Travel to Myanmar with travel insurance from Essential Travel

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Information on Myanmar with travel insurance from Essential Travel

Travel to Myanmar

The country’s slow development, hindered by years of economic and political turmoil at the hands of Myanmar’s military regime, has helped to preserve much of its natural beauty and traditions, making it an attractive tourist destination.

Yangon (old Rangoon) lies in the south of Myanmar, not far from the Andaman Sea on the fertile delta of the Yangon River. Even with a population of around four million, Yangon has a unique atmosphere, different from other Asian cities of comparable size.

At night, Yangons wide boulevards come alive with activity. Hordes of stalls selling traditional food, farm produce, and many other cheap products line the streets. Apart from the run down appearance of the ageing colonial architecture, Yangon has a charm that is difficult to find in other Asian cities.

Bagan is a spectacular city with thousands of ancient pagodas spread across the plains and to the shores of the Ayeyarwaddy River. Although the city was sacked by Kublai Khan in 1287 and never rebuilt, it remains one of the architectural wonders of Asia.

Bago (old Pega) was the busy seaport and capital of lower Myanmar during the Mon Dynasty. However, Bago never returned to its previous grandeur after being destroyed by the Burman in 1757, and cut off from the sea after the Bago River later changed its course.

Mandalay is the sprawling cultural centre of Upper Myanmar and is the most authentic of Myanmars cities. It was the last capital of Myanmar before the British took over, and it is the country’s second largest city.

Myanmar has been under the rule of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), a military junta, since 1988. The decision to travel to Myanmar should be made with full awareness of the arguments in support of, and opposition to, travel to this destination.

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