My very first attempts with Instagram postings in March 2015 happened in the miraculous land of Myanmar. The photos document most days of a 3-week round-trip starting in Yangon, going through Bago, Golden Rock, Inle Lake, Shan State, Mandalay, Ava, Bagan and back to Yangon.

Pictures and words can by no means do justice to the magic of a sunrise over Bagan. Of all the places I have visited in South-East Asia this must have been one of the most mesmerising.

In six weeks of travelling through Myanmar I brought back some 3.000 photos taken with phone and camera. I was totally captivated by the essence of this country. These are some of my all-time favourites.

Whatever else is going on in Myanmar – its temples make this country a Golden Land indeed and a land of true and deep spiritual practice. The Buddhist tradition is very much alive and palpable. The many sacred places attract pilgrims from neighbouring countries, who want to get a glimpse and a whiff of the stunning magnificence and charge of the pagodas and temples. Two of only six great international Buddhist Councils have been held in Myanmar. But much more than the importance on this formal level it is the miraculous and mystical that makes Myanmar shine so bright.