Asean Travel And Tours

Burmese food suffers from a bad rap – a rather unjustified bad rap in our opinion. While Burmese food can be somewhat oily, and lacks the diversity and firy spicing of cuisine in neighbouring Thailand, with a bit of advice and background knowledge we’re confident you’ll return from Myanmar having savoured some truly tasty and memorable meals. A Burmese meal T’ămìn (rice), also written as htamin , is the core of any Burmese meal. Rice is served with a variety of dishes that characterise Burmese cuisine, a unique blend of Burmese, Mon, Indian and Chinese influences. These dishes use a variety of local, largely plant- and seafood-based ingredients, and as with other Southeast Asian cuisines, an effort is made to balance the four primary flavours: sour, salty, spicy and bitter. Although these foundations are relatively simple, one of the pleasures of eating an authentic Burmese meal is the sheer variety of dishes at a single setting, something that rivals even Tha...

Touring Burma’s temples and villages, Teresa Machan finds the country’s inherent charm a big draw for visitors. As I cycled across the plain of Bagan towards temple number 473, I was reminded of one of two reasons why, in the past, I had not been immediately drawn to Burma. Travellers on Asia’s overland trail call it temple fatigue – when the blur of stupas, minarets, gold-leafed deities and all manner of reclining, seated, curly haired and bee-stung-lipped variations on the image of Buddha ceases to have any impact. I had been afflicted a number of times and Burma, more so than any other country in the region, is synonymous with temples. Yet, here I was climbing centuries-old steps by candlelight, catching my breath at the top and wondering when I’d ever clapped eyes on such a sunset tableau. As dusk seeped into night only the white stucco temples were visible, glinting like multiple moons over the vast plain. Packed with the remnants of its glory days as an ancient capi...

Myanmar was previously referred to as Burma. Currently, its capital is Naypyidaw and would be the seat of political power. The biggest city in Myanmar is Yangon, this was also the previous funds of Myanmar. Yangon – Myanmar Myanmar has been in international news for its military government’s suppression of its population. This nonetheless is purely an internal issue and there have been some developments inside past years. Myanmar is really a predominantly Buddhist region and monks are regarded with excellent respect. Myanmar also has quite fertile agricultural spots that are along rivers. These areas supply food for most from the country. The federal government has placed some restrictions in the country with reference to wherever tourists can go or not go. These restricted spots nevertheless, are quite remote or looked upon as conflict zones. Despite these restricted areas, significantly of the region is accessible to vacationers and there’s a strong tourism industry in the la...

Welcome to an enchanting land of golden pagodas , velvet shoes and lotus flowers. After decades of darkness and fear, the horizon is full of hope as visitors are being encouraged to explore the treasures of this unique Asian country once more, says Harriet O'Brien. Photographs by Martin Morrell Early one morning I watched a farmer propelling a small piece of land across a lake. Around him jet-black cormorants and sharp-white egrets fished the still waters. On the misty shores behind, golden pagodas glinted from the tops of forested hills. It was a staggeringly beautiful scene. It was surreal, too. The farmer was taking his plot to a floating nursery garden where the enterprising locals grow tomatoes, cauliflowers, beans and other crops. Cleverly created out of water hyacinths and silt, these lush little rafts (like island-allotments) are anchored together in a large plantation and tended from narrow longboats. The serenity of the watery scene before me was shatte...