This was our first photo-stop in Bagan upon arriving there by domestic flight from Yangon in the early morning - the Minnanthu region near the village of Minnanthu. We had checked into the hotel first, so by the time we got here, it was already mid-morning and the sunlight was harsh, bearing down unrelentlessly on the dusty plain. All around were the ruins or remains of what were undoubtedly once glorious temples/pagodas in Bagan at the height of its golden days, viz: the Payathonzu Temple, Tayoke Pyae, Thambulla and Leimyethna Pagoda, etc. Then, this shepherd and his flock of goats walked into view, jolting us back into the present and reminding us that the inhabitants of this land, which once ruled a great Burmese empire, are peasants and farmers who have to struggle to make a living off the land...