Landing in Myanmar made this country number 98 for me and I liked the place immediately. Yangon is cleaner that most Asian countries for a start and that really surprised me. I dont know what I expected but it certainly wasnt this.

We were met by our guide and driver who took us back to the hotel for some lunch and to dump our luggage. We had an hour and a half to kill so went for a quick walk down the street to grab something to eat rather than eating in the hotel. The food at the Black Canyon Coffee shop was excellent although it was strange to see pictures of London adorning the tables. We sat at the O2 but were surrounded by Big Ben, St Pauls, Tower Bridge and Southbank… very surreal!

Our first stop after lunch was the centre of Yangon we were walked around the markets and given an explanation of what the foods on sale were. Not sure that i would try some of it but it was very interesting.

What struck most was how friendly people were. Locals (and not the stall owners) would call you over to try things in the stalls. Seems that the locals really want to talk to visitors. I had a few occasions today where I had to gracefully try and extract myself from conversations despite the fact that I would have liked to have stayed and chatted. I dont think I have ever enjoyed walking around a market in any country as I did today.

Our second stop was the Reclining Buddha – An 80 ft long Buddha lying on his side. I managed to get a few photos and started talking to a guy who was a professional photographer who takes photography tours around Myanmar. He looked at some of my photos and then showed me some of his. They were brilliant. His website is www.asiaphototravel.com if anyone is interested.

Stop number three was the Golden Pagoda. It’s an absolutely amazing temple. I had a long conversation with an old monk here. He was saying that things had been tough in Myanmar but that the future was looking bright.

My first impressions of Myanmar are incredibly positive. I’m wishing I had more than 8 days here to explore this incredible country in a lot more depth. I’m also hoping that tourism doesnt ruin the place!