I stand in the beautiful long corridor in Ananda temple and look at the huge happy smile on the face of the golden 10 metre high buddha. As I walk closer to him, I notice his expression has changed. The big happy smile is now a mindful expression, as though he is gently teaching me. [...]
It is hard to imagine too many places that are better suited to a sunrise hot air balloon trip. In Bagan the 2200 temples and pagodas are spread across a small plain in the elbow of the Irrawaddy river. In the dry months it is flat, warm and calm. The flight path starts to the [...]
It’s been a dream of mine for a very long time, to go up in a hot air balloon. It’s been a much thwarted dream as well. When I lived in the UK I was twice booked for a sunrise balloon ride, and both times got cancelled for bad weather. I have travelled in many [...]
On any approach, Taung Kalat in Myanmar looks stunning. A monastery glowing with white and gold stupas, perched hundreds of metres above the ground on an astonishing column of sheer rock, is hard to miss. The rock is an ancient volcanic plug, originally created by the huge volcano it sits next to, Mt Popa. There [...]
Avocado juice – a popular drink in Myanmar. Cool, smooth and creamy on a hot day – it’s no wonder that we all quickly adopted Avocado juice as our juice of choice in Myanmar. It was available pretty much everywhere. It’s true that it was a close race between Avocado juice and fresh Coconut juice [...]
Nourlangie Rock is one of the most accessible rock art sites in Kakadu, even in the wet season. It’s an easy 1.5km walk alongside the base of Nourlangie. The Anbangbang gallery of aboriginal rock art is the main attraction, and it holds some very eye-catching drawings. Keep an eye out for the drawing of Namarrgon, [...]