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 The World Heritage Site of Bagan is wonder of the
wonders in "Myanmar". About 3,000 ancient temples and
stupas, dating from the 11th century, still adorn the
vast arid plain of Bagan. Views across the red brick
Pagodas are stunning and quite unforgettable.
The traditional date of the foundation of Bagan is
849 but the actual Golden Age began only in the 11th
century after King Anawrahta (1044-1077) ascended the
throne and became the 42nd ruler of the Bagan Dynasty.
In King Anawrahta era, Myanmar was unified as the
First Myanmar Empire. What is more, Anawrahta
accomplished another great task for the country: he
introduced Theravada Buddhism into Myanmar with the help
of Shin Arahan, a missionary monk from Thaton.
As a former centre of Buddhist spirituality and
learning, Bagan ranks amongst the great sites in India
and Tibet. As a manifestation of a dynamic and original
form of architecture, Bagan stands alongside the other
great Buddhist centres of Southeast Asia, like Angkor
Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Java. Originally there
were 10,000 temples at Bagan, largely constructed of
brick between the 11th.and 13th centuries. At Bagan no
two monuments are the same. All are highly original in
design and conception.
During your stay in Bagan, you should not miss, among
others, Powerful Shwezigon Stupa (prototype for later
stupas of Myanmar), Ananda Temple (a masterpiece of
Kyansittha in the shape of a perfect Greek cross and it
is known as the best architectural temple), massive
Dhamayangyi Temple (one of the best preserved in Bagan
and has fine mortar-less brickwork), Shwesandaw Pagoda
(one of the best places for sunset) and Thatbyinnyu
Temple (the tallest temple in Bagan).
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Photo Gallery
 This 1518 meter solitary peak is home of Myanmar's
most powerful guardian gods [nat]-a collection of 37
magical spirits feared and honored by some Myanmar
people. The Myanmar still believe that guardians [nat]
can make ones life difficult if they are not accorded
sufficient respect. Main attraction is the Nat museum
which houses 37 life-size Nat statues sculptured from
teak. Thousands of Myanmar gathers here twice yearly to
honor the spirits and attend the festivals (May/
June). The one-hour climb to the summit gives you the
fantastic view. Mt.Popa can be visited on a day trip
from Bagan or as a brief stop en route to Mandalay.
 One of the most picturesque spots in South-East Asia,
Inle Lake and surrounding region is an outstanding
alternative to the historical sites of Bagan and
Mandalay. Surrounded by hazy Blue Mountains, this lovely
lake is home to the Inntha people, who construct
villages on silts over the surface of the lake and farm
floating islands created from mud and reed. The Inntha
are also famous for their unique leg rowing. Some
highlights of Inle are Phaung-daw Oo Pagoda (home to
five Buddha images, said to have brought back to Myanmar
from southern Thailand over 700 years ago), the wooden
Nga Phe Kyaung monastery (a place to see the lovely
"jumping cats"), and Ywama Village (Where various kinds
of fruit and vegetables are sold from small boats at
floating market day), Intein Pagoda home to the ruin
pagodas of 500 years old built in Ancient Shan King era.
Being the capital in Shan State, Taunggyi is booming
with several Shan tribes such as Shan and Pa-O. Taunggyi
Market is colorful with local people trading all
products from the whole Shan State. About one hour drive
from Taunggyi is Kakku in which about 2000 temples and
pagodas are collected together.
 Kalaw is a beautiful hill station surrounded by Pine
trees and forests. There are some Colonial style
buildings, and after some hour light trekking to
villages nearby, you can see Palaung and Pa-O tribes.
 Situated some 47 km north of Kalaw at the foot of
Menetaung (Blue Mountain Range). To the east of Pindaya
lies a plateau which is about 1000 metres above sea
level and in the west lies a mountain range which is
about 1500 metres high. The journey from junction road
Aungban to Pindaya is breath- taking in many ways, with
panoramic mountain views. The caves at Pindaya are in a
natural limestone ridge overlooking a lake known as
Poktaloke Kan, and home to over 8,000 Buddha images of
various sizes, made of lacquer, teak, marble, alabaster
and cement. Some images are said to be more than 300
years old. On market days, one can find many different
national races residing in the region gathering at the
market, buying and selling the products of the area.
 Shan State has been described as the land of pictures
setting by many travellers. Holding almost a quarter of
Myanmar's land area, it is often hard to find the exact
word to describe to its beautiful scenery. Among the
most scenic town in Shan State, the one you shouldn't
exclude is Kyaing Tong. It, formerly known as Kengtung,
can be easily reached from the Thai and China borders
crossing at Mae Sai/Tachileik, Daluo/ Mainglar. Kyaing
Tong is surrounded by many villages of ethnic
minorities, including Shan, Akha, Lahu, Wa and rare
Palaung. You can see 10 kinds of Shan ethnics in this
region.
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