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Most things are still done the old-fashioned way at Inle Lake, a massive freshwater lake in the Shan State hill country.

The best way to see the lake and explore its canals and waterways is in a dugout canoe.  $1.50 gets you a 2 hour paddle tour.  Inle Lake

Inle Lake fishermen and boat people use their ankles as a pivot to paddle while standing up.

Most rural landscapes in SE Asia is dense thick jungle and to be quite honest, not the most scenic.  Burma's Shan State and Inle Lake is one exception and gets my vote as the most beautiful natural landscape in all of SE Asia. Monastery near Nyaung Shwe.

Most of SE Asia has modernized to the point whereby many traditional customs and practices have long been abandoned.  Not so in Burma.  Almost all Burmese females still apply thanaka on their faces, a light brown creamy plant extract.  It is used as a form of sunscreen, skin lightener and general purpose make-up. Mt Popa, Bagan.

Long-necked women are part of the Karen tribal group which live on the Burma-Thai border.  The rings are put into place starting at age 6 and slowly added through the years.  The record is 28....ouch !!!  Apparently the neck is not lengthened, rather its the shoulder blades which are lowered.  Indein village, Inle Lake.

If you have flexibility in timing your visit, catching the annual Taunggyi Balloon festival in November is a must.  For 6 days and nights, hundreds of massive home-made hot-air balloons are launched into the skies in a mailstorm of exploding fireworks.  Its a level of frenzy, chaos, madness and the best fireworks show imaginable.  I have been to a lot of festivals around the world and this one could be the best of the lot.   Taunggyi, Shan State.

Most Burmese are devout Buddhists.  Temples like Shwedagon are buzzing all day. Rangoon.

The parasol is the umbrella for the sun.  It is made of wood and thin paper and wouldn't last very long in the rain. Mingun.

Most young Burmese are glad to serve 1 or 2 years in the monastery as monks in training. Inle Lake.

Many others stay there much longer and devote their entire lives to monk-hood.  Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon.

Hand-made sling bag bought directly from its maker for $1. Kalaw.

Dugout canoe is the primary mode of transport in Inle Lake.

Female Buddhist monks wear pink robes with brown scarfs.  Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon.

A typical Asian tradition is for the older sister to take care of the family when the parents are working in the fields.  Kalaw.

U Beins bridge is over 200 years old and made entirely out of teak wood.  Mandalay.

Burma is not perfect and one of its most annoying aspects for visitors is its double-pricing (foreigners paying more than locals for the same item/service).  The easiest way to get around this is to become a local !!  I wore a longhi (sarong/skirt worn by 99% of Burmese men), swapped my daypack for a sling cloth bag, no sunglasses, no watch, no camera around my neck, no shoes (everyone in Burma wears flip-flops) and most importantly, shut my mouth whenever I am near an entrance booth/ticket gate etc.  Of course, this will only work if you are or look Asian.  Pindaya Caves.

Kids all around the world are always smiling happily and eager to pose for photos.

Deep-fried grasshoppers anyone ?

Temples and ancient ruins are usually not my big thing so I was surprised at how much fun I was having exploring Bagan, a 1000 year old ancient site of a past Burmese empire.

There are 4000 plus temples littering the Bagan plains.  Its a stunning place and  I was never once bored in my 4 days here exploring on foot and on bike.  Sunset view of the temples and Irrawaddy River from Shesandaw Pagoda, Bagan.

Bagan's temples are not only amazing from the outside.  Many of the larger temples have superbly restored interiors which are active places of prayer.  Ananda Patho, Bagan. 

A massive gold-leafed covered boulder perched 1000m above the surrounding plains is not a sight you see every other day.  The Golden Rock at Kyaiktiyo.

As amazing as Burma is, its ruling military junta (the Tatmadaw) is equally as screwed-up.  Politics and history aside, anyone who places huge banners like this in the middle of a large city for all to see must be totally out of their minds. At the gates of Mandalay Fort.

Shwedagon Pagaoda at dusk is a surreal and mystical place.  Apart from being Rangoon's primary place of worship, its also a place where locals meet, talk, socialize, read, rest and hang-out.  Rangoon.

Shwedagon Pagaoda in Rangoon is easily the most amazing temple/place of worship I have seen in all of Asia.  None of Thailand's Wat's or Bali's temples even come close.  For me, Burma was a country of surprises.  Its temples, ruins, lakes, countryside and sights of all types were all top-notch.  Burma is easily my favourite SE Asian country and one of the most stunning, eye-opening and best overall places I have ever visited.

Burma is truly the land of smiles, inspite of its political problems and bad economic situation.  The people of the poorest and least developed countries are always the most friendly, generous and welcoming, and are smiling and laughing the most.  Its an ironic fact and one of the first things I noticed when I started travelling widely.  Mandalay. 

Prior to my visit, I didn't know much about Burma or what to expect.  What I found was the most authentic, untouched and traditional country in all of SE Asia. Everyday I would smile when I'd see something that reminded me of Asia in the 70s and 80s when I was a kid growing up there.  Burma today resembles the Malaysia of old moreso even than Malaysia of today.  So, if you want to see and feel the way Asia used to be (pre-1990s economic boom), Burma is the place.  Dusk on Inle Lake.