Myanmar

In the remote hills of the Chin State, tribes of tattooed women inhabit the villages, and as the area becomes more and more connected to the rest of Myanmar, local traditions are dying out

A short flight from Yangon sits the very traditional Loikaw, one of the best places to head in Southeast Asia for a window into authentic tribal life. I was the very first foreign visitor to some of Loikaw’s more remote tribal areas.

Despite its popularity, Inle Lake, in Shan State, is one of my favorite places in Myanmar. Here are some of my favorite experiences in the Inle Lake area, where it’s possible to discover a much more authentic Burmese culture.

Mrauk U, set in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, is a magical area of ancient temples and Buddhist culture. It rivals and may soon exceed the wonders of Bagan.

During my visit to Kengtung, Myanmar, which is located not far from the Golden Triangle – close to Laos, Thailand and China – I discovered true diversity for its own sake, free of any other agenda, political or otherwise.

Myanmar is a place of often understated beauty and one of the least known parts of the country is the Mergui Archipelago. It is one of the least visited places in all of Myanmar.

Golden Rock, which is known locally as Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, is located in the Mon State of Myanmar.

Just as the sun was starting to make its presence felt, we slowly floated upwards in our 8 passenger balloon. It was surprisingly quiet and serene. I quickly began to see Bagan in a way that I had missed on my many previous visits. The scenery was absolutely stunning

The Chin tribe of Myanmar, which live near the Bangladesh border not far from Mrauk U, are a people who wear facial tattoos. I journeyed to this corner of Asia to seek out the answers of why exactly do they undergo the process of getting such tattoos, which might seem extreme in Western culture.