The temples of Yangon

Just came back from a 10-day visit to Myanmar and have to say that it’s hands down one of the most mesmerizing countries i’ve visited. World-class sights all to yourself (we all know why…), the most hospitable people you’ll ever meet, against all expectations relatively hassle-free,… Pictured are Shwedagon pagoda, the crown jewel of Myanmar’s biggest city, a smaller monastery nearby and a view over the skyline.

I also plan to make a longer and more in-depth post, containing a selection of the over 5000-pictures i took with my DSLR (it’s such a photogenic place) but couldn’t wait to share the few ones i took with my phone

Disclaimer: A Burmese friend of me urged me to visit his beautiful country since it’s desperate for tourism, easening my concerns about supporting the junta by doing so. We opted for hotels involved in local charitable programs (ex: activating street youth by offering them a free internship and some form of formal education,…) and decided to eat as much as possible at local eateries/street stalls. A lot of hotels and restaurants are owned/operated by junta-affiliates cronies So we skipped those. The e-visa fee got straight into their pocket though. Never met more resilient, positive and grateful people: when me and my girlfriend biked around Mandalay (Myanmar’s second-biggest city) we were often greeted with thumbs-up signs by passerby’s, on Mount Popa the local monks were moved to tears because of the sight of foreign visitors, when hiking through some remote villages we were immediately asked to join them for lunch in the communal hall,… I wouldn’t advise anyone to go (despite the fact that it ain’t that bad personal safety-wise, the unpredictability of the current situation and that it suddenly can go bad is what makes it risky) but man it’s a beautiful country.