Walk anywhere in Myanmar, especially in the countryside and you will see something different on women and children faces. I was on my second day in country, in the dry region of Bagan in 2000

There is a river in Myanmar, formerly known as the Irrawaddy. Stretching more than 1400 from the Himalayan glaciers all the way up north, the river glides south, all the way to the Andaman Sea in the delta region…

When I went to Myanmar in 2000 to look at designing a biking itinerary, I had done a lot of research and knew that Mandalay should be a stop based on it’s historical importance. I was designing a Myanmar luxury itinerary that encompass the whole country.

I had been doing some research on the outskirts of Mandalay in Myanmar, looking for a great morning bike ride. This was a long time ago, in 2001, I think, when I was researching to see if we could actually do a good biking trip around this magical country despite the economic and political embargo it was subjected. We left at sunrise from the hotel parking lot with our driver, myself and my local guide and after discussing where to go and looking at a city map…

The Shwedagon Pagoda is one of my “all-time favorites” in Asia. Not only is it a stunning site to visit but it is a great place to introduce Myanmar and it’s people to our travelers. Every day, thousands of locals and tourists walk, pray and relax in the shadow of golden dome with it’s many related shrines. On one of my last visits, I could see the dark clouds slowly moving from the downtown area towards us as we were walking around the pagoda…