Beautiful Light in Bagan

For visitors to Myanmar, Bagan is a definite stop in the itinerary. For visitors who are avid photographers, Bagan is a dream stop in the itinerary. And for me, the best stop for landscape photography!

Bagan is an ancient city on a site containing over 2000 temples, pagodas and stupas. During its heyday as the capital of the Kingdom then (11-13th century), there were as many as over 10,000 temples etc. Now, while majority seems to be in a state of ruins, many have been restored and maintained. For those interested in the historic and cultural aspects of Myanmar, the temples provide fascinating glimpses into Buddhism in this part of Asia.

What captivated me however, is the golden light during sunrise and sunset. Cast onto the dusty and misty plains, and dotted with the spires of the pagodas and temples, the scene is stupendous. There are a couple of ways to tour the sites. Most backpackers would hire bicycles to visit the attractions. You could also hire a car or a horsecart for the whole day. For photographers who want to catch the sunrises and sunsets (yes you should!), the latter is recommended. Especially if you want to take the sunsets from some temples that are off-the-beaten-path. The roads there are bad, and after sunset, it would be completely dark and cycling at those conditions are certainly not recommended. In fact, some horsecart drivers were also reluctant to go to some of the further temples for sunsets. Remember to check with your drivers! The most common site for sunset viewing is probably Shwesandaw but I went to Pyathada (which is more remote). For those who have a little more budget, you could also have sunrise viewing and photography atop the hot-air balloons! I would imagine the scene would be absolutely fabulous!

And even back in Nyaung U town, the morning light provided wonderful ambience to the local market. Go between 7.30am - 8.30am, and with the tree foliage around the market area and the dusty air, the resultant light rays add plenty of opportunities for good composition!

As mentioned earlier, Bagan is one of Myanmar's top attractions. So there are plenty of options to get to Bagan, from buses and rail, to air and boat! And there are 3 areas for acommodation options - Old Bagan, New Bagan, and Nyaung U. The latter is where most of the budget options are. Whichever the options, Bagan is my favourite sunrise/sunset location in Myanmar!

Nepal

Nepal is one of the places that was extra memorable to me. It was my first foray into a multi-day trekking trip, in a less developed country. It opened my eyes, and widened my thirst for more adventurous travel, and on top of that, with my "new" second-hand digital SLR, it was quite literally the bud that grew to my Roving Light website :)


For the trekking initiate, I think the routes in Nepal are quite excellent. They are relatively simple, and flexible enough to be able to provide different options (length) for different people. Me and my friends did a short 3day trek in the Annapurna region. It could easily been a 5-6 day trek, and for the hardier, there is even the famous ABC (Annapurna Base Camp) trek which could extend to 18-21 days! But regardless of the length, the scenaries are spectacular. With the Annapurna mountain ranges as a backdrop to your trek, it was indeed exhilarating. Not just the air, but the light in the mountains are fantastic too!




The exposure to the people living in the mountains was also an interesting experience for me. Their living conditions and their lives are often inconceivable by us city folks. The children in the villages are adorable, and as the region receives more trekkers, many of them would give chocolates or sweets to these children. A simple thought really, but on a bigger level, could actually cause a dental problem as there are no dental clinics in the mountains! The children would also start begging and pestering for these, which is certainly not something to be encouraged. So, it really brought different perspectives to me, of the world that revolves as a whole but at such a different pace at its different parts.

Go take a look at that part of the world, Nepal.

Alpenglow

I first came across this term in one of Galen Rowell's picture books. When I finally saw one, I was pretty excited to have a shot at it ... in fact, many shots... This intense red colour/glow is a result of light travelling through our atmosphere, and succumbing to the laws of nature (refraction, wavelength etc). I do not wish to go into the technical details, and in fact, can't because I'm not sure I can explain it well (see below). But twice a day, this phenomenon will occur if the sun's rays were unobscured on the mountain peak. The wondrous nature is further amplified by the speed at which the light changes!





For those going to mountain trips, esp if you're trekking, I urge you to get up before sunrise, at least once in the trip, to witness this show. Once the sun rises and cast its light onto the mountain face, it's spectacular! The above was taken in Nepal and the 3 shots were taken within 8 minutes! Similarly during sundown, just as the sun dips below the horizon, have your tripod ready!

Galen Rowell was one of the finest nature/landscape photographers out there, and was my inspiration for landscape photography. Unfortunately, he and his wife (who was also an accomplished photographer) died in a plane crash in Aug 2002. His book Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape was truly one of the most informative and inspiring books for me. You can read more about alpenglow and the explanation in this book.

Since then, I've shot numerous alpenglow. But my first exposure to alpenglow in this trip remains one of my most memorable, and this evening alpenglow remains one of my top favourites.