Cooling Off in the Hill Stations of Myanmar

National Kandawgyi Garden in Pyin Oo Lwin, one of the loveliest Hill Stations of Myanmar

By mid-February, the lowlands of Myanmar were sweltering under an unforgiving sun. With temperatures in the mid-90’s and 60% humidity, I fled the crowded streets of Mandalay and headed for the hills. Rather than rely on slow, uncomfortable trains like the Circular Train in Yangon, I splurged a little and hired a “taxi.” Taxis in … Read more

VIDEO: Sailing the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar

Sailing the Irrawaddy River, beginning near Mandalay, the shallowest part of the river during the dry season

During monsoon season, sailing the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar is easy, as the river is high and wide. In the dry season, however, the river shrinks and sailing becomes much more difficult. The captain on my Viking River Mandalay Explorer cruise explained that the portion of the river between Mandalay and Bagan is the shallowest, … Read more