Myanmar: A Photographic Journey Through the Golden Land

In this new Yahoo Travel series we ask photographers to walk us through a place that inspires them. This week takes us on a journey to Myanmar.

It was a chilly night in Bhutan, May 2012, when a fellow traveler told me about a spectacular trip she’d taken to Myanmar (formally Burma), filled with ancient temples, glorious landscapes, and a culture virtually untouched by the western world. When we spoke, Myanmar had recently opened its doors to tourism after nearly five decades of solitude, gingerly allowing travelers to explore in greater numbers. But my friend warned that the land she knew to be like a trip back in time was likely to disappear if I waited too long to visit. She didn’t have to say it twice.

I loved this morning market in Mandalay—it was filled with energy and excitement and so much color.

I stood on the roof of a dilapidated temple in Old Bagan with other travelers and a few locals selling watercolors, to capture this beautiful sunset and temple in silhouette.

A sunrise balloon flight over Old Bagan is not to be missed. With nearly 3,000 temples bathed in golden light and fog below you, the experience is beyond spectacular.

Everywhere you go in Myanmar you’ll see women and children painted with Thanaka paste, made from emulsified bark of the Thanaka tree. Besides its apparent artistic applications, it has been used as a natural sunscreen for hundreds of years.

The Ubein outside of Mandalay is the longest teak wood bridge in the world and a dramatic vision at sunset.

In the Umin Thounzeh temple on Sagaing hill, you’ll find 45 identical Buddhas.

Inside the temple on the grounds of the Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung monastery, two novice monks caught me stalking them for a photograph … whoops.

An old woman spins the silky fibers drawn from the stems of the lotus flowers that grow on top of Inle Lake. Artisans weave sumptuous robes and scarves from the resulting fabric to sell to local hotels and tourists.

A fisherman on Inle Lake slaps the water with his oar to frighten the fish into nets or cages he has anchored below the boat.

Two young nuns head to a local temple in the small town of Nyaung Shwe to pray.

Susan Portnoy is an avid traveler and photographer who writes the The Insatiable Traveler blog. Though she has traveled all over the world she is particularly drawn to photographing wildlife, ancient ruins and authentic cultures.