A young girl in Bagan

 

When I travel, what interests me most is not the sights but the people. I enjoy take photographs of people, especially children. Myanmar is a diverse country with 135 distinct ethnic groups, so not only does the scenery changes as you travel around, but the ethnicities of the people you encounter are likely to differ too. And like most countries, the friendliest people we met were in villages and not in the touristy areas or somewhere recommended by the guidebooks.

Since 89% of the population is Buddhists, it is easy to spot monks and nuns walking along the streets or conducting alms arounds. Our visit to a nunnery was fascinating, but the joyous moment happened when we encountered a group of young nuns and monks playing at The National Kandawgyi Botanical Gardens. They were incredibly cute and funny, and watching them trying to do somersaults or outdo each other was the highlight of our day.

 

Children

 

 

 

 

Families, communities & villagers

 

 

 

 

Souvenir sellers & workers

 

 

 

Tribal groups around Inle lake

 

 

 

Monks

 

 

 

 

Nuns

 

 

Animals

 

 

 

City people (& cockerel) in Mandalay & Yangon