I’ll be going to Myanmar in October, for four weeks.  This is a trip I’ve been wanting to take ever since my four days at Angkor Wat in 2005.  Since then, Angkor has been dramatically commercialized, but Myanmar has not, due to its political isolation.  I am very excited to wander amongst the ancient ruins of Bagan, ride a train across the Burmese countryside, take a longboat up a river or two, and soak up this unique culture before it is consumed by the West.  2200 temples still extant in the 40 square miles that made up the cultural and religious center of the Pagan Empire between the 11th and 13th centuries.  That alone will make this trip magical. Here is a photo from Angkor in 2005.

and another from Wat Phu in Laos, 2011