Testimonials from our Travelers
In 2006, my husband and I spent a month in Myanmar on a trip custom designed for us by Ei Thwe. Although we have traveled quite a lot, this was one of the very best adventures we have ever had. Ei conferred extensively with us via email, correctly gauged what it was that would interest us, and did an outstanding job of organizing our month so that we experienced the country in a way that few tourists have the opportunity to do.
Myanmar is a spectacularly beautiful country, with a great deal of diversity of scenery. In addition, the people have preserved their culture to a degree quite unusual in this time. Their customs, their handcrafts, their tasteful traditional dress, their delicious food all contributed to making this a most interesting and enchanting trip. Arguably, though, the most memorable aspect was the people themselves. “Friendly” is a word often used when describing local peoples, but we had never encountered a people so warm and open and eager to connect on a personal basis.
We had told Ei we were interested in wildlife and natural settings, so she arranged for us to stay at a pristine waterfowl preserve. Because of our interest, too, in the many handicrafts of the country, she arranged visits to a number of fascinating workshops. Among the things we saw were: cloth weaving by Padaung women; all phases of the production of exquisite lacquerware; metal forging; wood and stone carving; and perhaps most memorable to us, the production of bamboo and treated paper parasols – all of it done entirely by hand, with none but the simplest of tools.
Nothing had prepared us for the beauty and romance of the ancient pagodas at Bagan. Before and since we have been to ruins in South East Asia that are far more famous but all pale in comparison to Bagan. Set on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River, among lush rolling hills, built of redish colored stone blocks, hundreds of these ancient structures of various sizes, from various periods, and in various states of disintegration entice one to exploration.
Nothing we had seen or read had prepared us, either, for the beauty and fascination of Inle Lake, the enormous body of water that is home to 17 villages on stilts; to the fishermen who propel their boats with a strange one legged rowing technique; to floating gardens and to numerous handicraft workshops.
Writing about all of this I am feeling nostalgic for this wonderful country and am ready to start planning another trip. Of course I would have no one but Ei arrange it for me.
Elissa Slanger, Ph.D.
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Hi.
It’s Tony Tien, owner of One World Tourism in Vietnam. I’m looking for Travel agency or tour operator in Myanmar for Myanmar package tours. We work on Indochina private package tours now. Let me know who is in charge of this.
Thanks.