Mandalay - Pagan - Prome on Pandaw II or Pandaw IV
Day 1: Rangoon
International arrivals in Rangoon and transfer to the 4 star Dusit
Inya Lake Hotel; afternoon orientation tour by coach followed by
visit to the Shwedagon pagoda.
Day 2: Rangoon to Mandalay
Early morning flight from Yangon to Mandalay. In the afternoon we
tour central Mandalay visiting the Mahamuni Pagoda and Shwe-im-bin
teak carved monastery and Mandalay Hill for sunset. We stop to see
tapestry making and other traditional crafts.
Day 3: Ava, Amarapura and Sagaing
Morning visit by boat and walk in the beautiful hills with over
1000 hermitages and sanctuaries, rich in wood carving and
religious art. Return to ship for lunch. In afternoon we explore
these ancient capitals by coach or sampan visiting the teak Bagaya
Kyaung, Menu Ok-kyaung and crossing the U Bein Bridge to see the
paintings in a temple.
Day 4: Theingone Monastery
Further explorations of Pagan; we cast off at lunchtime and
proceed to the Theingone village to make a tour of construction of
both the new school and the monastery.
Day 5: Yandabo Potteries and Pandaw School
This very small rural village that specialises in pot making. We
visit the Pandaw School and the new dispensary both built with
past donations from Pandaw passengers.
Day 6: Pagan Monuments
We
tour a selection of the 3,000 listed monuments in this important
World Heritage Site.
Day 7: Pagan Lacquer Factory and Sale Monasteries
Morning further explorations of Pagan and vist lacquer workshops.
Return to ship and sail downstream to Sale. In afternoon we here
visit a number of teak monasteries including the Yout-saun-kyaung
with its spectacular wood carvings; we also explore an area of
splendid colonial-style houses; moor at the Tan-chi-taung mountain
and ascend on foot or by WWII jeep for the spectacular sunset over
Pagan.
Day 8: Magwe Gold Bricks
We
climb the river bank and wend our way through a labyrinth of
passages and paths to reach the magnificent Myat-thalon Pagoda.
This pagoda is constructed with solid gold bricks. Of interest are
the many nat shrines and hermitages within the temple precincts.
Day 9: Minhla Forts
Minhla and Gwechaung - we visit the two Italian built forts
constructed to keep the British at bay from Royal Myanmar. We
climb the Gwechaung hill for the view. These were captured by the
British in the 3rd Anglo Myanma War. The fight for the Minhla
redoubt was the only serious action in the war and the death of a
young subaltern inspired Kipling to write a poem. Gwechaung, the
more impressive of the forts was captured from the rear before the
Myanma could turn the guns around.
Day 10: Thayetmyo Frontier Post
This pleasant colonial town once guarded the border between Royal
Myanmar and British Myanmar following the 2nd Anglo Myanma War of
1855, many of the buildings including the covered market date from
this period. Thayet also boasts the oldest golf course in Myanmar
(1885) said by the locals to be reciprocally clubbed with the
Royal & Ancient St Andrews (however when we mentioned this in an
early brochure we received a curt note from the R&A Secretary
denying any such association). Outside the town is an extensive
war cemetery where Turkish prisoners of war were laid to rest.
Captured in Iraq, the Turks were transported to labour camps in
Myanmar where they died in their hundreds of malaria. In the town
itself we visit the market, see the colonial houses and ride out
by horse cart to see the countryside and golf links.
Day 11: Prome and the Ancient Pyu
Visit the 5th-8th century archaeological site of Thiri-ya-kittiya,
former centre of the Pyu civilization with a fascinating museum of
early Buddhist artifacts and sculpture.
Day 12: Prome to Rangoon
Disembark and drive to Rangoon; transfer to the Inya Lake Hotel
and afternoon coach trip to the Scot Market.
Day 13: Rangoon
Early morning visit to war graves at Htaukchan; transfers for
international departures. |
