Life Along the Ayeyarwady
—by Susan Lee
Muffled thumps, followed by a slight creak and what I groggily realized was slow, smooth movement; we were underway. "What time is it? It must still be very early morning," I thought. At least I knew where I was and where I was going: up the vast Ayeyarwady River, the lifeblood of ancient Burma, and of present day Myanmar as well.
Later, as the sun's rays glistened on the water, I walked back to the dining room where a made to order breakfast of eggs and fresh fruits were waiting. My travel mates and I leisurely sipped our Myanmar coffee while watching life on the placid water passing by through the large open windows. "This is the life," I thought. In colonial times, before rail and car roads, hundreds of ships like this plied these shallow waters, and walking onto the faithfully restored and modernized Pandaw immediately brought me back to that era. The rich patina of aged teak was everywhere, with a wide upper deck perfect for sunset watching, well thought out cabins, and a cozy bar serving up excellent rum sours.
Today the captain informed us that we'd be stopping at Yandabo, and around noon we docked at a deserted shoreline and started our exploration. This rarely visited village has no road access to the outside world-life here has continued much the same as it has for centuries. The whole village works cooperatively to extract, dry and process riverbank mud, refining it to be shaped into a special cooking pot shape that is only made here. The pots are fired in open kilns, and then transported by ox cart to river barges to be exported throughout Myanmar.
Our small group walked through the village of open, reed and bamboo homes, observing the pots at various stages of completion, accompanied by a shy group of children and adults. By the time we were ready to board the Pandaw, several of us were holding miniatures of the cooking vessels -given to us by the children. This memento is my reminder of the warm and generous spirit of this isolated village along the huge Ayeyarwady.
Burmah Trader features 2 nights on the Pandaw III.
Later, as the sun's rays glistened on the water, I walked back to the dining room where a made to order breakfast of eggs and fresh fruits were waiting. My travel mates and I leisurely sipped our Myanmar coffee while watching life on the placid water passing by through the large open windows. "This is the life," I thought. In colonial times, before rail and car roads, hundreds of ships like this plied these shallow waters, and walking onto the faithfully restored and modernized Pandaw immediately brought me back to that era. The rich patina of aged teak was everywhere, with a wide upper deck perfect for sunset watching, well thought out cabins, and a cozy bar serving up excellent rum sours.
Today the captain informed us that we'd be stopping at Yandabo, and around noon we docked at a deserted shoreline and started our exploration. This rarely visited village has no road access to the outside world-life here has continued much the same as it has for centuries. The whole village works cooperatively to extract, dry and process riverbank mud, refining it to be shaped into a special cooking pot shape that is only made here. The pots are fired in open kilns, and then transported by ox cart to river barges to be exported throughout Myanmar.
Our small group walked through the village of open, reed and bamboo homes, observing the pots at various stages of completion, accompanied by a shy group of children and adults. By the time we were ready to board the Pandaw, several of us were holding miniatures of the cooking vessels -given to us by the children. This memento is my reminder of the warm and generous spirit of this isolated village along the huge Ayeyarwady.
Burmah Trader features 2 nights on the Pandaw III.
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