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Pandaw Newsletter - 19th March 2009
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| Ganges River Survey |
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Our founder Paul Strachan has been recceing Indian rivers for over seven years seeking the perfect river cruise for our Pandaw passengers. Field trips have included explorations of the Brahmaputra, Yamuna and various sections of the Ganges. Over two field trips in December last year, Paul travelled from Calcutta to Farraka up the Hugli River by car and boat and again in January this year from Patna to Varanasi by car and boat. However, the middle section between Farraka and Patna remained untested and Paul had insufficient time to complete this.
Fortunately, Paul's Indian partner Raj Singh and Neville Joseph, a Pandaw purser with many years of experience, were able to join an Indian government survey boat to cover this rarely navigated section. The results of this survey were very positive - there had been a number of fears about bridge heights - which we now know to be unproblematic and navigable for a ship of Pandaw's size is possible.
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| Indian Festivals on a Pandaw Ganges Cruise |
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The first Pandaw Ganges cruise sails in September 2009 and over the course of the season the passengers on these cruises will have the chance to take in some of the Subcontinents finest festivals:
Diwali – The Festival of Lights - is one of the most lively and colourful festivals in India marking the start of the Hindu New Year. Cruise departs 12th October 2009.
Holi - The Festival of Colour hails the advent of spring. Throughout India spectators will see a mass of colour as festival followers throw coloured water and powders all over each other. Cruise departs 15th February 2010. |
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| New Discoveries on the Ganges |
 On our latest river survey of the Ganges, Raj and Neville found a terrific profusion of wild and bird life. For here the Ganges has virtually no traffic or human activity. Dolphins were sighted daily and Raj, who is the author of an established work on ornithology has listed a tremendous variety of birds.
In addition, a number of little-known historical sites were discovered including the stupendous monument neo-classical monument to Lord Cornwallis at Gauspur. |
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| Redmond O'Hanlon Revisits the Rajang |
.jpg) The two maiden voyages are now completely full and in view of considerable demand we have decided to offer the same $1,000 off per person on the 16th November 2009 and 15th February 2010 cruises. The usual Old Pandaw Hand (OPH) discount would not apply for these reduced fares. OPH do though apply to all other Pandaw cruise including Mekong, Borneo and Burma. |
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| Latest Deals on Pandaw Cruises |
 Author of Into the Heart of Borneo, explorer Redmond O'Hanlon will be joining our maiden voyage on the Rajang river in Borneo on 1st July 2009. Redmond's best selling travelogue of his expedition up the Rajang remains a timeless classic. We look forward to a number of talks on the subject during the cruise. There are still one or two cabins available on this departure. |
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| The Irrawaddy |
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For the coming season Pandaw are delighted to announce a new river expedition in Burma covering 1000 miles of the great Irrawaddy, by coach from Rangoon to Prome and by Pandaw II from Prome to the Second Defile, the greatest of the three Irrawaddy gorges between Katha and Bhamo. Price from $7,440 for main deck sharing. Pandaw will only be running five departures for the season ahead. |
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| Pandaw Spa |
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Each Pandaw now has a Spa area where expert therapists offer a variety of treatments depending on the country you cruise through. On the Mekong we offer Traditional Khmer Massage whilst in India we offer treatments from the Ayurvedic traditions. Reflexology is available for all regions and very popular. Also on board we have a fitness area with a limited number of exercise machines. |
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| Eleanor Joins Pandaw Team |
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We are delighted to announce that Eleanor Milner has joined the Pandaw team. Eleanor joins us after 10 years working for specialist travel company Cox & Kings and will be working directly with Paul Strachan in our new Edinburgh office. Eleanor will be pleased to assist European and American clients and travel agents with any information or online booking support. Please e-mail eleanor@pandaw.com or call +44 131 514 1035 / America Toll Free 1-800-798-4223. |
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| The New Pandaw Brochure |
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Pandaw is delighted to announce the launch of its new brochure which includes details on our cruises to India, Borneo, Burma and the Mekong. If you would like to receive a copy, please visit our website to register your details.
If you would like to download the brochure just click here. Aternatively, if you would like us to post you a copy then please click here which will take you to a registration page where you can confirm your address details. The brochure should reach you in 2-3 weeks. |
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