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Real cruising on the Irrawaddy. The trouble with our cruise on the Pandaw Orient was that it had to finish. The journey north from Mandalay was not possible because of the river level being so low, but we didn't know about the change of itinerary until mid-way through the cruise, but it didn't matter. We were looked after regally by a lovely friendly crew, bar staff who made excellent cocktails as well as supplying a seemingly endless stream of gin and tonics and the waiters in the dining room knew us all even when we sat at different tables. Food was great – sometime a buffet, sometimes a la carte which you ordered in the morning at breakfast – the freshly cooked omelettes were amazing. Excursions and activities were organised; sometimes a walking tour of the village where we had stopped or a coach trip to places slightly farther afield. Evening entertainment was arranged of local dancers, puppet shows, even fashion parades featuring the all-male crew!! But the most surreal moment for me, was sitting around a blazing fire on a sandbank in the middle of the Irrawaddy River, with fireworks being let off, oil lights twinkling, watching our skipper singing John Denver songs and then everyone dancing around the bonfire to the accompaniment of Abba songs – and this was before dinner!!
There were about 50 passengers on board, we all ate together and no one cared if you wanted to chill out on the sun deck by yourself or get up to watch the sunrise early in the morning. But the experience of this Pandaw cruise has certainly put me off cruising on a big ship. We didn't get lost looking for my cabin, we didn't have to wait for the right sitting at the right dining room for food, we didn't have to queue to get on and off the boat and then queue to get into a coach for a trip and we got to meet a lot more people on our small boat than we would ever have done on a huge ship. Where to go next with Pandaw cruises is the next question.
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YVONNE AND JOHN ELLISON, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2019 MRS G L WILKINSON, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2019 JAN AND TONY HEMBLING, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, NOV 2018 KERRIE AND STEPHEN, AUSTRALIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, NOV 2018 ELAINE WATTERS, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, AUG 2018 CATHY, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, AUG 2018 SUZY LAMONT, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MAR 2018 RICHARD AND KAY RANKIN, MALAYSIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, DEC 2017 CATHERINE WHEELER, USA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, JAN 2019 MARTIN AND MAUREEN WHITEHEAD, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, JAN 2018 GERALD MALCUIT AND ANDREE POMERLAU, CANADA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2017 MARIAN CULLWICK AND CATHERINE MACDONALD, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, SEP 2017 KEVIN BARLOW, THAILAND, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2017 LYNDA BROWN, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2017 VC, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2017 DAVID AND LIZ FOTHERGILL, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, SEP 2017 MS MEGAN ROWE, AUSTRALIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, SEP 2017 JANE BELL, AUSTRALIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, SEP 2017 SALLY HIENER, AUSTRALIA, THE CHINDWIN, SEP 2017 KAREL ZIJLSTRA AND SON SIMON, NETHERLANDS, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MAR 2017 KAREL ZIJLSTRA, NETHERLANDS, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MAR 2017 MARCUS WILLIAMS, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MAR 2017 JOHN AND NOLA DAVIES, AUSTRALIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2017 PETER MORGAN, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2017 RT, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2017 ROBYN OGDIN, AUSTRALIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, JAN 2017 MR RODGER GLENN FRENCH, USA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, DEC 2016 CLARE WOOLDRIDGE, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2016 JENNIFER WYLIE, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2016 PATRICIA SOMERSET, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2016 ANNE HINDS, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, OCT 2016 MELINDA, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MAR 2016 SANDRA SCOTT, AUSTRALIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MAR 2016 KITTY C, USA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2016 SHELDON R, USA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2016 ROBYN WATERS, USA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, FEB 2016 MARGARET BERRY, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, JAN 2016 FLO LOO, USA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, NOV 2015 MARION & HERMANN OBERREITER, AUSTRIA, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, NOV 2015 ROBYN WATERS & GARY SPRINGER, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, SEP 2015 BILL PAGE, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, AUG 2015 CATHERINE MIRRLEES, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MARCH 2015 EDDIE TAYLOR AND PIETRO OVATTA, BAGAN TO MANDALAY, FEB 2015
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