An unconventional route to Pyin Oo Lwin Read any travel guide on Mandalay and they will all tell a similar story, “not a lot in the city centre, but a great base to explore the surrounding area.” As dismissive as this sounds, they aren’t wrong. Mandalay is not particularly easy on the eye, and it doesn’t really have cool hip factor of Yangon or other major Asian cities. However, like the guidebooks say it is a fantastic place to base yourself to explore the surrounding area. We rented a motorbike from Mandalay Motorbikes, who we would definitely recommend. The owner Zac does custom tours through Myanmar when he is not Mandalay. When we were renting our bike we got chatting to his wife about where we were headed and she gave us a great tip on a stunning road route from Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin. Take route 3…
Chinas turbulent past has seen numerous cities take up the role of the capital, from Chang’an (present day Xi’an), the city that marked the beginning of the silk road, to Nanjing and finally present day capital Beijing. One could be forgiven for overlooking little known Luoyang, capital of 13 dynasties in a reign lasting until the 10th century when the capital moved to nearby Kaifeng. The glory of the city’s history may have faded, but a visit to Luoyang will give you the opportunity to experience and discover one of ancient Chinas most important cities. Located in central Henan, one of Chinas poorest provinces, it may look like any other sprawling Chinese city, but dig a little deeper and you will be rewarded with a unique and memorable experience. As with most Chinese cities, Luoyang has its mandatory old town, where you can spend the day wandering through narrow, cobbled…