Myanmar has long been on my list of places to visit, and this year, we
were able to pull the trigger. It's a true highlight of South East
Asia, a wonderful combination of Chinese, Thai and Indian culture,
food and people. The 30-day visa was only made available in 2011, so
it still feels undiscovered, but very welcoming to travelers. The
ancient temples of Bagan (complete with sunrise balloon rides), the
brilliantly unique Shan cultures of Inle Lake, the pristine paradise
of Ngapali Beach, the epic Shwadegon Pagoda and Kyaiktiyo Mountain in
Yangon; there are so many highlights to explore. We went a step
further and did 10 days of the trip on a CRF250, making sure we had
plenty of random stop overs in small, backcountry villages.