Myanmar (Burma)

Souvenirs from Myanmar (Burma)

Souvenirs from the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, or Burma, are a beautiful mix of elegance and tradition. Pan Yoon is a type of lacquer ware endemic to the Burmese lifestyle. Created from bamboo and black varnish decorated with traditional drawings, they are shaped into every item imaginable, from mirrors and picture frames, plates and drinking cups, to trinket boxes and trays. Myanmar silk is created by a painstaking process, one that takes more than a month to produce enough material to create an outfit. You can purchase bolts of material to have made into clothes back home, or purchase premade traditional clothing. The ground of Burma is laced with over a thousand types of gemstones, including rubies, diamonds, emeralds and topaz. An ideal investment and Burmese souvenir, purchasing jewelry and loose stones can be an exotic treat. Naturally, you can also capture the beauty of the country in post cards, T-shirts, magnets and key chains.

Burmese Flora and Fauna

The largest country in the Southeast Asian mainland, Burma covers over 678,000 sq km. and over a quarter of its border is coastline. Within its perimeters, you will find mountain ranges and plains. It is a rainy, warm climate, and is ideal for growing year round. Over 49% of the land is covered in forests, including ironwood, bamboo, oak, pine and acacia trees, and provides home to 800 species of birds. In the upper parts of Burma, elephants, wild boars, deer, antelope, buffalo and rhinoceros roam the lands, and are often tamed by loggers to use as work animals. The ecosystem has been largely preserved by the slow economic growth, but logging is beginning to chip away at the forest land, which is also home to gibbons, monkeys, fluing foxes and tapirs. Crocodiles, turtles, geckos, cobras, and Burmese pythons are amongst the reptile species, making Burma a wonderful destination for wildlife seekers.