Living on a raft
To get from Mandalay to Bagan in Burma/Myanmar there is the quick and costly aeroplane or there is the very slow but cheap bus. We, however, took a third alternative: a boat down the Irrawaddy river, leaving at 7.30 and taking about 10 hours for the journey.
Early morning departure
An early arrival at the boat was essential to get one of the good seats, the ones with a view and shade, and eventually we set off down the river.
In the control room
The journey down the river is calm and mostly unchanging, with the occasional temple complex and a stop to buy bananas. We were surprised that the boat had a small kitchen producing tasty versions of the ubiquitous fried rice or noodles, served with, as always, Myanmar beer.
Along the shore
First stop
The appearance of two large steel bridges interrupted the languor of the voyage. The first of these is the Ava Bridge at Sagaing built by the British colonial government in 1934, destroyed during World War II and re-built in 1954 by the Myanmar Government as a 16 span rail and road cantilever bridge. This is soon followed by the new, majestic, Ayeyarwady Bridge, opened in 2008 with a length of 1.1Km. The light was such that both bridges looked as if they existed in the distant past.
A tale of two bridges
Timeslip bridge
New and old
We were treated to a number of excellent sunsets in Myanmar but the one awaiting us at our destination was probably the most spectacular of all.
Light on the water
Land of the two suns
End of the journey
And in the fading light we arrived at the ancient temple region of Bagan.
There are more photographs of our river journey here and here.
Photographs of our Myanmar trip can be found here and here.
— words by Paul
— pictures by Paul & Elizabeth
Inversion Layer 