from the harbour, the bridge as well as the high rise buildings in the city. Fireworks are illegal to buy and sell here in Australia, so instead the city (and most other cities) instead put on large firework displays. This means that you every year get professional firework displays instead of the sporadic stuff you get in other countries where people themselves buy it. Besides, if firework was allowed then the State Emergency Services would be spending three weeks after New Years Eve fighting bushfires every year. Click here to Download video of Firework Display #1 Click here to Download video of Firework Display #2 Click here to Download video of Firework Display #3 Click here to Download video of Firework Display #4 Click here to see more photos from New Years Eve 20. March 2006 01:50 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Tokyo 2006 20. March 2006 01:50 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet tokyo Share 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. Click here to see more photos from: Tokyo/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:56 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Thailand 2006 19. March 2006 03:56 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet thailand Share In Mid 2006 I went to a work meeting in Krabi in Thailand. This happens to be a few kilometers away from one of the best rock climbing destinations in the world. So, after the meeting I took a few days off to go rock climbing. Kim happened to be travelling in the Northern part of Thailand with some friends who had to leave on the same day my meeting ended. Kim flew down to Krabi where I picked her up at the airport. Unfortunately it was rainy season, so most of the time in Railay it was raining, but we did manage to get one day of climbing done and the rest of the time we spend in the restaurants and playing cards. Click here to see more photos from: Thailand/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:54 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Holland 19. March 2006 03:54 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet Holland Share 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. Click here to see more photos from:Holland/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:53 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Skiing USA 19. March 2006 03:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet skiing usa Share 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. Click here to see more photos from: USA/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:53 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Skiing Thredbo Australia 19. March 2006 03:53 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet skiing thredbo australia Share 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. Click here to see more photos from:Skiing in Australia 2006/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:51 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Denmark 2006 19. March 2006 03:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet denmark Share 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. Click here to see more photos from: Denmark/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:51 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Various 19. March 2006 03:51 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet various Share 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. Click here to see more photos from: Miscellaneous/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:48 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Rock Climbing & Blue Mountains 2006 19. March 2006 03:48 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet rock climbing blue mountains 2006 Share 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. Click here to see more photos from: Climbing in the Blue Mountains/Slideshow 19. March 2006 03:46 by Rene Pallesen 0 Comments Portugal 2006 19. March 2006 03:46 by Rene Pallesen | 0 Comments Tweet portugal 2006 Share 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. Click here to see more photos from:Portugal/Slideshow << Older posts Newer posts >> Newer posts 1 2 ... 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 ... 92 93 Older posts