Resort Review: Savoy Hotel

A stay at Yangon’s colonial Savoy Hotel With one of the most complete collections of colonial architecture in the world, it’s doesn’t take much effort to imagine Yangon of the late 19th century when it became the capital of British Burma. Its downtown boasts leafy roads lined with stylish buildings bursting with character, some repurposed … Read more

The End of Strife

Looking for answers to Myanmar’s future in Yangon Known as “Queen Of The East” in the 1880s, Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, has always held promise. Seeing its potential, 19th century colonist and writer Sir George Scott predicted that Yangon’s trade would outstrip that of Calcutta and rival the most celebrated American cities. On a muggy … Read more

Walking the Middle Way in Bagan

Uncovering Myanmar’s unique brand of Buddhism With almost 90 percent of
the population identifying as Buddhist, Myanmar is one of the most devoutly Buddhist countries in the world. The “Land of Pagodas” has more than 56,000 monasteries, home to up to half a million monks and 50,000 nuns to go with an uncountable number of pagodas … Read more

Taking the Back Roads to Mandalay

Cycling Kipling’s Burma Few place names have the
 power to conjure up notions of exotic romanticism like “Mandalay.” Among others, it’s inspired a Hollywood
 film company, a Heinz sauce, and a
 hit children’s song where Nellie the Elephant runs away from the circus and meets up with her herd one night in the silver light … Read more

Mekong Delta

Mekong Quilts, the social enterprise known for their handmade quilts and bamboo bikes, are offering visitors an opportunity to visit the women and villages behind the products. Local NGO Anh Duong, under the umbrella of the NGO Mekong Plus, is working to alleviate poverty in the region through training and microloans. Every year groups of … Read more

The Coconut Monk

His bizarre life on Phoenix Island remains his most enduring legacy On a sliver of island in the wash of the Mekong, just outside of My Tho, sits the obscure remains of one of the more bizarre chapters in Vietnamese history. The island is Con Phung, Phoenix Island, and the man at the center of … Read more

Dublin Like a Local

This compact Gaelic city is no longer the land of ramshackle pubs and baked-potato pushcarts With a reputation as a hot bed of Irish culture and heritage, home to good tipple and some of the friendliest locals in the world, there is a constant stream of tourists favoring Dublin as their must-see destination on the … Read more