Shwedragon Pagoda, resplendent on a hilltop overlooking Yangon, is one of Asia's most magical places. Awash with gold and gemstones, encircled by its own city of temples, shrines and statues, and resonant with the tinkling of hundreds of bells, it draws devoted flower-bearing Buddhists from all across the land. It is at its most enchanting as the shadows lengthen at sunset, while on the boulevards below, nightfall heralds an eruption of stalls peddling food, drink and cigars.
Dazzling as the capital is, travellers should not be blinded from the harsh realities of life in former Burma. For over 40 years, the country has been ruled by a military junta, and the civil rights accorded to its citizens fall short of even the most fundamental. To avoid lining the pockets of the government at the expense of its people, visitors are urged to opt for privately-owned accommodation, tour companies, and means of transport.
Ironically, government policy is part of the reason Burma is such an enthralling country to visit. First, the powers-that-be enforced an era of isolation; now, they've decided to encourage tourism - thereby unwrapping a country of stunning natural beauty, culture and history, untarnished by the tourist dollar.
Once you've explored Yangon (the Rangoon of colonial days), there are three essential destinations. Bagan is an arid plain strewn with literally thousands of pagodas and temples, some dating back to the 11th century. Mandalay is the former capital and still the centre of Buddhism, Burmese arts and traditional handicrafts, while Inle Lake's claim to fame is its beauty - and its leg-rowing fishermen. To see more of the country (and to bypass the chaotic bus and rail routes) take a riverboat down the Ayeyarwady River, and let the sights come to you.
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