Burma. Myanmar. Mandalay.

At the moment it is not possible to travel to Burma — the colonels have taken power again. It was also impossible before, when they were in power earlier. The period of openness toward the West lasted a little over 15 years.

Overall, Burma is a very attractive country — calm and full of interesting places. You can travel through six states; for some of them, entry permits are issued directly at checkpoints if you travel by car rather than by train or plane. You can encounter very interesting professions and craftsmen here, ancient culture, and even untouched nature.

For example, I have seen the profession of a “duck herder” in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, while in Thailand it exists only on postcards now. I managed to photograph it only in Burma, on a lake not far from the large city of Mandalay. This profession will soon disappear, as it is becoming unprofitable, just as it has already vanished in the more developed countries of Southeast Asia.

I recommend visiting Burma when such an opportunity becomes possible. My second trip there was for a month in 2016, the first one was in 2008, and the country had changed dramatically. It is possible to travel very cheaply.