Hi Angie

I'm back safe and sound from my Burmese adventure, and just wanted to drop you a line to say how very pleased I was with the trip. It all went so smoothly, from your excellent travel arrangements, to the collection to and from the lovely Mandalay Hotel and on to the boat.

Throughout my seven-night stay on the Kindat Pandaw the staff were superlative in every way - considerate, kind, humorous, patient and always helpful. The level of care was outstanding, and the guide who toured with us throughout the trip, Yen, was excellent in every way. The excursions were fascinating and well thought through, and the Burmese people incredibly open, hospitable and friendly.

The comfort of the cabins on the boat was perfect - excellent aircon, spotless hygiene, fresh flowers, unlimited water and comfortable beds, a true home from home. And as for the food - well, suffice it to say that I put on half a stone as I was unable to resist the lovely local tastes and my daily full English breakfast!

So all in all, a wonderful trip and my thanks go to you all for making it so good.

Kind regards
Melinda

Good morning.

We have just completed the Pagan and Upper Irrawaddy river cruise which started on October 22 and it was the most fantastic cruise that we have ever taken.

We could not have asked for anything more on this fabulous cruise, the food was wonderful, the teak boat was beautiful and very comfortable and two staff members made this trip a wonderful experience.

Harry the guide was absolutely exceptional. He was engaging in his conversations and is just a wealth of knowledge concerning his country, culture and values. He truly made this experience a memorable one.

The other member was Myo. He has a good sense of hospitality and is a dedicated individuals in all his activities. As a result of a family emergency, Myo had replaced the chief purser and truly did a good job and I strongly believe that he has all the skills necessary to undertake this job full time and will be quite successful at it.

Thank you for making this trip truly exceptional for us.

Daniel

Recently my wife and I had the very pleasant experience of being part of the Pandaw river adventure aboard the RV Kha Byoo Pandaw down the Chindwin River. Our cruise started on 23 July, 2016 at Homalin and finished on 30 July 2016 at Monywa. We didn’t want it to end!

For sure we will be looking at undertaking further cruises with Pandaw in the future.

We would like to offer the following comments / suggestions;

Firstly we wish to truly thank the Pandaw organisation, the entire Kha Byoo crew, as well as our guide Ko Kyaw Soe Latt, for a very memorable experience. The food and overall service were absolutely second to none.

Although, due to obvious operational reasons, we didn’t have regular contact with all of the crew, we thought that two of the crew in particular, whom we did have regular contact with, were outstanding; they being waiter U Maing Htoo Lwin and sailor U Aung Win Naing.

All of the crew were very friendly, professional, and efficient and a credit to Pandaw; and we thought that the captain, U Zaw Zaw Oo, and crew handled the boat admirably.

Our guide, Ko Kyaw Soe Latt, although not a Pandaw employee, was tremendous and we have sent a separate email to him.

My wife and I lived in SE Asia for about 14 years and visited numerous villages during that time; however, surprising to us, one of our highlights of this Pandaw cruise were the village visits. We found the people to be very genuine, friendly, accommodating and welcoming to both passengers and Pandaw staff alike. The kids were simply delightful and it was very pleasing that virtually none of them asked for money, sweets etc. We can only hope that this mind-set can be sustained.

We normally try to give items such as text books, pens, balls, personal hygiene products etc and on this cruise, also as suggested by crew and our guide; most of the passengers presented such items to the kids.

Perhaps in the Pandaw information, such as the welcoming letter, it could be generally recommended that passengers should not promote begging by handing out money / sweets etc to the children; but instead to give books, pens, balls, personal hygiene products etc?

Barry & Barry McDiarmid