Myanmar: The Mandalay Road - Among the Pagodas and Clouds
The cruise ship gently entered the heart of Myanmar, where little-known lands featured golden pagodas and ancient palaces rising on either side of the river, with saffron-robed monks slowly walking by. This kingdom of Buddhism radiated an atmosphere of tranquility everywhere.
If every country has a mother river, for Myanmar, the Irrawaddy River certainly deserves the title. Originating from the Chinese Tibet region of Xayar, it flows through Myanmar from north to south, entering the Indian Ocean near Yangon.
Everyone has their own way to contact this great river, we choose the way of 'Road To Mandalay'. Launched 20 years ago, the cruise ship travels from Mandalay to Bagan, exploring the charming scenery of the 'Myanmar's Northern Triangle' along the tranquil Irrawaddy River.
Mandalay is Myanmar's second largest city, during the period between 1860 and 1885, the last king of Myanmar resided here. Its suburbs include the ancient city of Ava, which has largely preserved its royal city. It is unique in Myanmar, you have to come here to see Myanmar's ancient culture.
We boarded the white ship. From the outside, it looks similar to the cruise ships on the Yangtze River Three Gorges, but internally it is different. 'Road To Mandalay' has been renovated, and designers Ali Kennedy and Ateliers de la Péninsule architecture company have redesigned the rooms and public spaces, the rooms are bigger, the atmosphere is more relaxed, fashionable and warm. A comfortable bed, a small desk, a teak cabinet... a spacious bathroom with Burmese jade tiles, you can hardly imagine this is on a cruise ship.
'Road To Mandalay''s passenger volume has been reduced from 108 to 82, which is a good thing, no one likes crowded places.
The rooms are comfortable and luxurious, the restaurant's food is a surprise, Myanmar, Shan State, Thailand, Indonesia, China, India and European flavors, let people marvel,
The air is fresh, the sun is bright, the scenery is beautiful and pleasant, the perfect journey is over,
In fact, perfect is not just defined like this, the charm of 'Road To Mandalay' is more in exploring the remote places on the Irrawaddy River. Mingun has the world's largest brick pagoda and a complete bell, Nwe Nyein traditional clay pot craftsman's skills make people reminisce for a long time, small villages like Kyan Hnyat seem as old as before the century, small markets let people linger, the ancient town Katha was once a British colony, British writer George Orwell wrote 'Myanmar Days' here, we travel by tricycles, shuttling through colonial-style streets, time seems to flow back to the 1930s; in the forest of Naba, we ride elephants to watch the elephants carrying teakwood diligently…
When everyone exclaims and is amazed, after a cruise of 300 kilometers, 'Road To Mandalay' arrived in Bagan, the journey reached its climax, we were silent and stunned, this feeling was reflected on everyone's face.
Over 2,000 pagodas and temples, big and small, high and low, no two are the same, dome-shaped, cone-shaped, without roofs, some still stand, some have collapsed into pieces, some are still standing, some have collapsed into pieces,
The people of Bagan devoted their entire life savings to worship the Buddha. Their greatest wish was to donate a pagoda, they would rather live in a thatched hut, so that the Buddha could live in a temple. In 1044, King Alaungsithu created the Bagan Dynasty here, he believed in Buddhism and built countless pagodas and temples in Bagan, for 250 years until the dynasty collapsed, he built over ten thousand pagodas and temples. In this 'City of a Thousand Pagodas', boundless pagodas radiate the former glory and the vicissitudes of time, in the most beautiful sunset in the world, enjoying another specialty of Bagan – tranquility and leisure, until you're dizzy.
*How much does it cost*
The cost of £2,380 includes all the packages and accommodation on the cruise, as well as domestic flights, pick-up services and all sightseeing activities. You can also customize the itinerary according to your needs.
*Itinerary customization*
'Road To Mandalay' regularly offers 3-night, 4-night and 7-night journeys to and from Bagan and Mandalay, priced from £1400 per person. There are also special routes to the border of China's Yunnan Province every year, exploring remote areas. There are also extended itineraries for choosing, exploring Yangon, the Rhine River, or Ngapali in the Indian Ocean.
Every day, you wake up and have a bottle of champagne, in the morning, you cycle through the countryside, in the afternoon, you relax in the bathtub on the deck, admiring the countryside scenery; in the evening, you gather with family and friends to chat and watch the stars on the deck...
