Categories: myanmar

Celebrating Myanmar – Travel Experiences that make you fall in love with the country

Also see: Our photography tour to Myanmar

I made a two-week visit to Myanmar in 2013 and totally loved travelling through its cities and countrysides. Before I begin the detailed travelogues, here is a quick look at things that I loved about the country.

1. Pagodas, pagodas and pagodas.

Shwedagon Pagoda is perhaps the most well-known of all the pagodas in Myanmar, if not in the entire world. The 99 meter high tower is one of the holiest sites in the country. It is coated with several tonnes of gold on its surface and studded with thousands of precious stones. After the sun goes down, it glitters in so much of light that even the clouds hovering high above reflect its lights in an otherwise dark sky. Yet, Shwedagon is just one of many many charming pagodas littering the country’s landscapes.

Shwemadaw Pagoda, Bago, Myanmar

The day after I visited Shwedagon, I was in the small town of Bago to see an even taller and equally majestic Shwemadaw Pagoda, rising over hundred meters and surrounded by rich-green, dense tropical vegetation. A week after that, I was in Inle Lake Region, keenly exploring small but beautiful cluster of Pagodas. Some of them were old and worn out and yet retained a charm not very different from the brilliant oldness of Camboadian Temples. There were new ones too, glittering in a golden paint and dwarfing the surroundings in their shine.


Categories: featured, nature

Travelling and Finding Peace and Joy in Faraway Places – Five Locations, Five Experiences

In the summer of 2002, I decided not to live my life sitting holed up in the city. I made up my mind to take every opportunity to travel and see the beautiful country we have. On the next holiday-slot available, I headed towards the Himalayas, to walk in the wilderness and see the snow peaks. I had never known what high-altitude meant, till then.

Mt. Pandim, Sikkim

My good karma took me to Sikkim, where I saw a new world. I discovered that people can be so friendly that you completely drop your guard and walk around with a wide grin instead. I saw woods so thick that it is impossible to set a foot through them. I saw streams of sweet, frigid waters coming down the mountains and rushing away in a great hurry. I saw wildflowers splattering my path, carpeting the floor and decorating the trees.


Categories: photos

A Kalyani in Hampi

Many Stone Mantapa (pavilions) and kalyani (tank) are found in every corner of the ancient city of Hampi, Karnataka. Here is an attempt to juxtapose them together. The monsoon clouds helped decorate the sky as well.

 Hampi