Rice market, Sittwe

Rice market, Sittwe

Noodle stand, Sittwe (photo by Luc Ortelli)

Noodle stand, Sittwe (photo by Luc Ortelli)

Ratanabon Paya, Mrauk U

Ratanabon Paya, Mrauk U

Naing Aung Thu and Thu Zar Khin, Mrauk U

Naing Aung Thu and Thu Zar Khin, Mrauk U

Kaladan River, Sittwe

Kaladan River, Sittwe

Strand Road, Sittwe

Strand Road, Sittwe

Restaurant waiter, Sittwe

Restaurant waiter, Sittwe

Mrauk U

Mrauk U

Mrauk U

Mrauk U

Soe Naing, Sittwe

Soe Naing, Sittwe

Bay of Bengal, Sittwe

Bay of Bengal, Sittwe

Maung Hla Tun, Sittwe

Maung Hla Tun, Sittwe

Myanmar

Rakhine State

February 2010 • Overstayed my visa by 10 days and spent the extra time in Sittwe and Mrauk U, near the border with Bangladesh. Made some good friends in both towns, but the culture was very different from other places I visited in Myanmar. Sittwe especially was hard to get a handle on—an uneasy mix of Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and state control. Just walking around seemed to invite unwanted attention from drive-by hecklers and idiots on foot. At the government-run hotel, a ministry official accosted me and demanded to see my passport, asking belligerently and repeatedly why I was in the country. Luckily holmes was too drunk to notice my visa had expired.

Rice market, Sittwe

Rice market, Sittwe

Noodle stand, Sittwe (photo by Luc Ortelli)

Noodle stand, Sittwe (photo by Luc Ortelli)

Ratanabon Paya, Mrauk U

Ratanabon Paya, Mrauk U

Naing Aung Thu and Thu Zar Khin, Mrauk U

Naing Aung Thu and Thu Zar Khin, Mrauk U

Kaladan River, Sittwe

Kaladan River, Sittwe

Strand Road, Sittwe

Strand Road, Sittwe

Restaurant waiter, Sittwe

Restaurant waiter, Sittwe

Mrauk U

Mrauk U

Mrauk U

Mrauk U

Soe Naing, Sittwe

Soe Naing, Sittwe

Bay of Bengal, Sittwe

Bay of Bengal, Sittwe

Maung Hla Tun, Sittwe

Bay of Bengal, Sittwe