Karaweik palace barge on Kandawgyi Lake, Rangoon, Burma

© Etakundoy/Shutterstock

Karaweik palace barge on Kandawgyi Lake, Rangoon, Burma

On the shore of Kandawgyi Lake in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (also known as Myanmar), stands the gilded palace barge called Karaweik. It’s a concrete replica of a traditional royal floating palace and was built in 1972. Today, there’s a restaurant and performance space inside, welcoming visitors with traditional folk music and dance. Kandawgyi Lake itself is man-made, a relic of the British colonial occupation of Burma during the 19th and early 20th centuries.