A few hours drive from Bagan lies Mount Popa, a significant site of pilgrimage in Myanmar. An extinct volcano, Mount Popa rises 1500 metres above sea level and there is a large pagoda complex built on top. Additionally, this is a site for worshippers of the 37 great Nats. These spirits are human in form and many met violent deaths. They predate Buddhism and this is the main centre for such devotion with a separate building housing these iconic figures. As Jane...

Wow! stupendous, amazing, a once in a lifetime experience. How do you describe a ballon flight over the pagodas of Bagan? This has been a beautiful day from sunrise to sunset and one I shall always treasure. By 6am, we were in a launch site field having croissants and tea before being allocated to Lea's balloon. The site has about 15 balloons all ready for inflating and taking to the skies as the sun rises over the Ayeyarwady river. Up, up and away ...... I...

Having enjoyed the e bike experience yesterday, we book a full day option for 7000 kyats which is a really cheap and fun way to see the sights. We we have done a bit of research and head to the major iconic pagodas which are popular with Myanmar visitors as well as international tourists. I absolutely love the Buddha images within the Ananada pagoda - beautifully gilded and providing a serene presence. We keep visting pagodas each built In a different style f...

I have been so looking forward to seeing Bagan. It is one of the great sights of Myanmar, Asia and the world! I catch the overnight bus from Yangon and take the short taxi ride into Nyaung U, one of the three population centres of Bagan. An early morning walk around the market which is just opening for the day is a perfect scene setter. We then start off on foot and find the nearby Shwezigdon pagoda and head for old Bagan. One of the most effective ways of ge...

It's Saturday evening and I join Tara, Jane, Chris and Melani in visiting my local pagoda at Kyaik Waing. I have come to see this place as part of my life after moving to live in the area six months ago. We remove shoes and on the entrance steps I buy some flowers to place at the shrine to the day of the week on which I was born - Monday. As we enter the complex, we are immediately greeted by the Trustees, with whom I have developed a great affection over the m...