Myanmar (Burma)

Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian Era. It lies on the bend of the Ayeyarwaddy River. Bagan can be marked to have started with King Anawrahta. He ascended the throne of Bagan in 1044. At that time, the kingdom was under the Mahayana religion. After Shin Arahan's arrival to Bagan, it converted to Theravada Buddhism. It was said to be that each and every household was able to donate an enshrined Pagoda, because of their faith in Buddhism believe and also because of their wealth.
The great Shwezigon was one of King Anawrahta's donation during his time.

According to legend, two Mon princesses from Thaton founded Bago in 573 AD. It was written in the chronicles that eight years after enlightenment, Lord Buddha along with his disciples flew around the Southeast Asian countries. On his return journey while crossing the Gulf of Martaban, which happened to be at low tide, he saw two golden sheldrakes sitting, female on top of male, on a peak of land protruding out of the sea just enough for a bird's perch. Viewing this strange phenomenon, he predicted to his disciples that one day a country where his doctrine would thrive would come into existence in this vast sea area. That part of the sea, when it was silted up and ready for habitation approximately 1500 years after the prediction, was colonized by Mons from the Thaton Kingdom.

Inle Lake is 22km long and about 11km wide. The lake is at 1328 metres above sea level. Inle is one of the most popular tourist destination in the Shan State.
The lake is full of floating vegetations and houses. The lake dwellers are one-legged rowers. They are well-known for it. They are called as "Inthar" meaning people of the lake. There are about 18 villages around the lake. They are Buddhist and about a hundred Buddhist monasteries can be found. A lot small pagodas can be found too.

Kalaw is situated in Shan State, Myanmar. Kalaw is a popular hill station of Myanmar. It is a peaceful and quiet place. At an altitude of 1320 metres it's also pleasantly cool and a good place for hiking and amid gnarled pines, bamboo groves and rugged mountain scenery.
The plateau near Kalaw is inhabited by the Shan ethnic tribes such as a PaO and Palaung or the long-neck people. They weave their own colourful clothings and they make their living by plantations of "Thanatphet" trees. The leaves of theses trees are widely used to make cigars in Myanmar. These people go to the Kalaw market and sell their products too.
There is only a small population, a mixture of Shan, Bamar and some Indians. It was a colonial town during the British rulings because of the cool weather. Nowadays, some of the churches are still in good conditions. Many British style buildings are still available in Kalaw. Church like "Christ the King" is also a popular place to visit.

The stupa was built in 1636. It has a Sri-Lankan style dome because monks from that country came here to re-ordain the clergy.

Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda is located in Mon State. It is about 20kms from the town Kyaikhto. It is a 7.3 meters pagoda on top of a big "Golden Rock". The massive golden boulder is right on top of the Kyaikhto mountain.
Legend say that the boulder maintains its precarius balance due to a precisely placed Buddha hair inside the pagoda. Once there was a King who received the Buddha's hair in the 11th century from a hermit.

Kyaing Tong is about 456km from Taunggyi, the capital city of Shan State. Kyaing Tong is inhabited by ethnic tribes such as Wa, Shan, Akha and Lahu. Kyaing is full of temples, colonial buildings, lakes and is the most scenic town in Shan State. Kyaing Tong also carries the definition of "Walled City of Tung".
Kyaing Tong is built around a lake. And as the legend say, there was a powerful magician called "Tungkalasi" who used his magic staff to drain a lake of near-sea proportion. Then the city was built around it. The original city walls and gates can still be seen today.
Kyaing Tong lies in the valley between the high misty mountains of the Shan Plateau and the Mekong and the Thanlwin Rivers. It is the home of the Gon Shan, the Akhas, the Lisu, the Wa and the white and black Lahu.
It was said that from 1243 A.D, to the last Sawbwa (the Chieftain) reign there were altogether 45 Sawbwas who ruled here. Although there are many ethnic majorities and mionorities living in this area having faith in different religions, Buddhism is the main religion of this area.
Kyaing Tong is reputed to be a very powerful city during its time. There is the famous Palin Gate in the city. There were tales saying tyhat one Sawbwa when ruling Kyaing Tong, was not able to go to the Dat San Lwe Pagoda because ther is a curse on them.
Popular places
Lone Tree Hill - This is a Kanyin byu tree growing on top of the Soon Mun Hill on the outskirt of the city. It stands alone on the hill so that's how the name was given.
Nong Tong Lake - The lake lies in the centre of the city and was known that it covered the whole city once.

Mandalay, as the center of Myanmar culture, was outstanding in the past, it holds the stage now; and it will continue to be a place of pride in the future. It is situated about 600 kilometers north of Yangon on the Ayeyarwaddy river, is, with about half a Million inhabitants Myanmar's second largest city.

Mingun is a town in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 11 km up the Ayeyarwady River from Mandalay.

Monywa is a major centre for trade and commerce and for agricultural produce from the surrounding Chindwin Valley, especially beans, orange, pulses and jaggery (palm sugar). In addition, the local industry includes mills for the production of cotton, flour, noodles, and edible oils. Sausages from Alon called wet udaunk are quite popular, and Budalin longyi (sarong) is known for the strength of the fabric and its checked patterns. Monywa's rough cotton blankets are famous throughout Myanmar, and some can even be found sewn up into knapsacks sold to unsuspecting tourists in Bangkok. Other regional crafts include bamboo and reed products, bullock carts and agricultural implements. The village of Kyaukka is well known for its lacquerware utensils for everyday use.

Mount Popa is a volcano 1518 metres (4981 feet) above sea level, and located in central Burma (Myanmar) about 50 km (30 miles) southeast of Bagan (alt: Pagan) in the Pegu Range. It can be seen from the River Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) as far away as 60 km (40 miles) in clear weather.[3] 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.

Sagaing is the capital of Sagaing Region (formerly Sagaing Division) in Myanmar. Located on the Ayeyarwady River, 20 km to the southwest of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river, Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and monastic center. The pagodas and monasteries crowd the numerous hills along the ridge running parallel to the river. The central pagoda, Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda, is connected by a set of covered staircases that run up the 240 m hill.

Yangon also known as Rangoon, literally: "End of Strife") is a former capital of Burma (Myanmar) and the capital of Yangon Region (formerly Yangon Division). Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006,[3] Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial centre.