misty morning

Once in a while, most of us visit places for the first time to explore; to see what they are like. But at times, we stop for a moment in our life, get out of our daily routines & make it a point to get back to faraway places that we've once been to. Merely out of a desire to see it again.

My indescribable sentiment for such lies in, among a few others, Shan State of Myanmar. Mountains, mist, cool weather, people & all the longing feeling. And Shan State it was, that I went back to at the first opportunity after 14 years. Upon leaving Taunggyi, I went to stay at a nearby town, Kalaw, for a couple of days.

The lovely little town sits among hills. The houses are usually small, yet neat. Most streets wind through hillsides & slopes, lined with pine trees. The white & yellow pagodas lie here & there at various reaches of the streets, wherein stay the devotion of the simple-minded & religious locals. In early mornings, this landscape will be covered with layers of mist, until the sun rays disperse them to glisten the dew drops hanging at the tip of pine needles.

Often, it is not the aesthetic, but the content of the picture that is sought. In other words, it is artistry with deliberation vs spontaneously catching what is at the moment. In my effort to reach a hilltop at an early morning hour at the annoyance of my accompany, this portrayal of a misty morning would fall a bit more closely to the latter. A visual memory.

Indeed, 'tranquil' was picked before I thought of 'niche' to pair it with (hence tranquil niche). Had there been a source of inspiration that triggered my first & foremost fascination with the word 'tranquil' to express myself, it would have been the quiet & peaceful scapes of Shan. If ever there were one place in Myanmar that I would choose to live my life in all peacefulness, that would be Kalaw. A little house at a hill-top would be not at all inappropriate.

Location: Kalaw, Myanmar
Camera: Canon EOS 30D
Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/100s
Aperture: f/10
Focal Length: 38mm
Filter: N/A
Flash: No
Tripod: No