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Here’s why these 2019 additions—from a sparkling wine region in Italy to an 18th-century walled city in India—deserve a spot on your must-travel list.

As the country, also known as Myanmar, prepares for Sunday’s historic elections, a local shares his perspective. While stuck in traffic. Fascinating traffic.

A Photographer’s Eye on Burma

Overview

For a truly spiritual experience it’s magical to visit Shwe Kyin Monastery in the evening after the sun has gone down to witness the monks chanting. One of the most peaceful and beautiful monasteries in Myanmar, Shwe Kyin’s evening prayers start with a gong followed by a procession of photogenic monks. You can stay as long or as short as you like, but be prepared to be totally captivated by the chanting.

Rhiannon Taylor traveled on Abercrombie & Kent’s Myanmar & the Irrawaddy tour as part of AFAR’s partnership with the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), whose members provide travelers with unparalleled access, insider knowledge, and peace-of-mind to destinations across the globe. For more on Rhiannon’s journey, visit the USTOA blog.

I arrive at Nyaung Shwe, Inle Lake’s main development, in the dead of night and immediately book myself into a boat tour of the lake, wondering aloud if the notorious Nayar, a mythical dragon with four legs, still patrols the waters. An old man seated next to me on the bus had told me all about the Nayar and the Magan, a man-eating crocodile-cum-anteater that patrols the murky depths of Inle when the sun goes down. I don’t consider myself superstitious, but in Burma I’ll believe just about anything.“Now you’re starting to understand our country,” he says, winking at me as he captains us through the dark.The engine dies and we sit for a moment; I’m not sure if we’re waiting for the Nayar to drag us to the bottom of the lake or if our propeller has fallen off and we have to swim back to shore.

Out of the mist, with the first rays of dawn pouring over the eastern hills, a fisherman appears, trawling across what appears to be a thin sheet of glass, one strong leg propelling his slender canoe while he hefts a massive cone-shaped net above his head and plunges it into the water. This is an Intha fisherman, a member of the Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority group that make their homes in stilt houses on the lake, self-sufficient fisherfolk and farmers known for their unique one-legged rowing style that has been fodder for romantic travel tales in the same vein as Venice canal rowers for hundreds of years.

We paid $35 for a day on the water in a private boat. It was worth every penny.

The secret to having a good time in Bagan has nothing to do with getting there - all that takes is faith in a Burmese pilot and his ancient aircraft, or an unwavering belief that your 13-hour bus ride from Yangon will actually deliver you to the dusty plains before all your hair turns grey (update: travelers now have the options of new turboprop airplanes and the new highway means that drive time is now approximately seven hours). The secret is in finding a new way to look at the temples themselves, at just the right time of day, and in just the right light. I’ll never understand why most visitors cluster together to climb one pagoda when the plains are littered with thousands of others that afford anyone willing to visit a wholly new perspective on an oft-visited place. This is the way I look at every destination, whether new, old, untamed or untrammeled.

to make the sunset at the famous U Bein bridge near Mandalay got us there just in time. And boy was it worth the effort. Not only this beauty but a fabulous temple on the river nearby was lit in brilliant shades of gold and orange. Literally thousands of photographs later, Myanmar is still my favorite country visited. DO Inle Lake area, Do the Irawaddy River (the Road to Mandalay of Kipling fame and the eponymous boat trip by Orient Express.) Visit the Plains of Bagan, for thousands of temples, and Yangon for Shwedagon Temple complex... everything here is astounding. Visit the markets (many to choose from) meet the people (warm friendly open buddhists) and play with the kids (they are everywhere.)