London destination photographer – Burma Myanmar travel destination photography – Yangon, Pindaya, Inle Lake, Bagan, Mandalay
‘This is Burma & it is unlike any land you know about.’ – Rudyard Kipling
When 2016 began, I promised to adventure & challenge myself this year. So when an opportunity arose to visit Myanmar (formally Burma) with The Flash Pack, a travel company for solo travellers, I took a deep breath & followed my intuition. If I’m honest, I had no knowledge of the country or the traditions there, but 80%-Buddhist Myanmar fast won my heart. Our adventure took us far off the tourist path to Yangon, Pindaya, Inle Lake, Kakku, the ancient city of Bagan & Mandalay, to experience authentic Myanmar sights & traditions. Honestly I was left breathless every single day & had tears in my eyes staring at the wonders that I was fortunate enough to be faced with. This is Burma – nestled between India, China & Thailand – & it really IS unlike any land you know about.
With hazy red air & magical sounds of bells atop the hundreds of golden pagodas & temples that jewel the landscapes, this is a country that I can see fast becoming a top tourist destination & I feel so extremely grateful to have been able to experience the authenticity & proudness of the Myanmar people. But this is a country by no means for the faint-hearted – on many occasions was my comfort-zone challenged in taking propellor-plane flights, trips on tiny canoe boats on huge lakes, becoming very ill from my anti-malaria tablets, zig-zagging roads high up in the mountains, riding glass elevators up cliff-faces to visit caves filled with tens of thousands of golden Buddhas, hand-feeding & washing rescued elephants & seeing my reflection in the eyes of these great beasts, waking at 4am to climb an almost-vertical ancient temple in pitch black by myself (camera & torch in one hand!) to see the sun rise. Wow. All these experiences & more pushed my limits physically, emotionally & mentally & this wonder-filled adventure definitely changed my perception of the world &, indeed, myself, but I loved every moment & it was ultimately more than worth it.
Now I have returned to London, with a renewed sense of perspective, wonder & gratitude, & I would urge anyone who has the opportunity to travel somewhere like this – just do it, in a heartbeat. Memories like this will last you a lifetime & beyond, & for that reason this is a long blog post. Should you reach the end then I applaud & thank you for viewing this small insight into my wonder-full experiences. I captured almost 3,000 photographs during my travels & have here presented my 200 particular favourites. What I really wanted was to capture the true feeling & atmosphere & energy of Myanmar. Enjoy… Nx
(watch with sound – it’s like magic!)
IMG_8251 from Natalie Watts on Vimeo.
If you are planning your wedding in the UK or anywhere else in the world, I would love to document it for you. Please do get in touch here.
These are amazing Nat, looks like you had an amazing time! Thanks so much for sharing!