Northern Burma on the RV Pandaw II
 

The thirty passengers going on this cruise flew from Yangon to Kalemyo on Sept. 4, 2014, and boarded the boat at Kalewa on the Chinwin River in northwest Burma. We traveled as far north as Homalin, then sailed south to Bagan, and, leaving the Chinwin near Mandalay, set forth north on the Irrawaddy River as far as the Second Defile (gorges) near Shwegu and Kyun-Daw. We then reversed direction and disembarked in Mandalay on Sept. 23, being aboard the vessel, altogether, twenty nights.

I have quite mixed feelings about this trip. They are both of a personal nature about myself and an evaluation of Pandaw. Ever since I was a child, I have wanted to go to northern Burma and my two visits to Burma twenty years ago, when most of the country was off limits to foreigners, fueled the desire. Getting to that remote area necessitated joining an adventure such as that offered by Pandaw. What I failed to realize was that there would be hours and hours, day after day, of unscheduled activity. I was bored out of my skull half of the time. One can read only so much. The sameness of the view---river traffic, small huts along the shore, women washing clothes on rocks beside the water---began to blunt the senses. Generally, we visited two villages ashore each day and, before long, I had to use discipline not to say, "if you've seen one village, you've seen them all." I was not alone in that sentiment. At the same time, however, visiting the villages, talking to the people, and see their living style was a highlight of the trip.

Now, about Pandaw, the staff, crew, and passengers. Of the thirty passengers, about half were from Australia. The rest were from the U.S., the U.K., and Sweden. It was a congenial group, but I found it stressful to have to make conversation at every meal and at the evening cocktail hour (when a briefing about the next day was given) with twenty-nine of my newest best friends. Accommodations were good and we passengers were pampered by the crew. As for food, I would give A+ for presentation and B+ for quality. The chef liked dishes to have dramatic appearances and he made inexpensive ingredients look like haute cuisine. As an example, he took a martini glass, put a little milk in it, added a few cubes of mango, and served it as dessert. The best food was the bread, whose baker rose in the middle of the night to bake fresh.

I regret to have to say that the guide, while kind, generous, and hardworking, should go back to his original occupation in the construction business. He was not a teacher and could not explain most things in an intelligible manner. He had a limited English vocabulary, his pronunciation was often difficult to understand, and he used Burmese sentence construction (object, verb, subject) so that we listeners had to reassemble as best we could what he was telling us. The Purser likewise had limited understanding of English. In dealing with these men, I went around in circles a lot.

I am sorry to end my report on a bad note. On Day 14, one day north of Mandalay on the Irrawaddy River, I developed excruciating pain in the lower abdomen. I'll save you all the details, but say that I was terribly ill for a week, then flew directly from Mandalay to Bangkok for medical treatment, and, after three days, returned to the U.S. The Digestive Disease MD in Bangkok diagnosed my illness as food poisoning. The persistent cough that I developed, which added to my intestinal misery, was attributed by the respiratory specialist to the wind and other environmental factors of the cruise. Making arrangements for me to fly to Bangkok and contacting my insurance company were a nightmare because of limited Internet access and telephone service. In fact, my insurance company failed to cancel my return ticket and I had to buy another one from Bangkok. The message here is that unless a tourist is in the immediate vicinity of Bagan or Mandalay, there is no professional medical treatment available in northern Burma. I still feel that I was a lucky woman, however, because of the exceptional care of the Pandaw staff, crew, and passengers. ZZ

ZZ, so sorry to hear of your illness. Frankly, if I was sick, I wouldn't get treatment anywhere in Burma, though there is an SOS clinic in Yangon. Like you, I would fly to Bangkok. I hope your insurance reimbursed you for buying a new flight ticket!

As you know, I am very interested in your review of this trip, as we have thought seriously abut doing this trip next year. Your review does not encourage us to do so, though it doesn't rule it out. I appreciate your candid assessment.

I'm also sorry to hear about your illness. I realise that it's impossible to be certain about such matters, but do you have any idea of the source of the food poisoning ? Were you eating food during the village visits ?

sartoric: Six hours before I became ill, I ate vegetable curry for lunch. I do have an idea about the source of the food poisoning: the crew made a point of visiting the markets in villages where we stopped and buying food ingredients from local people. In walking through the markets, we saw plants, roots, herbs, mushrooms, and all manner of produce that had been gathered in the forest by the women and children. I figure that this was the origin of the problem. I never ate food in the villages, but I did drink some hot tea that a hospitable woman offered me.

Again, I sympathise (and empathise, got dysentery after trip to India, most unpleasant)

I think Pandaw is expanding rather rapidly, but no excuse to have poor quality guides, and a purser who is difficult to understand. I get what you say about the monotony of the riverbanks and villages.

I'd still like to do this trip though..

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts.

I am so sorry you got so sick. Nothing is more miserable, especially when you are traveling solo.

I appreciate your report, as I have occasionally considered Pandaw (mostly on the basis of dogster's reports), but I have to remind myself that I quickly get bored on boats. It does sound like Pandaw is either going downhill or expanding too fast.

Zambezi
I to was sorry to hear of your illness, Mrs SS was ill in Yangon two years ago, nothing to do with country or the food, and I understand how miserable in can be when travelling.
Incidentally, as my tum is delicate, I always have stand-by Ciprofloxacin from my Doc which has cleared up serious food poisoning in India in 48 hours.
thursdaysd
[ It does sound like Pandaw is either going downhill or expanding too fast]
I first travelled on Pandaw in the late 90's and also cruised with them on their Chindwin/Bahmo expedition some years ago.I also cruised twice with RTM.
They are expanding is response to all the newcomers with their flash G&T boats trying to tap in to the wealthy tourists who want to be cosseted and have heard "Burma" is the next big thing and expect the same standards as the like of Silversea.

Pandaw's owner Paul Strachan ( a Scot) is the most experienced operator of river cruise boats in SE Asia and I personally believe his expansion is sensibly planned.
Just my pennies worth.
SS
ps Thinking about doing Yangon to Mandalay with them in 2015.

Zambezi, I came back to re-read your report, as we are going over the Pandaw cruise options to consider something for next year. We are looking specifically at the Monywa to Homalin or the Nagaland cruises. Both are 7 day cruises on very small boats. I wonder if you have any thoughts about these. This is one of these times when I especially miss dogster!

As a side note, I re-read your note about getting ill... Cheryl because intensely ill from tea offered in Darjeeling, and I once became ill from tea in Morocco. We tend to think of tea as being safe - after all, it is hot - right? - but i no longer think of tea as safe.

BTW, Paul Strachan has written a book about his Pandaw experience. It's fascinating reading, though has the worst editing of any Kindle book I've seen!

I'm glad you bumped this Kathie, because I think I missed it the first time around.

For a while I was considering a cruise with Pandaw, but did not find one that was 'just right'. Now that they've expanded the options, I'll take another look.

For what it's worth, I don't remember being bored on the Road To Mandalay cruise I took a few years ago, but I do remember feeling overly pampered and coddled. In some cases (walking around barefoot about to tread on broken glass) the watchfulness proved quite necessary!

Thanks for the report ZZ.

Hi Femi, good to bump into you again!

If you have any interest in a Pandaw cruise, read Paul Strachan's book.

Hello Everybody! Looking through my original post and reading the comments, I'll begin by bringing the story up to date and by adding an observation. First, the insurance company, Travel Guard, reimbursed me fully for the new ticket that I had to buy in Bangkok, even though it was business class. (I had purchased a greatly discounted consolidator ticket from Atlanta to Rangoon, the legs of which consisted of levels from economy to first class.) Second, after reading what some of you said about tea, I went back to the daily schedule and see that the tea I drank in a village was two days before I got sick and that, on the day I became ill, we passengers had visited only one village in the afternoon. On that day's page, I had written, "Hottest place yet." The day was Wednesday, September 17, 2014. The village was just north of Mandalay on the Irrawaddy River.

Now, for Kathie's question. If I were to go on another Pandaw cruise, it would be for seven days. The stretch from Monywa to Homalin is very beautiful because of the mountain backdrop along the way, the Phowin Taung Caves near Monywa, the big Buddhist temple in Monywa, and the considerable contrast of life in Homalin from life in small villages elsewhere. Homalin's proximity to India and its trade prosperity results in scenes of teenagers in jeans and gelled, spiked hair-dos, vehicles (that you hardly see in any villages), and all sorts of seeming anomalies from "normal" Burmese life.

I have not been to Nagaland, but I have investigated trips on the Brahmaputra offered by another steamship line. The difficulty of reaching the area has been a deterrent to further action. Having spent some days in Calcutta one time, I have no desire to go near the place again.

I'm interested in knowing what you decide. ZZ

Thanks for your comments, Zambezi. I'm glad to hear that your travel insurance paid up - they should have!

I feel reassured to hear that you'd opt for a 7 day cruise, and that you have favorable comments about the Monywa to Homalin scenery. I'm very interested in seeing Mingkin. Did you have a good guide for this Buddhist site?

We have looked before at the Brahmaputra cruise and I looked at it again last week, but I don't think it is what we want. And you are right, just getting there in an ordeal. I outlined how to get there when I did my research last time (and ended up going to Sikkim instead).

I have some more research to do before making a decision on the Pandaw cruise. But stay tuned!

I have looked at my photographs taken at the Buddhist monastery in Mingin and remember well our visit. It was a large wooden structure, raised, as were most buildings in the villages, with a red tin roof. We did not have any special guide except the abbot there. While the monastery is a worthwhile destination, to characterize the town as another Luang Prabang, as travel agencies are doing, is to grossly exaggerate its merits. ZZ

Yipes! Travel agencies rea adverting it as another Luang Prabang? I don't like hearing that. Paul Strachan describes it in his book as perhaps the most important Buddhist art history site in the country that has not been ruined by the "restorations" by the generals. Oh, wait, I just did some googling and found that Mingin very near Mandalay) is described as another Luang Prabang, but as far as I can tell that is a different place from Mingkin, located north of Monywa. Or are the maps I can find so bad that these are really the same place?

Kathie: I have confused the conversation by spelling the town where the monastery is as it was listed on our day sheet for September 11, 2014: MINGIN. In truth, the correct spelling is MINGKIN and its location is north of Monywa. The confusion is abetted by the existence elsewhere of a town, not far away, with the name of Mingin. While I stick by my original assessment, I'll add that a visit to the town and its famous monastery adds to the allure of the Monywa - Homalin stretch of the Chinwin. ZZ

Thanks, Zambezi. The multiples spellings and similar names of many towns in Burma does make it confusing!

I'm currently in correspondence with Pandaw... we'll see what we can work out.

Hi all, been away and been busy so just catching up.
I think I have already posted that I have booked the Pandaw from Yangon to Mandalay this winter. We have done Bagan to Bhamo and all 3 defiles so this completes the picture.
We were very tempted by the special offers on the Upper Chindwin but cannot justify two cruises in Myanmar in 3 months
https://www.pandaw.com/expeditions/c...alin-7-nights/
I am however very tempted by next years Nagaland cruise
https://www.pandaw.com/expeditions/a...e-to-nagaland/

I have just read the kindle preview of The Pandaw Story: On the Rivers of Burma and Beyond by Paul Strachan-a good read and I will now buy the paperback.
SS
NO I do not work for them- just a big fan

SS, the Nagaland cruise looks very tempting, I agree.

I bought the Pandaw book on Kindle. It is fascinating reading. But the editing on the Kindle edition is the worst I've ever seen! You'll probably enjoy the paperback more...

Zambezi, we have now booked the Chindwin cruise, Monywa - Homalin in November. We are very excited about it. I will, of course, post a full report when we get home.

That's great, Kathie! I'm eager to read your report. From my own experience, you might consider investing in one of those satellite telephones to give you ease of mind about having the ability to contact the outside world in case of an emergency. ZZ