Kyaiktiyo Paya

It is certainly one of the most holy places of Myanmar, but it is also one of the most popular holiday destinations for the Burmese. Of course it is a pilgrimage to all of them, but the whole atmosphere also has a strong ring of disneyland to it. I like those places. The joy and carelessness of the Sunday out. Here literally against the backdrop of the sacred. Holiday of course is holy day. I almost forgot.
We are amongst our own kind here: we are all tourists.
We have our picture taken and we take pictures. That's another thing I like about those places. Not only does nobody care about me taking pictures; no: it is the accepted thing here. More often it seems the goal of the visit itself.

Christmas 1999