Sunday 29th January 2017 – Home to London Heathrow

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Well, that’s it, we’re off on our travels again.  This time we have one night at a Heathrow hotel courtesy of an early flight tomorrow, three nights in Abu Dhabi, 17 nights in Myanmar (Burma) and 3 nights in Bangkok before we fly home at the end of February.

We were picked up by our usual car service at lunchtime today and had a really clear run down to Heathrow where we’re booked in to the Hilton Garden Inn which is pretty good bearing in mind we got the room at a good price through Booking.com.  As we have an early start tomorrow (we have to be checking in at 06:00) it’s going to be a quick meal and off to bed.

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Monday 30th January 2017 – London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi.

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Thankfully everything went to plan today.  We were up and ready in plenty of time to get checked in and we were even offered a wheelchair to use without having to wait for someone to push it, they were quite happy for me to push Graham through security etc.  We arrived at the Etihad boarding area in plenty of time and one of their staff spotted the wheelchair and we were the first to board our first ever journey on a new Airbus A380 (the huge 490+ seat double decker affair).  The flight was pleasantly uneventful, the aircraft was quieter than most (no real engine noise or vibration) and the food was surprisingly good.

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This is our first flight with Etihad and, so far we’re impressed particularly as they employ their own wheelchair pushers in Abu Dhabi and they couldn’t have been more helpful making sure we were escorted all the way to the car that was booked to pick us up.

We arrived at our hotel (Southern Sun) at around 21:30 but had a little difficulty working out how to get in as they’re in the process of resurfacing the entry way. Once that was sorted we checked in to what is quite a nice room although it does have a very strange bathroom arrangement; there is a bath and hand basin separated from the bedroom by a glass partition which provides no privacy at all (it’s okay for us sharing but I wouldn’t want to be sharing with anyone I didn’t know quite so well !)  There is also a shower in a separate glass fronted area and a toilet which also has a glass partition, thankfully this one does have slightly better frosting on the glass.

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We did have one slight delay after arrival as the safe provided in our room failed to work (we wouldn’t usually have worried but we’ve had to bring quiet a lot of cash for use in Myanmar) so we had to wait for a maintenance man to come a replace it before we went for something to eat.  As it was now 23:00 local time we didn’t want too much to eat so opted to go to the terrace bar where we sat outside by a very nice water feature and shared a platter of local dishes. It was a little chilly by the time we finished eating at 23:40 but it was nice to be able to sit outside in January.

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Tuesday 31st January 2017 – Abu Dhabi.

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We had booked a city tour for today before we left home and there was a bit of confusion over the start time. We had originally been told 08:30 to 09:00 but had received a note on arrival at the hotel saying 09:15 to 09:45 so just to be on the safe side we had another fairly early start and were in the lobby by 08:30 having had a very nice breakfast.  We were sitting waiting patiently when the hotel concierge came across and told us that he had received a call from out tour guide saying that he was running a bit late. He eventually arrived at 10:15 but, as they say, better late than never!

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The tour started with a visit to the Grand Mosque which is absolutely stunning.  The main prayer room can hold around 7000 worshippers, has the largest one-piece carpet in the world and some absolutely magnificent Swarovski crystal chandeliers. There is a strict dress code for the mosque, I had to be covered from head to toe and everyone has to remove their shoes to enter which, in normal circumstances, would have caused a problem for Graham but the mosque provides wheelchairs for use of those who need them which was great as he was able to see as much as I did for a change.

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Our next stop was Yas Island which houses Ferrari World, the F1 circuit etc. This was a bit of a non-event for us really as not only was it very expensive to get in to the main exhibition but we didn’t have enough time to warrant paying to get in so it was just brief stop before we drove around more of the sites stopping at various points for pictures. Along the way we saw the Presidents Palace, the Emirates Palace Hotel (the most expensive in Abu Dhabi), the Corniche (waterfront) and we then made a brief stop at the Heritage Village which is essentially an area for tourist to be shown what the old houses used to looked like and where there was lots of mostly tourist tatt on sale.  We were then taken to the Sheraton Hotel for an included lunch (not bad) before finishing off with some more views of the city sights and a return to our hotel. It wasn’t a particularly cheap option but worth it as we’ve seen most everything Abu Dhabi has to offer apart from the massive shopping malls that is.

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Wednesday 1st February – Visit to Al Ain.

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As we had eaten at lunchtime yesterday we didn’t want too much to eat in the evening so took the advice of the restaurant Maitre’d and shared just a main course which was a great idea but he didn’t warn us that we would be provided with three different types of homemade bread each plus six types of homemade butter and an amuse bouche each too! We were both very pleased that we shared as there was plenty of food there and it was really good too.

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We had another fairly early start this morning as we had received a message from our tour operator to say that we would be picked up at 08:15 this morning. We were first on board a 16 seat mini bus so were able to nab some seats close to the door and we then proceeded on a roundabout route through the city picking up 6 other passengers along the way.

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We had decided to take the trip to Al Ain as it promised to show us something other than Abu Dhabi city and it certainly did that.  Our first stop along the way was at a Camel race track. It is a sport which is apparently taken very seriously over here and we saw quite a few groups of camels in training; these days they are ‘ridden’ by robot jockeys operated by the camel owners who follow in a 4X4 on a track side road and operate the whip by means of a play station type joystick!

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Once we reached Al Ain we visited the Palace Museum. It is on the site of the palace where the Sheik who is credited with creating the United Arab Emirates was born and it gave an opportunity to see what a pre-oil boom palace would have looked like. Next was the National museum with historical and archaeological artefacts and an original Fort. This was next door to the Oasis gardens, it is an authentic Oasis which has for some years now been utilised as a Date farm.

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After a very pleasant lunch at a nearby hotel we were driven to the Camel Market. Now, call me cynical but I had fully expected this to be an area with a few camels being shown off to the tourists but I was most definitely wrong on that one.  It is a real market which is not just used to sell Camels but also, goats, sheep and cattle and it is an enormous area.  There were special areas for each type of beast and you could see all manner people pulling up in their cars/trucks and being shown the various animals. We were taken to one particular pen to view the camels as there were some very young ones there and whilst we were stood there another was born, we didn’t actually see the birth, it was on the ground by the time we spotted it but it was literally seconds old – very sweet.

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From the market we were driven up the mountain, Jabel Hafeet, to see the view over city and then back down for a brief visit to the local Hot Spring (the water is properly hot too not just warm).  We than had the fairly long drive back to the city where we dropped off at around 19:20 so it was a long day but a good one.

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We returned to the same hotel restaurant this evening and once again shared a main course, this time a piece of Wagyu beef which was very nice but very expensive (as is most of the food here).

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Thursday 2nd February 2017 – Abu Dhabi to Bangkok.

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As we had received a fax (yes, they do still exist) advising that we would be picked up for our airport drop off at 20:05 this evening we decided to book a visit to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital this afternoon and spent this morning re-packing and catching up on some admin before checking out.

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The hotel concierge arranged for a taxi to take us to the Falcon Hospital and even sat in the car with the driver and put the address in the his ‘phone to make sure he knew where he was going before we left. Unfortunately it seems we got landed with a driver who was less than honest. He drove out towards the airport and past a number of signs to the hospital and it was only when we started to run out of time and realised we’d been round the same road at least twice that we realised we were quite literally being taken for a ride.  The meter on the cab showed a fare of 110 Dirham by the time we arrived and we’d been told that the fare should be around 80. As we were by now only just in time to take the tour we didn’t argue too much but gave him a 100 note and told him that was all he was getting.

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Once inside the hospital we were given an insight to the sport of falconry and the workings of the hospital before going in to see where the birds came to have minor procedures.  We witnessed a bird being anaesthetised and having its talons trimmed and a general health check.  We were also shown how flight feathers are repaired if they become damaged – fascinating.  Next we all had a chance to handle one of their birds and I was lucky enough to have the chance to feed it.

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Once the tour had finished we discovered that there was another guest from our hotel on the tour so we shared a cab back (it cost 80 Dirham this time).  It was then a case of having a snack and waiting until we were picked up for our transfer to the airport at 19:45.  The departures area of Abu Dhabi airport is rather more hectic than the arrivals but we were able to get a wheelchair to take us through to the gate.  The only slight issue we had was not being able to check our bags all the way to Mandalay, we were told we would have to collect our bags in Bangkok and then check in again for the second flight.

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Our flight left just after midnight and we landed in Bangkok after an uneventful flight but when we explained to the wheelchair pusher that we had to collect our bags and check in again he looked a bit bemused and went a spoke to one of his colleagues who advised us to visit the Bangkok airlines desk and arrange for them to collect our bags for us.  We did as was suggested and were assured our bags would be transferred to the next flight but I have to say we were a bit perturbed by the idea of relying on someone else as it would have meant we had no clothing at all for the river cruise if the bags hadn’t arrived.  Thankfully the process worked perfectly and everything arrived safe and sound.

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We were collected from the airport by a Travel Marvel rep and had our first views of Mandalay during the 40 minute drive to our hotel.  Initial impressions are that it is very like Indian but much cleaner and far less heavily populated.

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The hotel is very nice and set in some lovely gardens, there are two restaurants and we chose the one which provided some local dishes. We made a slight mistake by ordering a starter and a main course each as the helpings were very generous as was the use of chillies in one of the sauces, it was very nice but also very hot!!

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As there was a live band playing in the bar we went along for a listen but didn’t stay too long as, by now, we’d been up for over 36 hours without any real sleep.

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Saturday 4th February 2017 – Mandalay Hill Hotel to The Princess Panhwar.

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After a leisurely breakfast we had time for a walk around the hotel gardens and a brief sit under one of the pagodas by the pool before checking out.  In total there were six of us collected from the same hotel and it was a half hour drive to where the boat was docked. A fairly steep walk down the bank saw us boarding a very nice vessel where we were shown to a large open upper deck whilst a light lunch was prepared for us.  Shortly after lunch we were escorted to our cabin which is very nice and much bigger, in our experience, than you have on most cruise ships.

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As some of our fellow passengers weren’t flying in until today the ship was fairly empty until late afternoon so we had a good opportunity to look around.  There are three decks, the top housing an open deck/ bar and the Kipling Lounge which is an indoor lounge and bar. The middle deck is all cabins (including ours) and the lower deck is part cabins but also houses the restaurant.

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Early this evening we were all asked to meet in the Kipling Lounge for cocktails and a compulsory safety briefing. We were also provided with some general information and a briefing for tomorrow’s excursions.  That was followed by a very nice four course dinner and an early night (we were the last to leave the bars and it was only 22:00).

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Sunday 5th February 2017 – Mandalay to Sagaing.

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This morning’s tours started at 09:00, after a very good breakfast, with a climb back up the bank and steps to where coaches were waiting to take us on a tour of Mandalay which included visits to a number of Temples/Pagodas and a Monastery built entirely of Teak. Unfortunately this meant that there were a number of occasions where Graham had to wait outside as entering the temples etc. requires the removal of shoes and socks.  There were other parts of the tour where Graham was able to participate fully including a visit to a workshop where gold leaf is quite literally beaten from thicker pieces of gold.  There was also a wood carving shop and a textile workshop.

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We returned to the ship for lunch (buffet starter and dessert but served main course) whilst the crew cast off and set us off on our river cruise.  It turns out that we really didn’t have far to go and we moored at the side of the river a few miles away at Sagaing an hour or so later. At 15:00 it was back off the ship again, up another slightly less steep bank and back on to the buses for a visit to a silk weaving workshop where some absolutely beautiful fabrics were being created by hand. Next was a stop at the U Bein Bridge, a very old wooden bridge which is built in a zigzag formation to withstand water movements etc. Graham and I did walk out on to the bridge but as it is a very popular place for watching the sunset it was very crowded and difficult to walk any distance safely (there are no barriers).  Part of our tour was to take a gondola ride out on to the lake so that we could watch the sunset from the water, we weren’t sure if Graham would be able to get in/out of the gondola very easily but he managed admirably and the sunset was definitely worth seeing.

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Once back on board we only had time for a quick change before we were back in the restaurant for another very nice meal and that was followed by a cultural performance by a small group of professional dancers/musicians and some of their students on the open deck. It was a very pleasant way to spend an hour on a nice warm evening.

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Monday 6th February 2017 – Sagaing to Inwa and on to Yandaba.

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This morning we were back off of the boat, up the mud bank and onto the buses for a short drive up to another temple complex.  This one was at the top of a hill which afforded a fabulous view over the area and it’s multitude of temples. It was a little murky and the views would no doubt have been better with clearer skies but it was definitely worth the effort.  This particular temple houses one of the most famous Buddha and was well worth the visit (for me at least). We also visited a silver workshop to see how a variety of items are made by hand.  This was followed by a visit to a Stupa complex where, as shoes needed to be removed again, Graham waited whilst I went to take a look.

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From there we drove to a local ferry where we made our way down another fairly unstable mud bank and on to the boat for a short river crossing.  Once at the other side it was a case of back up the bank to meet up with another mode of transport.  This time we were loaded, two at a time, on to a horse and cart.  Graham managed to clamber in the back of the cart whilst I sat in the front with the driver which would have been an impossible feat for Graham as the step was both narrow and really high.  The horse and cart first dropped us at a small village where we took a walk through (being warned to avoid the dogs en-route as our guide had been bitten by rabid dogs on two occasions!!) to visit the ruins of a temple which was severely damaged in an earthquake in the 19th century. 

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Next was a stop at a watch tower which was also damaged by the earthquake and is now leaning quite precariously.   A wooden temple followed and then a longer run on the fairly bumpy cart through rice and water lily fields to meet up with the boat which had moved along the river to catch up with us.

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This afternoon one of the on-board guides, Zaw, provided a presentation on Buddhism which was very interesting but also slightly confusing in places as it is largely based on a philosophy rather than strictly being a religion.  Part way through his presentation we had our first experience of running aground, the water levels are pretty low and we had been told that this might happen. Interestingly we have also heard that in March last year they had to stop running the trips as the water level was just too low for the boat to get through – hopefully we won’t have that much of a problem but watching a member of the crew leaning over the side with a long bamboo cane with depth markers on it does make you wonder!

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Once the presentation was over it was back to the open deck where we sat watching the world go by. It has been really interesting seeing how the locals live, still ploughing the field using oxen and washing themselves and their clothes in the river. 

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This evening there was a briefing for tomorrow’s excursion followed by dinner and a showing of the film ‘Last King of Burma’, a documentary about the demise of the Royal family and the treatment of the decedents of the King. We got talking to two ladies after the film and discovered that one of them has recently moved to just South of Lincoln so were able to provide answers to some of the questions she had about where to find what services etc.  We were, once again, the last to leave the bar and it was still only around 22:00.

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Tuesday 7th February 2017 Yadabon to Bagan.

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As this morning’s excursion was entirely on foot the 63 passengers on board were split in to three groups each with its own guide, one of the groups was specifically designed for slow walkers so we naturally joined that one.

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Once up the steeply sloping bank we made our way to the local school where we were able to donate any pens/pencils etc. that we had brought for the purpose. The children ranged in age from five to around 7/8 and we were first introduced to the younger ones who were not only very sweet but very enthusiastic about our visit.  One or two of them were offered the opportunity to volunteer to tell us their names/ages or to recite the alphabet in English and happily did so.  We were also able to watch a few lessons going on before the entire school emptied on to the front steps so they could sing us some songs (some in Burmese some in English) we were then asked, as a group, to reciprocate so sang a couple of songs which the kids joined in with. As well as some pens etc. we had brought along two hand puppets that I had been given as a joke present and two of the children who volunteered to speak English were given those as a reward. It was nice to see that they were being put to use and were appreciated.

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We then walked around the village which is famous for its pot making.  River clay is used to produce a multitude of different pots which are sold locally and nationally. Each is thrown by hand by one lady whilst another pedals the potter’s wheel.  After they go through a range of drying and decoration processes they are laid out in huge numbers and a kiln is built over them using rice straw and wood and the pots are fired using that basic but effective technique.

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In all we spent two hours walking around the village and we definitely got to see how the locals are living, it’s a very basic but apparently happy life which was great to see.

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This afternoon there was another talk which told us more about Burma and in particular the Do’s and Don’ts for whilst were visiting.

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Wednesday 8th February 2017 – Bagan

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It’s been another busy day today. Graham and I left the boat a bit before 09:00 this morning to give ourselves more time to get up what was quite a long slope and a set of steps to where we were being picked up by some local coaches.

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Our first stop was at yet another Pagoda where we learned even more about Buddhism (we’re definitely starting to get a bit Buddha’d out) before stopping at a local market.  This was much more interesting, not only did I managed to get a new battery for my watch, which had stopped working a couple of days ago (it cost a massive 50p) but we were able to see all manner of things on sale. Another temple followed before we returned to the boat for lunch.

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This afternoon another excursion had been arranged first to a lacquer workshop in New Bagan and then to yet another temple to watch the sunset.  As it was quite a climb to the buses and an even worse climb to see the sunset Graham decided to stay on the boat for the afternoon whilst I went out on my own. The lacquer workshop was interesting and there were some nice items on sale but I managed to resist at least until I left the shop. There are quite a few hawkers about trying to sell all manner of goods and one young lady had been trying to sell me some clothing every time she saw me, when I spotted her outside the workshop I decided to go and speak to her.  We had a good conversation, I learned a lot about her and her colleagues and, yes, I did eventually buy something from her.

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The temple we visited to see the sunset was badly damaged in an earthquake last year so we were unable to climb right to the top but I made it to the fourth of five levels. It was very steep climb up and an even more interesting scramble back down but it was a good view so worth it.

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There was another film showing in the lounge this evening but, as I said, we’re both a bit Buddha’d out so decided to give it a miss.

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Thursday 9th February 2017 – Bagan to Salay.

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The ship sailed at 07:00 this morning and travelled just a short distance down river before stopping at Tantkyi Hill where we disembarked, climbed on to minibuses and were driven up the hill to see yet another Pagoda and some great views over the countryside.  Once we arrived back at the riverside we were seated on the waterfront where we watched a group of locals perform some elephant dances (a mix of dancing and acrobatics by two guys dressed in an elephant costume).

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We set sail again at 11:00 and travelled a bit further this time stopping at the town of Salay at around 14:00. A little later in the afternoon we disembarked up a very long mud bank where I joined a walking tour of the town whilst Graham and a few others with walking difficulties were taken around the sights by van.  The tour included the compulsory temples and monasteries but also enabled us to interact with the locals who are all very friendly and keen to say hello.

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At dinner this evening the crew (all of them it seems) came in to the restaurant to sing their version of happy birthday to a number of people with recent/upcoming birthdays and very pleasant it was too.  There was also a Trivia quiz set by the ‘Hotel’ manager Goran but we decided to sit out on the open deck in the relative peace rather than join in on that one.

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Friday 10th February 2017 – Salay to Magwe.

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Today started a little differently as we set sail at 07:00 heading for Magwe. Following a leisurely breakfast and a very relaxing rest on the upper deck we went along to a presentation on the Anglo Burmese wars; it was very informative but, once again, provided as many questions as answers.

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We moored alongside the town of Magwe at 13:30 and left for an excursion into the town at 15:30 so there was plenty of time for relaxation in between.  The excursion firstly drove us through what is quite a big town (c500,000 inhabitants). Although it is quite a size it still only has electricity for part of the day so it hasn’t grown as much commercially as some.  The market we visited was interesting although not as big as the one we visited in Bagan and we both invested in a Longyi (a type of skirt affair that the locals wear). We wouldn’t have bothered except they are having a Longyi evening on board in the next day or two and we didn’t want to poop the party as they say (it also did put some money into what is a pretty poor community).

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Our next stop was at the town park where there is a statue of General Aung San who is considered to be the father of democracy here in Burma (he is also the Father of Aung San Su Kyi the current leader of the Democratic Party).  We also saw the freedom monument in an adjacent park.  Our final stop was scheduled to be another Pagoda but en-route we came across a procession and the guides stopped the buses so that we could see what was going on. It turns out it was a procession for two young boys who were about to be initiated as Buddhist monks, it was a very colourful, lively and noisy procession but I have to say the two boys concerned didn’t look quite so happy, more apprehensive.  Apparently every Burmese boy HAS to join a monastery at some point in their young life and they must stay for a minimum of seven days after that they are free to leave if they wish (and their parents can afford to keep them). On a separate visit we spoke to a young novice monk who was just ten years old and who was to spend his life as a monk because he was an orphan. It doesn’t seem much of a life to us but at least he will be fed and looked after. There were also a few young girls in the procession who were heading for their ear-piercing ceremony.

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We did finally visit the threatened Pagoda and, for me, it was ‘shades of India’ as many of the local pilgrims had not seem westerners before and wanted to have their photographs taken with us. After leaving the pagoda we returned to the ship and skidded our way back down the ramp (this was one of the more challenging) in time for a quick shower before dinner.  The further south we get the hotter it seems to get, 34c this afternoon.

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This evening’s entertainment was a film about Burma in the Second World War and as Graham’s Dad had served here we went along to take a look. Unfortunately although fairly informative it was filmed from the American perspective and consequently took a pretty narrow view of events.

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Saturday 11th February 2017 – Magwe to Minhla and Thayetmyo.

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The ship sailed at 06:00 this morning ‘docking’ again at 08:00 at the town of Minhla.  The dirt slope off of the ship was even more interesting today with many people commenting on how steep it was.  Graham managed it pretty well and we were greeted at the top of the slope by a fairly large group of young children who all wanted to ‘high five’ and for us to take their photo’s so they could see them.

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We walked as a group to a nearby fort which was constructed in the 1860’s to keep the British out (it failed).  From there we had the opportunity to either walk back to the ship or to walk on to the local market.  Graham (very sensibly) opted to walk back whilst I went on to the market.  We had agreed that, if necessary, he would find somewhere to sit at the top of bank so that I could help him back down but, as it was, two fellow passengers offered to help before the staff took over and escorted him back on board.

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The visit to the market was very interesting. Here in Burma they still work by the lunar calendar and as today is a full moon day (apparently) the main market was shut with only fresh produce on sale. Now, I say fresh produce with some degree of licence as there were plates of raw chicken on sale which had very obviously been sitting out in the hot sun for some hours, the same went for the pork and the fish!!

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We were all back on board by 10:30 and we set sail for Thayetmyo soon after passing lots of small villages along the way. As we did not arrive until c15:00 the on-board guides provided us with a talk on the differing beliefs in astrology (there are three of them and they all have different views which was interesting).  They also provided us with some information on our own astrological signs, planets etc. and gave us each a Burmese name.

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This afternoon’s excursion started with yet another steep climb on loose sand to get to the edge of the village we were visiting. Once there we were loaded on to horse carts for a drive out to the local golf course, it is apparently the oldest golf course in the country. There we were challenged to have a go, in three teams, at a putting competition. It was a bit of fun and surprisingly a few shots met their target (not ours I might add). From there we were driven around the town where the locals all seemed quite surprised to see us, they were all very friendly and waved to us all the way around.

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Getting back down the slope to the ship was a bit difficult for Graham but he was ably assisted by one of the crew who stayed with him all the way to the gangway.

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This evening’s entertainment is a film called ‘Elephant Power’ and we have been warned that it is not necessarily one recommended for animal lovers so we may go along we may not.

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Sunday 12th February 2017 -  Thayetmyo to Pyay.

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This morning was spent sailing further south down the Irrawaddy.  We left Thayetmyo at 08:00 and spent a very pleasant hour or so sitting on the upper deck watching the world go by. We then joined our fellow passengers in the Kipling Lounge to watch some of the crew give a traditional dress demonstration.  Firstly they explained why we have been seeing the majority of the population wearing a kind of cream coloured paste on their faces, some with just a fine coating and others with a variety of patterns. The paste is called Thanaka it is ground from a local wood and is used as a mixture of sun protection and moisturiser, it is also believed by some to have skin whitening qualities.

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Next the crew gave us a demonstration on how to wear the traditional Longyi.  These garments are essentially a tube of fabric which is worn by both men and women but in slightly different ways.  The women’s is basically wrapped around and tucked in but the men’s has a range of rather more complicated ways of fastening.  It was fascinating to see the versatility of a single piece of fabric.  The crew members involved were also really good at playing along and sending themselves up along the way.  One of the guys even ended up parading around in a traditional ladies costume complete with long black wig. He’s going to take a while to live that one down I think.

It was back to the sun deck for the remainder of the morning/early afternoon before we stopped at the rather larger town of Pyay. The slope from the ship was rather easier this time as steps had been cut in to most of the bank and there were even handrails although you wouldn’t have wanted to put too much faith in them.  Once at the top we climbed on board some buses which had been driven up from Rangoon overnight as they couldn’t find any suitable buses locally. These took us through the town and to an archaeological museum, to the site of an old settlement, to a conical Stupa and then to another famous Pagoda with a Buddha image which is higher than any of the buildings.

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There was no entertainment organised for this evening and as the cough he has had for the past few days seemed to have turned into a grotty cold, Graham went to bed shortly after dinner whilst I went up to the sun deck and listened to the music emanating (I think) from the wedding that was taking place on the riverside.

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Monday 13th February 2017 – Pyay to Myanaung and Ka Naung.

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We were scheduled to sail at 08:00 this morning but were delayed slightly as the crew were waiting to find out what was happening regarding a passenger who had been taken to hospital poorly yesterday.  It seems that she may have been suffering from dehydration/heat exhaustion and had decided to stay at the hospital for a while before flying home so we left without her at 09:15.

At 10:00 Zaw, one of the guides provided with a talk on the Delta Region that we were about to enter and shortly after we passed by an area where there are lots of Buddha statues carved in to the rock face. The story goes that they were carved by people who were trapped in the area by a whirlpool which still comes in to being when the waters are at their peak.

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We arrived at our first stop of the day at around 14:15 and dock with the fender of our ship touching a neighbouring barge. To disembark for our walking tour of the town we had to cross the barge deck and then the gangway before making our way up another interesting slope. This town is larger than some we have visited, it is also a bit more modern and, for me at least, a little less interesting.  Once again the crew arranged a separate walk for the slower ones amongst us and it was as well they did as by the time we got back Graham’s leg was very loose as it has, once again got hotter the further south we have travelled (he was feeling a lot better after a good night’s sleep by the way).

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Once back on board we had just over an hour to get ourselves ready for the Longyi night (well, it’s hardly a night really just an hour or so for people to try the local way of dressing). It turned out to be a really good night with the vast majority of passengers entering into the spirit of the thing and wearing a variety of outfits.  One thing we hadn’t expected was to have to make a cat-walk style entrance so that two of the guides could choose their best dressed Burmese style man and woman, as I said, it was a bit of fun.

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After dinner there was music and dancing on the sun deck which, despite the bubble gum music was also good fun and it was a good thing the ship had been moved to a nice quiet part of the river bank as I imagine it would have been a little loud for anyone on shore.

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Tuesday 14th February 2017 – Ka Naung to Shwe Kyin and Danuphyu.

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We left at 07:00 this morning and spent an hour sailing further downstream where we stopped at the village of Shwe Kyin.  In the words of the guides this one is a very basic village, the houses are little more than shacks and the only real industry is loading/unloading gravel from barges. If the community manages to unload an entire ship they can earn a massive 4000 kyats (approximately £4) which they then split between them, when you consider that we saw at least a dozen people unloading one ship that doesn’t amount to very much.  That said, the people are still very, very friendly.  We were greeted at the top of the slope by a large group of children many of who followed us for the entire two hour walk around the area.  One elderly lady (apparently 84) also offered us the opportunity to take a rest in her house if we wished, very sweet.

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There were three groups walking this morning and Graham and I joined the slow walking group but as we were approaching the point where we would return to the ship I opted to join one of the other groups and went further to the newer part of the village and through the paddy fields.  All very interesting.

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This afternoon has been spent relaxing during the 7 ½ hour sail to our next port of call and you certainly do see some odd things whilst watching the world go by.  At one point this afternoon something on the shore caught my eye, I did a double take and then took a photo as proof that there really was a band with a full drum kit set up right on the waterfront in the middle of nowhere!

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One thing we hadn’t expected today was Valentine’s Day celebrations.  At lunchtime the deserts were very much made with a Valentine’s theme in mind, lots of hearts and flowers including strawberries on skewers which were very deftly cut to look like red roses. Then this evening we were greeted by tables covered in red rose petals and desserts covered in hearts and arrows. We were also treated to a song by the crew, a red rose for each passenger and a gift each of some cookies/sweets made by the pastry chefs, it must have taken them an absolute age to make them all.  It was very unexpected and much appreciated by all.  There were even free chocolate based cocktails provided on the upper deck.

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This evening’s entertainment was a film documenting the life of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Leader of the Democratic Party but, unfortunately it proved impossible to read the fairly frequent and crucial sub-titles so we gave up trying to follow it and agreed that we would see if we can download it and watch it once we’re home.

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Wednesday 15th February 2017 – Danuphyu to Maubin.

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Our visit to Danuphyu this morning was slightly different as arrangements had been made for us to experience the delights of a Trishaw ride.  The Trishaw here are essentially very old bicycles that have had two seat sidecars fitted (two passengers sitting back to back) the ‘engineering’ was a little suspect in places but not as suspect as many of the tyres!  The people here are generally very lean and quite petite and as we tourists are rather porkier we each had a Trishaw to ourselves.

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Our first stop was the local market and as we were there shortly after 09:00 it was really busy with people buying their produce for the day (very few homes have refrigerators).  There was a wide array of vegetables and spices on sale many of which we didn’t recognise, there was also a separate area where meat, poultry and fish was being sold albeit riddled with flies.

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From there we went along to a cheroot making workshop.  We have no interest at all in smoking but it was interesting to see the process and learn that they are paid absolute peanuts for a hard days graft sat on the floor rolling the massive corn based cheroots.

The last visit of the morning was to the town’s Buddhist Monastery.  This one is still in use and lived in by around 40 monks and novices.  It was fascinating seeing how they live, we were even invited in to meet the head Abbott and see the dining room where their lunch was being prepared (their only real meal of the day is served late morning as they fast from 12:00 noon to dawn each day). As I said, fascinating but it did feel rather as though we were intruding somewhat.

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The rest of the day has been spent lazing on the upper deck watching the world go by.  We decided not to go along to the lecture on ‘Myanmar Past & Present’ but will definitely be going to the sun deck to see this evening’s entertainment which is some sort of talent show put on by the crew. They’re a really happy, friendly lot so it should be a bit of fun.

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Thursday 16th February 2017 – Maubin to Yangon.

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Last night’s entertainment was, err interesting!  Some of the crew played music and sang, others performed some traditional dances and then they brought out the ‘pretty girls’ but as there are only three young ladies amongst the crew the ‘pretty girls’ turned out to be some of the younger male members of the crew in drag.  One of the passengers also decided that he wanted to sing a song and we knew we were in for trouble when his travelling companions groaned and tried to hide.  Now I know that Graham can’t sing but so does he so he doesn’t try but this guy was something else it really was as bad as his companions had feared.

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This morning we woke to the sights and sounds of Maubin.  The guides had told us that this was a dirtier town than we had been used to so we weren’t sure what to expect.  It turned out that it wasn’t really any dirtier but it was distinctly more industrial so we think that was what they were referring to.

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We were taken on a guided walking tour stopping first at the local market which, being fairly early in the day, was really quite busy. We saw the usual array of goods on sale including some very nice ladies blouses one of which I would have liked to bring home with me the only trouble was their largest one would have needed another six inches or so of fabric in it to have fastened.  They are generally a very petite build over here still, it gave the girls on the stall a good giggle.

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Our next stop was a rather unexpected one.  The guides had been told that there was a wedding reception on in town and that we would be welcomed as visitors so we went along, causing a bit of a stir amongst the guests. We were invited to join the wedding breakfast (we politely declined) and were then included in a number of their wedding pictures. We were even given a mall gift of a calendar with the bride and grooms names etc. on. Apparently the bride and groom were delighted to have us there.

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The ship sailed very promptly once we were back on board and we sat on the sun deck watching the scenery get greener and more populated during what is our last days sailing.  Before too long we were in to one of the Irrawaddy tributaries and then on to the Twante canal which brought us into Yangon itself. It was a bit of a shock to the system to see just how much traffic there is here, I think we’ve seen more cars this afternoon than we’ve seen on the entire trip so far.

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This afternoon the guides had arranged to take us to see the most famous Pagoda the Shwedagon Pagoda. Initially Graham had decided to sit this one out but one of the guides, Zaw convinced him he really should see it even if only from the outside so he decided to come along.

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As we were heading for the coaches to take us there Zaw told Graham that he had arranged for a wheelchair for him so that he could go inside which was really good of him.  Unfortunately there was a bit of confusion when we arrived as although they provided a wheelchair they still wanted Graham to remove his shoes and socks, that in itself wasn’t a problem but they then saw that he had a stocking on his foot and wanted that removed.  Zaw explained the situation to the lady who seemed to be in charge and she in turn went and spoke to a security man and after much discussion they agreed he could go in with the stocking on as long as his foot was covered so they provided a Longyi and tied that around his foot.  It seems really quite bizarre that they first insisted he removed his sock and then made him cover the foot but, hey ho, it’s their country and their rules. 

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We’re now back on the ship having a quick cool off before heading for a farewell cocktail party on the sun deck before dinner.

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Friday 17th February 2017 – Yangon.

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Last night’s cocktail party was a nice, gentle affair with cocktails and canapés being provided whilst we were introduced to all of the crew (except a few who were working hard in the kitchen preparing our dinner). Another excellent meal and an evening relaxing on the open deck followed.

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We left the ship at 09:00 this morning for a bus tour of Yangon. Our first stop, once we’d battled our way through the awful traffic, was to see an absolutely massive reclining Buddha (approximately 72 metres long).  We then fought our way back to the centre of town and the Scott Market which is massive with around 200 stalls. Next we made a stop at a lake for photo’s of the Royal Barge (which is now a restaurant and doesn’t actually float) before returning to the ship in time for lunch.

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We’ve had a fairly lazy afternoon (apart from doing some packing) sitting out on the open deck again and we’ll soon be heading for a Farewell Dinner where we’ll be saying goodbye to a number of the people we’ve met as some have early flights tomorrow.  We have two more nights here in the Parkroyal Hotel so we won’t be in quite such a rush in the morning.

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Saturday 18th February 2017 – Yangon.

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We had an early start this morning as we had to be off of the ship by 08:30.  When we organised this trip we decided to stay on in Yangon for two more nights and were booked in to the Parkroyal Hotel which is where those passenger’s with flights later in the day were brought to wait for their pick-ups.  Not surprisingly our room wasn’t ready when we arrived but we didn’t really have too long to wait and we were in and settled by 11:15.

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Whilst waiting for our room to be prepared I left Graham in the coffee bar and went to see what was in the local vicinity, I turned right out of the hotel, right again and went around what turned out to be a fairly big block later we had a brief wander around the hotel to see what was what and decided to have a light lunch at the pool bar. The food was good but it seems pretty expensive here especially as we’ve got used to the countryside where we struggled to find anything to spend money on. 

 

Once we were fed and watered we saw the concierge and arranged for a taxi to take us to the British War Cemetery tomorrow morning we then jumped in another taxi to the Scott market where I managed to convince one of the shop owners that I really did want a Burmese style longyi and not one of the sarongs they make for the tourists so I am now the proud owner of a matching longyi and blouse.  We also bought a shirt for Graham and a small lacquer work tray, now all I have to do is find room for them in our luggage.

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Before he left this morning I asked our tour guide for a restaurant recommendation.  The establishment he suggested is a 15 minute taxi ride away and, from what we’ve seen on-line appears to be popular with bus trips which isn’t really what we had in mind.   After a web search we’ve found another far smaller one which is much closer so we’re probably going to try to walk to that one.  If all else fails we can always come back to the hotel to eat.

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Sunday 19th February 2017 – Yangon.

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Our foray in to the local area last evening proved very interesting, it seems that in the streets around our hotel almost every other property is some sort of restaurant.  As we picked up a local map from the concierge desk (just in case) a member of their team told us of another local’s restaurant close to the one we had seen on –line, in the end we went to the one we had spotted ourselves but the Shan noodle bar he suggested looks like a possibility for this evening.

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Today has been a much more leisurely one than most.  Breakfast was served in the main restaurant and as expected it was buffet style, what wasn’t expected was the absolutely vast array of foods on offer. You could choose anything from Chinese/Burmese noodle soups (which could be made to order), to sushi to a full English breakfast (well, almost). There were all manner of breads, pastries and condiments too, it really was pretty impressive if a bit daunting.

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After breakfast we picked up our taxi to the War Cemetery at Taukkyan.  The traffic in the city wasn’t quite so bad today with it being Sunday so we arrived there at around 11:00 and spent some time having a walk around and paying our respects. The cemetery is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission so as you might expect it was immaculately maintained.  It was then back to the hotel (by 13:00) for a cool off.

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Another visit we were told we should consider was to the Strand Hotel which according to the guide books is considered to be the Raffles of Yangon.  Another taxi deposited us there in time for a late lunch in the bar (the café only serves a Buffet on Sunday lunchtimes).  The interior of the building is pretty impressive but, surprisingly, some of the service was a little lacking (drinks that should have been ‘straight’ came on the rocks and lunch was served without cutlery which took two attempts to secure).  One more taxi and we were back at the hotel ready to try to pack for tomorrow morning’s 07:00 pick-up.

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Monday 20th February 2017 – Yangon to Bangkok.

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The recommendation to visit the Shan noodle house proved to be a good one. We walked there yesterday evening and as there were no free tables we were asked if we would share which we did with a very pleasant young Burmese couple who were most helpful when we encountered the inevitable language difficulties.  Graham and I each had a very large bowl of noodles (one chicken and one prawn) and a coke each and the bill, including tips was around £9.  We then went back to our hotel ordered one tea and one coffee and the bill came to more than the meal!

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It was an early start for us this morning with an alarm call at 05:00 and a pick-up at 06:45.  We had been told that the trip to the airport could take anything from 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours depending on the traffic.  As it was early ours was a 45 minute journey and we had to wait a while for the check-in to open. A wheelchair and pusher delivered us to the gate without any drama and we were up and away pretty much on time.  This flight was even shorter than the one to Mandalay but they still managed to feed and water us all en-route, not a bad achievement I’d say.

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Once in amongst the chaos that is Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport arrivals area we had a little difficulty finding the driver for our hotel transfer but we were still on the road within an hour of landing which was good going.

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When booking this trip we plumped for a 3* hotel and although there’s nothing really wrong with it it certainly isn’t one of the best we’ve stayed in and it’s in a bit of an odd area too.  Once we’d settled in to our room we went for walk in the local area to try to identify a local restaurant for this evening but it seems we are in an area brimming with Arabic and Indian restaurants.  There are also more massage parlours than you can count and the occasional property advertising rooms to rent by the hour!  Not far from the hotel is one street which seems to be an entertainment area if, that is, you want an extremely noisy open fronted bar which appears to be the haunt of lots of elderly, overweight European men accompanied by very attractive young Thai ladies (quite a few with Adam’s Apples).  It’s quite seedy really if that sort of thing bothers you, thankfully we’re not too fussed ourselves although we don’t intend frequenting said bars ourselves.

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Once back at the hotel we stopped at the lobby bar for a drink and asked one of the staff where we might find a good Thai restaurant and she has provided us with a map and highlighted an area that doesn’t seem to be too far away which she says is full of really good places to eat.  We intend taking a walk up there later, we can always get a taxi back if it proves too far to want to walk back.

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I mentioned a paragraph or two ago that our hotel room wasn’t great well, it got to be worse than “not great” when we noticed the ants that were crawling over the work surface where the tea/coffee making bits and the TV were. A call to the front desk was followed by a visit to the front desk where a very apologetic manager offered us a free upgrade so we’re now in a much nicer room in the newer part of the hotel.

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Tuesday 21st February 2017 – Bangkok.

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The information we’d been given regarding Thai restaurants proved not to be entirely accurate.  We did eventually find the street we had been told about but it seems there is only one restaurant there so that’s where we ate.  It is apparently very well known locally not least because of its name “Cabbages and Condoms”.  I’m not sure where the cabbages bit comes in but the restaurant was apparently set up by a local business man who was trying to promote safe sex and to provide AIDS education.  The décor is interesting with some of the tables (including ours) having a glass top under which there are patterns made up of multi coloured condoms – well, it definitely different.  The other thing we hadn’t expected was to be presented with a condom each as we left!!

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This morning has been interesting for other reasons.  Before we left home we booked a total of three tours for Bangkok as Graham had found a company who could provide a wheelchair for him so that he could visit some of the sights that would otherwise be off limits to him.  The guide duly arrived at 08:30 in a wheelchair accessible van but with no wheelchair, luckily she was able to borrow one from the hotel but that really didn’t signal a good start.

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Our first stop was scheduled to be the Royal Palace and we were about 40 minutes into our journey there when the guide asked for our passports. Apparently you are supposed to have them (or some other photo ID to get in to the palace) unfortunately no one had told us that we needed ID so we didn’t have any with us.  When we arrived at the Palace entrance the guide went and spoke to one of the guards, showed them the booking details which included our passport numbers and told them that she had seen our passports (she hadn’t) and they let us in.  Another interesting point is that as Graham was now in a wheelchair none of us had to go through the security checks/scanners that everyone else was subjected to.

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The Palace was worth seeing but was absolutely heaving with tourists of all nationalities and it seems that many of them leave their manners at home when they travel.  People were pushing and shoving to get to see some of the views and you won’t be surprised to hear that that didn’t sit well with me!!  The situation isn’t helped by the fact that the late King’s body is still lying in State so that Thai people can pay their respects and they are doing so in their thousands. Things weren’t helped by the temperatures which reached 38c this morning either.

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Ou next stop was at the Sky Tower, the tallest building in Bangkok which has a revolving observation deck and a restaurant.  Out tour ticket included a buffet lunch where we had been reserved a table right next to the window which meant the view was pretty good, the food was also okay but, once again the behaviour of some of the visitors was appalling, they could have learned better manners by attending one or two chimpanzee’s tea parties. After lunch and a visit to the observation deck we opted to return to the hotel and finish the tour a bit later this afternoon by which time it should have cooled down a bit.  It makes sense for another reason too as we have booked to go on a river cruise with dinner and we will be able to go straight there rather than hang around somewhere in the city.

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It’s now just past 22:00 and we’re back from part two of today’s tour and our dinner cruise.  This afternoon we visited the Wat Trimit temple which is an amazing fairly old, very ornate building surrounded by ugly blocks of flats etc.  The temple houses the world’s largest solid gold Buddha which weighs in at over 600kg which is pretty staggering really.  Graham was also able to see the temple as they seem to be a little less strict with the rules over here, they have wheelchair ramps in to the temple and an elevator to take wheelchairs to the top floor which is where the golden Buddha is.  

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As our dinner cruise wasn’t scheduled to start until 19:00 we had over an hour to spare so went to the pier and had coffee and a mooch around the shops before the trauma of boarding the boat. As there was little seating in the area our guide had suggested that Graham stay in the wheelchair until we reached the boat, this was fine by us but things then took a slightly worrying turn as both he and his wheelchair were man-handled onto the boat and up a steep flight of stairs by four burly guys who wouldn’t take the easy option and let Graham walk. I have to say I couldn’t watch!

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The dinner itself was okay although there was little in the way of Thai food and lots of pasta etc. for the western palate. There was also entertainment on board with a band and a couple of singers who were actually quite good until they started singing the party songs e.g. YMCA (can’t be helped).

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Thankfully our guide managed to convince the crew that Graham was capable of walking down the stairs so he was spared the worrying return trip down the stairs.

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Wednesday 22nd February 2017 – Bangkok.

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It’s been stiflingly hot today.  According to our Guide, Kipsey, it was definitely hotter than yesterday and although she wasn’t sure exactly how hot she thought probably 40c. She also said that this time next month it’s likely to reach 45c.  I can certainly only recall being hotter once in the past and that was in the Borneo jungle when we went to see the Orang-utans.

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We left the hotel at 09:00 this morning heading for the town of Ayuttaya which was the Capital of Thailand before it was moved to Bangkok.  It was a drive of approximately 80Kms and with a stop at a Gem factory on the way it took around two hours.  Once there we visited the King’s Summer Palace, a beautiful complex of buildings in equally beautiful gardens.  Lunch was next on the agenda, another buffet but his time at a riverside hotel and it was definitely much better quality (and clientele) than yesterday.

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Two temple complexes followed, one with a sizeable reclining Buddha and one which was badly damaged in one of the wars between Thailand and Myanmar.  In this one many of the Buddha statues were beheaded and one of the stone heads ended up in the base of a tree which has since grown around the head. It looks quite eerie really. 

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The drive back to the hotel took around 1 ½ hours and we’ve now said goodbye to Kipsey and our driver Mr Nai.  We’ve yet to decide what we’re going to do this evening, we certainly don’t want to be walking too far as it’s still stinking hot out there