March 2013

It is spring in the south of France and it’s easy to see why the Côte d’Azur (the Blue Coast) of the French Riviera is so named…

The startling blues of the Mediterranean sea and sky, coupled with the vibrant colours of spring, make a beautiful backdrop for the historic stone buildings in this part of the world...

It may only be the beginning of March but the sun is out, the skies are clear, and the festivals are in full swing. The Mimosa Festival was just winding down when we arrived in Mandelieu near Cannes, but the red mountains of l’esterel were still radiant with golden blossoms…

The Mimosas of the l’esterel mountains herald the return of the sun and are celebrated along the coast from Cannes to St. Tropez on the road christened ‘Le Route de Mimosa’. We followed this winding seaside route to the ancient port that has been synonymous with the high life for more than a century. This is St. Tropez before the yachts of the glitterati arrive for the season…

Interestingly, the Mimosas are an invasive species introduced from Australia. In British Columbia we have an equally invasive species – the Scotch Broom. However, while the French celebrate their golden bonanza with festivals and celebrations, we in Canada spend a great deal of effort trying to eradicate ours. But the Mimosa Festival is not the only celebration of spring, and mid-week we went to Nice to witness the annual Battle of the Flowers…
There was a parade of spectacularly adorned floats the length of the seafront, (Le Promenade d'Anglais), along with clowns, bands and giant inflatables…

Hundreds of thousands of blossoms are used to decorate the elaborate floats...
And, while the flower girls threw bunches of Mimosa into the crowds, they were pelted with confetti in return.
The third festival on the coast in less than a week was the Fetes de Citron in Menton where more than 100 tons of oranges and lemons are annually used to create enormous monuments in the park. While the statues are certainly spectacular in size, one need to look no further than the market in Cannes for an amazing display of fabulous fruits and vegetables...

...Not to mention an incredible array of cheeses, fish, meats and … Oh. Don’t get us started – just look at this mouthwatering lot….

After a week soaking up the spring sunshine on the Côte d’Azur we are now en-route to England – C’est la vie!

Many worlds coexist in Burma today but the stark disparity between rich and poor is less evident in Burma than other Southeast Asian countries. Most people have very little. This young man was taking great care of his ox – a valuable commodity in a country where animals are still a major form of transportation…

Every male is expected to be a monk at some time in his life. However, unlike disciples of other religions where monastic life is a lifetime commitment, most Buddhists only wear robes for a month or so in order to complete their obligation…

Girls are not required to be nuns, but some choose the life…

Although western style stores are creeping into the larger cities, most shopping is still done at the market where many thousands of women scratch a living…

Immediately noticeable to western eyes are the multitudes of children, working in Dickensian conditions or simply accompanying their working parents. This little girl was wandering about a temple complex while her father collected offerings…

While this little boy, (maybe 5 or 6 years old), was competently maneuvering a twenty foot canoe all by himself…

The fishermen of Inle Lake were a particularly colourful lot…

And this delightful old man was our rower and guide when we visited the world’s longest wooden bridge in Mandalay…

But old age is relative in third world countries, where life expectancy is often less than sixty, so we were frequently amazed to discover that we were considerably older than the “oldie” who was riding us around in his rickshaw or rowing us in his boat. We have no idea how old this guy was, but these pretty young girls at school in Mandalay represent the future of this beautiful, enigmatic, country…

We loved Burma – it is a fascinating place – but we especially loved the wonderfully kind people who made us feel so welcome.