Nomadic Ayeyarwady River Life .

Approach to Mandalay Hill as seen from the River.

Approach to Mandalay Hill as seen from the river.

Local barges navigating the sand banks. 

Nomadic villages along the banks of the Ayeyarwady

U Bein Bridge

Sunset at this bridge will surely rank as one of the most  bucolic, romantic locations in the world.  That is once the word gets out, for now it's still relatively unknown.
A long hand constructed teak bridge snakes across the Taungthaman Lake  constructed in 1847.  As the sun sets the light on this wooden pedestrian bridge is breathtaking.

The Sanctuary adopted village of Sin Kyun along the Ayeyarwady river.

Sanctuary Retreat  has a philantropic attachment to this little village - supporting it in it's needs while keeping it true to the culture of  the people without westernizing a whole village.   Visiting  this village was one of the highlights of  being in Myanmar.

My greeting from the village children as I stepped of the ship

Bamboo chaise longues.

Thanaka face cosmetic used as sun protection in children

Delight  at being given  some candy.

Where ever you go there's an ox, a horse or a pig.

This lady was on her way to make hats.

tilling the lands

The two resident monks survey the farm land

Growing long beans

More bamboo housing on stilts.

Water is plentiful, it's just not at the end of an easy faucet.

More Tanaka

Is it really a school day.

Vandaloo Village on the edge of the Ayeyarwady river.

Wash time for all by the river. 

Some children s toys remain the same the whole world over.  

Only the children wear westernized clothes 

A village made of bamboo

Everything is bamboo,

sandy dusty paths  lead from one side of the village to another. 

Houses are  built on bamboo stilts due river floods. 

and the inevitable piglet.