I travelled in June to Myanmar with my wife and two children, 7 & 14 years of age. This was my 3rd visit and a non-work trip. I was careful to plan the itinerary so we did not overdo any one aspect of Myanmar’s rich cultural variances.
We covered the highlights, Yangon (Rangoon), Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake. We saw temples and visited monasteries, travelled by horse and cart in Bagan and by stagecoach in Maymyo (Pyin U Lwin). We glided across the water of Inle Lake in a long-tail boat watching the fishermen and the “leg” rowers and I trekked from its shores to see the amazing pagodas at Kakku which number nearly 2,500.
The children loved it and took everything in their stride. They were adaptable and engaged with the local school children and market traders. A pool was a godsend as the weather in June touched 35’C.
Myanmar is a land of multi-ethnicity largely untouched for decades. It waits for those willing to cross the political divide. You will be rewarded by friendly people, UNESCO world heritage sites, varied scenic panoramas ranging from the never-ending Irrawaddy river sands to the magnificent mountains in the north and a good level of accommodation built to reflects its own cultural identity and its British colonial past.
