New trips to Myanmar in footsteps of writer George Owell

(TRAVPR.COM) MYANMAR - October 3rd, 2012 -

Intrepid travellers have the chance to follow the trail of writer George Orwell in Myanmar this winter.

Slow Burma Travel is organising several expeditions to re-trace the footsteps of Orwell in 2012/13 for visitors who want to explore the country's rich culture and literary heritage.

The small group tours led by travel writer Keith Lyons and historian Robert Percival include going up the Irrawaddy river to the small town of Katha where Orwell was sent.

Orwell, who is most well-know for his books 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty Four', served as a policeman in colonial Burma in the 1920s. His real name was Eric Blair, but he later wrote under the psuedonom George Orwell. He left Burma in 1927 after five years carrying out 'the dirty world of Empire', but his experiences provided inspiration for his later works, including the novel 'Burmese Days'.

Myanmar opened up for visitors in 2011, and has seen a growth in tourists from overseas. Most visitors go to Yangon, Inle lake, Bagan and Mandalay.

Slow Burma Travel runs exploratory trips to less-visited parts of Myanmar, including along the old Burma road to China, and treks into hill-tribe areas of Shan state. “With the invitation for individual visitors, not tour groups, to come to Myanmar from the people and their leaders, we respect the wishes of locals, and hope to provide an authentic experience for curious travelers,” says Lyons.

Trips in 2012/13 include taking steam trains across country and staying in the old hotel where Orwell lived in the British hill station of Maymyo, and enjoying the sweets and milky tea in teashops which Orwell frequented in Mandalay.

More information is available at Slow Burma Travel's website www.burma-travel.info

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