The city of Bago is less than two hours' drive from Yangon. Its former name Pegu is an Anglicism. It is one of the major historical cities in Myanmar as it was the capital of the second Myanmar Empire. Even before that, it has long been a seat of power and flourishing trade centre. In fact, the city is so old that the people today including scholars can't figure out the exact meaning of its name. True, there have been several hypotheses, but none has been fully satisfactory or foolproof. The simple fact is that the nanme Bago has no meaning in modern Myanmar unless you take it as picking peas. Anyway, it's a short and handy name and, as you know, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

   Mandalay, the last capital of the Myanmar Kings, is located in Central Myanmar, 668 km north of Yangon. Also known as Ratanabon-nepyidaw (meaning Gem City), it was built in 1857 by King Mindom. Today, it is the second largest city boasting its rich cultural heritage. It is also the commericial centre with rail, road, river and air links to all parts of the country.

   Yangon, the capital city is the main gateway to Myanmar. Evergreen and cool with lush tropical trees, shady parks and beautiful lakes, Yangon has earned the name of Garden City of the East. Yangon was founded by King Alaungpaya on the site of a small village called Dagon when he conquered Lower Myanmar i 1755. The name Yangon means "End of Strife" which was anglicized to Rangoon. The present day Yangon covers over 35o sq km and has a population of over 5 million.