Sunset visit to Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda is the highlight of Voyages to Antiquity's Asian Odyssey

Glimmering gold grandeur - the Shwedagon Pagoda is a highlight of Rangoon

• Introducing a series of guest blogs by Zoe Bromley-Fox, Land Programmes Manager of cruise line Voyages to Antiquity. The line’s one ship, Aegean Odyssey, returns to south-east Asia this winter for the first time since the winter of 2012-13. Zoe looks forward to the forthcoming visit by recalling highlights of the journey two years ago.

When remembering our first Asia season, I must start with a personal highlight – the evening excursion in Yangon, Burma (Myanmar), which was included for every passenger

Visiting the Shwedagon pagoda as the sun went down was a fairy-tale experience that our passengers would never forget. Without the heat of the midday sun when most groups visit the pagoda, everyone could really appreciate the unique ambience of this sacred Buddhist site. Not to mention being able to stand on the ground quite comfortably with no shoes on! When on this excursion, admire the glimmering gold as the lights are turned on and ask your guide to show you the unique spot where you can watch the diamond change colour as you view it from different angles…

Aegean Odyssey returns to Burma in January, on a 21-day cruise departing from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and also visiting Chennai (Madras), Phuket in Thailand, and Penang and Malacca, Malaysia, before reaching Singapore.

Fares from £3,995 pp (two sharing) and a single supplement of 20 per cent. Guest speakers include Prof Ian Brown of the London School of Oriental and African Studies; Robert A. E. Gordon, president of the Britain-Burma Society, and Pamela Gordon of the Diplomatic Service Families Association.

The ship returns in March, during a 30-night grand voyage from Bangkok to Singapore with fares from £5,750 pp (single supplement 15 per cent).

Click here to read Zoe's blog in full, with details of Aegean Odyssey's voyages and the excursions available.

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