lotus fabric, unique to burma. this woman is pulling fragile fibers from lotus stems; the fibers will be spun to form stronger thread. stems have to be used within 3 days of plucking, and over 100,000 stems are needed to make a monk's robe.

and the lotus is not cultivated, they grow wild. the process of making just the thread involves an incredible amount of work, let alone weaving lotus thread which requires special looms. the monks get to wear lotus fabric - so much devotion & hard work goes into their simple garb