Dec 2nd, 2012 at 9:30PM:
Myanmar's iconic U Bein bridge, near the ancient Burmese capital of Amarapura, is a much beloved (and photographed) site among tourists and visitors to this intriguing Southeast Asian nation. Today's shot, taken by Flickr user American Jon, is a fantastic example of what makes this ancient wooden structure so visually captivating. The teak bridge's long expanse, when photographed against the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Yangon posts
Photo Of The Day: U Bein Bridge Sunset
Dec 2nd, 2012 at 9:30PM:
Myanmar's iconic U Bein bridge, near the ancient Burmese capital of Amarapura, is a much beloved (and photographed) site among tourists and visitors to this intriguing Southeast Asian nation. Today's shot, taken by Flickr user American Jon, is a fantastic example of what makes this ancient wooden structure so visually captivating. The teak bridge's long expanse, when photographed against the ...12 Hours In Yangon, Myanmar
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:00AM:
For most of the past two decades, the only images and sounds of Myanmar that have reached the outside world is of its repressive military regime and the heroic resistance of the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. For years, travelers found themselves caught up in the debate over the ethics of traveling to Myanmar resulting in the country becoming more remote and inaccessible.
Now, with ...Travels In Myanmar: Under A Night Sky
Apr 5th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
I had no idea what to expect that morning in Yangon. Inside the city's once grand but now decrepit train station, a few lonely bulbs fought weakly against the dark. Across the arrivals hall was the silhouette of my transport, an intimidating iron locomotive. I moved hesitantly towards this slumbering rusty giant, past anonymous passengers squatting on the cracked cement floor, huddled in ...Photo of the Day: Workers on a bench
Jan 15th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
The best photography captures candid moments - those split seconds between fantasy and reality when our subjects' guard comes down and we get a glimpse into their true nature. That's why I liked today's photo by Flickr user t3mujin - his shot of workers relaxing on a bench in the Burmese city of Yangon feels like one of those candid moments. I love how each man's body language is slightly ...Video: Catching a moving train in Burma
Feb 11th, 2011 at 10:30AM:
A Reddit user submitted this video of people catching a moving train in Yangon, Burma. Note that the train doesn't actually *stop* in the station. The first woman gets an assist from a train employee as well as a man on the ground, who then has to run down the platform - in flipflops, no less - and catch the train with several bags to carry before it leaves the station. The video uploader ...
Thoughts on Myanmar, travel and change
Nov 7th, 2010 at 1:00PM:
On Sunday, citizens of the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar voted for the first time in 20 years. This week also marks the one-year anniversary of my own visit to Myanmar in 2009. At the surface level, these two events have nothing to do with one another. But as I struggle to make sense of what I saw and learned during my visit inside this cloistered country, I find that today's historic ...South by Southeast: Who goes to Myanmar?
Nov 23rd, 2009 at 9:00AM:
Who does visit Myanmar these days? For Southeast Asia travelers exposed to a daily diet of CNN, Myanmar is literal no-fly zone, a destination with an infamous reputation for unrest, opium and political repression. Even as other "notorious" Asia destinations like Cambodia and Vietnam emerge into adolescence on the global tourist stage, Myanmar remains largely hidden from view - a mysterious ...A Keyhole into Burma - "Buy the ticket, take the ride"
Nov 1st, 2007 at 9:00AM: The local buses in Yangon have to be personally experienced to truly be appreciated. This singular ordeal is a grand departure from the otherwise laidback way the Burmese conduct themselves.
Bus drivers careen around town with one foot on the gas and the other foot, seemingly, on the horn. One gets the sense that these men are drafted directly from the outpatient program at the local suicide ...A Keyhole into Burma - Shwedagon Paya, the mother of all payas
Oct 30th, 2007 at 9:00AM: While in Burma I would eventually see more payas (temples) in 10 days than most people see in two lifetimes, including most Burmese, but none of them could hold a candle to the monstrous Shwedagon Paya in Yangon.
Aside from the towering main stupa (A.K.A. "pagoda" – a solid dome, often gold, sometimes white washed, that usually tapers into a weathervane-like spire at the top), there are 82 ...A Keyhole into Burma - This ain't Kansas
Oct 25th, 2007 at 9:00AM: My first day in Yangon was draining. Interminable walking in dusty 102 degree heat and humoring enthusiastic English speakers every few minutes can sap the most tolerant of Beckham look-a-likes. By nightfall, I longed for my guesthouse bed and sweet, sweet air-con.
As I made my way to my guesthouse, it became clear that parts of Yangon were suffering from a blackout. Street and traffic lights were ...
