Mysterious Myanmar: Yangon, Inle Lake, Bagan and Mandalay
Jan 19, 2017, 9:12 am
#46
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CHS
Programs: DL Diamond, WN A-List, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 685
A Tour of Three Royal Capitals - Mandalay, Myanmar
Just on the outskirts of Mandalay are not one but three former royal capitals (Sagain, Ava and Amarapura) and the typical tourist path explores all three small villages in one day. So, of course, we signed up for the tour. How can you miss seeing three royal capitals that are right under your nose?
In typical Jeffrey-and-McCown fashion, we had no idea what to expect when we first arrived (we’ve gotten into a habit of planning the cities and towns along our stop – for flying/training/busing purposes, but nothing to do in the city, so when we first arrive, it’s a bit like a deer-in-headlights syndrome). Several tour companies on TripAdvisor offer these excursions for the set price of about $35/person (with 6-8 other tourists), but we decided to book through our hotel at the last minute for $45 total for the private tour–just us and a driver for 8 hours. To be fair, the TripAdvisor-rated tours offered a little more for the higher price (lunch and an English-speaking guide) AND to be MORE fair, we decided to book through our hotel solely because the tour companies were full/didn’t respond at 7pm the night before we wanted to take our tour, but, don’t worry, it all ends well.
This tourist is ready for the day!!
Our driver, Lu, met us at our hotel at 8:30am. He spoke very good English and, like all Burmese we’ve met so far, was welcoming and very kind. While the hotel stressed that he would be our driver not guide, he turned out to want to genuinely share as much about his hometown as possible – he was a true guide to us. As a native of Mandalay, he was able to share details of the city and eager to pull of the road to be sure we got a photo opportunity at each and every landmark.
Our first few stops were within Mandalay. We headed first to a gold leaf workshop, where they hammered gold into gold leaf, then sold 1×1 inch squares to the people of Mandalay to adhere to Buddha.
Workers at the gold leaf workshop hammering gold
They also made small statues and other souvenirs for sale in their adjoining shop. We found it hard to believe that all the gold-plated items in their souvenir shop were really made in their workshop as it seemed more for show than anything else, but hey, it is a neat thing to see them hammering gold into gold leaf regardless and we didn’t feel obligated to buy the trinkets in their gift shop.
Next up, also in Mandalay, we stopped at a wood carving workshop, where men chiseled away at wooden figures, ranging in size from handheld to 3x the size of a person. It was pretty incredible to get an idea of how Burmese have been carving wood and hammering gold for centuries, then to head to a pagoda to see these wood carvings and gold leaf in action.
Visiting the wood-carving workshop
On our way out of town, we stopped at the Mahamuni Pagoda, which has a large Buddha with no women allowed inside the main section. Men are welcomed to apply gold leaf squares directly to the Buddha and I saw many women handing gold leaf squares to men headed into the inner quarters, apparently asking them to apply some gold leaf for them. The women are relegated to the outskirts and are able to watch the men delicately apply the gold leaf squares via a (ironically, static-y) tv screen.
Men applying gold leaf to the Buddah at the Mahamuni Pagoda
There were more locals at this pagoda than at any we’d visited before, but there were plenty of tourists, too, and they were certainly instating the 1000 kyat camera fee.
After the pagoda, we were headed to the outskirts of town to the Mahagandayon Monastery. We arrived around 10am, just as the monks were lined up to eat lunch.
It was such a peaceful experience to see the line of 1,100+ devout monks clad in dark red robes ready for their last (!) meal of the day. As you might expect, feeding this many people is no easy feat, but plenty of volunteers (mostly older women from the community) make the task appear seamless. At the end of their meal, the monks were served delicious-looking ice cream in all sorts of tasty looking colors. My mouth was watering for the treat that I was sure I would not be invited to try and then … guess what! A sweet old man offered me a bowl! I dug my spoon in for a heaping spoonful and BAM… was hit with my very first taste of what I now know to be the flavor of durian, a fruit that makes me want to vomit every time I unknowingly taste it these days. (Is it bad that Jeffrey and I try to mask our look of disgust after tasting it just to see the other’s face when they bite into the ice cream, cookie or candy with that flavor now???)
From the monastery, we then stopped by the tapestry weavers’ workshop, where women were hard at work making beautiful, golden threaded tapestries, pillows, wallets, longyis and more.
Although they’ve turned these workshops into tourist traps to some degree, it is nonetheless interesting to see how these intricate designs are created and the care that these women put into each item. Again, no need to buy souvinirs, but we are glad to we stopped to see the artwork of the Burmese in these workshops.
Our first former royal capital was Sagain: once a sprawling, ancient city with numerous pagodas on rolling hills, this dirt village has lost much of its glamour and today is more of a sleepy village than a powerful city. We passed several beautiful pagodas gleaming in the sunlight and stopped to explore several others. As with all pagodas, the vendors are lined up to the very door of the pagaoda entrance selling all sorts of souvenirs. The juxtaposition of secular goods with women literally chasing you down to buy a bracelet compared to the calm and quiet inside the pagoda never fails to leave me feeling overwhelmed and a bit stupefied. Our guide talked us into trying the popular sugarcane drink outside the pagoda, which we’ve seen many monks slurping through a straw outside pagodas, so thought they must be delicious. Despite the numerous flies huddling around the strainer which had kept us from jumping in and trying it previous times, we gave it a go after our guide suggested it (it’s on him if we keel over from some sort of fly-disease now).
Pressing sugar cane into a delicious juice
The sugarcane is put through a large press countless times to extract its juice. Once all the juice has reached the bucket, it’s strained to get the pulp out, then served with lime and ice. YUM. For just 500 kyat (50 cents), it was refreshing and not too sweet.
My favorite stop of the day was Sagain Hill, where the expansive pagoda was extra colorful — with bright blue railings and shimmering statues holding gems of every kind. The brilliant colors and the hilltop setting made this one pagoda more memorable than many of the others we’d visited, plus the locals (and many child monks + nuns) made it seem a bit more special, too. I highly recommend this stop as it was my very favorite in the Mandalay area.
Little nuns at Sagain Hill
Sagain Hill
From Sagain, we headed to Inwa, known to the British as Ava. Lu, our driver, dropped us off at theAyeyarwady River (aka Irrawaddy River), where a small ferry took us over the river in about 3-5 minutes and dropped us off in Inwa/Ava (the ferry costs 800 kyats/person round-trip).
Just a casual 3-minute ferry ride, totally needed a hat for this experience
No cars are allowed in Inwa, so this town really harkens back to the days of old and the preferred mode of transportation is horse and cart (which sounds exciting and glamorous before you get in the back of this bumpy carriage!). Our first stop was a great restaurant along the river bank, Ava Maria. Be warned, tourist pricing is in full swing, but this is relative. We were shocked at the 6,000 kyat ($6 USD) pricetag on the day’s special: beef with pumpkin curry. But, luckily, this price gouging was easier to swallow (a $6 lunch, in the grand scheme of things, is still a steal anywhere else in the world).
Lunch with a view at Ava Maria in Ava
The horse and cart picked us up from our restaurant and we were bumping along from pagoda to watch tower to monastery for a few hours. It was a fun experience just in the horse and cart– I felt like I was Scarlett O’Hara or some other 1800s girl with a hoop skirt. (But really… how did they stand it from city to city as the bumps in the road were magnified x100 when you’re in those big-wheeled carts.)
Our very own horse cart for the day!
Just a casual ox-drawn cart passing while I’m on a horse-drawn cart #hello1800s
Regardless of the bumps, the experience was extra fun and added a new spin to seeing more pagodas and more monasteries. The carts themselves were decorated with bright colors and the drivers were friendly and kind, though somewhat monotonously pulling up at each stop along the way (they do, after all, do it every single day).The horse and cart costs only 8,000 kyat (about ~$8 USD) for about two hours worth of riding PLUS the experience of the horse and cart, quite the deal.
Our final stop (after crossing the river in the ferry back to Lu) was Amarapura, where we got to spend some time taking in the sunset at the longest teak bridge in the world: the U Bein Bridge. The teak bridge is (sorry for the disillusionment) a bit less than impressive when you have the high expectations of “longest in the world” hurled at you before arriving.
World’s longest teak bridge
Tourists were dripping from every. single. inch. of this bridge and my fear of heights coupled with the lack of railings AND added to the huge amount of tourists walking on the bridge made me cringe with every step I took on this wooden bridge. I got about 1/4 of the way across and then just turned and ran back for the side. #lame, I know. I found I enjoyed the view much more from the little restaurant and happily drank my fresh coconut juice with the bridge in my eyesight rather than under my feet.
World’s largest coconut
Our day exploring the three former royal capitals was quite the learning experience. But most especially, the day reminded me how quickly the world can change. These three villages that were once bustling capitals, that’s right: HOME TO A KING… are now home to almost no one.
-----------------------------------
Full post with proper formatting and photo gallery can be found here: Weekend Blitz - A Tour of Three Royal Capitals - Mandalay, Myanmar
Just on the outskirts of Mandalay are not one but three former royal capitals (Sagain, Ava and Amarapura) and the typical tourist path explores all three small villages in one day. So, of course, we signed up for the tour. How can you miss seeing three royal capitals that are right under your nose?
In typical Jeffrey-and-McCown fashion, we had no idea what to expect when we first arrived (we’ve gotten into a habit of planning the cities and towns along our stop – for flying/training/busing purposes, but nothing to do in the city, so when we first arrive, it’s a bit like a deer-in-headlights syndrome). Several tour companies on TripAdvisor offer these excursions for the set price of about $35/person (with 6-8 other tourists), but we decided to book through our hotel at the last minute for $45 total for the private tour–just us and a driver for 8 hours. To be fair, the TripAdvisor-rated tours offered a little more for the higher price (lunch and an English-speaking guide) AND to be MORE fair, we decided to book through our hotel solely because the tour companies were full/didn’t respond at 7pm the night before we wanted to take our tour, but, don’t worry, it all ends well.
This tourist is ready for the day!!
Our driver, Lu, met us at our hotel at 8:30am. He spoke very good English and, like all Burmese we’ve met so far, was welcoming and very kind. While the hotel stressed that he would be our driver not guide, he turned out to want to genuinely share as much about his hometown as possible – he was a true guide to us. As a native of Mandalay, he was able to share details of the city and eager to pull of the road to be sure we got a photo opportunity at each and every landmark.
Our first few stops were within Mandalay. We headed first to a gold leaf workshop, where they hammered gold into gold leaf, then sold 1×1 inch squares to the people of Mandalay to adhere to Buddha.
Workers at the gold leaf workshop hammering gold
They also made small statues and other souvenirs for sale in their adjoining shop. We found it hard to believe that all the gold-plated items in their souvenir shop were really made in their workshop as it seemed more for show than anything else, but hey, it is a neat thing to see them hammering gold into gold leaf regardless and we didn’t feel obligated to buy the trinkets in their gift shop.
Next up, also in Mandalay, we stopped at a wood carving workshop, where men chiseled away at wooden figures, ranging in size from handheld to 3x the size of a person. It was pretty incredible to get an idea of how Burmese have been carving wood and hammering gold for centuries, then to head to a pagoda to see these wood carvings and gold leaf in action.
Visiting the wood-carving workshop
On our way out of town, we stopped at the Mahamuni Pagoda, which has a large Buddha with no women allowed inside the main section. Men are welcomed to apply gold leaf squares directly to the Buddha and I saw many women handing gold leaf squares to men headed into the inner quarters, apparently asking them to apply some gold leaf for them. The women are relegated to the outskirts and are able to watch the men delicately apply the gold leaf squares via a (ironically, static-y) tv screen.
Men applying gold leaf to the Buddah at the Mahamuni Pagoda
There were more locals at this pagoda than at any we’d visited before, but there were plenty of tourists, too, and they were certainly instating the 1000 kyat camera fee.
After the pagoda, we were headed to the outskirts of town to the Mahagandayon Monastery. We arrived around 10am, just as the monks were lined up to eat lunch.
It was such a peaceful experience to see the line of 1,100+ devout monks clad in dark red robes ready for their last (!) meal of the day. As you might expect, feeding this many people is no easy feat, but plenty of volunteers (mostly older women from the community) make the task appear seamless. At the end of their meal, the monks were served delicious-looking ice cream in all sorts of tasty looking colors. My mouth was watering for the treat that I was sure I would not be invited to try and then … guess what! A sweet old man offered me a bowl! I dug my spoon in for a heaping spoonful and BAM… was hit with my very first taste of what I now know to be the flavor of durian, a fruit that makes me want to vomit every time I unknowingly taste it these days. (Is it bad that Jeffrey and I try to mask our look of disgust after tasting it just to see the other’s face when they bite into the ice cream, cookie or candy with that flavor now???)
From the monastery, we then stopped by the tapestry weavers’ workshop, where women were hard at work making beautiful, golden threaded tapestries, pillows, wallets, longyis and more.
Although they’ve turned these workshops into tourist traps to some degree, it is nonetheless interesting to see how these intricate designs are created and the care that these women put into each item. Again, no need to buy souvinirs, but we are glad to we stopped to see the artwork of the Burmese in these workshops.
Our first former royal capital was Sagain: once a sprawling, ancient city with numerous pagodas on rolling hills, this dirt village has lost much of its glamour and today is more of a sleepy village than a powerful city. We passed several beautiful pagodas gleaming in the sunlight and stopped to explore several others. As with all pagodas, the vendors are lined up to the very door of the pagaoda entrance selling all sorts of souvenirs. The juxtaposition of secular goods with women literally chasing you down to buy a bracelet compared to the calm and quiet inside the pagoda never fails to leave me feeling overwhelmed and a bit stupefied. Our guide talked us into trying the popular sugarcane drink outside the pagoda, which we’ve seen many monks slurping through a straw outside pagodas, so thought they must be delicious. Despite the numerous flies huddling around the strainer which had kept us from jumping in and trying it previous times, we gave it a go after our guide suggested it (it’s on him if we keel over from some sort of fly-disease now).
Pressing sugar cane into a delicious juice
The sugarcane is put through a large press countless times to extract its juice. Once all the juice has reached the bucket, it’s strained to get the pulp out, then served with lime and ice. YUM. For just 500 kyat (50 cents), it was refreshing and not too sweet.
My favorite stop of the day was Sagain Hill, where the expansive pagoda was extra colorful — with bright blue railings and shimmering statues holding gems of every kind. The brilliant colors and the hilltop setting made this one pagoda more memorable than many of the others we’d visited, plus the locals (and many child monks + nuns) made it seem a bit more special, too. I highly recommend this stop as it was my very favorite in the Mandalay area.
Little nuns at Sagain Hill
Sagain Hill
From Sagain, we headed to Inwa, known to the British as Ava. Lu, our driver, dropped us off at theAyeyarwady River (aka Irrawaddy River), where a small ferry took us over the river in about 3-5 minutes and dropped us off in Inwa/Ava (the ferry costs 800 kyats/person round-trip).
Just a casual 3-minute ferry ride, totally needed a hat for this experience
No cars are allowed in Inwa, so this town really harkens back to the days of old and the preferred mode of transportation is horse and cart (which sounds exciting and glamorous before you get in the back of this bumpy carriage!). Our first stop was a great restaurant along the river bank, Ava Maria. Be warned, tourist pricing is in full swing, but this is relative. We were shocked at the 6,000 kyat ($6 USD) pricetag on the day’s special: beef with pumpkin curry. But, luckily, this price gouging was easier to swallow (a $6 lunch, in the grand scheme of things, is still a steal anywhere else in the world).
Lunch with a view at Ava Maria in Ava
The horse and cart picked us up from our restaurant and we were bumping along from pagoda to watch tower to monastery for a few hours. It was a fun experience just in the horse and cart– I felt like I was Scarlett O’Hara or some other 1800s girl with a hoop skirt. (But really… how did they stand it from city to city as the bumps in the road were magnified x100 when you’re in those big-wheeled carts.)
Our very own horse cart for the day!
Just a casual ox-drawn cart passing while I’m on a horse-drawn cart #hello1800s
Regardless of the bumps, the experience was extra fun and added a new spin to seeing more pagodas and more monasteries. The carts themselves were decorated with bright colors and the drivers were friendly and kind, though somewhat monotonously pulling up at each stop along the way (they do, after all, do it every single day).The horse and cart costs only 8,000 kyat (about ~$8 USD) for about two hours worth of riding PLUS the experience of the horse and cart, quite the deal.
Our final stop (after crossing the river in the ferry back to Lu) was Amarapura, where we got to spend some time taking in the sunset at the longest teak bridge in the world: the U Bein Bridge. The teak bridge is (sorry for the disillusionment) a bit less than impressive when you have the high expectations of “longest in the world” hurled at you before arriving.
World’s longest teak bridge
Tourists were dripping from every. single. inch. of this bridge and my fear of heights coupled with the lack of railings AND added to the huge amount of tourists walking on the bridge made me cringe with every step I took on this wooden bridge. I got about 1/4 of the way across and then just turned and ran back for the side. #lame, I know. I found I enjoyed the view much more from the little restaurant and happily drank my fresh coconut juice with the bridge in my eyesight rather than under my feet.
World’s largest coconut
Our day exploring the three former royal capitals was quite the learning experience. But most especially, the day reminded me how quickly the world can change. These three villages that were once bustling capitals, that’s right: HOME TO A KING… are now home to almost no one.
-----------------------------------
Full post with proper formatting and photo gallery can be found here: Weekend Blitz - A Tour of Three Royal Capitals - Mandalay, Myanmar
Jan 22, 2017, 7:19 am
#48
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP >3 Million miles,HH Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 2,887
I really loved your trip report and pictures. We were lucky enough to visit Myanmar in 2004 before there were many tourists, and it was a very unspoiled place. It was one of our very favorite and interesting trips. Much has changed, but the people are very friendly, and the country is certainly making some progress in other areas as well.
Jan 26, 2017, 1:10 pm
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CHS
Programs: DL Diamond, WN A-List, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 685
I really loved your trip report and pictures. We were lucky enough to visit Myanmar in 2004 before there were many tourists, and it was a very unspoiled place. It was one of our very favorite and interesting trips. Much has changed, but the people are very friendly, and the country is certainly making some progress in other areas as well.
Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it-- you will certainly have an amazing time in November!
Jan 26, 2017, 1:15 pm
#51
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CHS
Programs: DL Diamond, WN A-List, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 685
Mandalay Palace, Myanmar
View of Mandalay Palace from the Watch Tower
Mandalay is Myanmar’s second largest city, home to roughly 1.5 million people and steeped in Burmese history. Boasting a reputation of being Burma’s cultural + educational hub, the city is often overlooked by tourists who are more interested in relaxing at Inle Lake. This bustling city offers a look into Burma’s past – before the tourists + even before the Brits’ arrival.
One of the city’s main attractions is Mandalay Palace, a walled and moated “city” that now hosts military officials and families. When you’re walking around the city, it’s hard to miss this huge complex, smack in the middle of the city and surrounded by a huge moat and gigantic walls. There’s only one bridge to enter and a long dirt road once you’re inside the walls, but the formidable palace is a site to see and worth the extra long trip to its center.
Across the moat
Headed across the bridge “on the road to Mandalay” … Place
Like much of Myanmar, the local people live just on the outskirts of these royal and holy sites. Vendors are selling waters, cokes, sugar cane juice and tchotchkes on the steps of the pagoda — spirituality closely mixed with the secular — but, isn’t that how life is meant to be?
Watch Tower
Just an extra-tall celeb with the locals
The palace was built in the 1850s and was the seat of the last royal capital before the city– and the Burmese — fell to British rule.What you’re actually seeing is a 1990s reconstruction of the palace, as most of it was bombed during World War II by the Allied Forces. It’s not really what you think of when you think of a “palace.” It’s nothing like Buckingham Palace and certainly not as over-the-top as Bangkok’s Grand Palace. Nevertheless, it’s a peaceful, quiet, fort-like compound, surrounded by 40 small, timber buildings and a small watch tower that offers a good view of the palace grounds. The most impressive part is the throne room, which also holds many accouterments of gold cups and gilded royal possessions. Most other rooms are empty, but King Thibaw’s bed is on display in his “bedroom.”
Collections of gold
It’s no Shwedagon Pagoda, but Mandalay Palace offers a decidedly different look at Burma’s varied history. It may not be 2,600 years old, but the palace is saturated in history, nevertheless. And, it offers a nice view of the town — that is, until you catch a glimpse from the top of Mandalay Hill (make that your next stop!).
-----------------------------------
Full post with proper formatting and photo gallery can be found here: Weekend Blitz - Mandalay Palace, Myanmar
View of Mandalay Palace from the Watch Tower
Mandalay is Myanmar’s second largest city, home to roughly 1.5 million people and steeped in Burmese history. Boasting a reputation of being Burma’s cultural + educational hub, the city is often overlooked by tourists who are more interested in relaxing at Inle Lake. This bustling city offers a look into Burma’s past – before the tourists + even before the Brits’ arrival.
One of the city’s main attractions is Mandalay Palace, a walled and moated “city” that now hosts military officials and families. When you’re walking around the city, it’s hard to miss this huge complex, smack in the middle of the city and surrounded by a huge moat and gigantic walls. There’s only one bridge to enter and a long dirt road once you’re inside the walls, but the formidable palace is a site to see and worth the extra long trip to its center.
Across the moat
Headed across the bridge “on the road to Mandalay” … Place
Like much of Myanmar, the local people live just on the outskirts of these royal and holy sites. Vendors are selling waters, cokes, sugar cane juice and tchotchkes on the steps of the pagoda — spirituality closely mixed with the secular — but, isn’t that how life is meant to be?
Watch Tower
Just an extra-tall celeb with the locals
The palace was built in the 1850s and was the seat of the last royal capital before the city– and the Burmese — fell to British rule.What you’re actually seeing is a 1990s reconstruction of the palace, as most of it was bombed during World War II by the Allied Forces. It’s not really what you think of when you think of a “palace.” It’s nothing like Buckingham Palace and certainly not as over-the-top as Bangkok’s Grand Palace. Nevertheless, it’s a peaceful, quiet, fort-like compound, surrounded by 40 small, timber buildings and a small watch tower that offers a good view of the palace grounds. The most impressive part is the throne room, which also holds many accouterments of gold cups and gilded royal possessions. Most other rooms are empty, but King Thibaw’s bed is on display in his “bedroom.”
Collections of gold
It’s no Shwedagon Pagoda, but Mandalay Palace offers a decidedly different look at Burma’s varied history. It may not be 2,600 years old, but the palace is saturated in history, nevertheless. And, it offers a nice view of the town — that is, until you catch a glimpse from the top of Mandalay Hill (make that your next stop!).
-----------------------------------
Full post with proper formatting and photo gallery can be found here: Weekend Blitz - Mandalay Palace, Myanmar
Jan 27, 2017, 8:54 pm
#52
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP >3 Million miles,HH Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 2,887
Quoting from uothread..Spirituality closed linked to the secular.. isn't that how life is supposed to be.. so well said..and what makes many parts of Asia so wonderful to visit...
Feb 27, 2017, 7:35 am
#53
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CHS
Programs: DL Diamond, WN A-List, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 685
Jan 14, 2018, 3:33 pm
#54
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CHS
Programs: DL Diamond, WN A-List, Marriott Platinum Elite, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 685
Irrawaddy River Cruise: Mandalay to Bagan, Myanmar
BOOKING
We had seen some pretty awesome pictures of the ferry ride along the Irrawaddy and knew that we wanted to try it out but were disappointed to find out that the recommended ferry company was basically closed for the low season. After further prying, we learned that many of the companies shut down for a few months starting in March because it’s both the hot and dry season which means fewer tourists and, also, from a logistics point of view, the river is much lower than the wetter and cooler months.
We had already booked our flight and hotels that centered around taking this ferry; in fact, we had really only included the trip to Mandalay so that we could ferry down the river to Bagan…
Ah-ha! A breakthrough! Convinced that we would be stuck taking the bus from Mandalay to Bagan, we frantically googled other ferry companies and started emailing them. I found a travel agency that confirmed that the RV Shwe Keinnery III would be offering a trip on our proposed travel date. Perfect! We’re back on track.
We sent over copies of our passports to the travel agency via email –sending strangers copies of your passports has been a recurring theme in Myanmar– and they replied with a payment link via PayPal.
In total, we paid $40 each for the trip (+ a 5% credit card fee); this cost included the travel agency shipping the hard copy tickets to our hotel in Mandalay which we waiting for us when we arrived. I think it’s highly likely that we could have booked the same ferry company in Mandalay and saved a few bucks, but, for a few extra dollars each, I was happy to have something confirmed.
CHECK-IN/BOARDING
We nearly missed the boat quite literally when we had a small mix up with the check-in time vs departure time. The hotel insisted that we could arrive at 6:30am but our taxi driver got a little turned around and that quickly turned into 6:40am. When we arrived, all other passengers were already on board and we noticed the placards stating a check-in time of 6am and departure of 6:30am–glad they were running behind today!
Rushing down the banks of the river to board the ferry!
Like all other airports and train stations in Myanmar so far, the ferry business is no stranger to the luggage porter system. They had a few ladies with official-ish looking uniforms offering to carry our bags aboard; we were smart enough to decline this time but our fellow passengers that boarded right behind us fell victim to the scam. This was confirmed when we heard the women demanding some cash for their services–hey! this isn’t how tipping is supposed to work!–and the tourists begrudgingly coughed up a few bills for what seemed to them to be an included service.
We popped down to our seats, mistakenly taking the wrong seat not knowing that they were assigned. A rather unpleasant couple from the US was very quick to correct our wrong so we found it extremely amusing when they didn’t occupy the seats for even 1 minute of the trip, spending all of their time above deck with the other passengers in the first come, first serve seat….some people just can’t hold their tongue!
THE FERRY
The ferry was actually a pretty large vessel, complete with 3 decks.
The first deck housed the enclosed reserved seating with a (slightly) air-conditioned cabin. I say “slightly” because, at the top of the afternoon, the sole A/C unit was really struggling to keep up with the oppressive Burmese heat. All tickets have a reserved seat in the first deck cabin.
Air-conditioned cabin on the first deck. All passengers have a reserved seat here.
The second deck is primarily made up of the restaurant/cafe but also has some outdoor seating towards the stern that is covered. There are a few chairs scattered about on the bow, but it’s mostly standing room only for sightseeing as you pass interesting landmarks.
Cafe and restaurant
The 3rd and top deck is much smaller than the previous two and houses the wheelhouse in the front with a large outdoor deck towards the back. This seemed to be the prime seating as people flocked here early and were careful to not leave their seats unattended for too long.
Seating area on the top deck, very popular in the morning when it was cool
This uncovered seating area on the top deck became less and less popular as the day wore on… not a good place to be if you value your skin or like to stay hydrated
The 3 bathrooms were on the bottom deck:
View from the front of the 2nd deck
FOOD
Breakfast and lunch was said to be included with our ferry tickets but if we can offer once piece of advice: BRING YOUR OWN BREAKFAST! When discussing taxi arrangements with our hotel the night before, they offered to pack us a to-go breakfast box as the buffet wouldn’t be open yet. In the hurry of trying to leave on time in the morning, we had forgotten to ask for this just as they had forgotten to give it. This was the worst as we watched other passengers munch on their delicious to-go boxes while we were queued up waiting for the ferry staff to mechanically slap 2 pieces of white toast and a hard boiled egg on a plate and send us off. It’s how I imagine the Myanmar navy is fed (though with less Western components). This was much better than nothing and I was able to buy an extra hard boiled egg off the lady for 250 MMK. FYI–breakfast runs from 7am to 9am.
“Well, we promised breakfast but never said it was going to be good…”
We posted up in the cafe with a great table with a view and got some work done on our computers.
This ended up being a good place to knock out some work
Apart from the harsh criticism we’re giving the breakfast, the cafe wasn’t half bad and had the following options (all exchange rates are dynamically changed each day based upon the current rate; at the time of our trip, $1 USD was equal to about 1062 Myanmar Kyat (MMK)) :
Snacks! 12 hours on a ferry, these guys have quite the captive audience
Having eaten a not-too-filling breakfast at 7am, we were naturally the first ones in line for the lunch service which runs from 12pm to 2pm. Lunch was far better than breakfast and actually pretty good for any standards. We were served fried vermicelli noodles with vegetables, a fried egg and a hot sauce + a chili pepper mix with oil.
Lunch! Fried vermicelli noodles with plenty of chili and a fried egg. Much better than breakfast!
It was great and really hit the spot, but, while coffee or tea was provided with breakfast, lunch was served beverage-less. Want water? That’ll be 500. Want coffee? That’ll be 500. Beer? You guessed it, it’ll cost you. Anytime I experience this (which is frequently on this trip), I consider it to be very cheap and tacky. If you’re going to serve me a meal that’s included, you had better serve it with fresh, potable drinking water otherwise you can consider the meal incomplete. Sure, charge for other beverages but don’t make me pay for water.
THE TRIP/SCENERY
The trip and the scenery were great. As we first pulled out from the dock, we were once again reminded that the water level was low when we saw 2 guys on the bow of the ferry with sticks frantically poking downwards trying to gauge the depth of the water before we progressed. I guess the captain would reverse thrust if they started yelling? I can’t imagine it would have ended well for the bottom of the boat.
Within 45 minutes of leaving the dock, we were adjacent Sagaing
Passing under the Yadanabon Bridge that links Sagaing to Mandalay/Amarapura
The Ava Bridge: rebuilt in 1954 after Burmese Independence (and after the British destroyed it during WWII)
As we’re zigzagging the Irrawaddy River, the wind is blowing as the heat creeps up on us. We pass many other tourist boats including a few that seem to be overnight boats with cabins that leisurely cruise the river for 2 days/1 night or 3 days/2 night.
Cruise boat with overnight cabins headed towards Mandalay
Kicking back enjoying the view and the breeze
Here’s a map of our route, proof that we were truly “zigzagging” this shallow waterway:
We also pass many little villages that seem to be very dependent on the river: lots of washing, bathing and fishing goes on on the banks of this river.
Local villagers doing local villager stuffs
And no Myanmar experience would be complete without pagodas…
…lots and lots of pagodas….
The busy banks of the Irrawaddy River
We stopped next to the Belmond station for a small crew change; one guy off and a new guy jumped on. We just nosed up to the banks as they ran up planks.
Just a quick crew change. No dock? No worries! Just bring your wooden plank
“Belmond Mobile Logistics Base”, helping to make sure that those paying $1,500+ US per person on the luxury cruise have an enjoyable experience
Just a normal Tuesday for the rest of the river
Despite being quoted at 10 hours in total, the journey wound up taking nearly 12 hours! We departed Mandalay at 6:45am and made it to the Bagan dock around 6:30pm. We averaged 10.2 mi/hour (16.4 km/hour) over a total of 119.67 miles (192.59 km):
I actually don’t think I can reasonably complain that the trip lasted a little longer than planned as we got to witness an amazing sunset that otherwise would have been missed:
Just about everyone was on the front deck as we crossed under the Pakokku Bridge
Pakokku Bridge
Tugboat and barge sailing past us
One of the most beautiful sunsets we saw in Myanmar
Around 6:30 pm, with still a bit of daylight left, we arrived the Bagan/Nyaung-U dock. Be prepared to be literally bombarded by taxi drivers.
Pulling up to the ferry dock in Bagan/Nyaung-U
BOTTOM LINE: While it was more expensive and (marginally) longer than the train or bus, we highly recommend the ferry to Bagan. I wouldn’t say there was 12 hours worth of sights to see along the river, but it was a great way to kick back, read a book and relax a bit.
-----------------------------------
Full post with proper formatting and photo gallery can be found here: Weekend Blitz - Irrawaddy River Cruise: Mandalay to Bagan, Myanmar
BOOKING
We had seen some pretty awesome pictures of the ferry ride along the Irrawaddy and knew that we wanted to try it out but were disappointed to find out that the recommended ferry company was basically closed for the low season. After further prying, we learned that many of the companies shut down for a few months starting in March because it’s both the hot and dry season which means fewer tourists and, also, from a logistics point of view, the river is much lower than the wetter and cooler months.
We had already booked our flight and hotels that centered around taking this ferry; in fact, we had really only included the trip to Mandalay so that we could ferry down the river to Bagan…
Ah-ha! A breakthrough! Convinced that we would be stuck taking the bus from Mandalay to Bagan, we frantically googled other ferry companies and started emailing them. I found a travel agency that confirmed that the RV Shwe Keinnery III would be offering a trip on our proposed travel date. Perfect! We’re back on track.
We sent over copies of our passports to the travel agency via email –sending strangers copies of your passports has been a recurring theme in Myanmar– and they replied with a payment link via PayPal.
In total, we paid $40 each for the trip (+ a 5% credit card fee); this cost included the travel agency shipping the hard copy tickets to our hotel in Mandalay which we waiting for us when we arrived. I think it’s highly likely that we could have booked the same ferry company in Mandalay and saved a few bucks, but, for a few extra dollars each, I was happy to have something confirmed.
CHECK-IN/BOARDING
We nearly missed the boat quite literally when we had a small mix up with the check-in time vs departure time. The hotel insisted that we could arrive at 6:30am but our taxi driver got a little turned around and that quickly turned into 6:40am. When we arrived, all other passengers were already on board and we noticed the placards stating a check-in time of 6am and departure of 6:30am–glad they were running behind today!
Rushing down the banks of the river to board the ferry!
Like all other airports and train stations in Myanmar so far, the ferry business is no stranger to the luggage porter system. They had a few ladies with official-ish looking uniforms offering to carry our bags aboard; we were smart enough to decline this time but our fellow passengers that boarded right behind us fell victim to the scam. This was confirmed when we heard the women demanding some cash for their services–hey! this isn’t how tipping is supposed to work!–and the tourists begrudgingly coughed up a few bills for what seemed to them to be an included service.
We popped down to our seats, mistakenly taking the wrong seat not knowing that they were assigned. A rather unpleasant couple from the US was very quick to correct our wrong so we found it extremely amusing when they didn’t occupy the seats for even 1 minute of the trip, spending all of their time above deck with the other passengers in the first come, first serve seat….some people just can’t hold their tongue!
THE FERRY
The ferry was actually a pretty large vessel, complete with 3 decks.
The first deck housed the enclosed reserved seating with a (slightly) air-conditioned cabin. I say “slightly” because, at the top of the afternoon, the sole A/C unit was really struggling to keep up with the oppressive Burmese heat. All tickets have a reserved seat in the first deck cabin.
Air-conditioned cabin on the first deck. All passengers have a reserved seat here.
The second deck is primarily made up of the restaurant/cafe but also has some outdoor seating towards the stern that is covered. There are a few chairs scattered about on the bow, but it’s mostly standing room only for sightseeing as you pass interesting landmarks.
Cafe and restaurant
The 3rd and top deck is much smaller than the previous two and houses the wheelhouse in the front with a large outdoor deck towards the back. This seemed to be the prime seating as people flocked here early and were careful to not leave their seats unattended for too long.
Seating area on the top deck, very popular in the morning when it was cool
This uncovered seating area on the top deck became less and less popular as the day wore on… not a good place to be if you value your skin or like to stay hydrated
The 3 bathrooms were on the bottom deck:
View from the front of the 2nd deck
FOOD
Breakfast and lunch was said to be included with our ferry tickets but if we can offer once piece of advice: BRING YOUR OWN BREAKFAST! When discussing taxi arrangements with our hotel the night before, they offered to pack us a to-go breakfast box as the buffet wouldn’t be open yet. In the hurry of trying to leave on time in the morning, we had forgotten to ask for this just as they had forgotten to give it. This was the worst as we watched other passengers munch on their delicious to-go boxes while we were queued up waiting for the ferry staff to mechanically slap 2 pieces of white toast and a hard boiled egg on a plate and send us off. It’s how I imagine the Myanmar navy is fed (though with less Western components). This was much better than nothing and I was able to buy an extra hard boiled egg off the lady for 250 MMK. FYI–breakfast runs from 7am to 9am.
“Well, we promised breakfast but never said it was going to be good…”
We posted up in the cafe with a great table with a view and got some work done on our computers.
This ended up being a good place to knock out some work
Apart from the harsh criticism we’re giving the breakfast, the cafe wasn’t half bad and had the following options (all exchange rates are dynamically changed each day based upon the current rate; at the time of our trip, $1 USD was equal to about 1062 Myanmar Kyat (MMK)) :
-
- Water = 500 MMK (~$0.37 USD)
- Extra eggs at breakfast = 250 MMK (~$0.19 USD)
- Chips
- Sliced fruit = 1000 (~$0.74 USD)
- Soft drinks
- Beer
- Cookies = 1000 MMK (~$0.74 USD)
- Coffee = 500 MMK (~$0.37 USD)
Snacks! 12 hours on a ferry, these guys have quite the captive audience
Having eaten a not-too-filling breakfast at 7am, we were naturally the first ones in line for the lunch service which runs from 12pm to 2pm. Lunch was far better than breakfast and actually pretty good for any standards. We were served fried vermicelli noodles with vegetables, a fried egg and a hot sauce + a chili pepper mix with oil.
Lunch! Fried vermicelli noodles with plenty of chili and a fried egg. Much better than breakfast!
It was great and really hit the spot, but, while coffee or tea was provided with breakfast, lunch was served beverage-less. Want water? That’ll be 500. Want coffee? That’ll be 500. Beer? You guessed it, it’ll cost you. Anytime I experience this (which is frequently on this trip), I consider it to be very cheap and tacky. If you’re going to serve me a meal that’s included, you had better serve it with fresh, potable drinking water otherwise you can consider the meal incomplete. Sure, charge for other beverages but don’t make me pay for water.
THE TRIP/SCENERY
The trip and the scenery were great. As we first pulled out from the dock, we were once again reminded that the water level was low when we saw 2 guys on the bow of the ferry with sticks frantically poking downwards trying to gauge the depth of the water before we progressed. I guess the captain would reverse thrust if they started yelling? I can’t imagine it would have ended well for the bottom of the boat.
Within 45 minutes of leaving the dock, we were adjacent Sagaing
Passing under the Yadanabon Bridge that links Sagaing to Mandalay/Amarapura
The Ava Bridge: rebuilt in 1954 after Burmese Independence (and after the British destroyed it during WWII)
As we’re zigzagging the Irrawaddy River, the wind is blowing as the heat creeps up on us. We pass many other tourist boats including a few that seem to be overnight boats with cabins that leisurely cruise the river for 2 days/1 night or 3 days/2 night.
Cruise boat with overnight cabins headed towards Mandalay
Kicking back enjoying the view and the breeze
Here’s a map of our route, proof that we were truly “zigzagging” this shallow waterway:
We also pass many little villages that seem to be very dependent on the river: lots of washing, bathing and fishing goes on on the banks of this river.
Local villagers doing local villager stuffs
And no Myanmar experience would be complete without pagodas…
…lots and lots of pagodas….
The busy banks of the Irrawaddy River
We stopped next to the Belmond station for a small crew change; one guy off and a new guy jumped on. We just nosed up to the banks as they ran up planks.
Just a quick crew change. No dock? No worries! Just bring your wooden plank
“Belmond Mobile Logistics Base”, helping to make sure that those paying $1,500+ US per person on the luxury cruise have an enjoyable experience
Just a normal Tuesday for the rest of the river
Despite being quoted at 10 hours in total, the journey wound up taking nearly 12 hours! We departed Mandalay at 6:45am and made it to the Bagan dock around 6:30pm. We averaged 10.2 mi/hour (16.4 km/hour) over a total of 119.67 miles (192.59 km):
I actually don’t think I can reasonably complain that the trip lasted a little longer than planned as we got to witness an amazing sunset that otherwise would have been missed:
Just about everyone was on the front deck as we crossed under the Pakokku Bridge
Pakokku Bridge
Tugboat and barge sailing past us
One of the most beautiful sunsets we saw in Myanmar
Around 6:30 pm, with still a bit of daylight left, we arrived the Bagan/Nyaung-U dock. Be prepared to be literally bombarded by taxi drivers.
Pulling up to the ferry dock in Bagan/Nyaung-U
BOTTOM LINE: While it was more expensive and (marginally) longer than the train or bus, we highly recommend the ferry to Bagan. I wouldn’t say there was 12 hours worth of sights to see along the river, but it was a great way to kick back, read a book and relax a bit.
-----------------------------------
Full post with proper formatting and photo gallery can be found here: Weekend Blitz - Irrawaddy River Cruise: Mandalay to Bagan, Myanmar
Aug 5, 2018, 6:31 pm
#55
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Charlottesville, Va. USA
Posts: 1,752
Mr. & Mrs, jmgriffin:
Thank you for your great tr. We will be in Myanmar in mid October doing and visiting many of the places you two visited. I hope you will post your visit to Ilhe lake before we leave.
Thank you for your great tr. We will be in Myanmar in mid October doing and visiting many of the places you two visited. I hope you will post your visit to Ilhe lake before we leave.