MYANMAR
I'd always wanted to visit Asia, and back in 2013 when we started researching a trip we were undecided on where to go. Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia? They all looked amazing and no doubt they are, but as soon as I saw pictures of Burma, or Myanmar if you prefer, I knew that was the place I wanted to see. There were so many places that I couldn't believe were real; a vast plain of 2000 ancient temples that is covered with mist in the morning, a lake where all the villages were on stilts and fishermen caught fish with baskets whilst rowing with one leg, a golden rock perched precariously on a cliff's edge, an old wooden bridge that carried people across a lake, and so many monks and nuns in their colourful robes.
The reality is that these places are every bit as amazing in real life as I'd imagined them to be, and after travelling around the country we were utterly seduced by it's beauty, by the warmth and openness of the people, and by the incredible experience we had there. It's a wonderful place, and although tourism is growing fast, there are still so many elements that feel trapped in time which you simply can't see anywhere else in the world.