Most people, at least those of a certain age know the song that uses the words to the Kipling poem "On the Road to Mandalay." That brings to mind the old joke to which the punch line is "I don't know, I have never kippled." If you don't know the question, it will be supplied at the end of this piece.
We visited Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, some years ago and only had time to visit the capital city, Yangon, which was known as Rangoon when under British domination. Carol had always hoped to visit Mandalay and Bagan, old capitals that have many fabulous pagodas and temples. She had also dreamed of one day taking the E & O Railroad or the boat trip down the Irrawaddy, which they now call the Ayrewardy. We decided to combine the two dreams and signed up for the cruise, hang the expense.
In order to catch the 7 am flight from Yangon to Mandalay, we had to be in Yangon the night before. We had a nice surprise when we got an email from USAirways informing us that we had miles that were about to expire. this led us to the discovery that we could use them on Thai Airways, a Star Alliance "partner" of the infamous USAirways, formerly known as USAir, formerly known as Allegheny. Perhaps we too should create an alias to distance us from our misdeeds.
We arrived in Yangon and checked into the Savoy Hotel, a boutique establishment that was quirky enough to be different but not so as to be unlivable. On our previous trip we had booked the
Traders Hotel, a more modern business and tour group hotel that would not be so different from our present situation in Hanoi. It proved to be quite nice and the service was excellent as well, including the restaurant and the bar, which had a Happy Hour and reasonable prices. We met the GM, a young German woman and her boyfriend, the chef, who is a Luxembourger. We also talked with some expats who frequent the place and were able to discuss the differences between Vietnam and Myanmar. for once, we were the ones living in the more developed country!
Yangon is somewhat modern looking, with wide paved streets and some modern buildings. It does have some older buildings and not too many high rises. The Yangon River is rather a busy place and
all sorts of boats are moving about and being loaded and unloaded at the many jetties.
The most notable site is the Schwedagon Pagoda with the golden dome and finial that rise above the city. It is easily visible from the Savoy Hotel and is quite an impressive sight.
On the day we visited, it was a holiday so many people were walking about, visiting the many
small temples that make up the complex. There are more Buddhas than you can possibly see or photograph so we just walked around and enjoyed the people in their local costumes and the grandeur of the pagoda.
We also visited a pagoda that has a large, really immense, reclining Buddha and another temple
down near the river before strolling the streets and stopping for a refreshing drink at the Strand Hotel. This remnant from the British Colonial period is very old fashioned and elegant and rooms go for $450 US and up!
We rose at 4:45 am, had a quick breakfast and took one of the old broken-down taxis to the airport for the flight to Mandalay. The cars in Yangon have right had drive, yet traffic moves on the right side of the road, making it a bit dicey, especially given the skill level of most drivers.
In the airport, we tried to figure out which passengers would be our companions on this luxury cruise. We imagined that most would be Westerners, probably Europeans and that they would be at least our age, probably older.
When we arrived in Mandalay, we were met and divided into three groups: English speakers on the three day cruise, English speakers on the seven day cruise, and German speakers on either cruise. Each group had its own guide, with San being the one assigned to our little band of about 21.
He proved to be quite knowledgeable and his English was easily understood so we learned a lot as we
went to the various villages, markets and pagodas on this trip.
Having never been on a cruise, we had no idea what to expect. Should we be introducing ourselves or waiting for others to make the first move? Were there topics that should best be avoided? We found that, as expected on a rather expensive tour, in a country not so often visited, that most of the passengers were pretty well off and had already traveled to many other places. The group included a Japanese couple who we now believe to be the Ambassador to Myanmar, since their mobile phone worked and they were met after the trip by a private sedan. There was a Russian couple with their young son and "Andrei," who may or may not have been a bodyguard. He was a large, quiet fellow whom Ira used as a guide to whether or not a space was too small to go through. If Andrei made it, then Ira could surely follow safely! There were several Americans, including Jane and Ralph, former British subjects who have lived in Fort Lauderdale for 25 years; Mark and Roseanne, denizens of Ohio who were formerly in the wine and spirits business; and Dan and Rhea Choy of the Upper East Side. Dan is 81 but acts much younger. He has had so many interesting experiences, from being born in Shanghai and going to school in Hong Kong to driving through Tuscaloosa in the 1950's and performing surgery on Rhea just a couple of years ago. Talk about trust! We had many enjoyable conversations with most of the other passengers. We were fortunate that the boat had only 37 passengers on board, giving opportunity to interact with most of the other guests and giving us better service than we might have gotten had the capacity of 110 been approached.
Even before we reached the boat, we saw some of the sights of Mandalay, including a local market which was, frankly not a whole lot different from our own local market in Hanoi, and a monastery
where the monks have a daily procession to their midday meal. Actually they get two meals a day, one at around 7 am and the last one at around 11 am. There are over 500,000 Buddhist monks in Myanmar and the country is quite religious. The monks can leave when they no longer feel they have the vocation so most are not in it for life.
On the second morning, at 6:50, we trudged over to a nearby village and saw the monks receiving their meal from the townsfolk and also from the boat's crew as the Road to Mandalay tries to give back to the community. Some of the novices are extremely young like the one at the back of the procession who was about five! These young ones are permitted to have snacks and do not have to be as ascetic as the more mature monks. Unlike some Roman Catholic orders, these monks are often seen smiling, chatting and singing and even using cameras.
We had thought that a cruise might be leisurely with perhaps too much time on our hands. This was certainly not the Case on the Road To Mandalay! We spent our first afternoon in Mandalay visiting a temple, a pagoda, a palace, the gold leaf making factory and the silk weaving factory, all to the beat of San's commentary.
After the monastery visit, we went up into the hills at Sagaing, to a nunnery(only 30,000 nuns compared with the half a million monks)where we heard the young
nuns chanting the Buddhist scriptures, to another famous pagoda after a jolting uphill ride in a little truck and then to a pottery village where we saw the pots being made and then
carried by the young women in rather striking fashion as per the attached photo. Ira observed that these were true "pot heads."
You can't help but observe that the villagers are not exactly prosperous. This brings up the question
of how much should you do for them? Some of the passengers were giving out dollar bills to the precious young children. However, when a factory worker makes about that for a 10 hour shift, perhaps some candy or stickers might be more appropriate. It has also been said that giving money will turn the children into beggars.
The actual cruising began on the second day, as we pulled out of Mandalay for the 200 km journey downstream to Bagan. This was a thriving city of nearly 300,000 people from the 11th century up
until Kublai Khan and the Mongols invaded in 1287. It was a major Buddhist center and at its peak had over 10,000 temples and pagodas, of which 200 are still standing. Many had to be renovated
after a major earthquake in 1975. The cruise down the Irrawady goes by small villages and a few pagodas. The river is reasonably wide and quite peaceful so there is not a lot of motion. During the trip we were able to go to the bridge and converse with the captain and crew as well as view the instrument panel and watch
the zodiac boat go out to scientifically check the depth of the channel. Actually, they have a bamboo rod which they stick into the water to see if the ship's five foot draft can be accommodated.
As we sailed smoothly downstream, we had lunch and chatted with Chef Yannis
, conversed with our fellow passengers, enjoyed a lecture about Myanmar history, geography and culture and relaxed from the heavy sightseeing of the previous day.
The women and children of Myanmar wear a sort of face paint, known as thanaka. It serves as decoration and also as protection from the severe sun. there was an on board demonstration and several of the women were treated to a sample of this art.
The national dress of Myanmar is the longyi(pronounced long-jee) which is a wraparound skirt worn by both men and women. Together with the other passengers, we both got to try them on. Perhaps we can bring the trend to Hanoi and then to the US.
The meals were quite nice. The first courses at breakfast and lunch were buffets, while the entrees were served. Dinner had mix-and-match Asian and Western set menus. Wine and cocktails were offered at reasonable prices, while mineral water, Myanmar beer and soft beverages were available throughout at no additional charge.
We had been told to be on deck at 21:45 for a special surprise. The boat anchors at dusk as sailing after dark is dangerous. Everyone speculated as to what the surprise might be. Many thought it
might be fireworks while one joker(we think you might know his name!) suggested either crocodiles or pirates. In fact it was many candles that had been placed in the river by the villagers. The effect as they floated down past the boat was spectacular and even better than fireworks! Another special effect was the beautiful starry sky. Orion is as easily visible in Asia as it is in Newtown, PA.
It was interesting to see the interaction between the various people on the ship. There was actually no one who was wildly obnoxious or offensive or contentious, but there were those who made some rather vocal complaints to the staff or who had strong opinions on many subjects and were not afraid to express them. We did notice some people dining with other couples and one such pairing that disengaged for unknown causes. We were given a great table in the dining room and kept it for every meal. While we dined alone, we did interact quite often with the other passengers and often sat with various people up on the observation deck. Many of the people had traveled to the same places we have been and it is interesting to hear their opinions on the sites, the hotels and the people in various countries.
Early in the third morning, we weighed anchor(about 200 kg) and negotiated the final couple of hours to the dock in Bagan. Right after breakfast we were back on the bus for a long morning of sightseeing. Bagan is a great place to view Buddhist temples and pagodas as they are everywhere along the route. It is unlike Europe where you see countryside, town, McDonalds and then a famous cathedral. In Bagan, you will go by pagodas and temples before reaching the ultimate destination.
Our morning included a temple, the Schwezigon Pagoda which is the most notable in Bagan and second only to Yangon's Schwedagon in the entire country, the inevitable local market and finally a lacquer-ware shop, where we saw the entire process of creation and where our fellow passengers nearly bought out the shop.
We arrived back at the ship with barely an hour to eat lunch and prepare for the afternoon's sightseeing. As it was our final day, we voiced no complaints about weariness. A few people did opt out of the afternoon but we still had twelve of our original 21 who were ready to board the bus for the afternoon.
The agenda for that last roundup included two more famous temples, a visit to a typical village.
Actually the ship company pays the villagers to allow guests to walk through and take photographs, but the houses and activities are what you would see in most
other villages in Myanmar. As the afternoon wound down, we rode up to the top of a hill to the Tayoke Pyay Temple where we had been promised a wonderful sunset. The temple and the views were wonderful as was the sunset over the river. We were all a bit tired from the climb and the long day, but none of us regretted having come along.
Besides all of the sightseeing, meals and other events, each night there was an activity, though it
was boiled down to a short sound byte. The Burmese dance performance was only 30 minutes rather then several hours and the puppet show was just a glimpse into the traditional marionette show that also can be a couple of hours in length.
We also had a cocktail party one evening before dinner and of course the floating candles were a special treat.
Wakeup calls came around 5:30 on the last morning so that we could have breakfast at 6 and be on the bus at 7 for the short ride to Bagan Airport to fly back to Yangon. We did exchange information with several couples and it remains to be seen whether we will be in contact. It was a very enjoyable time, but we have not yet been converted into cruise people.
Flight logistics dictated another day in Yangon, so we went to Aung San Market, a maze of shops
offering food, crafts, gems and cloth. Carol got a ready-made longyi, one that does not require special skill in tying it up. Ira sampled a sweet coconut treat, but mostly we walked around watching people and looking at the goods.
We decided to follow the restaurant recommendation of one of the passengers on the cruise and ate at Le Planteur, a French sort of place where we ate outside despite the cool weather. It is beautiful with many trees and fine linens and dishes. The tabletop had little pinpoints of colored light that shone through the cloth. The food and service were excellent but we were a bit surprised at the cost, especially since most things in Rangoon are quite cheap. However, for the quality of food, the innovative cuisine and the portion sizes, the price was considerably less than it would have been in other world capitals.
After breakfast on Sunday the 24th, we took a taxi to the airport for the trip home. Of course, the flight was delayed but we still had plenty of time to make our connection in Bangkok and to arrive home just in time to see dozens of children leaving Sofitel Plaza's Christmas Eve celebration. As always, the staff greeted us cordially and enthusiastically, welcoming us back home.
Oh right, the question is "Do you like Kipling?" Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!