Looking forward to the rest of this report! I visited Burma a few years ago staying in Yangon, Inle Lake and Bagan. Unfortunately I ran out of time for Mandalay, but there's always next time. Aside from 24 hours of pure torture while in Inlay Lake from either stomach flu or food poisoning, it was a fantastic trip! I felt rather fortunate to visit at the beginning of the Burma "trend" and caught a glimpse of this Nation and its friendly people.
We were lucky enough to be there before the trend.. in 2004 and it was really special and magical. We want to go back to see the change but I really will bemoan the globalization of the place. Did Yangon and was there the day t hey moved the capital, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake. Shwedegon is one of the most amazing sights anywhere.