Over 2000 temples and pagodas cover the ancient grounds in Bagan. The hot air balloons took off just as the sun began to crawl its way out of the horizon. The combination of the balloons, the silhouettes of hundreds of pagodas, and the thin layer of mist that lurked over the land made it the most breathtaking sunrise I’ve ever seen.

In the middle of Myanmar is Inle Lake, which is home to various tribes. Renting bikes and getting purposely lost was a great way to see the authentic lifestyle of the people of Inle Lake.

My friends and I rented a boat one day and set out to see the floating villages, markets, and craft/ specialty shops. One of the specialty shops we stopped at specialised in making handmade scarfs, blankets, and various garments. I was blown away when I learned it took two months to make one handmade scarf. Insane!

The last stop of the Myanmar trip was Yangon. Although I didn’t care for this city, the Shwedagon Pagoda was the most impressive pagoda I’ve seen- and I’ve seen many, many pagodas here in Southeast Asia.