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Rakhine State { 177 images } Created 30 Nov 2014

Photos from Myanmar taken in January 2010, March 2014 and January 2020.
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  • The landscape scenery along the Kaladan river was one of my favorite moments in Myanmar. But before we arrived there it was a tricky task to plan a flight to Sittwe, the entry port for travelling further to Mrauk U by boat. <br />
But we were more or less lucky: after three days we received our flight tickets and some of the backpackers we met in Bagan envied us for that :)<br />
While we saw only our three names written on the passenger list at the airport, we presumed that we would be the only tourists in the plane, which made us very happy. A couple of hours later our airplane arrived, and from the distance we recognized that it wasn't empty...<br />
As we entered the plane, complaining about all the bloody tourists inside "our" plane :), some of the passengers were looking at us with astonishment while they recognized our language. <br />
The passengers, 23 people, were all from Luxembourg.
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  • On our arrival in Sittwe a guy working for the burmese government told us to take the ferry to Mrauk U for 4 US Dollar. "Very cheap"... and we would have the opportunity to talk to a lot of local people. In our opinion we decided not to give our money to the government representant. So we made an arrangement with a group of fishermen. For 90 US Dollar they would drive us to Mrauk U, stay there for three days, and drive us back to Sittwe.
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  • The Kaladan river is the primary means of transport for the locals and you have to use it too when you want to get to Mrauk U. The boat starts in Sittwe and arrives at the harbor of Mrauk U a couple of hours later.
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  • The Kaladan river pass through the Rakhine State of Myanmar and the Mizoram State of India. In a probable future the river will unfortunately become an important trade route between foreign countries like India, China and Myanmar.
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  • During our cruise to Mrauk U we were waved, and we waved back to the people living along the river.<br />
As we arrived at the boat peer we were driven by cycle rickshaws to our guesthouse, and one hour later to a restaurant. After our dinner we decided to go back by feet. Unfortunately we didn't knew where we were exactly. So we asked a drunken military guy and after some time or other we arrived in our guesthouse in the middle of the night.
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  • A street scene, early in the morning, between our Guesthouse and the small harbor of Mrauk U.
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  • The small Andaw Thein temple complex, located near the Shittaung Pagoda in Mrauk U.
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  • According to "Wikitravel" - Mrauk U was declared capital of the Arakanese kingdom in 1431. At its peak, Mrauk U controlled half of Bangladesh, modern day Rakhine State and the western part of Lower Burma. As the city grew, many pagodas and temples were built. Several of them remain today, and is the main attraction of the city.
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  • A two wheeled cart driving on the road leading to the Koe-thaung Temple.
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  • A portrait of a young monk we met inside the Kothaung temple. We spent one or two hours with him and his friends. Actually i guess that he doesn't know that his portrait became famous; i found him on many other websites.
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  • Several small statues are aligned along the remainder of an outer corridor.
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  • Several small statues are aligned along the remainder of an outer corridor.
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  • A row of statues placed along an outside corridor leading to a small entrance of Kothaung temple.
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  • Another series of statues placed along an outside corridor leading to the visible small entrance of Kothaung temple.
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  • The Kothaung temple was built in 1553. Also known as the "Shrine of 90000 images" which means "Kothaung", all the images are represented by buddha reliefs, chiseled in ancient times in the sandstone walls of the temple.
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  • Two girls hanging around in the temple area.
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  • Two girls hanging around in the temple area.
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  • Portrait of a young woman and her child.
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  • Children playing and washing on the riverbank.
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  • Sunset over Mrauk U with view on the 61m high Ratana Pon stupa.
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  • Burmese huts standing along the riverbank.
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  • A morning street scene in Mrauk U.
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  • We passed a small market on our way back to our guesthouse in Mrauk U.
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  • The small harbour of Mrauk U with our blue and white fisherboat in the background. Ask for one of these boats at the airport. This kind of transportation is much more expensive as the government run ferry but it's managed by the local people, so you don't give all your money to crazy Than Shwe. Furthermore, getting to Mrauk U by local boat is much more personal.
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  • During a hot afternoon we noticed that there was a gathering near the harbour.
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  • Two groups of children were enclosed by the local people, cheering and encouraging the boys, while they were trying to catch an oil-smeared coconut.
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  • Actually, the game is very simple: The Kids are aligned behind a rope which defines the border of the play area. The oiled coconut is put on the opposit of the playfield. As soon as the referee gives the sign, all the players try to be the first to catch the slippery coconut with the purpose to bring it back from which they started.
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  • Young monks watching the game until they discoverd the camera behind their backs.
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  • A man and his child, cycling on an empty main street of Mrauk U in the evening.
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  • On the 31st of january we left Mrauk U one hour before sunrise.
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  • It was a pretty cold morning, but i was happy for the next photo shootings to come.
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  • A fisherman standing in the Kaladan river. He will check what he catched, and throw the net again over the water.
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  • As described on arakanrivers.net, "Traditionally, rivers in Arakan have been used primarily for irrigation, transportation, fishing and navigation; however, at present their potential for hydropower generation is of greater significance to Burma’s ruling military junta. That Arakan’s rivers produce and support extremely fertile soil is widely known. Indeed, this rich soil was central to the development and prosperity of Arakan’s ancient cities. The annual floods of the rainy season further enrich the soil, as the rivers overflow their banks and deposit nutrient-rich silt over adjacent land. In these regularly-flooded areas agriculture, as well as fish and shrimp/prawn farming are widely practised by the majority of the population. For many, these activities constitute their sole sources of income or, in many cases, subsistence."
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  • Furthermore arakanrivers.net describes that -  "The large majority of Arakan State’s population lives in underdeveloped rural areas with minimal access to imported foods or modern infrastructure. Therefore, they rely heavily on their local rivers for survival. Rivers are used daily for fishing and transport, and most of Arakan State’s rice in grown and harvested along the banks of its rivers, of which the Kaladan is the largest. In many areas, rivers are also used for washing, cooking and even drinking water."
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  • Unfortunately the photos taken on the Kaladan river reflects only one side of the reality. According to arakanrivers.net - "The Burmese regime and the Indian government are about to launch a multi-million dollar transport project that the Kaladan Movement believes will result in human rights abuses and environmental damage in Arakan and Chin States."
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  • In 2013 while the United States of America and the  Europe Union have suspended  most of the sanctions against Myanmar, it is to be feared that India and China  will no more been the only ones who will soak up the natural ressources of Myanmar.
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  • Two women walking along the river, carrying bamboo or rattan baskets.
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  • While we are cruising back to Sittwe, i enjoy to take some photos of the life scenes along the Kaladan river.
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  • Mangroves are very important for the environmental benefits, but they are also essential for the local people. According to arakanrivers.net - "environmental analysts have predicted that both of the new oil and gas pipelines, and the river dredging for the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport project will cause further destruction to Arakan State’s mangroves. This will directly cause the people of Arakan State to become more vulnerable to food insecurity and the effects of natural events such as storm surges."
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  • The building of Hydropower dams is another considerable source of money for the burmese government. A lot of people in the world blame the Chinese or the Indian for beeing irresponsible but they have no idea about the financial interests of many european companies and investors.
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  • Due to political opportunism, every nation pursue their own interests often to others detriment. Perversely, the European Union were supporting humanitarian projects while some members of the same Union were supporting the dictatorship in the development of energy resources years ago, which will provide in the future the neighboring countries with nearly 90% hydropower energy, providing nothing for the exploited local people.
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  • Today the Kaladan river is the fifth largest river in the world which is not confined by a dam.
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  • A young man fishing in the Kaladan river on a sunny morning.
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  • After a couple of hours we arrived at Sittwe, the capital of the Rakhine State.
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  • According to "Wikitravel" - Most people use Sittwe as a stopping point for Mrauk U and rarely spend time in the city. However, a brief visit is well-rewarded. At sunset, visit The Point at the end of the Strand (50 kyat admission fee) for a glimpse of the sun setting over the Bay of Bengal. Walk back along the Strand to the City Point Restaurant for some beer and music by the water. The city is also known for its fruit bats which take wing by the hundreds at dusk.
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  • Sittwe was a desolate place at the time we visited it. But it was interesting to see all the people assembled in the harbour, unloading boxes and baskets from their boats.
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  • Sittwe was a desolate place at the time we visited it. But it was interesting to see all the people assembled in the harbour, unloading boxes and baskets from their boats.
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  • Many huts are just standing few meters from the waterfront.
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  • An impressive long footbridge on which the passengers can descend to land and unload their goods.
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  • In the afternoon, we walked to a place called the "point" where most of the people come to relax. There is a nice restaurant there where you can also drink a beer ... or two.
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  • On our long way back to our guesthouse we saw a lot of nice people giving us a lot of smiles as everywhere in Burma. The next day we had a flight to Chaungtha Beach to relax for two days before we have to left Myanmar.
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  • Local people walking from their villages on a road leading to the main temple area of Mrauk U.
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  • A man leading his cows on a small path in the middle of the Mrauk U temple complex.
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  • A girl and her little sister posing in a village near the Mrauk U temples.
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  • A boy standing near a small river in a settlement outside the center of Mrauk U.
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  • Three young ladies walking in the midday sun leaving Ratanabon Pagoda and Htukkanthein Temple behind their.
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  • A girl posing near my guesthouse in Mrauk U.
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  • A woman carrying an umbrella to block the midday sun on a noisy street in Mrauk U.
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  • Street scene in Mrauk U.
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  • I was invited to Graw Raw Ma Ni by a nice young man called Kyaw Htai during  Shinbyu ceremony. The village was located about 3 hours by boat somewhere along the Kaladan River. Unfortunately i have no idea about the exactly location, <br />
and i even don't know if Graw Raw Ma Ni is written correctly.
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  • Locals, mainly young ladies, during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • According to "Wikipedia" - The big day starts early with a procession called the shinlaung hlè pwe to the monastery, the young boy dressed in resplendent silks embroidered with gold as a royal prince or king, shielded from the sun by a gold umbrella and led on horseback by an orchestral band headed by a clown with a moustache called U Shwe Yoe holding a parasol and dancing merrily. This ritual symbolises Prince Siddhartha Gautama's departure from the royal palace with its sensuous pleasures and luxuries at the age of twenty nine, leaving his wife and newborn son in search of the Four Noble Truths. Behind his horse follows the family, his proud parents carrying the monastic robes and other eight requisites, called pareihkara shippa and his sisters or young village maidens carrying ceremonial boxes of paan (kundaung gaing) and lotus blossoms (pandaung gaing) all in their best silks with the rest of the joyous party completing the procession.
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  • Locals, mainly young ladies, during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Locals, mainly young ladies, during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Meal gathering during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • A boy with tanaka paste applied on his face enjoying the Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village with his family.
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  • A young lady with tanaka makeup during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • These men were the cooks during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village. Alcoholic beverages,  accompanied by loudy music, were taken while the cooks prepared the meals at night time.
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  • Three young men i met before breakfast time.
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  • Meal gathering during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Meal gathering during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Meal gathering during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Young men sawing a log in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Locals, mainly young ladies, during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Locals from a neighbour village of Graw Raw Ma Ni, mainly young ladies, during Shinbyu ceremony.
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  • The tent in Graw Raw Ma Ni where the locals were gathered to listen the monks prayers during Shinbyu ceremony.
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  • Local shaving the head of a boy during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Local shaving the head of a boy during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Local shaving the head of a boy during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • Local shaving the head of a boy during Shinbyu ceremony in Graw Raw Ma Ni Village.
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  • A young novice Buddhist monk just after beeing shaved by a local man.
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  • Young novice Buddhist monk getting washed after the hair shaving ceremony.
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  • Novice Buddhist monk getting dressed after the hair shaving ceremony.
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  • Young novice Buddhist monk getting dressed after the hair shaving ceremony.
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  • Women selling vegetables at a market in Pain Ming.
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  • A barber shop in Pain Ming Village.
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  • Women selling dried tobaco leaves at a market in Pain Ming.
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  • Women selling betel leaves at a market in Pain Ming.
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  • Woman weighing betel leaves at a market in Pain Ming.
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  • A man is herding his cattle with a big stick across Lemro River.
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  • Girl posing along Lemro River between Pain Ming and Sain Sai Kyaw Village.
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  • Girl posing along Lemro River between Pain Ming and Sain Sai Kyaw Village.
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  • An elderly tattooed Chin woman i met in Mada Kin, a Chin village along Lemro River.
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  • An elderly tattooed Chin woman i met in Mada Kin, a Chin village along Lemro River.
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  • A girl crossing Lemro River somewhere between the Chin villages of Mada Kin and Sain Sai Kyaw with her slow boat just before sunset.
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  • Morning scene in Sain Sai Kyaw, a Chin Village along Lemro River.
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  • A Chin girl sitting near a fireplace in Sain Sai Kyaw Village early in the morning.
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  • According to "Wikipedia" - The Kukis, also known as the Chin and sometimes as the Zomi, and in the state of Mizoram Mizo are a number of related Tibeto-Burman tribal peoples spread throughout the northeastern states of India, northwestern Burma, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. In Northeast India, they are present in all states except Arunachal Pradesh. This dispersal across international borders is mainly attributed to the British colonial policy.
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  • Portrait of a Chin boy taken in a village near Lemro River.
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  • Portrait of a Chin girl taken in a village near Lemro River.
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