As you no doubt remember, dogster went on the inaugural Golden Chariot trip. His website advertises: GOLDEN CHARIOT COMING SOON. However, if you poke around you'll find:

http://thedogster1.wordpress.com/xtr...olden-chariot/
http://thedogster1.wordpress.com/the-golden-chariot-2/

Yeah, but he was with the Cool Guys. Subsequent trips will be with the Baker Street Irregulars . . . not nearly so glamorous.

"Planning something for 2012 is just silly."

I fully intend to be alive and well in 2012 . . . and can chew gum and walk at the same time . . .

Yikes--I really do merit the "dodderer" after my name!

But what do you all think of one of the other Indian train trips?

Splendor of the South has a nice ring to it:


http://www.theluxurytrains.com/splen...outh/index.php

Cool guys don't go on inagural trains. Only hack journalists on free trips, foamers and really really elderly Caledonians.
Don't confuse us with trains, eks. Tho, well, that's interesting.
Dog, you're on the right track but only the tiniest few of us want more than 7 days. And I agree about the Orient Express passengers. They don't care where they are. Some don't even get off the boat.
Many of you are way too paranoid about a cruise. You think of the real Love Boat with all those face-lifted has-beens.
Believe me, when you are with a group of like minded 'Dods, especially on a small boat, you will barely notice anyone else and will have a ball. And, as the dog says, the others will join the fold.
Agree Marija, I noticed the similarity of our preferreds too. And I agree, what happens in Burma stays in Burma. Maybe Vegas stole that line from the Generals.

Dog, those Assam itineraries look interestiing and I would be personnally interested in tacking on Sikkim/Darjeeling. But frankly I think the Assam boats may be, to use the technical term, too funky for most 'Dods tastes. I since I know so little about those places, can you enlighten me/us? "Not boring" and "not touristy" are the two operative characteristics for me.
Like Marija, I'm totally suspicious of the Pandaw Ganges cruise now. Seems like it needs another 2 or 3 years to get the kinks out.

Well, given all that - if it's India: you have a choice of one company - Assam Bengal.

Watching developments with hope. It seems that we are moving more closely to a consensus.

If a blind shepherd herding invisible sheep into a non-existent enclosure is consensus, I guess we're half-way there.

That'll do, pig.

While I had seriously considered going to Assam this year, I have to say that the Assam cruise interests me less than the Ganges cruise. I, like others, would like some reassuring info that some of the kinks have been worked out on the Ganges cruise.

I love the idea of being able to fill a small boat - maybe the Pandaw 1947 for a week-long Burma cruise. Perhaps after our one-week cruise, people will be game for the two week Ganges cruise in 2012...

lol LA--now you've shattered his biblical image.

What is it about the Charaidew that reminds me of the African
Queen?

The time has come the panda said to speak of many things,
But a new thread would ease our use, ridding concentric rings.

I fully recognize that I am mixing poetic and geometric references, but the truth is that those of us with Commodore 64 computers would be well-served if this discussion continued on a new thread.

You got it marija, I knew you would.

lol. Hey, Gpanda, would that be the same computer that had no trouble with the 759 posts?

ahhhhh post envy.....

What news from Jayarvarman?

With regards to Myanmar, there are smaller boats (30 meters long) available for charter with only a handful of cabins to fill. Filling a chartered Pandaw would take some doing. If you can fill 5 or 6 cabins you are in business. The standards are high but the 'feel' would be quite different from a standard cruiseship.

Do you have names of companies, another? Websites?

If we do the "Love Boat" it certainly will have a different feel from a standard cruiseship.