Myanmar
Myanmar is easily one of the most unique places I’ve ever visited. A culturally rich and fascinating place - it is different but friendly, mysterious but curious, old-world but with increasingly stark modernism and growing tourism. From the urban sprawl, bustling streets and colonial hangovers of Yangon to serene and clouded mountains, the stretch of endless stupas in Bagan, the innovative lake communities of Inle, untold ancient temple ruins and remains, to the lush tropics and harsh orange terrain of this vast land. I always remember and envision it through tints of sepia. Myanmar strikes you immediately as a place where traditions haven’t died: the men wear longyi cloths instead of trousers, betel nut is chewed abundantly - bus drivers even have a little bag to spit their red residue on the go - and Buddhist beliefs are openly and widely followed and celebrated. Indeed, the sheer number of religious pagodas is stunning, the style often lavish - heavy use of gold and complex, intricate detailing on every part of every temple. There is even a pagoda above a massive gold rock teetering on a cliff edge - said to be balancing so successfully due to being perched upon a strand of Buddha’s hair. Myanmar has abundant problems - political, economical - but this momentary snapshot we had into the life of ordinary people in this enigmatic, generous and engrossing country will likely not be bettered, and never be forgotten.
Myanmar is easily one of the most unique places I’ve ever visited. A culturally rich and fascinating place - it is different but friendly, mysterious but curious, old-world but with increasingly stark modernism and growing tourism. From the urban sprawl, bustling streets and colonial hangovers of Yangon to serene and clouded mountains, the stretch of endless stupas in Bagan, the innovative lake communities of Inle, untold ancient temple ruins and remains, to the lush tropics and harsh orange terrain of this vast land. I always remember and envision it through tints of sepia. Myanmar strikes you immediately as a place where traditions haven’t died: the men wear longyi cloths instead of trousers, betel nut is chewed abundantly - bus drivers even have a little bag to spit their red residue on the go - and Buddhist beliefs are openly and widely followed and celebrated. Indeed, the sheer number of religious pagodas is stunning, the style often lavish - heavy use of gold and complex, intricate detailing on every part of every temple. There is even a pagoda above a massive gold rock teetering on a cliff edge - said to be balancing so successfully due to being perched upon a strand of Buddha’s hair. Myanmar has abundant problems - political, economical - but this momentary snapshot we had into the life of ordinary people in this enigmatic, generous and engrossing country will likely not be bettered, and never be forgotten.
