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Myanmar - A Magic Land
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Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, is one of the few truly original travel experiences remaining in this much-travelled world. Decades of social and economic isolation have preserved here many of the traditional features, physical and cultural, which have been lost in other Asian countries.
Myanmar is a captivating travel destination - for its diversity of sightseeing, for the wealth of cultural and scenic attractions it can offer and, above all, for the warmth and friendliness of its charming people. Much of the country's attraction is in its history and artistic culture. Myanmar lies at the meeting point of two of the world's great civilizations, China and India, but it blends both of these influences with its own very special local characteristics. The people have preserved traditional values, and are deeply devout in their religion, with a close-knit family system and respect for elders still powerfully observed. Myanmar people are fun-loving and festivals form the centre of Myanmar social life, with each month having its own festive occasion. Myanmar people are also known for their sense of hospitality and friendliness to visitors.
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Yangon
Surrounded on three sides by water, Yangon has a unique charm with its old colonial buildings, tree lined streets, bustling markets and tranquil lakes. Pagodas glisten among trees and houses and at the heart of Yangon is the mighty Shwedagon PagodaˇKalways bustling with people who come to worship, picnic, read or simply quietly absorb the surroundings. "The Shwedagon rose superb, glistening with its gold, like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soulˇK.." wrote Somerset Maugham.
One of the most magnificent monuments on earth, and said to date from the 11th century, the stupa is plated with more than 8,000 solid gold slabs and its tip is set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and topaz. The Shwedagon is surrounded by more than 100 smaller stupas, pavilions and halls. Yangon, as the capital city of Myanmar, is a thriving sea port which is fast-changing with new buildings and busy streets as you would expect from a newly-emerging international city.
Other attractions include a selection of smaller pagodas, an intriguing national museum, and traditional markets which are worth a browse. The city can be comfortably visited in a day or two, allowing more time for exploring the richer sites of Mandalay and Bagan.
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Mandalay
Built along side the Ayeyarwady River, Mandalay combines Myanmar's royal history and the preservation of spiritual traditions. The royal heritage can be found at the Golden Palace Monastery with its exquisite wood carvings. The spiritual heart is enshrined at Mahamuni pagoda, housing the most venerated Buddha statue in Mandalay. The large seated image is so greatly revered that layer upon layer of gold leaf, placed as a mark of homage by a ceaseless flow of worshippers, have distorted the true shape of the statue. Only the highly polished face, gazing serenely is untouched.
With its wood-carving, stone sculpting, gold-leaf-making and cheroot rolling, Mandalay comes across as a kind of huge oriental bazaar. The shopping hub of upper Myanmar, this is where the colourful hill tribes come together and mingle with the townspeople. The nearby Sagaing Hill provides stunning panoramic views. The pagoda-studded hill at Sagaing ranks as one of the most imposing sights in the whole of Myanmar, with the view also taking in the Ayeyarwady River itself - a reminder of how the river serves as the very lifeline connecting all the major sights Myanmar has to offer.
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Bagan
Some 5,000 monuments, a testament to Bagan as a former centre of Buddhist spirituality and learning, are scattered over the 42 square kilometres of the Ayeyarwady River.
The kings of Burma from 1044 to 1287 devoted their energy and considerable resources to building pagodas and temples. While their great palaces which were built of wood have since burnt down or crumbled away, hundreds of temples and pagodas remain on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River.
As a World Heritage Site, Bagan stands alongside the other great centres of South East Asia, comparable only to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Framed on both sides by the great Ayeyarwady River, the main concentration of monuments is around the original city on the bend of the river. No two monuments are the same. All are highly original in design and conception. Bagan cannot fail to move you. Ask any visitor who has witnessed the sun rise or set across these fields of glowing temples. The temples are now empty.
Sacked by man or felled by nature, the great communities of chanting monks and reverberating bells have moved on. In its place is calmness and peace, and a vision of wonder at how man was capable of creating such a vast city of spiritual monuments.
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Inle Lake
Lake Inle in Shan state is nearly 100km long and just 5km wide, with more than 200 villages on or around it. Most of the inhabitants are Intha people, Intha meaning "sons of the lake". The villages have been constructed on stilts over the water while floating gardens have been cultivated out of water hyacinth and silt from the lake that float on the surface. The water is crystal clear and a pictorial paradise for the professional and amateur photographer alike.
Inles most unusual feature is its extraordinary 'leg-rowers' who have developed the original, eccentric method of rowing with one leg. With the other they balance precariously on the back of their sampans leaving their hands free to drop their tall conical nets over passing fish which they can spot in the shallow lake.
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