Video # 1 - Leaving Mandalay, Ayeyarwady River
Video # 2 - Fog and shallows, Ayeyarwady River
Video # 3- Passing by the Sagaing Hills, Ayeyarwady River
Video # 4 - Inya Bridge, Ayeyarwady River
Video # 5 - In the engine room, Ayeyarwady River
Video # 6 - depth sounding with poles, Ayeyarwady River
Video #6 - On the bridge, Ayeyarwady River
Leaving Mandalay at dawn, Ayeyarwady River
Yadanabon Bridge by Sagaing, Ayeyarwady Rliver
On the bridge of the "Shwe Kein-Nyi," Ayeyarwady River
On the bridge of the "Shwe Kein-Nyi," Ayeyarwady River
A working boat on the Ayeyarwady River
Passing under the Pakokku Bridge, Ayeyarwady River
Stopping to let off a crew member, Ayeyarwady River
IN THE HALF LIGHT of dawn, the tourists clambered aboard the vessel. By 7 am the ship's whistle blew as crew members began undoing the mooring ropes. Now the boat began shuddering as it began to drift away from the floating jetty. The diesels roared to life and the "Shwe Kein-Nyi" curved out into midstream. We were on the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River and Nyaung U, our destination near legendary Bagan, ten hours downstream. Soon, Mandalay slipped away in the wake as the sun rose above the tree-lined shore. The day was off to an enchanting start.
Downstream, we slowed to a crawl, as we entered a thin patch of fog and skirted shallow water. But then the wind blew up and the mist disappeared – there was Sagaing in golden sunshine as we crossed the channel. The ship's whistle blew again, echoing off the stupa strewn hillsides. We passed under the two bridges between Sagaing and Iwa as the shores flattened out.
From time to time the ship stopped by a stretch of riverbank or a small town. Passengers or crew members got on or off. Occasionally there were less expected delays as there was always the danger of grounding. Up at the bow two crew members would use long bamboo poles, to sound the depths, checking for hidden sandbars. The rainy season had passed months ago and so the Ayeyarwady was becoming dangerously low.
In the late afternoon the boat steamed under the long Pakokku bridge and by dusk we were moored at Nyaung U. A noisy crowd was waiting above the mud riverbank. There was my taxi too. Thanks to a reservation, i had a basic hotel room to look forward to, out near the airport.
Downstream, we slowed to a crawl, as we entered a thin patch of fog and skirted shallow water. But then the wind blew up and the mist disappeared – there was Sagaing in golden sunshine as we crossed the channel. The ship's whistle blew again, echoing off the stupa strewn hillsides. We passed under the two bridges between Sagaing and Iwa as the shores flattened out.
From time to time the ship stopped by a stretch of riverbank or a small town. Passengers or crew members got on or off. Occasionally there were less expected delays as there was always the danger of grounding. Up at the bow two crew members would use long bamboo poles, to sound the depths, checking for hidden sandbars. The rainy season had passed months ago and so the Ayeyarwady was becoming dangerously low.
In the late afternoon the boat steamed under the long Pakokku bridge and by dusk we were moored at Nyaung U. A noisy crowd was waiting above the mud riverbank. There was my taxi too. Thanks to a reservation, i had a basic hotel room to look forward to, out near the airport.
No comments:
Post a Comment