JERRY AND SUSAN LAMPERT, USA, THE GOLDEN LAND, MAR 2017
Although this response is somewhat delayed, I do want to comment on the river cruise my wife and I took from March 22 to 31, 2017 on board the RV Pandaw Indochina.
Put simply, our Pandaw cruise was excellent, 5 out of 5. I would recommend it highly as the best way to see the emerging Myanmar. It allows one to visit towns and villages along the Irrawaddy River, while engaging locals as they go about their daily lives. This is our third Pandaw cruise. However, the previous two were booked with Uniworld on Pandaw vessels in China and Vietnam/Cambodia. Their lead crew and staff were Westerners, whereas our Myanmar cruise booked directly with Pandaw was all Burmese, most notably the Purser, two superb tour guides, and the amazing chef. The result was an intimate insight into all things Burmese, including wonderful food and interesting lectures. Each of the locations we visited provided memorable experiences. Some highlights included the U Bein Bridge at sunset, numerous artisan workshops, the terracotta potteries in Yandabo, the temples and stupas of Bagan, the children at the Pandaw supported school in Myan Aung, and the colourful markets in several towns.
Pandaw began in Burma and appears to have a positive reputation throughout the country. Our cruise was the last one of the season. We only had 31 passengers on board most of whom were from Australia, a few from the UK, one American couple and ourselves as the only Canadians. We've sang the praises of Myanmar and Pandaw since returning home, so hopefully more Canadians will choose to visit this amazing land in the future.
Congratulations to you, your staff and crew on a truly fabulous experience. Every good wish for success in the future.
Jerry Lampert
PS. We followed our river cruise with a two day visit to Inle Lake. It is a must see and do and was a relaxful way to end our visit to Myanmar.
