Fotos

Time to move from Bhamo; the boat is only twice a week, so we booked a cabin for US$ 54, yes, its real prices when you want something. The Burmese probably only pay a fraction of that. But sleeping on deck for two days was not an option.
Two days cruising down the Arrawaddy, beautiful scenery, through narrow gorges, thick jungle to the water’s edge, birds flying alongside, really nice. Our cabin had a small sink to wash, but the water came from the river and poured out of the taps – brown and full of grit, so washing was no option, but we were travelling in relative luxury, below decks was another story, passengers camped out in between the cargo, families sleeping, eating, living on a small bed sheet for two days, upper deck offered deck chairs. We made a few stops at small towns where the young and old excitedly met the ferry, and vendors clambered on board to sell their ‘delicacies’. Much commotion in the night as we hit a sandbank, the crew jumping on shore to free us with bamboo poles and we were woken up at two in the morning by a vendors selling their wares at a small village stop, who wants to eat curry and rice and two in the morning!! We had to make an extra stop in the morning as someone on the lower deck had died overnight. The body was taken from our boat and placed onto a small sailing boat and sailed back up river. Finally we arrived in Kyaukmuang where we had decided to jump ship and continue our travel overland to Bagan, missing out Mandalay.