Way up in the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand is this wonderful place called the Bay of Islands.
We live here surrounded by the sea, with ancient forests and clear night skies.
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Photography and Electronic Gear
All our equipment is hand picked for versatility and compactness. We are extremely picky about the quality of the end result. We have found with experience if you don’t get it right before you go its too late to change halfway through the trip.
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Bagan History and Information
Bagan is one of the significant sites of South East Asia. It was relatively unknown until recently, with its written history dating from the 9th century.
The societies of Old Bagan centred round their religion and Kings.
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Bagan – Nyaung U Market
‘Today we go to Nyaung U. Market open early and you can see. Market have food and bells and laquer’ .Jo Cole our driver explains the best time is early morning. He is ready early and we are bundled into the car with camera gear, Panasonic G85 and don’t forget the water.
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Bagan Archaeological Zone
Bagan Archaeological Zone is one of the most extraordinary places on the planet. Each one of our days here in Bagan is spent with camera equipment, Panasonic G85 and Mavic Pro Drone at the ready.
Jo Cole our taxi driver is always on time, pickup is at 9 am …
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Mandalay History and Info
Mandalay history is relatively recent when compared with Bagan. It was founded in 1857 by King Mindon when the previous capital Inwa was hit by a series of earthquakes. The teak palace buildings were dismantled and moved by elephants to the new locality
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Mandalay – Inwa (Ava)
Inwa or Ava, the old capital of Burma had been the capital on and off for 350 years.
Our taxi driver Ko Swe Myint drops us off at the river and we wait for the river boat to take us across. Locals, monks, motor bikes and us.
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Shwenandaw Monastery – Mandalay
‘Shwenandaw Monastery in Mandalay is the historic Buddhist monastery built in 1878 by King Thibaw Min.’
The buddhist monk U Sandima was showing us this magnificent teak building, the only remaining original structure left from the Royal Palace.
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Mahagandayon Monastery – Mandalay
Our taxi driver Ko Swe Myint is taking us to one of the largest monastic colleges in Myanmar, Mahagandayon Monastery.
It was first started in 1908 as a meditation centre for forest-dwelling monks, and is now home to several thousand monks.
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Mandalay Jade and Flower Markets
Everything is traded. Large bits of stone, huge boulders of jade, flat cut slabs, unfinished cut pieces, finished cabochons, carvings and bangles. There are the clear and pure white stones, all the way through to the dark see through green of the emperors jade.
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Mandalay Port
Known as Shwe Kyat Yat Port of Mandalay, it sits below Shwe Kyat Yat Pagoda and is a site for everything river based to come and go from. Holding anything from large transport barges beached on the river banks, to small Ayeyarwady fishing out-riggers the river banks are filled with life.
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Shwe Kyat Yat Pagoda – Mandalay
Shwe Kyat Yat Pagoda or Shwe Kyet Yet Pagoda. We find out this pagoda by the Ayeyarwady River is known by both names. Climbing the long staircase to the top of the pagoda the river is right in front of us and we look out across the Mandalay port.
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