Myanmar is a place where temples gleam in gold, real gold, and its people are among the poorest in the world.

Yet, many believe that in five years this lovely, dreamy place will resemble other westernized Asian countries. But can’t there be a way to preserve its charm and rich history?

Ever since reading Kipling’s Road to Mandalay, when Myanmar was called Burma, I’ve wanted to travel to this mysterious land where time seems to have stopped in the 1920s. I finally visited with a tour group in March.

Entering the city of Yangon, formerly Rangoon, it was a relief to see no motor scooters. The former president outlawed them; too noisy, he decreed. Even as this city on the Irrawaddy River shows some signs of becoming a cosmopolitan center, it has an air of innocence. Flickering neon signs on businesses often showed a lack of familiarity with English usage: A bustling women’s wear shop was called “Tart Fashions.”

Source(Constance Heckert): Continue Reading @ tampabay.com