FROM on board the RV Katha Pandaw, Burma. Location: 24deg 10.23’ North / 96deg 20.6’ East.
The saga of Pandaw, Burma and the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company is the stuff of legend and this modest dispatch does not permit telling of the entire story.
Suffice to say there is a great deal of nostalgia involved with any cruise aboard a Pandaw vessel and the region of the Irrawaddy around Mandalay and Katha in middle Burma is the spiritual home of the once great fleet that numbered some 600 vessels.
Each and every one was scuttled as the Japanese advanced through Burma during WWII, forcing the company staff to flee via a hazardous overland trek to India.
Soon the renewed passenger fleet will number 13 vessels with the launch of the smaller, boutique-sized RV Kalay Pandaw in early 2014, but for now the dozen authentically styled, reproduction vessels run on scheduled departures of 7, 14 or 21 days on the Mekong and here, the fabled Irrawaddy as well as the Chindwin, in modern day Myanmar.
Relaxing on the breezy teak deck is a heady mix of romance and pomposity as G&Ts are served on demand by doting Burmese stewards and the only exertion required is to move to the dining table for superbly prepared local and regional dishes.
Half of the Pandaw fleet is less than two years old and gleam like new pins. Highly varnished teak is the hallmark of construction and the typical vessel has 30 self-contained cabins plus dining room, lecture space, bar, boutique and spa/massage facilities.
Smaller vessels like this one, the RV Katha Pandaw and her twin, the RV Angkor Pandaw, have just 16 cabins and combined dining/bar and lounge areas under a single large canopy.
The attraction of Burma as a new travel destination has been steadily on the rise for several years, and now with the apparent relaxation of the tight military rule which had seen Myanmar as a pariah state, the demand has trended further upward. Pandaw, with its established record of operation (since 1995) is perfectly poised to capitalise on this spike in interest.
With roads in Burma laughingly referred to as being of one of two types, either potholed or bumpy, the smooth transit along the scenic rivers is the perfect means to explore this vast land bordered by China, Thailand, India, Laos and Bangladesh.
Shore excursions take the form of temple visits and strolls through the many bustling little markets in the riverside towns like Kyar Nyat or Nwe Nyeim. We investigate the local pottery industry, silk weaving and gourmet food stalls which feature such delicacies as dried fish, root crops and stir-fried grasshoppers.
The history of these quaint former British colonial ports is not lost either. Katha, in particular, is something of a mecca for literary buffs having been the setting for George Orwell’s début 1934 novel, Burmese Days, based on his firsthand experiences as a colonial policeman in the remote town during the mid-1920s.
One such admirer said “all the novel’s key buildings remain much as Orwell described them, and walking through the streets of Katha feels like walking onto an abandoned stage-set.”
For information on all Pandaw vessels, destinations and departures, contact Active Travel on 02 9264 1231 or www.activetravel.com.au.
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