WILLEM VAN NIEKERK AND HANS-PETER KAUFMANN, SWITZERLAND, THE BRAHMAPUTRA
If I had to describe our experience on the recent Brahmaputra cruise in one word, the world would be "brilliant"!
This being our 5th cruise with Pandaw, we thought we knew what to expect. But our expectations were topped in several ways: The culinary experience, for example, was the best we’ve ever had on a Pandaw cruise. The mastermind behind this is, no doubt, Executive Chef Kunai Shukla. Of course, there was a great team behind him, but his beaming presence throughout the day, be it in a presentation on spices or by being on hand almost around the clock, really was more than one would expect from a chef.
In early posts of yours you mention that a few things in India might be, well, Indian, and that the standards might vary from those in other Pandaw areas. This, in our opinion, was absolutely not the case. In fact, we thought that the whole crew, starting from the ships hands, were interacting with the guests in a very warm and genuine way and the standards of housekeeping were high, without any glitch.
If we just might make one suggestion, specifically for a country like India: That the bedding would be in pure cotton, rather than a blend.
This being your first Brahmaputra cruise, we expected a few "surprises" as to the sightseeing-program, thinking of Borneo… But everything went smoothly. Of course, there were a few minor details and suggestions from our side, which we shared with Arnab, the able purser on the ship. Almost not noticeable to outsiders was the discreet advice administered by Win, who stayed in the background and certainly made sure that Pandaw standards were always met.
Where do we go next with Pandaw? Is there a chance that the Kalimantan project could still take-off?
Best regards
Willem van Niekerk & Hans-Peter Kaufmann
Willem van Niekerk & Hans-Peter Kaufmann have created a picture book of their Brahmaputra expedition which you can click here to view online.
