The boat sailed gently into the heart of Burma, a lesser-known land, with golden pagodas and ancient palaces standing on both sides of the river, monks in saffron robes slowly walking by, and this Buddhist kingdom exudes tranquility everywhere.
If every country has a mother river, for Myanmar, the Irrawaddy River must well-deservedly shoulder this responsibility, a large river that originates in Tsakyu, Tibet, China, runs through Myanmar from north to south, and flows into the Indian Ocean near Yangon.
Everyone has their own way of reaching out to this river, and the way we chose is Road To Mandalay. More than 20 years ago, the cruise officially set sail from Mandalay to Bagan, along the tranquil Irrawaddy River to explore the stunning scenery of the "Three Gorges of Northern Myanmar".
Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar, between 1860 and 1885, the last king of Burma set the capital here, the suburbs have the famous ancient capital of Myanmar in history, Awa, mandalay's royal city is basically preserved intact, in Myanmar is also unique, to see the ancient culture of Myanmar, there is no other branch.
We still got on the boat, the big white boat, from the outside, it seems that there is not much difference from the cruise ship on the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, but the interior is still different. Road To Mandalay was renovated, interior designers Ali Kennedy and ateliers de la Péninsule Architects redesigned the rooms and common spaces, which were larger than the original and had a more relaxed, stylish and warm atmosphere. A large comfortable bed, a small desk, a teak cabinet... Spacious bathroom, paved with Burmese jade tiles, you can hardly imagine this on a cruise ship.
Road To Mandalay's capacity has been reduced from 108 to 82 people, which is a good thing for everyone, and no one likes the hustle and bustle.
The rooms are comfortable and luxurious, and the restaurant is full of surprises, with Myanmar, Shan State, Thai, Indonesian, Chinese, Indian and European flavors.
The air is fresh, the sun is shining, the scenery is pleasant, and the perfect trip is nothing more than that.
In fact, perfection is not only defined here, the charm of Road To Mandalay lies in exploring the inaccessible places along the Irrawaddy River, Mingun has the world's largest brick pagoda and intact clock, Nwe Nyein's traditional clay pot craftsmanship is long-lasting, the small village of Kyan Hnyat is as quaint as a century ago, the small market makes people linger; the ancient town of Katha was once a British colony, and the British writer George Orwell wrote "The Burmese Years" here, we walked in tricycles through the colonial streets, and the time seemed to flow back to the 1930s; Naba in the forest, we rode on the back of elephants, watching elephants diligently carry teak...
When everyone was amazed and sighed, after a 300-kilometer voyage, Road To Mandalay came to Bagan, the perfect journey reached its climax, but we were silent, and the shocking feeling appeared on everyone's face.
More than 2,000 pagodas and temples, large and small, high and low, none of them are the same, domed, spire, roofless, some are still standing, some have collapsed into shape.
The Bagan people spend their lives serving the Buddha, and their greatest wish in life is to donate a stupa, preferring to live in the grass tent themselves or let the Buddha live in the temple. In 1044, King Arupadi founded the Bagan Dynasty here, and he embraced Buddhism, built stupas in Bagan, and built tens of thousands of stupas and temples from the next 250 to the fall of the dynasty. In this "City of Ten Thousand Towers", the boundless stupas exude the splendor of the past and the vicissitudes of time, and enjoy another specialty of Bagan in the most beautiful sunset in the world - tranquility and leisure, until you faint.
*How much does it cost
The £2,380 fee includes all packages and accommodation on board, as well as domestic flights, transfers and all sightseeing activities. You can also customize your itinerary to suit your needs.
* Route customization
Road To Mandalay regularly offers 3-, 4- and 7-night tours to and from Pugan and Mandalay, priced from £1,400 per person. Each year, there are 3 special routes to Bhamo in the foothills of Yunnan on the Chinese border to explore remote areas. There is also the option of extending the itinerary to explore Yangon, the Rhine, or Ngapali in the Indian Ocean.
Every day I wake up to open champagne, in the morning I ride a bicycle in the countryside, in the afternoon I soak in the Jacuzzi on the deck and enjoy the scenery of the countryside on both sides of the river; in the evening, I talk and laugh with my relatives and friends, and watch the stars on the deck...