Balloon Fest Crash!

An ill timed gust of wind can spell instant Disaster by causing the craft to come crashing down in Flames into the Crowd. Worse even is the entire Payload of explosive Fireworks blasting full force into the spectators. Most years claim a Life, the Deadliest 2001 claimed Seven. Dangerous, but it's a Blast!

Bagan: Planet of 4000 Pagodas!

Click on Pic to enlarge The result of a Building Frenzy that began in the mid 1100's, following conversion to Theravada Buddhism. This lasted for roughly 200 years under a succession of rulers disposing of a steady and willing supply of skilled "Crafts People". Covering an area of 25 sq. miles, the sheer scale of the temple ruins is mind blowing and Beautiful! Droool... Feels like a gigantic abandoned Hollywood film set...CINEMASCOPE... Perched as I am high on a temple ledge I have the spectacle of Sunset all to myself, aaaaahhh... That is until that fast approaching dust cloud reveals itself to be a Tourist bus packed to the gills!

Amulet Market

Room where murders are committed...

Dingy Hovel...

My type of place. Cardboard thin walls and window facing a Gas station...The price is right! Bring your own Padlock

Prisoners of The Buddha Skyscraper

Bodhi Thataung, Monywa. An impressive 33 story tall Golden Buddha! (2nd tallest in the world)

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Baoom fest!

Click on pic to enlarge. My depiction of the Taungyii (Burma) Balloon festival. Hundreds of thousands of people, Man powered ferris wheels, Balloons, Fireworks. Cheap excellent Whiskey. Dubious sanitary conditions. Loads of Fun!

Zombies of Rangoon?

Following the uprisings of 1988 and the Monk uprisings of 2007 and the subsequent brutal crackdowns by the Burmese regime,claiming thousands of victims, the streets of Rangoon were literally running with blood. Since then residents have reported multiple encounters with ghostlike beings, bloody and bearing gaping abdomen wounds wandering the hallways of Rangoon General Hospital as well as locales where the bloodiest clashes took place...

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Balloon Fireworks fest in Taungyii, Burma. On the First Full Moon after the rainy Season Hundreds of ballons loaded with fireworks are launched towards the sky, amazing!

Here are the same " Buddhist Hell" images but Printed. 4-color Pseudo - Process ( DOTS!) on Vinyl Sticker paper.

(click on Pic to enlarge) 4 color print on Vinyl Adhesive Sticker Substrate. 9.5" by 13.5". Signed.

Buddhist Hell Illustrated

Just finished this page design for a new set of "Stinckers" Loosely based on the Thai Buddhist Hell Sculpture Parks in Thailand.

Burmese Daze Cover Art

Burma Cassettes

Apparently Burma never had LPs. The country went straight from 78rpms to Cassettes.
45's and LP's all happened during the "great sleep" era, when the country closed in on itself.
Featured here Myi Aung. one of my faves. As far as I could tell his music is only available in cassettes. Not a CD of him anywhere!

Burma "Eau De Toilette"

The leaning outhouse of Sinbo and the Bucket Shower of Katha...

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Burma Travel Tip!

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Burma Money $cam!

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Time Warp Haiku

The Man who fell to Burma...

Myitkyina to Sinbo Ferry

Myitkyina's main draw as a destination is its being the launching point for a boat journey down the mighty Ayerwaddy river.
The vessel we board on the first leg of our trip is a sort of floating bus.Long , narrow and low, with a tarp draped over an aluminum tubing frame to protect passengers from the scorching sun or the pounding rain, depending on the season.
The seats are narrow and offer very little legroom.Definitely not designed with my long legs in mind! That explains why foreigners are routinely charged double as we inevitably end up needing two seats!
First come, first served, so grab the seats closest to the front as the rear ones are drowned in the deafening roar of the motors!
Note*-As of June 2011 this area is off-limits to foreigners as a result of armed clashes between Kachin Independance Army and the Burmese military.
For the complete story click on this link.

click on image to enlarge.

Kachin up! (Myitkyina Immigration)

Click on images to enlarge!

Our Luggage performed a disappearing act between exiting the airplane and passing through Immigration in Myitkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar (Burma)

This area OFF LIMITS! as of June 2011, due to some fighting between KIA troops and Burmese Military.How long? that's anyone's guess.


For the complete tale with pictures click here.

Gullible's Travels...

In the entrails of the Giant Buddha...
Click on Images to enlarge.