Myanmar tours, Trips in Vietnam and Myanmar

Decades of military rule have had a stifling effect on Myanmar’s entertainment industry. Visitors tend to spend evenings in hotels and restaurants, although the big cities also have a handful of venues that showcase traditional music, dance, and puppetry. The performers are mostly graduates of Mandalay’s National School of Performing Arts, a crucible of talent […]

The remains of the former Arakan capital, Mrauk U, straddle the Lemro River – a tributary of the broader Kaladan – amid an area of low, scrub-covered hills. Connected by sandy tracks, the principal monuments lie close enough together to be explored on foot or by horse cart, although the heat tends to limit serious […]

Around 90 per cent of Burmese are Buddhists, and the faith permeates every aspect of life in the country. Originally brought to Myanmar in the 3rd century BC by monks from India, the Buddha’s teachings – known as the Pali Canon or Tipitaka – intermingled with the worship of nats, or local animist spirits. This […]

Although relatively unknown in the West, chinlone, Myanmar’s national game, enjoys a mass following in its homeland.  Fittingly for this Buddhist country, the game is essentially non- competitive: participants strive to pass a small cane ball to  each other using only their legs. Teams are graded according to how beautifully they play: the complexity and […]