The Inle Lake Region of Burma is not only aesthetically compelling, it is also historically important. The lake is the site of the deeply revered Buddhist site Phaung Daw Oo (variantly Hpaung Daw U) Pagoda which houses five gilded images of Buddha of different sizes that are no longer discernible (as Buddhas) because they have […]

Myanmar or Burma is playing with political reforms which in turn open up its tourism potential as an unsullied Southeast Asian country with no Golden Arches or Starbucks (yet) in sight. As a Buddhist nation, the Burmese celebrate most of its holidays as religious occasions, apart from the handful that commemorate the foundation of Burma […]

National Geographic names Burma as one of its Best Trips for 2013. With a new era in politics being ushered by the homegrown champion of democracy Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma (which the junta changed to Myanmar) has opened up its doors that were, since the 1960s, closed to the outside world. Unlike the well-trodden […]

Each country has its own quirks, but because we are often introduced to them via popular media, we are not as shocked when we see them first-hand. Consider, however, a country whose freedom of the press has been severely restricted in the past and is only starting to abandon censorship. This leaves the rest of […]

When authority speaks, we ought to listen. This year, the heavyweights of the travel industry have spoken; taken their pick (and road-tested) superlative – best, fairest, cheapest – destinations for 2013. Their choices definitely vary, but they arrived at a common conclusion despite differences in criteria: Southeast Asia just won’t quit. Take for instance Fodor’s […]