Rakhine backwaters, a photo from Rakhine, South

Photographer's Note

When I have looked recently at my archive photos from Rakhine State in Myanmar, I discovered, firstly, that I have quite many nice pictures that maybe I have never seen, and secondly, this area is a bit similar to famous Kerala backwaters. But when you look at the map, you will see many rivers or canals.

Mrauk U, like much of Rakhine State, is situated in a coastal tropical monsoon rainforest climate region. The town receives over 1,200 millimetres (47 in) of rain a year from the Southwestern Monsoon, making it one of the wettest regions in Myanmar. The Monsoon season usually begins in late May and ends by mid October. As Mrauk U and her kingdom prospered, the kings, ministers and peasants built many pagodas and temples around the town to reflect their faith. Thus, Mrauk U houses a rich collection of temples and pagodas second only to the Central Burmese town of Bagan, in Myanmar. Most of Mrauk U's temples were constructed of hewn stone bricks, unlike the mud and clay bricks of Bagan.
Today, Mrauk U is a major archaeological and tourist destination.[15] The main attractions are the temples and ruins around the town. The remains of the main palace roughly form the centre of the town. The most popular mode for tourists to travel to Mrauk U is to take a domestic flight from Yangon to Sittwe and board a boat from Sittwe against the Kaladan River. The hotels in Mrauk U also arrange private boat services to and from Sittwe.

Mrauk U houses a growing tourist industry, as it has only recently become a reachable tourist destination. (from Wikipedia)

I wonder how it looks like now. In 2011 the electricity was available only a few hours a day, the women had to go for water to the wells and there
were a few telephone numbers for the whole village.

Bigger beta picture

map

Another view

ikeharel, Royaldevon, tyro, tyro, Ilonka1974, PaulVDV, jean113, pierrefonds, bukitgolfb301, papagolf21, jhm, ChrisJ, alvaraalto, ktanska, Hansaphotos, macjake, adramad, cornejo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

BennyV (34780) 2019-09-15 6:34

Another great one from the time machine, Malgo. Good colours, good framing. I don't think the location has changed that much.

Benny

Royaldevon (86526) 2019-09-15 7:05

Hello Malgo,

I, too, was stuck by the similarity shown in your photographs and those shown by Paul, from Kerala.
There is always something so very very peaceful about moored boats, especially when they are shown against a b/g of upright pal trees. Though there is a gentle ripple on the water, the colourful boats look steady and their reflections can still be perceived.

Your map shows lots of rivers and lakes roundabout. Water travel must be very important.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

holmertz (103710) 2019-09-15 7:15

Hello Malgo,
It's a beautiful photo and I would immediately have thought it was from Kerala. The similarities are obvious. Judging from the map it's not very far from where the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas has been carried out by the army. That area probably also used to look idyllic. I get a bit upset when I read that you have so many nice pictures "that maybe I have never seen". What's the point of taking thousands of photos on every journey if you don't even have time to look at them?
Best regards,
Gert

ChrisJ (172440) 2019-09-15 7:19

Hello Malgo,

You had perfect lighting to bring out the intense colors of the tropical vegetation and rustic fishing boats. Nice reflections with good sharpness. Reminds me of the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok around Nontaburi on the outskirts of the city. Tfs!

Silvio1953 (223069) 2019-09-15 7:21

Ciao cara Malgo , lovely composition with beautiful boats and palms, nice reflections, wonderful natural colors, splendid light and excellent clarity, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

tyro (30513) 2019-09-15 8:40

Hi dear Malgo,

A lovely informative note and two beautiful photographs to enjoy!

I was quite amused to read your conversation with Gert - and I can fully understand your philosophy - taking so many photographs can well provide many more "virtual" adventures when the time comes that we are not physically fit enough to travel to far away places! And it is interesting too that when we visit a new place we tend to want to see the famous features of that place - but often the people and their way of life are more interesting to us than famous buildings, temples or cathedrals.

Excellent!

Kindest Regards,

John.

Ilonka1974 (10307) 2019-09-15 10:02

Czesc Malgorzata,
Wspaniala kolejna odslona zdjec tego pieknego kraju.
Oby ta seria zdjec trwala jak najdłuzej.
Pozdrawiam
Janusz

Nicou (193814) 2019-09-15 10:26

Hello

quels bateaux et vue quelle image superbe c'est des bateaux avec habitation on voit les rideaux deux parties deux bateaux quelle compo avec ces arbres les reflet sur le plan d'eau quel ensemble parfait
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

PaulVDV (63546) 2019-09-15 11:22

Hello Malgo,
You could have fooled me by telling that this photo was taken in Kerala.
It does indeed seem like a similar water area with also very colourful boats and huge palm trees lining the waterfront.
I was in Myanmar in 1997 but Mrauk U was still unknown then ...
Best regards, Paul

mesutilgim (0) 2019-09-15 12:21

Hello dear Malgo,
Another topclass capture/entry in your gallery.
Not only photographycally but also with very rich and usable notes a perfect TE job. Almost like a scientific paper.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

jean113 (28325) 2019-09-15 13:51

Hello Malgo, this seems almost 3D on my screen, the clarity is excellent.
A beautiful picture, 'oozing' calmness.
A very interesting note.
Regards Jean.

lousat (140058) 2019-09-15 14:10

Ciao Malgo,2 beautiful pics,different countries but same style of the last pics of Paul from Kerala,i like a lot the compositions,and the quality is excellent too,very curious to know that there aren't a lot of phones when you were there,maybe now something has changed. Have a nice week and thanks,Luciano

pierrefonds (115645) 2019-09-15 17:29

Hi Malgo,

The palm trees are framing well the scene. the point of view is showing the details of the boats. The light is mmaking the colors to stand out. Have a nice day.

Pierre

ifege (49573) 2019-09-15 18:23

Hi Malgo
Good street/river photo. Great view of the boats and riverside vegetation.
Cheers
Ian

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2019-09-15 18:29

Hi dear Malgo

Yes, Myanmar is so photogenic country, isn't it, Malgo!
I have not yet visit the south-area, that is the next target. There seems to be Kelala, south India too.

All the best and have a good day! Takero

Tue (93556) 2019-09-15 22:28

Hello Malgo,
The ships are placed perfectly in the centre of the shot, especially the one in front stands out thanks to its bright colours. The small ripples of the water add some very nice reflections as well and the tall palm trees make a great backdrop. The natural green and blue tones there go really well together.
Lars

papagolf21 (152607) 2019-09-16 2:27

Bonjour, chère Malgo,
Une prise de vue ravissante, étonnante, belle et décorative.
Ces bateaux colorés forment de belles taches sur les eaux.
Quant aux palmiers environnants, ils donnent l'impression que les palmes s'amusent à danser au rythme du vent !
Très bonne journée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Miguel82 (47110) 2019-09-16 2:37

Hello Malgorzata, the wooden boats are used to explore Rakhine backwaters, attractive luxuriant vegetation. Vivid colors, good image quality and excellent light, instructive photo note, regards.

jhm (211738) 2019-09-16 4:10

Hello Malgo,

I am back after a week, but recover not.
Again a wonderful picture with the boats and palm trees.
An excellent composition, nice panorama too.
Colours an sharpness are perfect.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

Gerrit (62042) 2019-09-16 9:33

Hello MAlgo,
beautiful bright colored boats in an idyllic view along this peaceful water in the palmforest,
Thanks and regards,
Gerrit

alvaraalto (42868) 2019-09-16 14:37

Hello Malgo
The wetlands in south-east Asia are popular with TE and rightly so because they are very interesting areas and usually also very photogenic.
In the Netherlands, the fight against water is very important and so is the interest in these areas.
Excellent presentation
Have a nice day. Groet Rob

abmdsudi (95869) 2019-09-16 19:53

Hi Malgorzata
Beautiful in lovely light, an idyllic setting for photo shoot and pretty colourful boats grabbing our attentions! The shimmering water lends a nice finishing touch. Excellent capture.
Best regards

drt100 (4038) 2019-09-17 0:54

If investment is here then the economy would support technological advances, but perhaps little has changed. I really like these boats. Asian boats are so complex - these may be passenger ones. Colors made to be seen. I also like the tall palms in the background. A great tropical feeling here. Very nice, must have been a great trip in 2011. drt100 David

ktanska (45116) 2019-09-17 10:17

Hi Malgo,
Beautiful riverside view from Myanmar. I like the colours of boats on the left. Palm trees give strong tropical feeling.
Kari

Cricri (176) 2019-09-17 11:08

juste un petit passage pour te faire un petit bonjour a toi aussi Malgo :-)
Un beau souvenir de Myanmar magnifiquement bien présenter, couleurs et lumière au top
Un de ces jours je t'écrit sur FB en Français ( voir ou en son tes progrès :-)
bisous
cricri

Hansaphotos (11381) 2019-09-17 14:01

Hello Malgo

Wow, 1,200 millimetres of rain a year - that`s a lot, I thought we had a lot here in Bergen, haha. It`s a beautiful photo, very well taken. Splendid colours and well managed light. Interesting and informative text to accompany. Lovely work:) TFS.

Greetings, Erling

Quantum_light (118) 2019-09-18 6:32

Hello Malgorzata,
So nice to meet you here! Thank you so much for your welcome comment, greatly appreciated!
This is a wonderful photograph with lovely framing and colors. The caption is truly excellent.
Kindest greetings,
Iulia

carlo62 (81265) 2019-09-19 7:50

Ciao Malgo
penso che in questi anni le cose siano cambiate, sicuramente il turismo ha modificato il luogo, non so se in meglio...
Ti porti dietro dei bei ricordi, anche dalle foto si notano una tranquillità e una pace che forse adesso si è persa.
Saluti
Carlo

macjake (98544) 2019-09-23 9:13

Hi Malgo
too bad you couldn't squeeze in the tops of the palms trees, but really, thats a pretty minor thing. perhaps in the 8 years since you took this photo, they've increased their electricity and phone lines, and maybe running water? but that would be difficult to get running water that quickly. a fine collection of boats in this warm light, a pleasant shot for sure and more learning from the note :) cheers
Craig

adramad (73496) 2019-09-24 12:32

Hi Malgo
Contrast of the old boat next to the newest recently painted, the place is ideal with the calm waters of the backwaters and the preciousness of palm trees in the background.
Well done, I love it.
Best regards.
Luis.

jmdias (116601) 2019-10-08 10:46

malgo

I liked the view with these boats and palm trees well framed and very beautiful. nice place and photo.

take care

jorge

cornejo (61504) 2019-11-13 11:27

Hola Malgo, muy buena vista de estas bonitas casas barco, muy bien compuesta y captada en esta buena y bonita fotografia. Una interesante imagen con buena nitidez, luz, color y calidad. Muy buen y bonito trabajo perfectamente realizado, mis felicitaciones amiga mia. Gracias por compartir este interesante trabajo.

Buena noche y feliz resto de semana.
Todo lo mejor desde el sur de España.
Angel.