Passenger Feedback

We have just returned from a wonderful trip. At very short notice, enthused by descriptions from Iain and Katie Anderson, we managed to get a cabin on the Mandalay to Pyay cruise starting on 21st February. We have had a fantastic time.

Your organisation is so excellent; all the staff so supportive, friendly and efficient; Daniel Townsend as terrific a guide as one could hope to encounter in a lifetime of travel. His relationship with his clients, and with all whom we encountered in both villages off the beaten track and tourist centres, his authoritative knowledge, his eloquent delivery, his niceness, and his superb but unobtrusive discipline, are truly outstanding.

For us the trip was much enhanced by the several villages that we visited, and by Daniel’s emphasis on the two-way nature of these contacts, as well as by getting some understanding of the work that Pandaw is doing in support of these communities.

Dear Paul,

In September, 2012, we were fortunate to be amongst 20 passengers on the 20 day Chindwin trip on Katha Pandaw…a trip we can only describe in superlatives!

What a lovely vessel, crewed by incredibly obliging and cheerful Burmese staff, who, to a man, did their utmost to satisfy the needs and whims of all the passengers. Their attentiveness, sense of humour, and generous spirit, combined with the unexpectedly luxurious comforts of this ‘Expedition Boat’, made for an outstanding travel experience .

The 3 hour, 24 mile, eventful drive in a pair of rudimentary buses from the Kalaw airport to the boat at Kalaywa gave us our first taste of the ‘expeditionary nature’ of the journey we were anticipating. We were both educated and entertained by this bus trip, thanks to our excellent guide, Daniel, whose numerous special qualities we were yet to discover. On arriving at Katha Pandaw, Naing Maung’s welcomed us ‘to our new home’ – and that is exactly what the boat quickly became – our home (with the added benefit of staff laid on!). Naing’s patience, consideration for others, compassion, generosity and good humour, were clearly a shining example to his entire team. His daily perseverance in teaching us some basic Burmese was appreciated, and once I realized that not pronouncing consonants on the ends of words is integral to the Burmese language, I easily understood his English. During the trip, we were anxious to make contact with home whenever we could, as our 28 year old daughter had cancer. Naing Maung helped me find internet access opportunities in towns where we berthed to keep track of her progress. His demonstrated concern also included suggestions for traditional Burmese remedies which might help. Sadly, she died, just 3 weeks after our return to Australia, but not before she had heard all about our travels in Burma – a trip she had wanted to make herself.

We immensely enjoyed the outdoor dining setup on the upper deck. Here, it was possible to experience all manner of weathers; to socialize with fellow travellers or not, as one’s mood dictated; to sit quietly and watch the day to day activity of villagers when we moored; or to ‘be’ the entertainment for them. How much we would have missed had we been enclosed in an air conditioned communal area, or had our view obstructed by an enclosure at the rear of the deck. (It was one of the reasons we opted for this vessel instead of the Pandaw II which did the same trip) Similarly, we enjoyed being able to draw back the French doors in our cabin to watch the river go by, with fresh air rather than air conditioning if we were sailing during the day.

We were also delighted by the variety and quality of the catering. It didn’t take long to become hooked on the traditional mohinga/soup at every meal. It was obvious that the chefs were keen to impress, and particularly when they served versions of Burmese cuisine, they most certainly did. I still enjoy Shan green tea with slices of ginger as my first drink of the day – a habit acquired on Pandaw Katha.

The shore excursions exceeded our expectations in terms of how far afield and how varied they would be. It may detract from the ‘surprise’ element of the trip for others to be too specific here; but thanks to Daniel’s efforts, no doubt supported by others, the comprehensiveness of our experience of Burma was enhanced…and the Chindwin element appears to have encompassed more than most who live in the country have had the opportunity to see.

And now for Daniel. I do not believe any of us could have been in better hands. Not only handsome (!) , but talented, a joy to witness interacting with children, a funny, highly educated and well informed guide, passionate about his country, musical to his very core and quick to appreciate the varying capabilities of his tour group. We were privileged indeed to be in his care.

Thank you for Pandaw, the concept, and for it's professionally brilliant execution by your wonderful front line team. We were excited to see your new trip focussing on Tonle Sap and look forward to being part of that in 2014.

Very best regards,

Pippa & Ben Smith

Hello Paul,

My wife and I recently spent 14 enjoyable days on the Kathay Pandaw doing the Pyay to Kalay trip.The trip was well beyond expectations with nothing that we could fault.The vessel was well appointed, clean, quiet and very comfortable.The crew were very professional, and those crew that interfaced with the passengers, very attentive, obliging and they could not do enough for you, almost to an embarrassing degree.

Your guide, Daniel, is a tremendous asset to your Company. He is well spoken, very considerate and has great empathy with all those he is dealing with, whether it be a passenger (especially those feeling ill), a villager (all of whom he treated with respect and dignity), and village children (with whom he related to a totally friendly and engaging manner) and the crew. There seemingly were no issues or problems that he was incapable of handling or addressing, which gave us a great degree of confidence. The trip was perhaps one of the best holidays that we have had, and we compliment you and the company for a job well done.

Prior to booking the trip, Pandaw was a name that we had not heard of, nor could we find out much about it, apart from the website. Since arriving back in New Zealand, I have visited three travel agents, all aligned to different wholesalers, and asked them for information on river cruising in SE Asia. Not one mentioned Pandaw, and when asked about Pandaw, none of them had heard of the Company. I would suggest that there is a significant untapped market in New Zealand for your cruises, as generally many New Zealanders enjoy this type of holiday, well away from hordes of other tourists.

I believe that if your cruises are marketed and put forwarded as an option to prospective NZ travellers (who have similar interests as Australians), these New Zealanders would compliment the significant number of Australians booking your cruises.

Regards

Mervyn & Ann Kite

Dear Mr Strachan,

Having just completed the Upper Mandalay to Prome cruise, Oct 16-26, I have the following observations:

- The boat, crew and general amenities were exceptionally well maintained and presented.
- Service too was exceptional
-The activities could have been a little more varied, and, at times, more comfortable (horse carts)

- The guide was the drawback: he needs to learn more about flora and fauna, and to be willing to engage in conversation about everyday life and social history and not just politics. He was not skilled in delivering his information in the most comfortable of circumstances, several times speaking at length in hot sun. He repeated constantly, to an unusual extent for such a guide. The briefings in the evening could have been more conversational instead of dictatorial, as we were all comfortably seated and ready to hear. He avoided answering questions which questioned his voew of events.

I am sure with more experience, he will relax and preach less and share more, but he does need immediate guidance in how much to talk and when.

- The lack of cool dining and relaxing space meant that pur group retreated to their cabins rather more than was good for community. When the boat is still, more fans would alleviate the worst of the heat, but air-con would tempt people to stay up longer in the evenings.

Overall a wonderful experience on a lovely vessel.

We recently spent eight nights on the Irrawaddy river, on the ‘Orient Pandaw’, between Yangon and Mandalay and had a wonderful holiday.  My travel agent had told the company that I was on a strict gluten free diet. ‘No problem’ - there was gluten free food at every meal. I had taken rice crackers and packaged soups, as a precaution, but they were not needed. As I wrote in my diary, the large, cheerful, friendly chef on board was at my shoulder at every meal, pointing out the special dishes he had prepared, or assuring me that either everything on offer was gluten free, or perhaps warning me that the noodles, or the bread, or the dessert were not for me. Some times a dish of g-f dessert was discretely slipped beside my plate when everyone else was off selecting from the other sweets on offer, or I had g-f biscuits to have with the soup, or congee to go with the meat and vegetables at lunch, or sitting on the deck before dinner a plate of g-f nibbles was there for me to share with our pre-dinner drinks.  At one time, a ‘gluten free supplement for the elderly’ was proudly displayed and of course I gave myself a large serving, though I didn’t need reminding that I was ‘elderly’!  I suspect the chef had been off to the supermarket and bought anything and everything with a g-f logo.

This was a holiday when I found that being a coeliac was understood, and I wanted to tell you the Coeliac Society and Paul from Pandaw how much I appreciated that. I had an unusual overseas holiday, with no worries about diet, because there was cordial hospitality and understanding of my dietary requirements from everyone. I should also tell you that we were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary on this voyage, and on that evening a beautiful anniversary cake was served to all our fellow passengers – and a dear little heart shaped gluten free cake was there for me! Of course the holiday wasn’t only about food – there were friendly Burmese people in elegant longhis, pagodas, monasteries, paddy fields, river traffic, and the history, architecture and archaeology of this fascinating country.

A holiday I can recommend, wholeheartedly.

Barbara Deakin

Dear Paul Strachan

I have recently returned from a Pandaw Cruise from Mandalay to Prome and I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it.

Everything about the cruise was first rate. The boat was wonderful. It was clean, comfortable and well maintained. Every member of the crew was friendly, helpful and professional. The Purser, Mr Maung Naing (Eric) had a great sense of humour and was just so helpful. The food produced by the chef was outstanding. It not only tasted good but was beautifully presented. I assumed he had trained in a 5 star hotel but apparently not.

The crew on that boat is pure gold!

I hope they are all appreciated by management.

I will certainly be telling my friends what a great holiday I had.

Kind regards

(Mrs)Christine Lawther

My wife and I recently travelled on your Irrawaddy cruise, Prome to Mandalay, 06 Nov – 14 Nov 2013, as part of a more extensive Cruisco holiday in Myanmar.

Our thanks for the pleasure we gained from our cruise. As guests we found our host the Purser “Mr Erick”, and all members of the crew were most professional, considerate and a pleasure to be around.
We particularly wish to record our appreciation of the tour guide, Mr San Lin Tun, and to congratulate you on his selection. Having been on guided tours in Europe, Canada and the USA, we know that the guide is vital to how rewarding and enjoyable a tour we experience. (It also influences future choices)

On this tour San met all the criteria. He was very professional and personable in his dealings with both guests and the various local people we met along the way. His knowledge and enthusiasm for each topic that arose was apparent, and his ability to provide the information in an engaging manner was excellent. His willingness to expand and explain both to the group and to individual’s questions was appreciated.

That the demands of each day had been considered in advance and our needs and best interests taken into account in the detailed planning was unobtrusive but self evident in the outcomes. Your guests were impressed – congratulations and thank you.

Lyn & Norm Bunn

Hello Paul,

Back in Aus after a really great trip to Burma and Singapore.

As far as Orient Pandaw and her crew are concerned - they were all terrific and very attentive. Cannot fault the service. The food was excellent and plentiful - most travellers vowing diets on return to Australia! You have done a great job to create such a loyal crew. Our tour guide for the 8 days was "Tom". He was excellent. Loved the ship and it really created the atmosphere of the old days on the Irrawaddy. The shore excursions were very well organised and they certainly kept us on the go. Must admit that I am not sure that I want to see another Pagoda for a while!

Myanmar has a lot of work to do on infrastructure. In general the cities seem to work Ok although the traffic in Rangoon was something else. Some of the riverside villages still do not have water pumped from the Irrawaddy. The rubbish alongside the roads and on the river banks was not pleasant to see - apparently no local administration to organise (and pay for) rubbish collection and disposal. But it does detract from the overall impression of Myanmar. Some thoughts for you:

The 6 hour bus trip from Rangoon to Prome to join the Orient Pandaw was excruciatingly long. Wouldn't it be lovely to have a flying boat from Rangoon harbour to the river at Prome!

As the river was quite low it was a bit off putting to see all the rubbish on the banks as we made our way to embark on Orient Pandaw. Would it be feasible to have this area cleaned up prior to embarkation?

Mandalay Airport. A huge structure where nothing works - they really have to do something about it. I doubt if an airline like Singapore Airlines would want to put Mandalay on their schedule with the state of the facilities there.

Whilst on the cruise, we were shown the film that you made entitled "The Forgotten Fleet" I would love to get a copy of this - can you let me know where that could be obtained?

We now have at the back of our minds that in the future a cruise from Mandalay to Bhamo at the end of the wet season (river full) say end August/early September sounds a good idea - perhaps in a couple of years or so.

Best wishes

Graham

Dear Mr Strachan,

I would like to thank you and your organization for a wonderful holiday cruise. Thank you also for allowing us to inspect the new "Baby Pandaw", with whom we fell in love, at first sight.

As you are probably aware, we had a medical emergency on our trip. Your purser, ERICK" did a remarkable job in supporting one of the passenger on board during a frightening and difficult time. Erick was available 24 hours for them and I am sure he must have lost quite a lot of sleep. The extra load he shouldered in no way affected the rest of his job which he managed with charm, humor and efficiency at all times . I think all passengers would agree that he is an outstanding man.

Every member of your staff deserves a mention for their hospitality skills from your captains to your sailors and waiters.
Our impression was that nothing was ever a chore for any of them.

I should also mention our guide Kyaw Soe Latt. I believe Soe is an agency employee. I would highly recommend him for future employment. His knowledge, sense of humor and ability to gauge the interests of a group were excellent.

Please pass on our best wishes to your crew and I wish you everyone in your organization a peaceful an prosperous 2014.

With kind regards

Helen Salmon

Dear Paul,

I recently had a wonderful trip on the Orient Pandaw from Prome to Mandalay, and had the pleasure of meeting you & your wife when the 'Baby Pandaw' drew alongside. I wanted to send this email with some comments on my trip, which I felt was an exceptional, and, at times, very humbling, experience.

Firstly, I would like to say how impressed I was with the Orient Pandaw itself - a glorious and very special boat (?ship - apologies, don't know which is correct!)which encouraged strong friendships to be formed. The whole experience was greatly enhanced by the friendly, thoughtful and caring crew, who were second to none, and ensured the comfort and well-being of all of us onboard. The itinerary gave us the opportunity to see much more of what, I suspect, is the 'real' Myanmar, much helped by having Soe, an excellent guide, with us. Like many of my fellow travellers, I have been travelling for much of my life, and this trip stands out way above the norm - I'll definately be investigating other Pandaw tours myself and have already fed back to my English travel agent that I would happily recommend the trip.

I must also mention something which I very much hope is rarely needed - and that was the assistance and care that was given to two of my fellow passengers, when the gentleman needed medical care and then later, when he and his wife had to be air-ambulanced to Bangkok for treatment. The assistance and caring attitude given to them both, by all the crew but most especially by Erick, our Purser, was incredible, from contacting and getting the best medical assistance in difficult circumstances, right through to the practicalities, such as giving Barrie piggy-backs up the riverbank to enable him to physically get to doctors and hospitals along the way - even bringing him up to the sundeck so he could enjoy the fun being had there - very, very impressive and way beyond any normal assistance.

To conclude, thank you for putting such a superb experience together and I wish you continuing success, especially with the 'Baby Pandaw'!

Pat Ferdinands