Our guide, Mu Mu, wrinkled up her nose when she learned I planned to take the Circular Train in Yangon. “It is not very comfortable,” she said. “Hard to go to the bathroom and takes a long time.” It sounded perfect to me. Later that morning, I traipsed through the mud to a dilapidated ticket … Read more
Afternoon break for tea and Checkers in Myanmar. Squatting on low plastic stools that are set out on the streets around Scott Market in Yangon, these men seemed oblivious to the cars and motorcycles that sped by with only inches to spare. The game is played with bottle caps rather than true markers, which most … Read more
Unloading charcoal to be sold at the market in Dala, a small village across the river from downtown Yangon, Myanmar. In an attempt to slow down deforestation, the production of charcoal has been restricted in some regions of the country. Charcoal use in the cities is decreasing, as the new democratic government has made great … Read more
Proud papa and baby pose for photos while riding the Circular Train that makes a three-hour circuit around Yangon, Myanmar. The baby’s face is covered with Thanakha paste, made from a powder obtained by grinding branches of the Thanakha tree. It is widely used as a protection from the intense sun, and the designs are … Read more
I dug into my huevos rancheros with gusto during my last morning on Isla Mujeres, a tiny island off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. Five days earlier I had arrived, tired and dispirited, with little appetite and less energy. Of late, I’d been struggling with the question of whether I should be doing something more … Read more
