Yangon, capital of Myanmar, may not be a particularly ancient city, but few places in Southeast Asia create a stronger impression of another era.

This leafy, calm city features few high-rises and practically no traffic congestion. What moves in the old colonial style streets are pedestrians, bicyclists and just a smattering of 50's, early 60's and even 40's vehicles.

Until the mid-18th Century, Yangon was just a quaint little Mon village. It's only claim to fame, since earliest Buddhist times, was being home to the Shwedagon pagoda, still today its major draw.

Then in 1755, the village was conquered by the Burmese King Alaungpaya, who christened it Yangon, literally Armistice. After it was conquered by the British for the second time in 1852, it was renamed Yangon and became the capital of the Burmese part of the British crown colony of India. When the British rebuilt the town with proper city planning, it became known as one of the cleanest cities in Asia, to the extent that even Singapore was designed after studying it. Today it is still a delightful city with tree-lined streets and elegant buildings, shady parks and beautiful lakes, and with a sense of ease that is totally captivating.