Dear Mr Strachan

I just wanted to let you know how much my wife and I enjoyed our two cruises with Pandaw in 2017.

It was almost by accident that we came across you in the first place. We were looking for a Mekong trip in February which fitted our travel plans and found the up-stream trip on the Mekong Pandaw from Saigon on 12th February.

As our first ever river cruise we were delightfully surprised with everything from the food and accommodation to the professionalism and helpfulness of the crew. What particularly impressed us was the ability to get off the normal well-worn tourist track and meet local people who were simply getting on with their lives on and alongside the river. We even gave an English lesson at a local school!

It was during this trip that we learned the history of Pandaw and its origins in the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.

Our trip was from Bagan to the Upper Irrawaddy on the Kindat Pandaw on 25th November. Again we thoroughly enjoyed the ten days and have nothing but praise for the crew who looked after us with patience, helpfulness and good humour. As with the team on the Mekong, they genuinely enjoy their work and are very proud to represent the Pandaw brand with all that it means for local people and their economy.

Ian and Catherine Robertson

While in Mandalay on our post cruise Pandaw extension from the 15th to 18th October we had a local guide called Phoo. Exquisitely dressed, she greeted us as soon as we disembarked. She spent the next three days with us always on time for our pickup. She tailored our itinerary to suit our interests and paid particular attention to my mother's needs who is in the photo with Phoo. My mother has limited mobility and uses a walker. This was always taken into account. Phoo also showed me around less accessible places while my mother rested. We were given an insight to local life and participated in some local events.

Phoo clearly understood our requests and needs and offered experiences based on our interests. I would highly recommend her as a guide for international tourists.

Christine Lockey

Hi Tor

We arrived back home

By the way, if you happen to be in touch with Paul Strachan, you may want to mention that the passengers aboard the Angkor Pandaw drank to his good health at our final dinner together on Saturday last.

After I read his book, The Pandaw Story, gaining a full appreciation of all the trials and tribulations that he encounteredwhile developing Pandaw to what it is today, with all the garbage, heartache, and frustrations thrown at him from every direction in theprocess, one can only applaud Paul Strachan's superhuman persistence in creating what has to be a selection of some of the world's greatest travel experiences.

I couldn't let the opportunity pass to raise glasses to him. Everyone agreed noting that because I was the one with more Pandaw travel experience (6 voyages) than anyone on board and really the right person to lead the group in this way.

Douglas