Your ship is beautiful and your personnel excel in service and food standards equalling any of the experiences we have had on other Pandaw trips. This is very much a company strength. Stuart Hickman did an excellent job helping smooth the rough edges on this maiden voyage. His food knowledge and skill is truly exceptional. The food on this voyage surpassed others (which have been very good in every case). He promptly addressed many issues and was working everywhere behind the scene training the crew and watching out for us passengers. Maung Maung Hein Tun did an excellent job as local guide and had the skills and work ethic to always assist the crew and the passengers. His English was very adequate, knowledge extensive and he worked hard. You need to hire this guy or someone like him. He was invaluable. Mai & Pai Pai both did an absolutely superb job. We had been with them both on the RV Pandaw Kalay two weeks earlier and know they are two of the best. We were extremely happy with them both. Pai Pai was simply a superior chef and his dishes were fantastic. We do hope he receives a permanent promotion. Note: Pastry Chef (Ney on?) seems also very promising but we had less exposure to him. Paing Soe Thu was a very responsive purser. We had a number of small issues related to cabin, etc. and he seemed to be everywhere helping with on shore excursions, dining area, everywhere. Hard working great representative for your company. The ship’s crew and officers were all very friendly and fun to spend time with. A great crew.

Points needing attention: While life aboard ship essentially met our Pandaw expectations, leaving the ship presented some problems. The gangway needs to have a longer platform at the bottom with bumpers to allow the tenders to tie up parallel to the platform and guests easily step back and forth. You might do better with open Zodiacs. There was very little value in having “Ronald”, the guide from Yangon accompany us. Ronald had very little to offer regarding local information while Hein Tun was a wealth of information. All cabins should be supplied with at least one portable fan. You might consider adding some local flavor activities that come to the ship. The local squid fishing fleet was fascinating. Perhaps bringing a squid boat alongside the Andaman Explorer for an up-close view and photo opportunity might be an example of one such activity.

Again, please don’t take this correspondence as complaints. We did not sign up for a maiden voyage expecting perfection but rather the unique opportunity to participate in a new adventure. We fully expected there would be some glitches and learning involved. My message is only intended as constructive criticism which I hope can benefit you in making a great travel company even better. Thanks again Pandaw for all the adventures you have taken us on!

Happy New Year. Please share this email with your Supervisor. I want to commend an incredible you as well as your incredible crew. I feel blessed to have met them all and to have been the reciperant of your expertise, caring and consideration and constant attention. From 1963 to 2008, I was Public Relations and Publicity Director working in broadcasting. I only tell you this because I needed to provide similar service. I feel extremely fortunate to have the had the privilege on being on board Pandaw II. I am certain that you all were aware of my feelings for you and the excellent care you took of your customers/guests.

You and the memories will stay in my heart forever.

My husband and I spent 10 days in early November, 2019 on the RV Kalay Pandaw, cruising the Irrawaddy from Bagan to Mandalay, with many many stops along the way...neither of us had ever been on a river cruise and I had never been to Burma, so we looked very forward to this new adventure together.

I have so much to report so I thought I would do it by category :-)

THE SHIP

The RV Kalay Pandaw is the smallest of the fleet, with only 5 cabins but a huge upper deck suite, which we were fortunate enough to reserve....the boat is remarkably roomy and quite beautiful, finished in teak and brass. The cabins are furnished with comfortable beds and sitting areas, an abundance of windows, big showers, air conditioning and in room air coolers, loads of hot water, and plenty of storage. The main sitting areas have enough room for everyone to stretch out on a sofa or get cozy in a rattan chair, or just stand and watch the scenery go by. This trip is like a playground for anyone with a camera...I think I took 3000+ pictures.

THE CREW

Led by San Lin Tun, the finest guide we have ever had (and we've travelled in over 50 countries so we've had our share), the crew on this ship were beyond superb.....I don't even have the proper words to compliment them but they have certainly set the benchmark for future ship travel. All of them, from the housekeeping staff to the captain and pilot, the chef ( and his staff), the purser (and his staff) and all the crew who assisted the guide, we simply could not have been treated better, more efficiently or more kindly. Honestly - we all felt like royalty and by the time the cruise was completed, we felt like we had made new, lifelong friends.

THE FOOD

Where do I even start? For 10 days, we were fed an amazing array of sumptuous, beautiful meals, served with all the flourish of a five star restaurant and plated with such panache Instagram would have been proud. On such a small boat with a tiny, narrow kitchen, the magic the chef and his staff created defies description. I think my favourite was the pastry encrusted sea bass....OMG. And the salads we were served introduced my North American taste buds to flavour explosions beyond belief...go look up Tea Leaf Salad and then get the recipes for Ginger and Pennywort Salads - and you're welcome in advance :-)

THE EXCURSIONS

For us, wherever we travel there is little better than mingling with the locals....and this trip was like thepièce de ré·sis·tance of mingling. We were so fortunate - we got inside people's houses by invitation of course), into school rooms, we were privileged to listen to children practicing their English by reading to us, we shared markets and festivals and wash day and play time and the every day moments of the Burmese from the deck of the shop or right there beside them. The Burmese are the friendliest, most welcoming people I've ever had the pleasure to meet and although we couldn't speak the same language, trust me - we were communicating. It was by far the highlight of the trip, beyond the tourist spots and the temples and the highlights that make Myanmar what it is....for us, it's the people. Always the people.

Neither of us will ever forget this trip and as a result of the excellence we experienced, we will absolutely be booking with Pandaw in the future. It was the trip of a lifetime and we will carry Burma with us forever.

Dave Foraie and Debbie Molle