I HAVE big plans for New Year’s Eve. Well, big plans for the destination rather than the celebration. I will be in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, on the last night of a 12-day expedition with G Adventures around the country we previously called Burma.

G Adventures tells me that, because the destination is 98 per cent Buddhist, there will be no Western-style celebration, with locals instead waiting until their calendar clicks over in April to celebrate with a national holiday and festival.

On December 31, there will be night markets to visit, bars in the city will stay open until 11pm, the big five-star hotels are scheduling functions with ticket prices in excess of $100, and there will probably be a free party at Kandawgyi Park with food and music as well as a sprinkling of local celebrities.

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