Areas of the Shan State had just opened to foreigners when I first visited Myanmar in 1993 and my fascination for this country continues to this day. From the seat of the Rakhine kingdom at Mrauk-U and the many Buddhist spires of Bagan to the almost inaccessible tribal areas of Kengtung, Loikaw and Chin State, Myanmar offers authentic wonders just beginning to be discovered.

Smiling monk in Bagan, Myanmar.
Kayan Longneck woman from Panpet village, Kayah State, Myanmar
A woman from the Kayah tribe, at Dawdama Gyi village, Myanmar.
The golden Shwedagon Pagoda lit up at night.
Kayan Longneck woman from Panpet village, Kayah State, Myanmar
A Burmese fisherman in the Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar.
A Moken man rows his boat the traditional way in the Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar.
Fisherman at Inle Lake display their unique nets as the sun sets.
Kothaung Temple in Mrauk U, which contains 90,000 Buddha images.
A M'kuum woman from Mindat, Chin State, with distinctive facial tattoos and clothing.
A Burmese girl sporting traditional thanaka powder on her face.
Village chief from the Munn Chin tribe in Myanmar.
Munn Chin woman with distinctive "b" shape tattoos on her face.
Novice monk on a remote island in the Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar.
Drone photo of Indein Pagoda, Inle Lake, Myanmar.
Temples of Bagan, built between the 9th and 13th centuries.
A woman from the M'kuum tribe, with tattooed face and unusually large earrings.
An 86 year old U-Pu Chin woman, whose entire face was tattooed in black ink.
A woman from the Kayah tribe, at Dawsaw Pyar village, Myanmar.
Kayan Longneck women pose as they working in their fields at Panpet village.
A Kayaw woman near Loikaw, Myanmar.
A Kayaw woman near Loikaw, Myanmar with distinctive earrings.
A monk at Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung Monastery, Inle Lake.
Drone photo looking down at the gardens of Inle Lake.
Leg-rowing fisherman at Inle Lake at sunset.
A Kayan Longneck woman working in her field at Panpet village, Myanmar.
A Munn Chin woman in Mindat, Myanmar with traditional facial tattoos.
A Nga-Ya Chin woman, Kanpalet, Myanmar.
Remote hills of Kayah State in Myanmar as the sun sets.
Novice monks in Bagan, Myanmar.