From Yangon we took a nightbus for the 10 hour journey to Bagan in central Myanmar. As much of the south and centre of the country is pretty flat we felt we wouldn't miss much and would save a night's accommodation cost (no small thing here as the rates for foreigners are high). Bagan more than lived up to our expectations. It's a former capital from the 12th century. Although all the wooden houses have long since disappeared, many of the hundreds of brick tem...

Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been an mixture of amazing friendliness, fascinating monuments, significant poverty and a feeling that interactions with the locals don't go beyond the surface after decades of being ruled by a military junta. However, it is refreshing in that it is like travelling in Asia 20 years ago. We entered the country across one of its four land borders which were opened only last year. The journey to our initial destination, Mawlaminye, took...