That history goes back thousands of years. Archaeological evidence supports habitation in the area as early as 2500 B.C., but recorded history does not begin until the first millennium A.D. when the Pyu peoples arrived. Other groups came shortly after: the Mon, Bamar and the Shan. Although they each established separate kingdoms, there was much contact and cultural intermingling. The three were finally consolidated in the 11th century, with Pagan established as the glorious capital.

This golden age was short-lived, however. The Mongols, under Kublai Khan, invaded in 1287, and for the next 200 years, splinter groups tried with limited success to establish separate kingdoms.

In the 19th century, disputes with the British, who were establishing their Asian empire, led to an increasing British presence. By 1885, Britain controlled all of what was then Burma, and it was they who used that name.

By 1930, many Burmese began to push for independence. During World War II, they invited the Japanese in to drive the British out, but Burma suffered greatly under the Japanese occupation, and toward the end of the war sided again with Allied forces.

Independence came in 1948 — but not an end to turmoil. In 1960, the country came under control of the army, which has ruled ever since — putting down a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and renaming the country Myanmar in 1989.

Through these turbulent times, one constant has been the Buddhist religion. According to legend, the first kings of Burma were literal descendants of Buddha. The form of Buddhism, still practiced by 80 percent of the country, combines an emphasis on reaching Nirvana through one's own diligence and self-control with a worship of nats — spirits that control various aspects of life and places. Daily offerings are made to these spirits to ensure good fortune.

• ROAD TO MANDALAY. Although the Burmese have little use for reminders of British colonialism (one reason for all the name changes), for many of us, one reference to the country is Rudyard Kipling's famous poem about the place where flying fishes play "and the dawn comes up like thunder out of China 'cross the bay."

We didn't see any flying fish, but we did notice that the sun pops up bright and abruptly on the Ayeyarwady River, which flows to Mandalay.