 Must-see places in Myanmar/Burma (06-05-2012 - 08:20:06)
 Mount Popa
(Elevation: 1,518 m - 4,980 ft) Everyone in Myanmar hopes to make a pilgrimage to Mount Popa, a vertical rock outcropping about 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Bagan, at least once in their lives.
Mount Popa is perhaps best known for the nearby stunningly picturesque Popa Taungkalat monastery atop an outcrop. The Popa Taungkalat (Taung Kalat) Shrine is home to 37 Mahagiri Nats, or spirits. Statues depicting the Nats are at the base of the Shrine.
Bago
The road north of Yangon splits at Taukkyan; one fork continues north to Mandalay while another bends east around the Gulf of Martaban to Bago, a town of historic Mon and Burmese pagodas as well as one of the largest reclining Buddha (Shwethalyaung Buddha) figures in the world.
 Inle Lake
Freshwater lake located on the Shan Plateau, surrounded by mountains and high river valleys, Inle Lake offers a complete change of scenery. Some 70,000 people of Inle Lake, called Intha, live in four cities bordering the lake, in numerous small villages along the lake's shores, and on the lake itself. They fish Inle's shallow waters from graceful teak canoes. Vegetables are cultivated on "floating" islands, made by clumping soil together with water hyacinth and staking the resulting masses to the lake floor with bamboo poles. The Intha are also known for skilful silk-weaving and for the crafting of colourful cloth shoulder bags.
Mawlamyine (or Mawlamyaing)
Known to most of the English-speaking world as Moulmein, this ex-colonial town sits at the northeastern end of the Gulf of Martaban at the mouth of the Thanlwin (Salween) river. The sleepy port boasts a number of well-endowed Mon Buddhist temples, a cultural museum, pagoda-studded islands and fading colonial architecture.
 Ngapali Beach
Located 7 kilometres (4 mi) from the town of the town of Thandwee (formerly Sandoway), in Rakhine State, this 3 km (2 mi) strip of golden sand on the Indian Ocean has become the most well-known beach in Myanmar, yet compared to other beaches in Southeast Asia it receives relatively few tourists.
Ayeyarwady delta
A journey through the delta and along the Bay of Bengal coast will reward the visitor with perspectives of Myanmar's largest pottery works in Twante near Yangon, the historic inland port of Pathein, and the quiet beachside villages of Letkhokkon, Chaungtha and Gwa.
 Kyaiktiyo Pagoda
Further east atop Mount Kyaikhtiyo, a seven-metre gilded boulder, also known as Golden Rock, balances on the edge of a granite cliff 1,200 metres above the coastal plains. Said to be magically held in place by a Buddha hair enshrines in a small stupa atop the rock, it has become a popular pilgrimage and also tourist attraction. A strenuous four-hour walk along the 11-kilometre path up the mountain confers great merit upon pilgrims. The less devoted may ride in public pilgrim trucks to within a 45-minute walk of the summit, then complete the journey atop bamboo palanquins borne on the shoulders of well-paid carriers. Sunrise or sunset, the view from the shrine is one of the most beautiful in Myanmar.
 Bagan
Less known than Cambodia's Angkor complex, Bagan (formerly Pagan) more than holds its own in terms of historic and archaeological significance. The cradle of the first Burmese kingdom, it became the focus of an intense building frenzy during which as many as 13,000 temples, stupas and other religious structures were built in the 42 square kilometre area between the 11th and 13th centuries. Horse-cart remains the preferred vehicle for touring the ruins.
Christmas goes global - London, United Kingdom (22-12-2010 - 13:09:15)
 The holiday season officially begins in November when the decorative lights are turned on in the main shopping thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Regent Street, lending central London some razzle-dazzle. Then the shopping season begins in earnest, the streets buzzing with people buying gifts for their friends, family and especially children, for whom Christmas is sheer magic.
In Trafalgar Square, the city's main square, a giant Christmas tree is set up. Glimmering with lights, it's a traditional gift from the people of Norway. St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, looking onto the square, presents notable musical events like "Carols By Candlelight" throughout December.
When Christmas Day arrives, virtually the whole city shuts down. This is very much a family day, when the extended brood get together at home to exchange gifts, feast on delicacies, tuck into turkey, play games, and make merry.
| Christmas goes global - Stockholm, Sweden (20-12-2010 - 04:50:03)
 Scandinavia occupies an exalted place in Christmas traditions. For up there, in far northern Europe, is where Santa Claus supposedly dwells, tending his reindeers and flying off each Christmas Eve to visit all the world's children. Here too is where many of Europe's Christmas trees grow, a major year-end export.
Stockholm exemplifies the Scandinavian Christmas spirit. People stroll the narrow streets of Gamla Stan, the Old Town, crunching snow underfoot, coming upon squares hosting Christmas markets with centuries of tradition. The scent of roasted chestnuts, gingerbread and mulled wine fills the air and the stalls display a vivid array of traditional, handcrafted decorations, toys and local wares.
Stockholmers love their Christmas traditions, like glugging glögg (mulled wine) and chewing chestnuts whilst gift shopping in the frosty air. A favorite is the Kungsträdgården market in the main shopping district, where the window displays are also a big draw, such as at NK, the elite department store. Hugely popular too is the old-time Christmas market at Skansen open-air museum on Djurgården Island.
Christmas goes global - Bangkok, Thailand (20-12-2010 - 04:39:03)
 "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way" – if the year's end has a theme song in Bangkok, this is it. In scores of malls, hypermarkets and department stores throughout the Thai capital, the Christmas season brings playlists of jolly songs, forests of twinkling trees and mountains of tinsel. The central shopping district around Siam Square and the renovated Central World Plaza mesmerizes with lights. As Buddhist people, not so many Thais know what Christmas is traditionally for, but they adore the colorful trappings of the holiday season. Santa Claus – virtually unknown a generation ago – is now a favorite Thai character, with staff in stores, restaurants and clubs, especially the girls, wearing Santa hats and costumes with extra smiles on their faces. For the substantial number of expatriates and tourists, dozens of hotels and pubs lay on gargantuan Christmas dinners, and the Christian community adds spiritual echoes with special events such as Handel's Messiah.
|
Online now
Latest photo album
