A Present from Slovakia

Finally, today i received a surprise at my doorstep which i have long forgotten about...well since my birthday is coming, i thought i should self celebrate it with some little gifts this month...


It has been 3 weeks since i last bought it off ebay from seller cupog. I remembered that i didnt ask him too much question about the item, especially when he told me that the copy he will sell me is like mint...if Cupog says its mint, it is!

I must comment that Cupog is a very reputable seller, especially for its Pentacon Six and Flexaret TLR..and if you are looking for assurance in the item purchased, he is the one to look for...
Apart from the trust-able good quality products that he is selling, he quote a fairly reasonable price for his items. I bet i would get it more expensive locally in a lousier condition...

The case was in a much better condition that i thought it would be given its age...


The lens was clean and the belar 80 f3.5 lens has a reputation of soft coating...which might do well for portraits...that i must try.


Im a TLR lover which my dear readers would have known from the past few entries...
While everyone is chasing after a Rolleiflex, i strayed and took the chance to check out other finest TLR that i could still find in the market.
Flexaret was quite an interesting TLR when i started studying on them. While comments and pictures can be found on the internet, there is nothing more accurate than trying them out. So given a good copy that i can still find at an affordable rate, i chose the last series of TLR cameras made by Meopta, the Flexaret VII. It is a fully mechanical camera with an all metal body.


While fiddling with the camera, i realised that it has some advanced features mirroring Rolleiflex models. For example, you can set the light value on a mechanical ring, which sets a series combinations of shutter speeds and diapgragms. When you decide that you need to stop down the lens, there is no need to choose the speed any more.


There is always a unique operating function in each TLR which i call them their "character" and It didnt took me too long to figure out that the round button by the side of the camera was the shutter trigger button. Its more for doing a double exposure since the winder would auto clock the shutter when you advance the film.


A very clean screen..


I bought the camera together with the 645 and 35mm adapter...it was a complete set in very good condition..


So now, i have a complete set....(not till i find some b36 mount filters and hood)

Shwe Yan Pyay Temple, Heho.

If you visit Inle Lake, on your way from the airport at Heho to the village of Nyaung Shwe, you will pass a monastery.
Shwe Yan Pyay monastery, a small little unnoticeable monastery. This 19th century monastery built entirely of teak, painted red, is a place for young novice monks and their teachers.
Its a place where they practice and learn. This place has incredible lighting inside.

The young novice monks, cloaked in reds and orange robes is a great subject for photographers.. Sadly the time that we visited was during noon and the lighting was so harsh.

But it turns out well in B&W..   















135mm Color - Colorplus 200, Canon 50mm f1.4ltm
6x6 Trix 400, R09, Mamiya c220 80mm f2.8

Bagan - The Ancient Religious City (Pics intensive)

There are two preeminent ancient religious cities in Southeast Asia, Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor in Cambodia. Both sites are notable for their expanse of sacred geography and the number of temples. Scattered across a vast dusty plain, is the scores of Buddhist Pagodas.

The first day, we hired a driver and visited quite a no. of Pagodas, of which some are really magnificent. But as we explore more, we got overloaded with pagodas that we cannot remember which is which...

That is where we decided on the 2nd day to re explore the place in a slower pace.

The left untouched ancient Pagodas.




A Local who earns as a local guide for the templae, sit by the entrance waiting for visitors...


Stalls were built along the path to the entrance of the Pagoda




The awesome view of these ancient Pagoda, reminded us the process of constructing it...




Inside, you will find the Buddha statue in all 4 entrance.






The next Pagoda that we visited is a small one that was near the river..


Where monks and locals ride a distance to reach this temple and offer their prayers..


The kids here started earning their livings at a very young age. This is a common sight in most 3rd World country...well, the good thing is that they aren't exploited...they working willingly here as peddlers, helpers, guides to help out with the family financial...




This little boy was really observant and helped out in a restaurant that we had our lunch..


As we moved on, we see herds of cattle..Most of the locals here are still farmers. 











Its only on the 2nd day where we took our own pace to revisit some of the more secluded area that we discovered more awe inspiring sites.




A pagoda away from the popular sites...we spend out time slowly here..


This little kid was in the pagoda and he looked abit grouchy as we approached him...


With tranquility here and lesser tourist flooding the area, we had a great time taking our own portraits.... Here's one where Holly posed for a shot...


Viewing Sunset at Shwesandaw Paya is a must..and so we went there at 4pm..

Climbing up the stairs here is a challenge, each steps is built very steep..



But once you are up...the kind of satisfaction and views is rewarding...

Everyone enjoying themselves after conquering the fleet of stairs..






Sadly we didnt get to see the sunset... but then again..its still quite a sight...


This trip to Bagan did left me a deep impression...and definitely a nice place to explore by cycling or walking if you have the time..

Canon P, CV25mm f4, Canon 50mm f1.4 and Canon 100mm f3.5
Colors shot on top, Kodak Pro Image 100,
B&W Legacy Pro 100, HC110 stand & Trix 400, R09
Colors shot below, Kodak Colorplus 200