Myanmar is an enchanting country more famous these days unfortunately for coups than the beauty of the country. Yangon has the Shwedagon Pagoda whose golden stupa is breathtaking. When flying over the country it seems that the pagodas never end. Bagan is equally spectacular with amazing sunrises. Early in the morning, dozens of hot air balloons drift over the pagodas. The ubiquitous iron buffalo is has many purposes and seen all over the countryside. I was with friends in Yangon once and we decided to head down to see what Aung San Suu Kyi’s house looked like. She was under house arrest at the time. We got within a block and got held up at a military checkpoint where we almost finished up under house arrest as well. It took some smooth talking by my friend to work our way out of trouble. On another trip we mountain biked for a week way outside of Bagan. The trip was years in the planning due to us being in a supposedly sensitive area. The main thing we saw apart from stunning scenery was people living very simple basic lives and very poorly kept roads. The mountain biking promised didn't live up to expectations and most of the time we rode on dusty roads.