Yangon
Walk the winding streets and small alleys, exploring the temples and shrines,
and feasting in the markets and small restaurants…visit Sule
Pagoda, an impressive shrine built in the 3rd century that remains
an active center for Ayurvedic astrology, Buddhist demon worship and strict
Theravada doctrines…in early morning, stroll around the 2,500-year-old
Shwedagon Pagoda, built when Yangon was
just a coastal fishing village.
Bagan
Take a boat on the Irrawaddy River and arrive
in the early morning to see the ruins…travel by
horseback to more remote ruins or take a horse-drawn
carriage to explore the splendor of the Buddhist frescoes and detailed
sculpture…catch an unforgettable sunrise or sunset at Thatbyinnyu
Temple for stunning views of the stupas that dot the sprawling plain…do
not miss Ananda Temple, one of Bagan's finest
and best preserved monuments…shop for lacquerware
and observe craftspeople handcrafting these beautiful objects.
Mandalay
Visit Amarapura to witness the procession
of monks receiving their offerings…walk along the mile-long rickety teak
bridge…visit the small neighboring towns of Sagaing
and Mingun… take an excursion to Mogok
to observe gold processing, visit local fruit markets, and tour gem mines for
hands-on experience harvesting rubies from the earth…spend an overnight
at the scenic and temperate hill station of Maymyo.
Inle Lake
Cruise the lake with visits to the stilted houses,
floating vegetable plots, traditional floating market, and famous leg-rowing
fishermen…see the jumping cats
at the Inle Lake monastery…listen to the sound of the frogs as you fall
asleep in a bungalow over the water.
Additional suggestions
Spend time at Kalaw, a tranquil small town
that was once a colonial retreat on the edge of the hill country, and catch
the hilltribe market…step into the dark Pindaya
Caves, used for centuries as a storage place for thousands of sacred
Buddha images…visit the Padah-Lin Caves,
sites of important Neolithic excavations…overnight in Prome,
and tour the ruins of the old palace and visit to a traditional Karen
tribal village... lie on the secluded beaches of Myauk-U
in Arakan State, the most western and perhaps the most pristine region of Burma.
