The boat was a real treat, well designed for its purpose, beautifully outfitted with teakwood everywhere (including the shower door), plenty of storage, our own AC, contemporary bathroom fixtures, great mattresses and linens. Very comfy. The food was superb and plentiful with a salady buffet and a main course buffet. The dishes were a nice mix of the familiar and the exotic (morning glory tempura and good brown bread). Breakfasts were fruits, breads and choices from a menu that included some of the best oatmeal I've had and lots of egg dishes, pancakes, french toast, even eggs benedict. The crew almost outnumbered the passengers and were uniformly professional and attentive.

On the last night aboard, the crew ran the boat onto a sand bar and set up a complete beach party for us including twinkling lights, a bonfire, a music system that played rock (Hotel California!?), a bar from which we were served cocktails and a barbeque to make us delicious appetizers. Then back aboard for dinner and a musical performance that was top notch if you could stand the music.

Although this response is somewhat delayed, I do want to comment on the river cruise my wife and I took from March 22 to 31, 2017 on board the RV Pandaw Indochina.

Put simply, our Pandaw cruise was excellent, 5 out of 5. I would recommend it highly as the best way to see the emerging Myanmar. It allows one to visit towns and villages along the Irrawaddy River, while engaging locals as they go about their daily lives. This is our third Pandaw cruise. However, the previous two were booked with Uniworld on Pandaw vessels in China and Vietnam/Cambodia. Their lead crew and staff were Westerners, whereas our Myanmar cruise booked directly with Pandaw was all Burmese, most notably the Purser, two superb tour guides, and the amazing chef. The result was an intimate insight into all things Burmese, including wonderful food and interesting lectures. Each of the locations we visited provided memorable experiences. Some highlights included the U Bein Bridge at sunset, numerous artisan workshops, the terracotta potteries in Yandabo, the temples and stupas of Bagan, the children at the Pandaw supported school in Myan Aung, and the colourful markets in several towns.

Pandaw began in Burma and appears to have a positive reputation throughout the country. Our cruise was the last one of the season. We only had 31 passengers on board most of whom were from Australia, a few from the UK, one American couple and ourselves as the only Canadians. We've sang the praises of Myanmar and Pandaw since returning home, so hopefully more Canadians will choose to visit this amazing land in the future.

Congratulations to you, your staff and crew on a truly fabulous experience. Every good wish for success in the future.

Jerry Lampert

PS. We followed our river cruise with a two day visit to Inle Lake. It is a must see and do and was a relaxful way to end our visit to Myanmar.

Dear Paul Strachan,

My wife and I went on the Mekong cruise (RV Mekong Pandaw) 1-8 September 2018. It was indeed a very good experience. In the spring we sailed with Nour El Nil's Meroe boat (dahabiya) from Luxor to Aswan - same price as the Pandaw cruise, one day less, but the food, accommodation and the staff were nowhere near what we experienced on Mekong Pandaw. (We were only 14 passengers on Mekong Pandaw which obviously gave more 'room' to be alone - or come to know fellow passengers).

While the staff all were excellent, we would like to recommend Srey Leak Sieng, Dining Supervisor.

Thanks for the cruise
Best wishes
Dr Michael Vinding
Minister Counsellor (ret)