1. Myanmar

Myanmar (Burma) is a country of contrasts. Newly emerging as a travel destination now that Aung Sang Suu Kyi has in effect become the president of the country, this talk visits well-known and iconic destinations – Yangon (formally Rangoon), Mandalay, Bagan with its thousands of temples and stupas, Lake Inle where fishermen row with their legs, and a floating festival celebrating four golden Bhuddas. A trek up into the Shan mountains close to the Chinese border where tribes live in simple dwellings but welcome the few trekking visitors  with roasted peanuts, bananas and tea as a norm. Tribal headresses of silver coins and balls are worn daily by the Akha tribe, even in the fields, while the animalist En tribe chew betel nut and show rows of blackened teeth. It is a country of surprises and a country that will soon be modernising rapidly.

Duration 1 hour plus

​