Perhaps the most elegant in Yangon, the gift shop at the old Strand Hotel offers an amazing array of Burmese arts, crafts, and antiques. The Strand is Yangon's most expensive hotel. Its 52 tasteful rooms were originally built in 1903 and reflect the heyday of British Rangoon, circa 1920s and 30s. I liked the similarity of the poses of both this saleswoman and the life sized carving gracing her shop. Each stands ramrod straight, with grace and quiet dignity, as does the big black container that stands between them. Hands are present in neither instance. One tucks them behind her back, the other has lost his somewhere along the way. Neither the saleswoman nor the carving is smiling at me, either. (Smiling for a photo is a custom that has yet to fully reach Burma and Laos.) I deliberately placed the woman off to the left hand side of the image to let her stand apart from the large black container and the carving. She is in a better position to show off all of her wares that flow across the image. Her white blouse makes her the focal point of the picture, because it contrasts to everything else in it. She was also one of the few Burmese women I met who does not paint her face in the ubiquitous Thanaka yellow makeup. If she wore it, it would most certainly clash with the Strand’s elegant European style. She is reserved, professional and represents the traditions of the Strand. For example, she may help you buy something here, but you would have to respectfully ask her for that help. Her portrait offers us a good look into the nature of the Strand itself, even though its hotel facilities are nowhere to be seen here.