Slow going up the Ayeyarwaddy

Friday, October 29, 2010

Third early morning out of four so far.  We had to leave the hotel at 5:40am this morning to catch our boat, so it was wake-up at 5am.  Our boat left just after 6am and we had no idea how long it would take to go from Bagan to Mandalay.  We’d heard estimates of 8 hours to 13 hours.  The boat held over 100 passengers, but there were only 12 of us on board.  Just after leaving shore, we saw the sunrise over Bagan, and watched two hot air balloons start their flights.  A striking scene watching the temples along the river illuminated by the morning light. 

Sunrise

I spent most of the day on the deck enjoying the breeze, reading and writing and watching life along the Ayeyarwaddy river.  Unfortunately, I spilled some coffee on my pants a few minutes after boarding, so I zipped off the bottom half to wash them out and let them dry in the sun.  Apparently this wasn’t the best idea, as one of the boat workers became interested.  J.P. got a picture of him staring at me while I applied sunscreen.  I noticed him watching me during of the day, and trying to talk to me, and tried to ignore him.

At some point we were offered the option of lunch.  Since I didn’t know what time we’d be eating again, I accepted.  It turned out to be steamed rice with a fried egg and peanuts.  Nothing too exciting but somewhat filling; most of us ate on the deck.  When the heat and sun became too much and I went inside to enjoy the air-conditioning.  I read some more and chatted with Donna.

We started approaching Mandalay just before sunset.  There were hundreds of gold stupas dotting the hills along the river.  And then the sun set behind the hills.  We pulled into the Mandalay port at 6pm.  Apparently the boat takes 12 hours.  As we drove into the city, I was a bit surprised by the state of the roads and buildings.  When you read about Mandalay it sounds like a sprawling metropolis.  Well, it is a large city, but its way less modern than I expected (even though I’m not sure why I expected much more from it).

Sunset on the Ayeyarwaddy

After settling in to our rooms, J.P. walked us to dinner at Mann Chinese restaurant, a few blocks away.  I ordered the sweet and sour chicken with some rice.  Elli didn’t like the flavor of her soup much, so she asked for chili sauce and ended up making the soup way too spicy.  You should have seen her face.  Ros didn’t order enough food, so after we’d all finished eating, she asked for something else.  She really is a piece of work.  I hope I get through the next couple weeks without strangling her (of course I wouldn’t but she drives everyone crazy and I’m the one who has to share a room with her).  Such a nice thought to have before bed.