Article posted: 1/27/2013 6:00 AM

Myanmar begins to open its doors to the world

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Agriculture and a few of the more than 2,200 Pagodas found in Bagan, Myanmar.

Associated Press

A woman sifts plum seeds used in the manufacture of herbal heart medicine, in Phwarsaw Village in Bagan, Myanmar.

Associated Press

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A fisherman balances his boat, net and oar in Inle Lake, a picturesque area of Myanmar that is popular with tourists.

Associated Press

Monks pray before eating at the Buddhist Kaleywatawye Monastery in Yangon.

Associated Press

Some of the more than 2,200 Pagodas found in Bagan, Myanmar.

Associated Press

Mandalay Palace is reflected in a surrounding moat in Mandalay.

Associated Press

A reclining Buddha is decorated in gold leaf at the Chaykhtatgyi Pagoda in Mandalay.

Associated Press

About this Article

The rising sun streaked a light blanket of fog with pink and yellow. Suddenly, pagodas popped out from the mist, some grand and intricate, others squat and modest, some crumbling, others glinting with gold — a carousel of Buddhist temples. If not for a monolithic red brick silo in the middle of this scene, you could almost imagine yourself in the 11th century, when the ancient city of Bagan was home to the first kingdom of Burma.