Jan 25, 2010 | Katha

Katha was unexpected magic, a small river town that the guide book dismisses as sleepy and of little interest. I'd just met Adam (from Manchester, England), and we were riding in a small local ferry when an enthusiastic guy named Myint Zau chatted us up. MZ teaches English for free at his village school, and he invited us to meet his dozen young learners the next day. We were so blown away by the reception we got (being the first foreigners ever to visit the village) that we donated $100 toward the construction of a new school, the foundation of which had already been laid. The day ended at a pagoda festival, where we got the ferris-wheel ride of our lives.