The train journey from Shwenyaung to Kalaw was an amazing experience: When the train stopped in Aung Ban, the locals where doing all their shopping through the train windows and I watched in awe as the train was loaded up with groceries

Market in Aung Ban

Though not far away from Northern Thailand's tourist hotspots by linear distance, Loikaw sees only a handful of foreigners visiting a year: With the border to Thailand closed, this undiscovered backwater is a long distance away from Myanmar's tourist destinations. It took me a day to get here from Inle Lake and on the way back, I spent 16 hours in a bumpy, packed bus to get to Yangon. But the long trip was worth it to get a glimpse of this rural part of Myanmar that is home to beautiful temples like this one. With no tourist infrastructure in place and no option to rent a motorbike, I relied on hitchhiking to explore the region around Loikaw. It was an amazing experience and I met so many incredibly nice people!

Taw Kyat Taung Pagoda near Loikaw

Loikaw is a remote town in Eastern Myanmar and sees very little foreign visitors. I met many amazing people there when hitchhiking. After a scary fast motorbike ride, the group of friends who gave me a lift took me to this impressive pagoda.

Pagoda near Loikaw, Myanmar

At first I was hesitant of even visiting Pai since I had heard that it was quite touristy, but I ended up falling in love with the small town and staying for over a month. This Bamboo Bridge is only one of the countless places to visit around Pai.

Bamboo Bridge in Pai

This boat is transporting tomatoes in a channel of Inle Lake. I did a bike trip around Inle Lake and took the bicycle on a small boat like this.

Captured	August 19, 2018
Location	Nyaungshwe Township, Shan State, Myanmar
Camera	BuyNikon D5500
Lens	BuySigma 18-35mm F1.8
Exposure Time	1/2000s
Aperture	f/1.8
Focal Length	35mm
ISO	100

Boat in Inle Lake, Myanmar

Nearby Photos

Market in Aung Ban

Taw Kyat Taung Pagoda near Loikaw

Pagoda near Loikaw, Myanmar

Bamboo Bridge in Pai