Travellers to Myanmar may feel some trepidation – and with good reason. With decades of military rule and armed conflict between ethnic groups marring the peace, the country was all but closed to travellers until 2011. But it is on the brink of change, particularly if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi succeeds in leading the nation to democracy – and as a destination, it has so much to offer. The Myanmar people are perhaps the most welcoming in the world.

They are a mixture of backgrounds, from Chinese to Indian; a result of constant emigration over many years. The tropical climate offers year-round warm weather, which makes a visit from the Middle East possible anytime, and the wealth of unique cultural landscapes means there’s much to discover. For the adventurer, there are plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking and seeing the one-legged fisherman rowers; and for the luxury traveller, a host of upscale hotels influenced by nature. Perhaps the most intriguing – and surprising – part of the Burmese culture, however, is the food scene with its local, rustic flair that varies from region to region.

I am experiencing Myanmar on a seven-day expedition with Trafalgar (+1 866-513-1995), guided by my personal Burmese travel director, Nyein Moe. Moe has seen the country both at its best and most troubled, and offers a personal look into the life of Myanmar in an upbeat, informative and often humorous way. The tour also affords the luxury of a hands- off experience, with my entire itinerary planned, including tours, upscale hotels and optional activities, along with an ease of communication that breaks through the language barrier.

The first stop is Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, where I check into The Kandawgyi Palace Hotel, located adjacent to tranquil Kandawgyi Lake. The property opened in 1934 as the Rangoon Rowing Club, but today it’s been transformed into a stylish hotel adorned in local golden teak and furniture from Myanmar artisans. Discerning travellers can unwind with a Thai, oil or four-hand massage in the Nature Spa, while the Palace also vaunts one of Myanmar’s largest wine cellars, with more than 200 wines to choose from. It’s not slim on gastronomic offerings, either.

Depending on your tastes, you can indulge in four different restaurants at Kandawgyi. French fine dining can be found at Agnes, with its French Renaissance-style paintings and statues, blue-cushioned chairs and tables topped with fresh flowers. The award-winning French chef, Christophe Buzaré, offers an extensive choice of dishes, such as grilled lobster medallions on green tea-scented risotto; pan-fried foie gras on caramelised pears and ginger bread; and roasted duck breast with honey and rosemary sauce. Other restaurants worth a visit include the Chinese restaurant Taste Paradise, Thiri Café & Terrace, and Otake serving Japanese cuisine.

To do as the locals do, I rise early for a morning jog on the long, wooden bridge that spans the length of the Kandawgyi Lake. I’m greeted by the cheerful faces of the locals exercising before their workday, and the beauty of the man-made lake, which sprouts lily pads and water flowers throughout. An early start ensures a spectacular view of the orange sunrise over the gilded Shwedagon Pagoda from across the lake. After my run, I embark on a walking tour of Yangon, which offers an intriguing look at the colonial heart of the city and takes in various sights that include City Hall, the former Immigration Office and the former High Court, and the vintage General Post Office.

Strand Road is home to the stately building that housed the former New Law Courts, and after an hour-long walk, a coffee break is most welcome. I pause for a while at the Lobby Lounge in the five-star Strand Hotel (92 Strand Rd.; +9 1 243 377), which was built in 1901 and is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. The British-themed, laid-back bar attracts mainly Western business and leisure travellers in a rich mahogany setting scattered with plush armchairs. I may be opting for a coffee today, but it is impossible to go a day in Myanmar without an introduction to the nation’s widespread tea culture. Tea consumption is a Burmese way of life, where instead of bars, teahouses serve as the social gathering place for Myanmar people. “People from different walks of life meet at teahouses,” says Moe. “There is loud music and noisy conversation about business, the love of sports and the heyday of Mandalay.”

I pay a visit to one of the newest teahouses in Yangon, the Rangoon Tea House (77-79 Pansodan St.; +95 9 979 078 681), which is outfitted in chic, modern décor with floor-to-ceiling windows. The teashop serves green and black tea, the style most commonly served in Myanmar. There are no condiments on the table, as the local way is to take the tea plain. The exception would be laphet yay, a popular brewed black tea from the highlands of Shan State, traditionally served with sweet condensed milk. Yay nway chan, a weak green or black tea called “Chinese tea”, is comprised of free leaves and twigs thrown into hot water, and is usually provided free of charge. It is readily available on my table in an insulated tea dispenser for clients to help themselves while waiting for their order, or as a palate cleanser.

Myanmar’s tea plantations can be found spread throughout the northern part of the country at high elevation in places like the Ayarwaddy River, northern Shan State, Chin State and Kachin State. The cool climate in these regions helps to aid tea growth, the delicate leaves organically grown without fertilisers. Interestingly, tea in Myanmar is not only sipped, but also chewed in the form of laphet thoke or “tea-leaf salad”, usually found in the countryside. Intrigued by this concept, I order the savoury dish, which is prepared by layering tea leaves with sesame oil, peanuts, garlic, dried shrimp, coconut and ginger, all left to infuse and ferment. The dish is a ubiquitous condiment on the Burmese table and a must-try for the curious culinary explorer. 

Still hungry, I sample mohinga, Myanmar’s national dish, which is a hearty rice-noodle and fish soup. Additional culinary delights in Yangon can be found at Sharky’s (117 Dhamazedi; +95 1 524 677), an organic market and restaurant. The owner, Sharky, became tired of running a nightclub in Geneva, and now brings organic and Western food to Yangon by mixing local resources and Western tradition. There are wholesome selections for sale in the market, like sea salt from the Indian Ocean, hand-pressed olive oil, cold cuts and Myanmar cheese made from buffalo milk. If you decide to pop in, the market offers a tasting of some of these local specialties.

On day three we head to Bagan where I am able to explore a few of the city’s 2,200 pagodas and temples. Unlike the bustling city of Yangon, Bagan’s agricultural lifestyle is spread across several smaller villages. At the golden Shwezigon Pagoda, built by King Anawrahta in the early 11th century, I take in the 13th-century frescoes adorning the corridors and walls of the Gubyaukgyi “Cave” Temple. I also pay a visit to Taungphi village to see the old monasteries before continuing to Ananda Temple, a whitewashed masterpiece of Mon architecture with four standing Buddhas. Bagan is famous for its luxurious lacquerware, and it is worth visiting the small workshops to witness its production. At Sarabhad restaurant in Bagan, I try the popular vegetable soup with carrots and green beans. This is considered a luxury to the locals in the area, as carrots are expensive to import to this region.

Visiting Inle Lake is the trip’s highlight; Myanmar’s second-largest lake, it sits some 1,000 metres above sea level. The lake hosts clusters of peculiar floating homes that run the gamut of bold, rainbow colour schemes on their exteriors, and I spend a great deal of time watching, fascinated, as the Intha fishermen expertly manoeuver their wooden, canoe-like boats with one leg while using ingenious conical bamboo nets to catch fish such as ngape tilapia, and Inle carp. I learn that these fishing methods have survived for hundreds of generations; the upright position allowing the fisherman to see across the lake to spot dense hyacinth weeds scattered just below the surface where fish can be hiding. They also keep close watch on bursts of bubbles created by shoals of fish.

The serene lake surrounded by mountains offers more opportunity to sample Myanmar’s flourishing culinary offerings, particularly at the luxe Inle Heritage House. The boutique accommodation features just six bungalows perched on stilts above the water, surrounded by the lake and the property’s own organic garden. The friendly staff is comprised of locals from the Intha village. Some are trained to care for 40 rare Burmese cats in the on-site Burmese Sanctuary, created when the pure bloodline was at risk of extinction during the 1930s; while others teach tourists how to cook Intha Myanmar food, from Intha-style green bean salad with roasted-peanut powder, and fish soup with roasted-rice powder and fresh mint, to Shan- style chicken curry with potato.

The cooking classes use vegetables from Inle Lake’s floating gardens, which according to Moe, are cultivated by some rather unique farming methods. “The floating gardens are created by piling weeds and compost on long poles fixed to the lake floor,” he says. The region also adopts the methods set out by Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), using natural fertilisers and insecticides, while ingredients like Shan spice can only be found in the Shan Hills area of Myanmar. The sturgeon used in the fish soup was also caught from the lake.

Along with surprising gourmet fare, another largely unknown discovery in Myanmar is the country’s two relatively new wine estates, both located 30 minutes from Inle Lake. As there is not enough wine production for export, tourists must visit the country itself to buy and sample Myanmar wines. At Aythaya Vineyard (Aythaya - Taunggyi, southern Shan State; +95 81 20 86 53), which launched in 1999 (the other winery, Red Mountain, opened in 2002), I sip their product in the Sunset Wine Garden restaurant, where the magnificent sunset over the vineyards and valley creates an otherworldly panorama. The restaurant also serves a combination of Western and Myanmar food, such as fish in banana leaves and mutton balls with Brussels sprouts.

With neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam, the region is flush with highly lauded South East Asian gastronomy. But from the wine to the delectable gourmet offerings, Myanmar’s cuisine, along with its political progress, makes it a country to watch. I leave Myanmar a transformed – and satisfied – foodie.

STAY

KanDawgYi Palace Hotel
+95 1 249 255
www.kandawgyipalace-hotel.com

Inle Heritage House
+95 9 493 12970
www.inleheritage.org