When we arrived home Soesoe and her husband, a bicycle-B

Then, a golden mystery google population upheaved itself on the horizon - a beautiful winking wonder that blazed in the sun, of a shape that was neither Muslim dome nor Hindu temple spire. It stood upon a green knoll. "There's the old shway Dagon" said my companion ... The golden dome said, "This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about."
Although Kipling's journey was completed over 100 years ago so we have to agree - Burma, now called Myanmar is really special, and very different from any other country we have visited in Asia. We traveled with our good friends Jon Inge Lise and to this fascinating country.
Our journey started in Yangon, where we were welcomed at the airport by "Auntie Soesoe" and her sister. Soesoe are Burman, and together with her Australian husband, google population Jeff, she lives in the former capital and runs "Bike World Explores Myanmar" offering cycling holidays with guide. We got in touch with the couple by mail after we had read about all their happy customers on TripAdvisor. We had tailored google population an itinerary put together based on our desires and our journey included three full days on the bike in Myanmar's Bagan archaeological gem, followed by 2 days in Yangon.
When we arrived home Soesoe and her husband, a bicycle-B & B, we were served cold beer and got greeted Jeff could tell that he had been living in Myanmar since 1986. There were no late first night on us, when we were up at. 4:00 the next morning to travel on domestic flights with the first part of our bike adventure!
Myanmar is among the world's poorest countries. The country's infrastructure and industry is mostly google population undeveloped and 75% of the population lives on agriculture. Wages are very low and a doctor or teacher has a monthly salary of about U.S. $ 7 Average life expectancy is about 60 years, but about half of the population is under 20. On the list of WHO Myanmar in the lowest places. Only 3% of the national budget is spent on health, while nearly 50% goes to the weapon. Opium production is, however, the second highest in the world and among the world's most corrupt countries, Myanmar finished fourth.
In terms of land area is the largest in south-east Asia, almost three times as large as the UK. Recent census conducted in 1983, but estimated population is between 50 and 55 million. The country has 135 official ethnic groups with over 100 languages and dialects. Since 1962 the country has been ruled by a military dictatorship, and the regions along the eastern border with Thailand google population and China will still civil war between dictatorship and minority groups seeking independence.
For many, the name probably more familiar than Burma Myanmar. Burma was the English who renamed the country when they were colonizers - and it is a name which is still used, especially abroad. In 1989, the official name was changed from Burma to Myanmar by the military dictatorship, and this is probably one of the reasons people still prefer to use Burma. But Myanmar google population consists of many regions and ethnic google population groups, only part of the population can be called Burmese. So when the name change to Myanmar was done, this was partly to include google population all provinces and ethnic groups.
Early Friday google population morning was taken to the airport in a small truck with the bikes in the luggage. A little time later we landed in beautiful Bagan who belongs to that part of the country called the "dry zone". It rains there is a lot less than in the rest of the country.
At the airport stood Maung Maung Than and received us, our guide for the next three days. A super nice Burmese

living in Bagan with his family. Always smiling, speaks google population very good English and incredibly persistent and tenacious on the bike in 43 degree heat! He collaborates with Bike World Explores google population Myanmar, and is the guide Soesoe google population and Jeff uses in Bagan.
It will explore the archaeological zone, must pay U.S. $ 10 to the authorities already at the airport google population - and this applied to the absolutely Us! We had come here to experience the famous Bagan plains with thousands of sacred pagodas and temples. Bagan had their storhetshetstid for about 800 years ago, when there were over 13,000 sacred buildings on this plain. Now we "only" about 2200 pieces, but it was no less impressive, and enough for us Northerners to choose from ... Next to Angkor Wat in Cambodia is Bagan still regarded as one of the most important archeological and cultural treasures in the south-east Asia. But unlike Angkor Wat in Cambodia where local access to international expert from including UNESCO so do not allow dictatorship in Myanmar this and UNESCO has responded google population to not include Bagan to its World Heritage List.
Having switched to cycling outfit (oh yeah ...) on we sat ourselves on bike seats and pedaled in a row by Maung Maung Than out in the scorching midday heat present. In one of the first stops was