Now that we have returned home I just thought I would send you an update. After an interesting vist in Varanasi and the frustrations of the early part of the cruise the Boat Manager and his crew did a tremendous job of getting things back on schedule. Though from what I hear this resulted in the need for what sounds like expensive repairs to the boat's propulsion system.

The extra excursions that the Boat Manager added went down very well.

The arrival of the new executive chef on the fifth day greatly improved the quality of the food. His willingness to engage with the passengers and listen to and act on their requests resulted in happier meal times.

The crew as always was great, very friendly and helpful. Sunil and Aman, the two boys who run the dining room are amazing personalities, are in tune with the passengers and do their jobs well. It's a shame that they don't get the opportuinity to see the places the passengers visit on their excursions as that would provide them with further topics for conversation.

Ram, the Housekeeping Supervisor, is perhaps the outstanding crew member. Always immaculate in his appearance he did so much more than his job title suggests. Yes, he made beds and cleaned cabins but also served drinks in the dining room, accompanied us and looked after us on excursions. Very importantly on this trip he was very concerned for the welfare of those passengers who came down with sickness, providing food and drink suggestions to ease their discomfort. He even turned his hand to entertainment with his Mehendi and Saree and Dhoti demonstrations.

Yes, there is room for improvement and I am sure Brett will brief you on the discussions he had with us all. The problems with the river, its lack of water and shifting sands, together with the issue of the pontoons are perhaps more difficult to solve.

Overall though it was agreat experience. We have new friends and a lot of memories.

Regards
Steve

We have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the Bagan to Mandalay cruise in 2015 we decided that we must go on another Pandaw cruise so the Classic Mekong Cruise was our choice.

From embarking to disembarking seven days later we had a magical time. The bedrooms are very comfortable with lovely hot showers. When we experienced trouble with the water on our last day it was quickly restored within 10 minutes.

The whole crew were both friendly and efficient and work closely as a team. On disembarking during the cruise even the Captain was out ensuring the passengers were assisted on any uneven ground. We were told that they feel like a family and this certainly showed in the service they offered. Once again the food was excellent with a great variety at breakfast and a constantly changing menu for lunch and dinner.

On this cruise, we were joined by three "New" regional managers, Ben, Andre and Leo. They immediately had to deal with a problem when one passenger appeared to have had a stroke. The decision was taken that the boat had to return to Phnom Penh for the passenger to receive medical care, and eventually being admitted to hospital. Everyone on the cruise thought the event was well handled and there was not one complaint that our schedule had to be re-organised. In fact, a 2 hour Tuc Tuc tour of Phnom Penh was quickly organised and this proved to be one of the highlights of the cruise. Maybe this could be considered for permanent inclusion on future cruises. My one criticism was our trip to a fish farm was not very enlightening. It consisted of a one-metre square opening where you could feed the fish and a large souvenir shop. We learned nothing of the farming process and the distribution of the full-grown fish.

I have to heap praise on our guide in Cambodia; Somthang. His detailed knowledge of the history and customs in Cambodia made all our visits extremely interesting. He lost 36 members of his family during the Pol Pot regime, spent much of his childhood in a work camp and he later served as a soldier during the communist war. Our trip to the Killing Fields was very poignant with his commentary. During all our trips his knowledge of local life and crafts was enlightening. He arranged for two Banyan trees to be planted at Wat Preah Angkoak. He even took photos of the passengers watering the new trees and emailed each individual photo having obtained our email addresses. In addition to all his knowledge he also had a great sense of humour which we all appreciated.

Please pass on our grateful thanks to all the crew for making our cruise truly memorable. It has now left us with a problem. Which Pandaw cruise shall we go on next?

Kind regards
Gordon and Christine Halliday

I just wanted to write to say a big thank you. I have just returned from a Pandaw cruise ( Saigon - Siem reap) organised in conjunction with Audley travel. The boat was superb It had a real colonial feel to it. There were only 38 passengers who were all delightful. Some have become friends for life. The experiences we were able to enjoy due to the size of the ship and the knowledge of the local guides (Yang in Vietnam and An in Cambodia) were unbelievable, we didn't see any other tourists apart from in Phnom Penh. We felt privileged to be able to interact with local people in a way that wouldn't have otherwise been possible. The variety of excursions and the passion of Yang and An made for incredible holiday memories and photos.

The food was off the scale there wasn't a single plate in the whole week that wasn't first class. But wonderful as the boat,cabin and food were the real stars were the staff. From Paris, whose daily briefings were a triumph, Songhout, the wonderful barman, the lovely staff in the restaurant to all the people who made the trip go smoothly they are a credit to the company and your greatest asset. There was a real family feel to the whole thing.

I can never recommend highly enough the standard of your cruise experience and the friends we made aboard are planning a trip with you on the Ganges next year.

Please, please keep doing this in exactly the same way, it really was a life affirming experience and we did consider refusing to leave the boat.

Kind regards
Two very happy Pandaw converts
Tracey & Lesley